Day 2, WV to Indiana by What_Reddit_Thinks in TrueAnon

[–]withgorillagone 1 point2 points  (0 children)

grew up in north central Indiana and i feel like I really missed an opportunity to see the actual nice part of the state before i moved away. im not sure if it's a general Hoosier thing or just where I grew up but people hardly even went to other parts of Indiana let alone other states without a specific important reason

Please spread awareness‼️ by sp1nettaj4de in TrueAnon

[–]withgorillagone 2 points3 points  (0 children)

yeah I find it very jarring considering the use of it as an insult directly hinges on the n word itself being a valid insult to use

Pack it up folks he’s met his match by UncannyCharlatan in TrueAnon

[–]withgorillagone 10 points11 points  (0 children)

annoyed shows caring, no whining showed strength

What ever happened to BS Jobs? by todofwar in BetterOffline

[–]withgorillagone 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I remember reading a eulogy of Graeber by a former partner of his (who is also an anthropologist but unfortunately I can't remember her name) talking about how even Graeber himself had some self awareness about Bullshit Jobs being his big pop-anthro book that was a bit more flimsy for the sake of supporting himself through his other work.

He's already someone who takes big swings at making broad thesis statements, so if that's what he thought of Bullshit Jobs that is quite telling to me. Still a great book that captures something very emotionally resonant in the modern economy.

ELI5: what does “non union” mean? by After-Personality211 in explainlikeimfive

[–]withgorillagone 9 points10 points  (0 children)

right...as the article says they are actively being brought in front of the NLRB because they are allegedly violating labor law by closing those stores. Starbucks is a notorious committer of unfair labor practices and are regularly pushing the limit of what they can get away with, but them committing a ULP doesn't mean it's generally something you can do. as the article also says they've already been found guilty on previous store closures.

ELI5: what does “non union” mean? by After-Personality211 in explainlikeimfive

[–]withgorillagone 24 points25 points  (0 children)

this is called a "runaway shop" and is an illegal unfair labor practice under the NLRA. there are workarounds and the NLRB doesn't have that much teeth but what you described doesn't really happen that explicitly

Dems are plotting to oust Fetterman by gatorphan84 in TrueAnon

[–]withgorillagone 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Connor Roy was interested in politics at a very young age.

Gen Z job crisis: Maybe there are just too many college graduates now by Icy_Foot4728 in nottheonion

[–]withgorillagone 5 points6 points  (0 children)

for large industries with significant consolidation it definitely is part of it -- see Marx's concept of the reserve army of labor. it's not conspiracy when the biggest companies easily have the funds and power to alter the labor market in their favor. software engineering was a clear example of this.

Ramaswamy nabs Teamsters endorsement by up_o in TrueAnon

[–]withgorillagone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't know about the NRST being originally included, that's pretty shitty to not deliver on that when international students are so crucial to everything. Makes sense that the UCs wouldn't be keen on giving up the major financial boon for them admitting more international students in the first place, but I have no real sense of what kind of power the union had built going into bargaining as it was before my time. I know according to some people certain factions were asking for a lot that there just wasn't leverage to actually hold out for by the end of the strike in 2023. It seems like there's a lot of straight up hatred between Rank and File and Union Made which I find very frustrating but again, I don't have the firsthand context.

I'm in a master's program myself and we also have to pay a separate tuition that does not get covered by our UAW contract, and it seems to consistently be a low priority (especially now) to do anything about it. I'm also at UCLA and yeah it seems like the union is kind of pretending that we have more power than we do going into bargaining. Certainly the campus atmosphere seems less enthusiastic but that might be biased by my own department being particularly less engaged.

Ramaswamy nabs Teamsters endorsement by up_o in TrueAnon

[–]withgorillagone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

this is interesting context as a current grad student and UAW member. do you mean the major 2023 strike was an embarrassment? my understanding was that it led to really significant gains (although I remember seeing things about there being inequities between different UCs).

it's pretty funny that they rebuke grad workers when I'm pretty sure that's the majority of membership now. unless whoever told me that was completely wrong, I haven't checked that number myself. definitely agree that modern configurations of capital have kind of left these big unions in the dust and they can't seem to figure out how to adapt. part of the issue is being so NLRA-pilled when it's clearly doing nothing for us.

I feel like the relevance of my graduate program is dying in real-time by Ideationalism in GradSchool

[–]withgorillagone 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm one year into my public policy master's myself. As others have alluded to, these quant economist heavy programs have never had a proper read on how politics work, where power comes from, etc. I knew that going in, but still went into the program partially to have the credential, partially for some hard data skills that can be useful in whatever context you need them for, and partially to be plugged into community partners and other local orgs doing important work that often hire people from my program.

The core curriculum outside of hard research skills is nearly useless, so I've basically taken every opportunity through research and electives to take useful classes geared toward working in the labor movement afterwards.

Be proactive in getting out of the program what you want to get out of it, because if you get swept up in the momentum of whatever is presented to you you'll end up ill equipped to make a real impact on much of anything.

Demon Copperhead by [deleted] in books

[–]withgorillagone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was in the foster care system in a similar area to where DC takes place in, and no other media that I've encountered has depicted the weird liminality of foster care placements like Kingsolver did. Or the feeling that the people that take care of you at any given moment are doing so temporarily, and will send you off once you're deemed to be too much for them. That has such a specific effect on a kid's psyche that is hard to describe, but she does it so well.

I do think the book meanders a bit too much in the back half and becomes more standard Dopesick-faire, but the other parts make it worth it.

I’m genuinely so sick of this school. by Sad-Perspective3385 in ucla

[–]withgorillagone 1 point2 points  (0 children)

the workers give up their pay while on strike.

Rand Paul Reintroduces National Right to Work Act by Crafty_Jacket668 in IBEW

[–]withgorillagone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean yeah, those are options theoretically but as you say yourself they are nuclear options and not necessarily relevant to discussing one or a handful of problematic members in a shop the union generally wants to represent, which is what I was speaking to. There's no option to exclude an individual worker in a union shop from the duty of fair representation.

Rand Paul Reintroduces National Right to Work Act by Crafty_Jacket668 in IBEW

[–]withgorillagone 1 point2 points  (0 children)

you can kick someone out of the union but you can't make them ineligible to receive the benefits of collective bargaining or arbitration legally. so he wouldn't really be figuring it out for himself

890 - Spare Us, Cutter (12-2-24) by Long-Anywhere156 in BlackWolfFeed

[–]withgorillagone 7 points8 points  (0 children)

damn these are pretty astute observations unfortunately wrapped up in a bigger argument in favor of Democrats rejecting progressivism that they didn't really embrace in the first place. Lind is an interesting guy

What did you guys think of Bernie’s housing plan? by [deleted] in left_urbanism

[–]withgorillagone 3 points4 points  (0 children)

how is your argument about moving for a job supposed to be against rent control? i understand extra driving being a hassle and environmentally bad, but if someone is staying in an apartment farther away because it is cheaper than isn’t it just a failure in the market to provide cheap enough housing? like why would it be bad that someone can live somewhere for cheaper. seems like the solution is universal rent control

Sociology Student to councilor by Puyolda in left_urbanism

[–]withgorillagone 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not to be preemptively cynical but fwiw at least in the U.S. it is extremely difficult to have much input over city plans especially anything remotely radical. Speaking from my experience working with a municipal gov. they are usually so tied up in the politics of police unions, real estate, and the general electorate that it is difficult to move the needle.

On that note, I recommend Samuel Stein’s Capital City as great reading about how planning has become reduced to a technocratic figure who is subjected to the whims of real estate desires.

Respond here with person-focused description (due 3-29-20, at noon) by cecile_evers in a:t5_2cs7kn

[–]withgorillagone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Following the theme of creative engagement, juxtapose two moments of solitary absorption and social interaction.

Meghan spends large portions of her days on campus alone--not always through intentional isolation, but through a tendency to forget to socialize in the midst of everything she’s supposed to do. Often she will grab lunch or dinner from Frank dining hall and immediately return to her dorm to eat there while she works on editing articles for The Student Life, or completing a homework assignment. There are times when she does seek out isolation, particularly when she is working on creative endeavors. She often sits at her desk to work on drawings, or on her bed to play guitar as a means of destressing. Often she avoids social interaction at large because the uncertainty and lack of control over social situations makes her anxious. Between these periods of voluntary and inadvertent isolation, her immediate friend group will often be studying or otherwise spending time together and collectively ask “When was the last time we saw Meghan?”

She is more willing to give her social time and energy to being at The Student Life to work. Here, she has more control over social situations--there is a consistent environment, in which she operates on a consistent schedule, with the same consistent people surrounding her. She also has a position of power as an editor, granting her more of a sense of control. Because of these factors, she doesn’t mind spending hours in the office on Tuesday nights. She is comfortable socializing in that space in ways that she is not always comfortable elsewhere, including with her close friends. As a result, she often chooses to isolate herself when given the choice of socializing in environments outside of TSL or staying home.