Totally can't happen because of an overworked & disgruntled person who's for some reason getting paid more than some of the most skilled manual laborers.

 

"Reporting"??? You are literally showing a screen grab with the CC that says "We don't know exactly what happened". THAT is what the news is reporting. 2nd hand "witness" accounts are unreliable at best.

 

People have been arguing this for .... centuries. Before the cotton gin. People find other jobs; there's always new technologies and industries that need workers.

 

I really hope stores stand firm and refuse returns for these products.

 

You can thank Eli Whitney and the cotton-gin for the resumption of slavery in the Southern states in the early 1800s.. Before the cotton gin was invented, most landowners were about ready to do away with the practice.....but the gin made it profitable once again to have slaves..

 

Now explain how that's relevant here. Show us the math on how automation in ports is going to increase the number of slaves in the United States.

 

I saw it first hand friend
The things I saw regarding automation is enough to break anyone's heart.

The port issue is a small speck and the accelerated rate at which it's killing jobs.

The problem happens when it devours a job that requires skill.

​​​​​​In the best case scenario the only job left is low pay and low skill jobs pushing buttons.

Do you all need your jobs?
I know I do. Lol

​​​

 

I have seen automation destroy jobs in a few industries. Still surprised by the contempt for these union workers

Port workers, have been fighting automation for well over 100 years.

. I am happy they got 62%.

 

All of you that hate automation, should put your money where your mouths are. For one, get rid of your washers and dryers and start doing laundry by hand. Just because someone's job is at risk due to advancing technology, it's not a reason to stifle it. We've been adapting since the beginning of time. It's not going to stop now, or shouldn't.

Unions were necessary back when working conditions were dismal. That is now handled by regulatory agencies, like OSHA. All they're good for now is bullying companies, and tax payers in some cases, into raising prices.

 

If you are in a job where you are considered "essential" and you use that leverage to your advantage while innocent people and the greater society are negatively impacted and can do nothing about it, why shouldn't they be the target of contempt? I, personally, feel the same way about teachers, first responders, transit workers, etc., who go on strike and leave everyone relying on them high and dry. They say "We will cripple the economy if our employer doesn't pay us", and they expect everyone to be on their side? Their intent is to make us all suffer to prove a point.

 

Stop using Uber and call the dispatcher for a taxi service. Stop going on the internet to mail order, and call LL Bean's 800 number and speak to an operator to place your order. Stop buying cars made by robots on the assembly line. Stop using Waze and join AAA so you can get a trip ticket for your drive. Etc....

 

Well, FYI, I actually DO wash and dry some of my laundry by hand.....things that I consider too sensitive for the agitation and whirl of a washing machine. And drying by hand saves energy and expense on the electric bill. And, as far as vehicles go, I don't always have control over how and where they are assembled, but I try to stick to those built with union labor and/or without a lot of added and (IMO unnecessary) complexity. All three of my Buicks were built in unionized plants.

So, yes, I put my money and actions where my mouth is.

Got any more suggestions?

 

These are two different subjects so I'll reply to the first one.

Nobody hates automation.
It's the rapid rate it's advancing that everyone should be worried about

Take that from someone who has toured hundreds of industrial locations and watched the skilled jobs replaced with machines & low paying jobs

It's the acceleration of automation, it's too much and too fast

Y'all will see. 🤓

 

Of course this is too simplistic of a narrative regarding unions. First, corporations don't have to raise prices to offset union advances, they could simply lower their CEO's compensation package and moderate the shareholder's value...then prices could remain the same.

Some union leaders (not all) have certainly grown greedy, as union leaders are people and that's what many people do once given a bit too much power (just look at CEOs). But unions are definitely still needed in many industries, especially in the richest nation in the world led by corporations whose overriding mission is to increase the wealth of their shareholders. Left up to many CEOs and shareholders, worker's wages will forever be depressed, while stock prices and dividend payments are maximized.

In general, collective bargaining is a good thing in a democratic nation, helping workers to negotiate increases in pay, better benefits, and safer working conditions.

 

My late father worked in sales for industrial machinery, so I'm well versed on how automation changed his industry. In life, change is inevitable. You either go with the flow, or get left behind. You need to remember that with businesses, income is king. Employees are a commodity. I've been at my company for well over 30 years now. It's a large well known publicly traded tech company, so being able to quickly adapt is essential to staying employed. If there was a union, we would have been out of business 20 years ago.