Its going to take blood again, preceded by a long period of abject discomfort. We’re not there yet. Its unfortunate how the beneficiaries of the people who gave their blood (and sometimes lives) to create the benefits so many enjoyed have been given a bill of goods and propaganda lies from the people who, even after… Read more

“The fact that, ultimately, the unions do fuck-all aside from making those in charge of them richer.” Read more

I will preface this by saying I am not the biggest union supporter. I have had some bad experience with unions and seen soem of them at their worst (especially UAW). However, the comments I make are in the interest of fairness. Read more

I have spent uncounted hours telling my friends an family that unions are not bad. the 40-year smear campaign against unions may be the most effective campaign since the Inquisition. People just hate unions because they think people may get more than them for less work. I am a proud union member as is my wife and as a… Read more

Unions need to educate younger workers. We’ve lost an entire generation to right to work artifice. Out here in Dumbfuckistan they don’t even have a basic understanding of how they are being screwed. As long as they have unlimited access to guns, God, and a few motorized toys they don’t give a fuck. The only sure thing… Read more

I agree with your article. Well said. Read more

“With some notable exceptions, most of those unions have been around for many decades, and are attached to specific industries, and when those industries decline, the unions decline along with them, barnacles clinging stoically to the side of sinking ships.” Read more

One of the constant frustrations with (this) democracy is that we do need unions, but we shouldn’t need them. A government elected by a people who, in a large majority, are producers and not owners, should do the job of properly representing those people by protecting their labor rights. The fact that the government… Read more

Neoliberal agency is a bitch. And it definitely hasn’t been kind to organized labor. Read more

Probably the single most meaningful thing that the AFL-CIO could do today would be to establish a venture capital fund to pay for new organizing across the country—the creation of new unions in new places, even if they are not immediately members of the AFL-CIO. This is what it means to have an actual movement. The…

And this is a perfect representation of the schism within the Democratic Party. Read more

God damn good article, HamNo. I am 100% with you on this. Not only have we abandoned unions (who don’t keep up with the economy, as you noted), but we have bought-and-paid-for politicians actively legislating against us. I live in NC, which is a “Right to Work” (Right to Fire) state. If a company gets a mere whiff of… Read more

On the most depressing nights (Gawker RIP, the election) John let us smoke in the office. Read more

I forgot to send one in but I did locate the exact day when Gawker crested and began to go downhill. Read more

But first, stop complaining when someone wants to build an apartment building in your precious suburban neighborhood.

Urban sprawl is literally like the worst thing in the world. Its bad for the environment, its bad for a city’s tax base, its bad for our infrastructure, its bad for public health and its basically what caused a lot our issues with crime and segregation over the past few decades. White flight destroyed like half the… Read more

The Catholic Church alone is (maybe was, haven’t checked in years) one of the 3 largest owners of real estate in New York City. Read more

IMO VR with leapfrog our full shift to automation. Retrofitting or building fully automated brick and mortar retailers is unbelievable expensive. To build out and maintain. You only see a healthy ROI after many many years. And it only really makes sense in super heavy traffic stores. No one is going to automate a… Read more

Never worked for Amazon, but used to work for Whole Shitshow, and I’d really like to get a sense of whether those people are quaking in their boots right now (particularly store management) because their anti-union stance was so over the top. “We are BETTER than unions! Why would you want a union when you already have… Read more