The fight for $15 to $18 and the inequality has caught the corporations by surprised. The corporate heads had control of their people for so long with low wages and their in-house anti-union propaganda that the corporations underestimated the wage slaves’ resolve to climb out of poverty and demand their civil rights for a good livable wage, healthcare and a pension.
With public opinion supporting the workers and public opinion against fast food and box stores corporations, the corporate heads are starting to throw crumbs to the workers trying to lead the workers into complacency, but it is not working as workers are seeing through these sad tactics.
Understand that the only reason for the crumbs is the bad press the corporations are getting and that is having a direct impact on their profits. This is another example of the power of networking on social media. There is no reason for wage slaves to slow down their protests or their fight. When the enemy is in retreat and the workers are gaining support. They must put even more pressure on the greedy and uncaring corporations. Wage slaves must keep their ultimate goal in focus, such as a $15 to $18 an hour minimum wage, healthcare, full-time work, and a right to form a union.
All protesters need to know your efforts are not in vain. Seattle’s Dan Price, founder of Gravity Payments, reduced his annual wages from almost $1 million so to make his and all his employees’ wages the same at $70,000 because he wanted to make their lives better.
The average chief executive officer (CEO) is making 354 times more than their average worker. Why? However, like Price, other CEOs are also leveling the playing field. In 2014, Plum Creek Timber Company’s Rick Holley gave back a $2 million stock bonus; British Lord Wolfson, CEO of Next clothing line, gave his $3.7 million bonus to his employees in 2013; and Lenovo’s CEO Yang Yuanqing in 2013 shared his $3.25 million bonus with workers. The Container Store pays on average an annual income of $50,000, and Costco pays its workers an average of $20.
And then there’s Walmart, one of the worst offenders on workers’ rights. The company shut down five stores and firing 2,200 workers because the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union was attempting to unionize the stores. The union has filed a claim with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to make Walmart rehire the workers. This is an example of why unions are important.
Our President just vetoed an attempt by the GOP to block the NLRB’s rules that would speed up the time it takes to unionize workers. The rules make filing a petition to represent workers from 38 days to 14 days and require employers to share all workers’ pertinent information: names, phone numbers, and home and e-mail addresses
The attack on workers’ civil rights is a worldwide problem. Also, everyone in this country should have free education, at least to the bachelor level, healthcare and be paid for the use of their commons.
Unions’ long game is to get all union contracts to expire on the same day nationwide. The United Auto Workers combines contracts ends on April 28, 2028. This could then result in a mass national strike starting on May Day beeginning that year. This could then put enormous pressure on employers, but also on lawmakers. It’s the muscle and sweat of the workers that keeps this country great, not the individual company or corporations. This May Day strike would be the time to change the workers’ world for the better by negotiating for a 32-hour week with the same pay, and the U.S. adopts a healthcare for all with no out of pocket costs. This would also help the employers as they would no longer have to provide healthcare. By striking, the UAW won same pay for new workers, all UAW contracts will end on the same date, a 25-percent pay increase, a cost of living adjustments, a guaranteed right to strike over potential plant closures, and also the right to vote to unionize through the card che
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