Detroit Sees Largest Fast-Food Strike in U.S. History

[marmar]

Supersized Labor: Detroit Sees Largest Fast-Food Strike in U.S. History
Takepart.com – 5 hrs ago


When Michigan’s Republican Governor Rick Snyder signed controversial “right-to-work” legislation last December, it was a significant policy defeat for the American labor movement. But the symbolism of anti-union laws passing in Michigan was even more potent. In 1936, United Auto Workers members occupied a General Motors factory in Flint, MI, beginning what came to be known as the Flint Sit-Down Strike. The action led to the organizing of the automotive industry and helped spur the modern labor movement in the United States.

Today, workers are striking in Michigan once again, but the picket line isn’t in front of an automotive factory. Following surprise strikes in New York, Chicago and, earlier this week, St. Louis, fast-food workers across Detroit walked off the job today, demanding the right to form a union and a base-pay rate of $15 per hour.

In the introduction to a petition on detroit15.org, a group involved in organizing the walkout, the impetus for the strike is laid out in more detail

Our employers—thriving corporations like McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Dollar Tree, Little Caesar’s, Domino’s, Long John Silver’s and others—are making billions of dollars, but they pay us poverty wages as we struggle with our coworkers to support our families and cover our basic needs. .........................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://news.yahoo.com/supersized-labor-detroit-sees-largest-fast-food-strike-191710477.html

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. kick

[Starry Messenger]

3. k&r

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. We are seeing the beginnings of a new labor strike

And into my notes this goes

[socialist_n_TN]

5. My perspective on this is that these alternative labor groups,......

and they are springing up ALL over, are actually the true descendants of the labor pioneers of the 30s and before. The unions themselves have become fat and bureaucratized and cater to an aristocracy of more highly skilled workers, rather than the mass of the working class. The regular unions are also compartmentalized into separate trades and don't (or can't thanks to T-H) works across trade and union lines when it comes to action. Plus, they can't strike, once again by law, for anything other than economic issues. IOW, no political strikes. So there are a LOT of problems using unions to get widespread solidarity in action throughout the class.

These alternatives however are not as constricted by laws as the unions are. AND they CAN organize across various sectors of the economy and, if they so choose, strike for more than economic issues. Now, so far they haven't. They've been focused on immediate economic issues like pay, conditions and, especially, wage theft. But I could see this movement grow into more. In addition, these alternative labor groups are MUCH more militant than the regular unions. Mostly because they have to be.

There are drawbacks of course too, mostly involving money and the lack of legal protections enjoyed by the "official" unions. I would love to see a closer working relationship between the official unions and the alternative orgs in each area, first locally, then statewide, then regionally, and finally, nationally.

I think I'm going to propose an article on this for Worker's Power using this slant. I think it's a worthwhile subject to explore.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Before you do, read into Labor's civil war

And the break up of labor.



Researching this ...far more complex. Simple view (and far from it) the service industries get it...the industrial unions do not. That is where the split came up in 2002.

[Fire Walk With Me]

7. It's important to remember that the Koch Brothers are behind much of what is occurring in Michigan.

They have been proven to be behind the "tea party", with MI governor Snyder a stealth "tea party" politician; the ALEC "right to work" legislation being forced upon MI through Koch-beholden politicians is definitely designed to destroy unions and worker's rights. Note that the "emergency manager" process, which further destroys unions and worker's rights (among other devastating results) is Koch-backed/driven and reinforced through Wall Street (Detroit was in debt to Wall Street for $474,000,000 in derivatives).

Shock Doctrine, plutonomy-driven. This is natural, Darwinian capitalism against the rest of us, so all power to all workers, world-wide!

[FarCenter]

8. 6.7 workers per restaurant are on strike?

Organizers estimate that as many as 400 workers at more than 60 fast food restaurants in the Detroit metro area walked off the job on Friday, in what may be the largest fast food strike in American history.

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/05/10/detroit-experiences-what-may-be-largest-fast-food-strike-yet/

What would normal staffing be? Would it make much of a difference?

[socialist_n_TN]

10. At this point in the struggle, I'm not sure it matters that much.......

These types of things tend to grow (look at Occupy) as more and more people hear about it. So the idea NOW is to get some to strike and get coverage, so that more and more workers can figure out that they CAN make a difference with organization.

[FarCenter]

13. They are being characterized as walkouts, protests and demonstrations in the MSM

Fast-food workers stage brief walkouts in Detroit to protest wages

http://www.freep.com/article/20130510/BUSINESS/305100093/McDonald-s-labor-protest-Detroit-wages

Detroit group protests fast food restaurants over wages, conditions

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130511/BIZ/305110329

They disrupted operations at two McDonald’s, a Subway, a Burger King, a Long John Silver’s and a Popeyes.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Because we all know we should do nothing

You still working from sun up to sundown, seven days a week, aren't you?

[Egalitarian Thug]

9. Strike!

& R

[HiPointDem]

12. kr