ethbr1 a day ago

>> The union says it has reached a tentative agreement on wages and will go back to work on Friday until 15 January, when they will return to the bargaining table to negotiate "all other outstanding issues".

>> Under a tentative agreement workers’ wages would go up by 62% over the next six years, according to US media reports. The union had been calling for a 77% wage hike, while USMX had previously increased its pay rise offer to almost 50%.

Hmm, if a +8.4% yearly wage increase was feasible, then it seems like workers were being underpaid relative to the profit their work generated.

  • xpl a day ago

    Most people are underpaid if we consider the global 'productivity-pay gap' phenomenon (since the 1970s, wages haven't been growing as much as productivity)...

  • johnnyanmac 17 hours ago

    more like 7.2% if it's compounding (important distinction. Especially if they are going to try to "layoff" people in the next 1-2 years).

    But yes, a large part of the argument was the wages not keeping up with the crazy inflation at all. inflation surged to 8.3% in 2022 so this isn't necessarily some crazy pay raise as opposed to getting back what they were making pre-pandemic.

    • ethbr1 15 hours ago

      1.072^6 would be an effective 51.8% total raise after six years, no?

      • johnnyanmac 15 hours ago

        Oh yeah, you're right. I was calculating off the original deal of 50% before they raised it to 62%. Apologies.

        • ethbr1 15 hours ago

          Full disclosure: I originally eyeballed it, then felt bad about being imprecise, double checked my memory of the compounding formula, and calculated it out. ;)

h2odragon a day ago

The ports in Florida were being to be re-opened by FL National Guard troops. That likely would've ended the longshoreman's union.

  • ethbr1 21 hours ago

    From my reading, the troops were deployed to protect non-union scabs, not to actually do the work.

    Not sure how much of a modern port would be instantly runnable by reservists.

    • AnimalMuppet 21 hours ago

      How much of it would be instantly runnable by new-hire replacement workers?

      • ethbr1 15 hours ago

        I expect they wouldn't be new hires.

        They'd be "Have experience with ____ machinery" workers.

        So probably retired union and/or folks from out of state.

  • hulitu a day ago

    > The ports in Florida were being to be re-opened by FL National Guard troops. That likely would've ended the longshoreman's union.

    Rockefeller did set a precedent when he used mashine guns to end a strike.