WEBVTT - SYSK Selects: How Labor Unions Work 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:03.920 M Hey everyone, Since it's political season, I thought for 0:00:03.960 --> 0:00:06.480 this Saturday Select, we'd go back in time to May 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:11.160 twelve and learned a little bit about labor unions. That's 0:00:11.200 --> 0:00:13.320 abound to be a hot topic in debates and as 0:00:13.360 --> 0:00:15.880 we ramp up to the primary season or through the 0:00:15.920 --> 0:00:20.200 primary season into the dreaded November date. But give it 0:00:20.200 --> 0:00:23.239 a listen. Educate yourselves on how labor unions work. Right now, 0:00:25.760 --> 0:00:28.040 welcome to Stuff you Should Know, a production of I 0:00:28.200 --> 0:00:37.560 Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:40.839 I'm Josh Clark. With me is always is Charles W. 0:00:41.200 --> 0:00:46.519 Chuff Bryant, which makes this stuff you should know. Heck no, 0:00:46.920 --> 0:00:50.879 we won't go. That's different. Heck no, we won't record. 0:00:51.800 --> 0:00:54.800 That's more along the lines of what we're talking about 0:00:54.880 --> 0:00:59.040 better pay for podcasters. Yeah. As a matter of fact, 0:00:59.120 --> 0:01:02.240 we could get together like Adam Curry and um Joe 0:01:02.320 --> 0:01:07.640 Rogan and maybe even IRA and form like some sort 0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:11.000 of local He would be our Jimmy Hoffa, Ira would 0:01:11.040 --> 0:01:16.040 be Is that a threat? No? Are you threaten? No? 0:01:16.240 --> 0:01:18.479 He would be our Jimmy. He would make things happen. 0:01:19.000 --> 0:01:22.560 James P. Hoffa, the one that the current team's Church 0:01:22.600 --> 0:01:24.679 president either one. I'm not saying get rid of him 0:01:24.680 --> 0:01:27.800 burying a giant stadium, from saying IRA would make it happen. 0:01:27.920 --> 0:01:34.120 He would break legs if need be. There's a leg 0:01:34.160 --> 0:01:38.280 breaking goon um. So for those of you who have 0:01:38.360 --> 0:01:40.760 already seen the title of this you are you are 0:01:41.000 --> 0:01:44.520 you understand the banter? I guess if you have no 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:46.880 idea what we're talking about, I'll bet you guessed by 0:01:46.920 --> 0:01:50.840 now that we're talking about labor unions. Tom. It's a 0:01:50.840 --> 0:01:52.680 good one man that we had this request a lot 0:01:52.800 --> 0:01:58.080 last year from Scanni's when the whole Wisconsin Scott Walker things. 0:01:58.160 --> 0:01:59.920 I know, and we're just now getting to it because 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:03.040 the Scott Walker thing is like my intro. Well, let's 0:02:03.040 --> 0:02:06.840 hear it. So do you remember last year in Wisconsin? Yes, 0:02:08.080 --> 0:02:11.680 there was this big hubbub that was going on. A 0:02:11.720 --> 0:02:13.680 lot of people were wondering if this is going to 0:02:13.720 --> 0:02:16.400 be like the beginning of the Arab Spring in the 0:02:16.480 --> 0:02:19.240 United States, this is going to be the flash point 0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:23.680 for it. Because Governor Scott Walker was accused of trying 0:02:23.720 --> 0:02:30.680 to deunionize the public sector employees State Employees UM through 0:02:31.200 --> 0:02:33.680 a little bit of legislation that he was trying to introduce. 0:02:34.320 --> 0:02:37.280 That is very true, and it caused quite a stirt, 0:02:37.360 --> 0:02:40.359 like thousands of protesters. Yeah, there was some serious protests 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:42.519 going on. UM. And at the heart of this whole 0:02:42.520 --> 0:02:46.160 thing was some legislation where he was trying to get 0:02:46.360 --> 0:02:51.880 the public sector employees unions UM to get their union 0:02:51.919 --> 0:02:55.480 members e g. The public or i e. The public 0:02:55.520 --> 0:02:58.800 sector employees. I E means that is e g is 0:02:58.840 --> 0:03:02.440 for example. But I realize that UH to basically pay 0:03:02.480 --> 0:03:06.480 in half of their pensions, UM to give up some 0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:09.880 other concessions like UM, if they were going to get 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:13.560 a raise, it had to be through public referendum. Yeah, 0:03:13.600 --> 0:03:18.119 anything over the rate of inflation, I think yeah, UM. 0:03:18.160 --> 0:03:21.480 But probably the biggest one was that they were stripped 0:03:21.560 --> 0:03:25.560 of their ability to collectively bargain. Yeah, that was the 0:03:25.560 --> 0:03:28.399 begining and it worked. It got pushed through, and now 0:03:28.440 --> 0:03:32.200 if you are a state employee union member in Wisconsin, 0:03:33.080 --> 0:03:36.640 you can't collectively bargain anymore, which means you are effectively 0:03:37.920 --> 0:03:40.560 neutered as a union member. In a lot of ways, 0:03:41.160 --> 0:03:44.800 that is one of the hallmarks of the unions. And 0:03:45.240 --> 0:03:48.720 depending on where you come from, what you believe who 0:03:48.800 --> 0:03:52.840 raised you, whether or not your grandpa was still alive 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:55.160 when you were old enough to understand what he was 0:03:55.160 --> 0:03:59.400 talking about. UM that, I think that largely depends on 0:03:59.440 --> 0:04:01.480 how you feel about unions. A lot of people think 0:04:01.520 --> 0:04:04.080 they're a good thing. A lot of people think they're bad, 0:04:04.480 --> 0:04:06.560 A lot of people think they're necessary, a lot of 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:08.840 people think they're evil. A lot of people think they're 0:04:08.880 --> 0:04:13.880 necessary evil, And in fact, they're kind of America as 0:04:13.920 --> 0:04:16.719 it stands as kind of split down the middle these days. 0:04:17.360 --> 0:04:20.200 A pew pole that was taken during this whole hubbub 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:26.080 in Wisconsin, UM showed that forty of Americans had a 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:30.440 positive view of organized labor, which I found surprising. You 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:33.160 thought that was high, Yeah, I was. I was surprised 0:04:33.200 --> 0:04:37.159 because the the decline of union has also been attended 0:04:37.200 --> 0:04:40.720 by a change in perception towards them, you know, like 0:04:40.880 --> 0:04:43.760 they're kind of bad or that they hamstring business is 0:04:43.960 --> 0:04:47.240 another big one. UM. But they also found that fift 0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:51.520 still believe unions are needed to improve working people's lives. 0:04:52.520 --> 0:04:56.240 So necessary evil. I nailed it, you did, and Uh, 0:04:56.560 --> 0:04:59.520 unsurprisingly a lot of times your feelings on unions are 0:04:59.560 --> 0:05:04.960 drawn a political lines these days, of being like the 0:05:05.680 --> 0:05:10.280 an organizing backbone for the Democratic party. Sure, but that's 0:05:10.320 --> 0:05:13.800 not always true, Like very frequently unions throw their waiting 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:18.520 their support behind Republicans as well. At any rate, let's 0:05:18.520 --> 0:05:21.200 get to the bottom of what all this is. Are 0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:24.800 our unions good? We're probably going to avoid this kind 0:05:24.839 --> 0:05:29.039 of qualitative descriptor and instead just kind of stick to 0:05:29.600 --> 0:05:33.480 the facts and let the people decide. Power to the 0:05:33.520 --> 0:05:37.159 people to decide whether unions are good or not. I 0:05:37.200 --> 0:05:40.520 think that's a good move. Josh, thank you. Uh so 0:05:41.000 --> 0:05:45.719 we got stats. We'll get to those later. Unions, Josh. Uh. 0:05:45.760 --> 0:05:49.320 Industrial revolution is kind of where actually we can go 0:05:49.400 --> 0:05:53.040 back further, which we will with what medieval times. Yeah, 0:05:53.080 --> 0:05:57.880 the the trade guilds. Trade guilds sort of where the 0:05:57.920 --> 0:06:01.880 beginnings seeds of the unions and uh, they originally sort 0:06:01.880 --> 0:06:06.200 of came about though just too uh swap techniques and 0:06:06.400 --> 0:06:10.360 recipes and uh. Then that sort of evolved a bit 0:06:10.400 --> 0:06:13.640 into hey, why don't we get together and also share 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:18.400 aside from our knowledge, get together and maybe share expertise 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:22.000 on how to how to do things better and get 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:26.640 better wages maybe or fixed prices. That's one before they 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:29.440 figured out that that was um immoral and this is 0:06:29.480 --> 0:06:32.440 medieval Europe a long time ago. Yeah. Uh. And the 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:36.160 trade guilds, Um, we're definitely the origin of unions. It's 0:06:36.240 --> 0:06:40.840 just a bunch of workers getting together and figuring out 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:43.920 because it is essentially what a union is that they have, 0:06:44.240 --> 0:06:48.640 um more strength than numbers exactly. Um. And it's also 0:06:48.920 --> 0:06:53.680 an indication of workers understanding their value in the production process, 0:06:54.240 --> 0:06:57.920 that what they're essentially doing in return for their salary 0:06:58.200 --> 0:07:02.599 was producing a profit or business. Yeah, so you have 0:07:02.680 --> 0:07:06.359 labor in business, right and um. That gives them a 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:09.080 certain sense of value, whereas uh and a lot of 0:07:09.520 --> 0:07:13.400 situations workers feel like, you know, they're very grateful for 0:07:13.440 --> 0:07:15.320 their job and they don't want to make any waves 0:07:15.400 --> 0:07:18.840 or anything like that, and they're not fully aware of 0:07:18.880 --> 0:07:22.480 their value. UM. And unions. One of the roles that 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:25.960 unions plays to point out to a worker, Hey, you're 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:28.640 doing something in return. This isn't some sort of welfare 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:32.240 situation that you're involved in. You're producing labor and that 0:07:32.320 --> 0:07:35.800 has value and certain rights as well. Exactly. All right. 0:07:35.880 --> 0:07:41.040 So flash forward a bit to the Industrial Revolution nineteenth century. Uh, 0:07:41.360 --> 0:07:44.680 things moved away a little bit from agriculture, uh, and 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:48.480 agricultural jobs moved into the factories. As we all know 0:07:49.200 --> 0:07:51.680 and kind of right off the bat, factories weren't a 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:57.720 good scene for fair wages and safe conditions and kids 0:07:57.760 --> 0:08:01.080 working in factories and women in children not being paid 0:08:01.120 --> 0:08:06.520 as much as men. Um. Triangle shirtwaist fire. That was 0:08:06.560 --> 0:08:10.559 a big turning point. What was the triangle shirtwaist company fire? 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:14.280 Where the working conditions were really really dangerous? That it 0:08:14.400 --> 0:08:17.760 was a clothing company, clothing manufacturer, I think in Chicago 0:08:17.840 --> 0:08:20.960 or New York, I can't remember. Um, and it caught fire, 0:08:21.520 --> 0:08:25.360 the factory did because there was all this fabric in 0:08:25.400 --> 0:08:27.680 the air and it just ignited and the whole place 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:29.600 went up and all of these women had to jump 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:34.920 to their deaths. And UM, that kind of brought in, UM, 0:08:35.040 --> 0:08:39.240 brought working conditions into the limelight and help their union. 0:08:39.720 --> 0:08:42.600 Um sentiment. I guess a flash point, if you will, 0:08:43.200 --> 0:08:48.440 exactly from your favorite Mr Cladwell the heath flash point, 0:08:48.520 --> 0:08:54.920 tipping point, tipping point, good lord, get it together, Chuck, Okay, 0:08:55.200 --> 0:08:58.280 I've got it together now, tipping point. I had to 0:08:58.320 --> 0:09:02.640 take a little break. Uh. Uh. In the nineteenth century, 0:09:02.679 --> 0:09:06.760 they would do things called striking. Yeah, they still do today, 0:09:06.760 --> 0:09:10.800 but back then it was a more uh contentious and 0:09:10.920 --> 0:09:16.120 violent affair. Than it is today, Like people died, bombs 0:09:16.120 --> 0:09:19.240 went off, guns were shot. Yeah, there was, and it 0:09:19.320 --> 0:09:21.960 was on both sides too, I mean, like the workers 0:09:21.960 --> 0:09:25.520 were striking. The point was the whole was the same, 0:09:25.960 --> 0:09:28.960 where we're not working anymore and you're not going to 0:09:29.000 --> 0:09:31.920 make any money because we're not producing the product that 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:36.280 you need to go sell. Right. Um, But during these times, 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:39.320 like the National Guard would show up, or um, the 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:42.920 cops would show up, or maybe the Pinkerton Detective Agency 0:09:42.920 --> 0:09:45.960 would show up and just start beating the tar out 0:09:45.960 --> 0:09:48.600 of the striking workers in order to scare them back 0:09:48.640 --> 0:09:54.800 into working. Workers also would um defend themselves. Uh, there 0:09:54.880 --> 0:09:57.120 was this one. I can't remember what striker was. I 0:09:57.240 --> 0:09:59.640 just read about it where like the workers managed to 0:09:59.640 --> 0:10:03.040 like chase the cops off really because they were they 0:10:03.080 --> 0:10:06.760 were shooting two pound hinges in these oversized sling shots 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:09.400 like at the cops. And I can't imagine getting hit 0:10:09.440 --> 0:10:12.199 by a two pound hinge. Was a hinge factory, I 0:10:12.240 --> 0:10:14.800 had to have been, yeah sure, but yeah, so the 0:10:14.920 --> 0:10:17.480 strikes were very violent. People like you said, would die 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:20.320 and the cops like why couldn't the cotton ball factory 0:10:20.400 --> 0:10:25.360 had been right? Uh, but not funny though, because people 0:10:25.400 --> 0:10:27.720 did die. Uh, not making light of it, like at 0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:30.600 the Haymarket riot for incidents, for incidents, that was a 0:10:30.600 --> 0:10:32.840 big one, for instance, that was a turning point, a 0:10:32.840 --> 0:10:37.120 flash point, if you will. It was early May. Um, 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:39.840 there was a nationwide strike saying we only want to 0:10:39.840 --> 0:10:43.400 work eight hours a day. Um. And in Chicago's Haymarket 0:10:43.840 --> 0:10:47.319 there was a violent protest. Um. Not a lot of 0:10:47.360 --> 0:10:50.160 people were there because the weather, thank goodness. Because someone 0:10:50.200 --> 0:10:53.520 threw a bomb into the crowd, yeah, went off and 0:10:53.640 --> 0:10:56.679 shots were fired by the cops, maybe by the protesters 0:10:57.280 --> 0:11:00.760 probably Aparently they were not just strike labors, but they 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:08.120 were anarchists there, and uh, you know this anarchist their trouble. Well. Um, 0:11:08.160 --> 0:11:10.920 this is one of the places where in the public 0:11:11.000 --> 0:11:15.320 imagination at least that anarchists and socialists became married to 0:11:15.679 --> 0:11:19.800 labor like pro labor um. And it's always kind of 0:11:19.840 --> 0:11:24.600 haunted labor unions, is that idea? But it was born 0:11:24.679 --> 0:11:28.600 out of this era, if not this riot, I'm sure yeah. Uh. 0:11:28.640 --> 0:11:33.880 In the end, eight people were charged and convicted. Um. 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:36.600 The labor leaders tried to get them out, saying this 0:11:36.679 --> 0:11:39.480 is not fair. One of the people committed suicide by 0:11:39.640 --> 0:11:41.800 placing a stick of dynamite in his mouth in prison. 0:11:43.320 --> 0:11:47.120 And uh. In the end, in a few years later, 0:11:47.520 --> 0:11:50.520 the governor of Illinois granted a full pardon to the 0:11:50.559 --> 0:11:54.360 remaining three convicted, and that ended up leading to an 0:11:54.360 --> 0:11:58.320 observance of May Day or Labor Day in other countries. 0:11:58.640 --> 0:12:02.360 Right May first, USB Labor Day. Um. This whole affair, though, 0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:04.640 you left out that four of the guys who were 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:08.640 convicted were hanged, and then one guy committed suicide, and 0:12:08.679 --> 0:12:12.520 then three were but they were charged with like basically 0:12:12.920 --> 0:12:17.640 agitating violence. Um. This was back when free speech wasn't 0:12:17.679 --> 0:12:21.520 protected quite as much as it is now. Um. But 0:12:21.800 --> 0:12:24.880 the they and they were pardoned and as a result, 0:12:24.960 --> 0:12:27.280 this whole Mayday thing, this Labor Day thing came up 0:12:27.320 --> 0:12:29.640 about in May one. But then within like five years, 0:12:29.640 --> 0:12:32.920 Grover Cleveland was like, well, this is kind of a sordid, 0:12:33.080 --> 0:12:36.840 like scary association with labor. Let's just celebrate labor, and 0:12:36.880 --> 0:12:39.600 I'm going to move it to, um the first Saturday, now, 0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:43.840 the first Monday Monday in September till Saturday be no good. 0:12:44.720 --> 0:12:48.200 We wouldn't get off work exactly. Uh did he move 0:12:48.240 --> 0:12:52.719 it to to disassociate from that interesting specifically, So that's 0:12:52.720 --> 0:12:58.760 why you can't wear white after September. September exactly. That's 0:12:58.800 --> 0:13:27.360 exactly the origin that stuff. Mm hm. Alright, So maybe 0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:32.040 let's talk about some of the basics of a labor union, Josh. Um, 0:13:32.080 --> 0:13:34.320 there's many different kinds, and like you said, it's all 0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:37.480 about strengthened numbers to get together to form what's called 0:13:37.520 --> 0:13:41.280 a bargaining unit UM with an elected leader to deal 0:13:41.280 --> 0:13:44.840 with the employer, right, because I mean, think about it. 0:13:45.240 --> 0:13:48.280 If you are if you have somebody who's advocating for 0:13:48.440 --> 0:13:53.520 your success, for your rights, higher wages, better conditions, whatever 0:13:53.559 --> 0:13:58.280 it might be, Um, you are removing yourself to a 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:02.280 certain extent from that negotiation. So it's a little less 0:14:02.320 --> 0:14:05.360 sticky for you because you're not talking to your employer. 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:08.520 You're not saying, I really want some more money. Somebody 0:14:08.520 --> 0:14:11.240 else is going These guys are making a bunch of 0:14:11.280 --> 0:14:12.719 money for you, and you need to share it a 0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:17.840 little better like an agent exactly right in a way, 0:14:18.040 --> 0:14:21.080 And at the same time, you also have that element 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:25.480 of that bargaining unit being a collective bargaining unit, meaning 0:14:25.520 --> 0:14:29.120 there's that strengthen numbers. So it's a bunch of people 0:14:29.440 --> 0:14:34.240 becoming satisfied at the same time, and implied in there 0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:36.240 is if you don't do this, then you're gonna lose 0:14:36.280 --> 0:14:37.880 a bunch of people all at once, and you're gonna 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:41.160 have some trouble. Right And Uh, they do this uh 0:14:41.440 --> 0:14:43.760 agreement in the form of the c b A or 0:14:43.760 --> 0:14:47.840 collective bargaining agreement, and a fan of any professional sports 0:14:48.360 --> 0:14:51.600 will understand what a c b A is and how 0:14:51.880 --> 0:14:56.240 tinuous they can be. Uh. Once you have negotiated this agreement, 0:14:56.240 --> 0:14:59.120 and everyone on the employer sizes, you know, we can 0:14:59.160 --> 0:15:02.120 live with these terms. Everyone on the employee side said, yeah, 0:15:02.160 --> 0:15:03.840 we can live with this. We both give a little bit. 0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:07.320 They sign it, and uh it is set for a 0:15:07.360 --> 0:15:10.680 certain period of time, and you cannot break the c 0:15:10.800 --> 0:15:14.960 b A on either side without there being legal action 0:15:15.080 --> 0:15:18.320 or grievance is filed, which usually means an arbitrator will 0:15:18.320 --> 0:15:21.760 come in and say, you know, let me get involved. UM, 0:15:21.920 --> 0:15:24.120 you I feel like just hit the nail on the head. 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:29.120 Though for an ideal union presence in business, everyone give 0:15:29.160 --> 0:15:32.800 a little yeah, you know, you can't have UM too 0:15:32.880 --> 0:15:34.880 much for on one side or the other. But I 0:15:34.880 --> 0:15:38.680 think that that's kind of the history of UM. The 0:15:38.720 --> 0:15:42.800 presence of unions in business in America, it's been If 0:15:42.800 --> 0:15:46.200 you look over time, it's maybe even down. But if 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:49.880 you look at in any specific decade, it's more on 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:52.640 one side than the other of as far as who's 0:15:52.640 --> 0:15:57.640 in the beneficial position or who's asking more, who's extracting more? Yeah, like, um, 0:15:57.680 --> 0:16:02.760 Samuel Gompers, who who got together the American Federation of Labor, 0:16:02.800 --> 0:16:05.280 I think yeah. When he was asked what the a 0:16:05.480 --> 0:16:10.520 f L wanted his answer was more. Yeah. Yeah. But 0:16:10.560 --> 0:16:12.880 at the same time, you have to say, well, business 0:16:12.960 --> 0:16:16.040 isn't going to just say just give it away. Very 0:16:16.160 --> 0:16:20.080 rarely do they. Um, the whole presence of unions is 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:23.960 to extract that. At least that was the original idea 0:16:24.000 --> 0:16:28.520 of them. Yeah. You know. Uh. Unions, like any organization, 0:16:28.560 --> 0:16:31.360 costs a little money to run. Um, so you have 0:16:31.400 --> 0:16:34.400 to pay dues. It's a membership thing. Um. If I 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:38.280 was in the Screen Actors Guild, which I'm not, I 0:16:38.320 --> 0:16:41.000 would pay dues to the Screen Actors Guild every year 0:16:41.040 --> 0:16:44.280 to keep my membership current and then they would go 0:16:44.520 --> 0:16:46.120 fight for me and they would have a staff that 0:16:46.160 --> 0:16:49.280 gets paid out of that money. UM. I love in 0:16:49.360 --> 0:16:52.200 here that this is dues vary, but many are around 0:16:52.240 --> 0:16:55.120 fifty a month. What a deal? Yeah, I think it's 0:16:55.200 --> 0:16:58.760 it's completely various depending on what union you're in. Sure, 0:16:58.920 --> 0:17:00.720 I don't know that you can put a average number, 0:17:00.800 --> 0:17:02.840 or maybe you can if you average it, well, if 0:17:02.840 --> 0:17:05.280 you counted them all up. And I don't think that's 0:17:05.280 --> 0:17:08.119 what they did here. Um, No, it was fifty dollars 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:11.960 a month UM act now. Uh. They're also supposed to 0:17:12.000 --> 0:17:18.119 be democracies with elected officials, elected leaders who UM take 0:17:18.160 --> 0:17:22.280 action based on referendums and votes and basically just using 0:17:22.520 --> 0:17:27.119 UM voting to take the pulse of the union members 0:17:27.160 --> 0:17:29.399 to see what they want to do. Ideally, that's how 0:17:29.400 --> 0:17:31.320 it works. Yeah, I get the feeling it doesn't always 0:17:31.359 --> 0:17:35.000 work that way throughout history. Yeah, especially once the mob 0:17:35.040 --> 0:17:39.280 got involved, which we'll get to UM a lot of times. 0:17:39.320 --> 0:17:43.040 You can be uh local union member, which is sort 0:17:43.080 --> 0:17:49.480 of like being a fraternity member of a larger national charter. Uh. 0:17:49.520 --> 0:17:52.000 And if you're a local union that means that you 0:17:53.359 --> 0:17:56.280 maybe work in that same business sector, but you're employed 0:17:56.320 --> 0:17:59.199 by a different company. But it's like, hey, I'm in 0:17:59.240 --> 0:18:01.320 the in a key going back to film business stuff, 0:18:01.320 --> 0:18:05.040 because they were lousy with unions still are like, Hey, 0:18:05.040 --> 0:18:06.720 I'm I work in the art department. I'm a prop 0:18:06.760 --> 0:18:09.400 sky so I'm a member of the local I can't 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:12.520 remember the number union here in Atlanta, but it's a 0:18:12.640 --> 0:18:15.840 national charter, probably pushed out of l A. Not mistaken. 0:18:17.160 --> 0:18:21.720 It's like, um, a chapter of a fraternity or a sorority. Yeah, 0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:25.880 much is what I said. Yeah, did you say fraternity 0:18:25.920 --> 0:18:30.359 or sorority? No you didn't. I said fraternity. You didn't. 0:18:30.440 --> 0:18:36.040 You didn't add sorority? No? No, good point, sororities as well, chuck, Um, 0:18:36.200 --> 0:18:38.520 what's the point of all this? I think we've kind 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:40.440 of touched on a little bit of it, like in 0:18:40.760 --> 0:18:43.160 the especially in the strength and numbers thing, But there's 0:18:43.160 --> 0:18:48.640 other benefits to being in a union, correct, Yeah? Um, 0:18:48.720 --> 0:18:50.520 should we throw out some stats here? I think this 0:18:50.680 --> 0:18:53.520 is high time for stats. Your wages, for one, your 0:18:53.600 --> 0:18:57.680 median weekly income, it's going to be as a union member, 0:18:57.720 --> 0:19:01.440 about nine d and forty dollars. Uh, it's gonna be 0:19:01.440 --> 0:19:05.600 about seven and thirty dollars if you're non union. Um, 0:19:06.640 --> 0:19:11.200 let me see here. You've got some about healthcare? Correct? Oh? Yeah, 0:19:11.400 --> 0:19:13.920 so eight percent of union workers and this is from 0:19:13.920 --> 0:19:16.000 the Department of labor. This isn't like from the A 0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:19.719 F L C, I O or anything. UM eight percent 0:19:20.560 --> 0:19:25.800 of UM union workers have health coverage, of non union 0:19:25.800 --> 0:19:30.720 workers don't do UM. It's the same with dental plans. 0:19:30.720 --> 0:19:34.000 Of the disparities even more of non union workers have 0:19:34.080 --> 0:19:38.159 dental plans, where something like sixty six percent have a 0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:41.720 dental plan. If you're a member of a union, UM 0:19:41.840 --> 0:19:47.120 half of union jobs have vision coverage and only about 0:19:47.119 --> 0:19:51.200 a quarter of non union jobs UH have it. Which 0:19:51.400 --> 0:19:53.480 in reading this also I was kind of like, man, 0:19:53.520 --> 0:19:56.680 we have pretty good benefits here discovery. Yeah, we do. 0:19:56.720 --> 0:19:59.240 You know, Uh, if you're a minority, if you're a 0:19:59.240 --> 0:20:02.760 woman at an American or Latino, you're gonna make more money. 0:20:02.960 --> 0:20:05.000 Women are in about nine thousand more a year if 0:20:05.040 --> 0:20:08.240 you're in a union, African Americans eight thousand more a year, 0:20:08.720 --> 0:20:12.199 and Latinos close to twelve thousand more year if you're 0:20:12.240 --> 0:20:17.800 a union member. So aside from UH, safe working conditions 0:20:18.040 --> 0:20:21.680 and health insurance and things like that, which are great, 0:20:22.320 --> 0:20:26.600 wages are really the big deal, right Wages benefits UM 0:20:26.760 --> 0:20:31.600 pensions are another huge UM and they're also there to 0:20:32.000 --> 0:20:37.600 UM protect workers from being unjustly fired. So like we're 0:20:37.640 --> 0:20:41.680 not union, and we could somebody could come in here 0:20:41.720 --> 0:20:44.280 and say, you know what, I didn't like the way 0:20:44.320 --> 0:20:48.159 that you looked at your boss. I saw you scowling. 0:20:48.480 --> 0:20:52.080 You're fired. You're fired, you're fired, you're fired. And we'd 0:20:52.080 --> 0:20:53.960 be like, you can't do that, and they'd be like, oh, 0:20:54.040 --> 0:20:57.359 yes we can, and that would be that right. Um. 0:20:57.400 --> 0:21:00.240 There was like a big hubbub in Florida of out 0:21:00.320 --> 0:21:05.240 some uh some workers that all wore orange, either depending 0:21:05.280 --> 0:21:07.760 on who you ask, because they were all going happy 0:21:07.800 --> 0:21:11.440 already together that night, or because they were um simulating 0:21:11.480 --> 0:21:15.760 a prisoner garb to um protest the working conditions at 0:21:15.760 --> 0:21:17.840 this law firm, which is really what they were doing. 0:21:18.440 --> 0:21:21.119 And like twelve of them were fired. They were just 0:21:21.160 --> 0:21:22.960 taking into a conference room and the guy was like, 0:21:23.000 --> 0:21:25.960 you're all fired and that's that. And they're like, you 0:21:26.000 --> 0:21:28.720 can't fire us for wearing an orange shirt, and actually, yes, 0:21:28.920 --> 0:21:32.840 very much so. The since it's a work right to 0:21:32.920 --> 0:21:36.520 work state or an at will work state right to work, um, 0:21:36.800 --> 0:21:40.159 the the the the employer very much can fire you 0:21:40.200 --> 0:21:43.840 for wearing something is seemingly arbitrary, is wearing orange If 0:21:43.880 --> 0:21:47.399 you're a union member, that is not the case. The 0:21:47.560 --> 0:21:52.920 union protects you from unjust dismissal, and basically you if 0:21:53.000 --> 0:21:55.960 you feel like you've been fired for wearing orange, you 0:21:56.000 --> 0:21:58.119 can go to your union rep and a big stink 0:21:58.200 --> 0:22:01.479 comes about. That's another big one is protecting them. But 0:22:01.880 --> 0:22:04.320 I also feel like here is a good point to 0:22:04.760 --> 0:22:09.199 mention a lot of the criticisms of unions because that 0:22:09.320 --> 0:22:15.359 same protection from unjust dismissal UM. Unions are frequently criticized 0:22:15.400 --> 0:22:19.680 for that extending to workers who performed poorly. If like 0:22:19.920 --> 0:22:23.960 it's part of that give I think with unions among 0:22:24.080 --> 0:22:28.320 labor to say, okay, yes we're gonna protect you, but 0:22:28.480 --> 0:22:30.639 you have to be productive, or you have to be 0:22:30.680 --> 0:22:33.320 good at your job or whatever. Right, don't hide under 0:22:33.359 --> 0:22:37.639 the the shield of the union just to go phone 0:22:37.680 --> 0:22:41.040 in your your job every day and collect your paycheck 0:22:41.119 --> 0:22:44.639 exactly and you know, flaunt that protection. That's not what 0:22:44.720 --> 0:22:48.160 it's there for. UM. Another big criticism is that union, 0:22:48.480 --> 0:22:52.720 just the presence of unions in any country harms economic 0:22:52.760 --> 0:22:56.439 progress on the whole by hamstringing business and making it 0:22:56.840 --> 0:23:02.359 less competitive among countries that don't have unions. UM. And 0:23:02.760 --> 0:23:06.920 so for states that have state employee unions. A big 0:23:06.960 --> 0:23:10.520 one is that UM state employee pensions can be a 0:23:10.640 --> 0:23:15.720 drain on UM tight state economies. Uh. That's another big 0:23:15.720 --> 0:23:19.320 one too. So there's criticisms of unions that are very legitimate. True, 0:23:19.760 --> 0:23:22.160 But again I think it comes down to, like where 0:23:22.200 --> 0:23:26.399 your political affiliation is. Well, yeah, I mean these days, 0:23:26.880 --> 0:23:30.800 UH Republicans are more likely to not be in favor 0:23:30.840 --> 0:23:34.000 of unions, and they have consistently been called the backbone 0:23:34.000 --> 0:23:37.840 of the Democratic Party. That wasn't always the case though. UM. 0:23:38.040 --> 0:23:43.400 The nineteen fifties H Republican President Dwight Eisenhower UM said 0:23:43.400 --> 0:23:45.760 that unions have a secure place in our industrial life. 0:23:46.080 --> 0:23:49.040 Only a handful of reactionaries harbor the ugly thought of 0:23:49.119 --> 0:23:52.040 breaking unions and depriving working men and women of the 0:23:52.119 --> 0:23:56.200 right to join the union of their choice. And also, 0:23:56.240 --> 0:24:00.680 throughout history, unions have kind of dabbled out outside their 0:24:00.720 --> 0:24:06.680 own labor negotiations and protection to fight for things like 0:24:07.400 --> 0:24:11.760 UH medicare, social security, civil rights. Civil rights was a 0:24:11.800 --> 0:24:17.320 big one, UM. I think Missouri Congressman Richard Bowling said quote, 0:24:17.320 --> 0:24:20.159 we would have never passed the Civil Rights Act without labor. 0:24:20.640 --> 0:24:23.600 They had the muscle the other civil rights groups did not. 0:24:25.000 --> 0:24:27.880 So there, you know, you don't want to see anyone's 0:24:27.880 --> 0:24:30.600 strong arm, but there is certainly something to be said 0:24:30.680 --> 0:24:33.879 for strength and numbers, especially when it comes to something 0:24:33.920 --> 0:24:40.439 like the Civil Rights Act. UM. The who was Eisenhower 0:24:40.440 --> 0:24:45.119 who had that quote about union rights. UM. Eisenhower speaking 0:24:45.160 --> 0:24:47.600 at a time that was just after the peak of 0:24:47.760 --> 0:24:54.359 union membership in NIVE UM, thirty five of all non 0:24:54.400 --> 0:25:00.399 agricultural workers, which is like everybody but farmers, UM, belonged 0:25:00.480 --> 0:25:04.440 to unions. Now it's down to eleven point eight percent. Yeah, 0:25:04.560 --> 0:25:09.000 and UM the public sector thirty seven percent. But where 0:25:09.000 --> 0:25:12.040 they're really getting hurt is the private sector. Less than 0:25:12.080 --> 0:25:14.560 seven percent of the private sector is unionized these days. 0:25:15.119 --> 0:25:18.639 And there's a lot of people that, UH say, a 0:25:18.640 --> 0:25:20.560