2023 is the year of the strike. It’s been a huge year already and several more strikes have been approved.
75,000 Kaiser Permanente Workers Prepared to Strike
NBC reports 75,000 Kaiser Permanente Workers Prepared to Strike
Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers are prepared to walk off the job if a contract agreement is not reached by the end of the weekend.
The possible work stoppage involving 75,000 Kaiser employees could be the largest healthcare worker strike in history and the impact would be far reaching.
Workers said they are calling for better pay, adequate staffing levels and guaranteed performance bonuses. Kaiser employees have authorized a three-day strike starting Oct. 4 if a deal is not reached.
Kaiser Permanente says the talks have not stalled and it is working to reach an agreement. One way or another costs will rise.
Las Vegas Strip Workers Vote to Strike
As with Kaiser Permanente, Las Vegas Strip Workers Vote to Strike, but no date is set. The Culinary Union is the largest labor union in Nevada.
Las Vegas Strip workers voted to authorize a possible strike as union contract negotiations continue with casino companies including MGM Resorts MGM and Caesars Entertainment.
The Culinary and Bartenders unions said late Tuesday that 95% of members voted to give union leadership the authority to call a strike for about 53,000 Las Vegas housekeepers, bartenders and other workers if a deal isn’t reached.
Workers are seeking new, five-year contracts that include “the largest wage increases ever negotiated in the history of the Culinary Union,” according to a statement from the group. The Culinary and Bartenders unions negotiate together.
The last time Las Vegas Strip workers walked off the job was in 1984, with 17,000 Culinary Union members on strike for 67 days. The Culinary and Bartender unions represent 60,000 workers in Nevada.
A Summer of Strikes
The New York Times comments on a Summer of Strikes as work stoppages approach heights rarely seen in recent decades.
This year, workers across industries in the United States have increasingly walked off the job or threatened to do so. In July, tens of thousands of actors joined screenwriters on the picket line, bringing Hollywood to a halt. Meanwhile, a summertime strike of more than 300,000 United Parcel Service workers had seemed imminent before a deal was reached last month.
If all 150,000 of the U.A.W. members go on strike, nearly 460,000 workers will have walked off the job at some point over the course of this year, the highest level since 2018, another notable year for work stoppages.
“Those are not just the big strikes that are in the news, but there are many smaller strikes across every industry,” said Kate Bronfenbrenner, a senior lecturer at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. It remains to be seen whether this unusual moment of labor activity will continue, particularly as the job market eventually cools and workers lose bargaining power.
Some, like Dr. Bronfenbrenner, see the resurgence of strikes and union organizing as a lasting trend. Surveys have shown increased public support for unions in recent years, she said, even as private sector union membership remains low. “When you have large strikes that are like waves across the country, they are contagious,” said Dr. Bronfenbrenner.
Contagion Spreads
The New York Times graphic does not include the expected strike by 300,000 UPS workers, the 60,000 members of the Culinary and Bartender unions in Nevada, or the 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers.
Those latter strikes may not happen, but if so it will likely be coupled with huge wage and benefit increases.
Minimum Wage for Fast Food Workers Jumps 30% to $20 Per Hour in California
In California, the Minimum Wage for Fast Food Workers Jumps 30% to $20 Per Hour
“This is a big deal,” Governor Gavin Newsom said.
A Big Deal Indeed, Expect More Inflation
Yes, governor, this is very big deal. It will increase the cost of eating out everywhere.
The bill Newsom signed only applies to restaurants that have at least 60 locations nationwide — with an exception for restaurants that make and sell their own bread, like Panera Bread (what’s that exception all about?)
Nonetheless, the bill will force many small restaurants out of business or they will pony up too.
30 Percent Raise Coming Up!
If McDonalds pays $20, why take $15.50 elsewhere?
The $4.50 hike from $15.50 to $20 is a massive 30 percent jump.
Expect prices at all restaurant to rise. Then think ahead. This extra money is certain to increase demands for all goods and services, so guess what.
Refining Capacity Energy Crunch
Thanks to Biden’s nationwide regulations, refining capacity is shrinking.
Here is the result: Energy Crunch: Demand for Diesel and Jet Fuel Soars But Refining Capacity Sinks
Biden Newsome Tag Team
Biden’s energy policies have made the US less secure on oil, more dependent on China for materials needed to make batteries, fueled a surge in inflation, and ironically did not do a damn thing for the environment, arguably making matters worse.
Well, I don’t mind that the grunt workers want more pay for what they do. They are worth it in most cases. Myself, I’m virtually retired now in poverty.
I can’t and don’t support the businesses that still need them.
I know how to manage for myself (and help others), and need for almost nothing.
When I agree to perform and work in public, I am generous to the young folks who are trying hard to serve us all well.
Being selfish or disagreeable sux both ways.
When I become unable to serve myself and others, I don’t expect or plan to linger for long.
I believe that this may be the first generation that decides not to linger for long.
We need this Generation in Politics Stat!
We seemed to have come a long way from “no one wants to work anymore” because of “free stimulus checks” to $20/hr burger flippers, endless strikes and wage inflation. The Fed has hiked 525% and all we got were a few basis points up in unemployment. The really funny thing is that we aint’ seen nothin’ yet, we’re just getting started with the huge demographic changes happening in society. Everyone is finally starting to talk about all the boomers bolting to the exit door but few are talking about the other elephants in the room.
1. Child care centers are about to lose huge tax support which means women may need to leave the labor force to take care of kids. If just 10% of women quit, it’ll be YUGE impact to labor force.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/child-care-cliff-federal-funding-subsidies-end-rcna117405
“It’s going to be a child care apocalypse,” she said. “If someone came to me today and said they wanted to open up a child care center, I’d say, ‘Don’t do it.’ I was in debt, and my health was suffering.”
“I couldn’t keep staff because of pay,” she added of the federal money, amounting to about $12,000 a month, that still left her struggling as she wrestled with payroll and food and training compliance costs. “I lost my best teacher to go work across the street at a hardware store.”
2. Chronic illness is starting to take a toll on a whole lot of people in the late 40 to 50 and 60 age group. As the population in general gets older they are simply less productive. The youngest millennials are now in their 40s and soon 50 over next 10 years!
Neither the Fed nor any political party or clown will fix any of this, everyone is on their own.
I too have noticed that the older folks get the harder it is to take advantage of them.
Fast food jobs were for high school kids by an large and never meant to be a “living wage” (whatever that means). Today it’s ex convicts, sex offenders mixed in with special needs people. What a great formula…meh.
End of the day there is no way to stop the battering ram speed of social welfare. It starts small then the sound and force gets louder and stronger. Eventually it destroys society.
Good news though! Sooner it destroys everything the sooner we can start over and get back to a real republic with real borders, real fiscal plans and real consequences for breaking the law or just being a lazy POS or a skanky woman who has scores of kids from different men.
I’ve been waiting for the tower to crumble so we could pick it up. I thought … surely as the debt passes thru $20T we will crash … but we’re now at $32T and still kicking the can down the road. Inflation … for those with investments for retirement is like a stock split where you don’t get the new shares … so only those who buy the DNC/MSM (but I repeat myself) gaslighting don’t realize just how bad this economy is (or pretend not to understand). My concern is that … I believe the WEF and NWO (again, I repeat myself) are already preparing for the tower to crumble and plan to create that NWO in the image they want … where they control everything.
We have two economies in play… the Paper Economy of unearned income on Wall Street and the Blood-Sweat and Tears economy of working people.
Wall Sreet thrives off the Grand Theft of Wage wealth from working people and transfers it to the investor class.
High inflation gives people a very good reason to strike for higher wages. What could be more normal than that? It should encourage the Fed to slow the economy but with the elections coming up the Democrats can’t afford a recession. If they want to get rid of Biden they better do it quickly. We can get into the most incredible speculations now that Dianne Feinstein is dead. Who will her seat be offered to? Will it be Harris and then who will take Harris’s place? This is really starting to look like Game of Thrones.
You have to figure Newsome is somewhere in that mix, don’t you? With his ties to NP and being the expected future of the party, for a few years now.
I can’t stand him, or what he stands for, but I’m not from CA. I don’t know how he will fair either, with his horrendous record in CA. He may not stand up to well. Their best bet may be a Republican, if they can get a RINO to switch parties perhaps. Not sure that would work either though.
It’s getting interesting if nothing else, so we shall see in a bit where we are at in this mess…
Yes, Newsom is a two-faced neoliberal.
He ran for governor promising Single Payer for CA to serve as a model for the country.
Then once elected, he ran away from it and formed a commission’ to study the HC problem’. Also done by previous CA governors incl Jerry Brown! Then he gets a SP coalition to introduce a ‘fake bill’ S.770 to undermine the real policy bill AB 1690 AND put it on a new timeline to coincide with his 2026-28 presidential campaign.
I’ll never vote for him!
Healthcare is the # 3 sector on Wall Street. Scroll down here to see Market Caps
https://digital.fidelity.com/prgw/digital/research/sector
Vulture capitalism is upon us!
All these strikers are in fluff and cruft industries that I do not patronize. I can pour my own drinks, and my health has always been my responsibility.
It may be fast, but please don’t call it food.
My in-laws, in their 80’s, make going to McD’s a day “out.” They are in their 80’s.
I sit in the back of their Lincoln Towncar, and the FRENCH FRIES stink of rancid Oils. I cannot eat that shit.
It’s always about leverage in these situations. It’s actually more like a deposition imo. Both sides are trying to find out, what if any, leverage they may have or thought they did.
With that being said, I would let the Kaiser Employees have their authorized “3-Day Strike” on October 4’th.
It is only then, that you can determine where you stand with leverage. Once you put the usual MSM
Blowback behind you, which gets easier and easier each and every day, you can clearly deal with the facts.
I am not implying who gets what and how, but if two sides sit down “Without Agenda & Egos” and realistically discuss the facts and how both sides can agreeably meet in the, defined by both parties, middle point then a deal can be met.
Both sides can equally See The Leverage now, so no more BS, and just the facts driving the outcome.
Or they can follow the UAW, and ALL be without jobs potentially. They want a 40% raise, and 32 hour work weeks, but will settle for a 30% raise and a 32 hour work week. Please… They go bankrupt nearly immediately, and at best must have massive layoffs come the downturn which is basically here, for starters. Nice Vote UAW!?!?
The Las Vegas Strip Workers will follow what happens above, and not before that gets resolved. An idle threat at best.
The Culinary & Bartenders Unions will follow what happens above, and not before that gets resolved. An idle threat at best.
I say let them all walk if necessary. People are going to go without very soon anyway, so they are fighting a loosing battle imo. Can’t spend what other people won’t give you to. The other people are gone…
You paint a bleak picture and I really wish I disagreed w/you.
You know Mike, I really truly would rather not, but I must speak what I feel is the truth, based on what I see and hear.
I want what’s best for Our Country but am having a hard time getting past all the damn agendas! The Egos and Lust for Power & Control is astonishing to me.
When did we ALL FORGET we are on the Same Team, if our Goal is truly for Our Country for All Of Us, to be safe and secure for All of Us? We really need to start rowing in the same direction, if we are going to get anywhere close to out of this mess we are in!!!
50 years of just plain destruction of the blue collar workers, where retail store pay was normalized at $10 a hour, health care was a joke and pensions destroyed … now the number of baby boomers hitting 65 has peaked and they will begin to die off. Also fewer and fewer people turning 16. Trump only allowed one million to immigrate instead of the four million that should have. I suppose you can raise the prices on your goods if you are a business owner, but what if they guy down the street is somehow selling for less? What will all these poor rich business owners do?
Because what those blue collar workers need are millions of immigrants competing for their jobs and driving down wages???
Yea, that’ll fix the American Working and Middle classes!
/sarc
And then what about the impact of AI across all industries within the next 12 months? Elon Musk says UBI will be inevitable.
Not UBI, it will be UBF.
Probably Soylent Green.
You can hate on the job creators all you want … and you can continue to pretend you don’t understand that open borders means blue collar workers without notable skills will be priced out. And you can ignore the nice loop holes that Newsome and others create for their friends … but in the end … these raises will do more harm for the working poor than good.
More money for the poor will do them more harm for them than good … and we had to burn the village to save it. Even Mish will say there is no down side to lower prices for everyone.
The big three will probably need a bailout soon a strike in the face of car sales slowing significantly spell big trouble . People can’t afford new cars with auto loans this high .
Striking in the face of huge inventories mean the companies may be in a position to ride this out for a while . As far as restauraunt workers or fast food the chains have been dying for a while and the local places are the best places to eat at in the places I travel to. Who going to pay 75 dollars a meal for 4 people at Mcdonalds when the quality and service has constantly gone down . Funny though the Wendy’s , Mcdonalds , Burger king all struggling and dying go right up the street and Chic Fillet is booming 4-5 people taking orders outside 2 lines backed up for 50 yeards all day long but you get through quickly . Whats the difference ? Quality and srevice no camparison between the way those places are managed .
God forbid that people would not be able to go to Las Vegas and gamble.
as these price increases ripple thru the economy, then $100 oil goosing it even more
people will find they are broke making $100k a year
just read an article were whopper was $1.54 in 1986 – now $6.79
inflation if fake govt invention
DEVALUATION OF FIAT $DOLLARS they keep printing out of thin air
to FUND CONgress run away spending – ie exponential debt we can never repay
time is coming were we need to PURGE govt – great movie and one will have to agree it’s coming
There is no “We the people”. Many folks (most below 40 years old) won’t see the link between the huge bump in labor costs and the inflation. They will believe AOC and company that all inflation is because conservatives didn’t vote for the inflation reduction act (which is named opposite of it’s real affect). There is no issue right now where there is any unity in “We the People” … gov’t knows this and can continue to pander to their captive audience.
For Government, the People are the wealthholders and the Corporate State!!!
It is too late to save the dollar. It is going bust.
but not before it goes a lot higher prior to 2030, when it is likely to decline rapidly.
Sure. I remembered someone said “I’ll going to drain the swamp of alligators” then he filled it with crocodiles.🤣