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UNITED KINGDOM: All of London’s Underground and Overground train lines were suspended Friday after about 10,000 employees for the city’s transportation network protested over their wages and a number of cost-cutting efforts that have been proposed by Transport for London (TfL).
Many of these employees have been critical of TfL for not keeping up with surging inflation in the UK that hit 10.1 percent in July. The country is expected to enter a recession and the GDP will likely shrink until the end of the year “and beyond,” according to CNN.
TRENDPOST: Where’s Boris Johnson? It should be noted that the disgraced and exiting prime minister is on his second vacation of the summer while Britain suffers. His office told reporters that Johnson is not in London because it is up to the next prime minister to come up with an action plan, according to CNN.
These are the arrogant lowlifes who we call leaders. Too bad he doesn’t have the same fight for his own people as he pretended to have for Ukrainians.
The Wall Street Journal noted that London has absorbed several Underground disruptions this year from strikes organized by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers. One of the union leaders told the paper, “The government needs to stop trying to get services on the cheap.”
The strike impacted small businesses across the city, including a hair salon in east London called Re:lax. Katie White, the owner, said she lost about €1,000 in business due to the closures.
“We are always fully booked no matter what,” she told the outlet. “I was a bit naïve, I did not think it was going to be that bad, but it is like the pandemic times—akin to January 2020 when the cancellations started coming in ahead of lockdown.”
There was another strike on Saturday.
Abhi Sangwan, co-owner of London restaurants Kutir and Manthan in central London, told the outlet that his industry is still trying to regain its footing after COVID-19 lockdowns. He said city restaurants are “bearing the brunt” because people are working from home, and will now be more likely to stay local to avoid any transportation disruptions.
UNITED STATES: Teachers from Ohio’s largest school district voted to go on strike Sunday—days before the first day of classes—over pay increases, bonuses, and other issues like class sizes.
10 WBNS reported that teachers from the Columbus Education Association voted to strike on Monday after months of negotiations.
The previous meeting was held on Thursday for about 12 hours, which was disappointing to the union that said there was no “movement” from the board to acknowledge these issues.
Regina Fuentes, the CEA spokeswoman, said the union rejected the board’s “last, best, and final offer,” with the “full understanding of the sacrifices that students, parents, and teachers” will make.
“Let me be clear,” she said, according to The Columbus Dispatch. “This strike is about our students who deserve a commitment to modern schools with heating and air conditioning, smaller class sizes, and a well-rounded curriculum that includes art, music and P.E..”
The strike can impact 47,000 students. The union represents about 4,000 teachers, librarians, and other school employees.
The district claims that the union is being unreasonable. The district said that its most recent offer would bring the average teacher’s salary from $74,000 a year to $91,000 after a three-year term, according to ABC 6 “On Your Side.”
The district also says there are just three schools that do not receive air conditioning, and that problem will be addressed this year.
About 94 percent of the union members voted against the district’s offer.
Andrew Ginther, the city’s mayor, said negotiations should continue.
“The CEA and the school district must return to the table and get our kids back in the classroom. A responsible solution is within reach, but only if negotiations restart now,” Ginther said.
GE Workers in Alabama Launch Campaign to Unionize
Employees at a General Electric plant in Alabama have submitted cards seeking to unionize, Reuters reported, citing the U.S. National Labor Relations Board.
These employees are seeking pay that keeps up with soaring inflation. The company told the outlet that it is “committed to a direct relationship with our employees based on teamwork, cooperation, and actively pursuing mutually beneficial goals.”
There are 179 workers at the plant and they needed to obtain signatures of at least 30 percent of the employees to move forward.
Donna Rawlinson, 46, a worker at the plant, told The Associated Press that she is collecting short-term disability while undergoing breast cancer treatment. She said employees there want better pay and benefits and want to have a seat at the table.
“They keep pushing. They want more, but they don’t give anything,” she told the outlet.
The factory makes aviation parts and the workers want representation with the IUE-CWA.
Jerry Carney, the IUE-CWA Conference board chairman, told The Associated Press: “GE workers in Alabama are sending a powerful message by coming together to form a union for the better pay, benefits, and job security they have earned. Across the country at giant corporations like Amazon and Starbucks, CEOs are getting a wake-up call from workers making their voices heard.”
NEW ZEALAND: Firefighters in New Zealand on Friday held an hour-long strike on Friday over surging inflation that they said is making it harder and harder to make ends meet.
WSWS.org reported that these strikes occurred in major cities like Auckland and Christchurch. These firefighters were critical of the inflation rate hitting 7.3 percent in June, which is the highest rate since 1990. It was the first time the country’s firefighters ever went on strike.
Besides pay, these firefighters say their vehicles and equipment are old and past their replacement dates. They said there are staffing shortages and times when there are not enough on-duty firefighters to operate the vehicles.
The New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union plans additional strikes. The WSWS report said these negotiations have been ongoing for 14 months. Firefighters turned down a 1.5 to 2 percent pay increase offered in May, and 8 and 19.1 percent over the next two years. WSWS noted that the pay, when spread across 2021-2023, does not keep up with the annual inflation rate.
New Zealand said that amount cannot be increased.
TRENDPOST: The Trends Journal had forecast this would be a global Top Trend for 2022… and beyond.
In the U.S. there have been several factors why workers have turned to unions. These factors included the surge in profits that CEOs and owners saw during the COVID War that critics say they refused to share. These employees also see no chance of career growth and have complained about safety issues during the outbreak.
(See “TOP 2022 UNIONIZATION TREND UPDATE,” “TOP 2022 TREND, ‘UNIONIZATION,’ ON THE RISE” and “TOP TREND UNIONIZATION, HEATING UP: TOP GERMAN UNION PUSHING FOR HIGHER WAGES.”)
TREND FORECAST: Unionization will continue to be a Top Trend and, as inflation continues to rise faster than wages, corporations that wish to incentivize their workforce to do and give the best they can, will raise the pay scale to levels higher than inflation rates.
TRENDPOST: Since the beginning of the year, we have been reporting on the acceleration of one of our Top Trends for 2022: Unionization.
The trend continues to gather steam: “POLITICO JOURNALISTS FORM UNION. A TREND OF THE TIMES” and “REI: UNIONIZATION TREND EXPANDS AS FORECAST.”
The trend shows no signs of slowing as the world faces surging energy prices and soaring inflation. Strikes have impacted nearly every industry. In June, for example, barristers in England and Wales walked out of court to protest what they saw as a paltry 15 percent pay increase for taking on legal aid work.
When the COVID War began in 2020, there was never an expectation of the combination of an employee shortage, spiking inflation, and worker strikes.
Indeed, just the opposite was expected.
After being cooped up, locked down, and out of work, when there was a ceasefire in the COVID War, the workers were expected to rush back to their jobs. As we have detailed, there are several reasons for the falloff: from “No Jab, No Job” employer mandates, not wanting to work at jobs that are unfulfilling, and refusing to go to work for a company that pays non-living wages.
The Labour Party has accused Johnson of treating his final months as “one big party,” and he faced criticism of partying in Greece during the economic turmoil. No doubt these union organizers are using Johnson’s antics as motivation to continue pressuring for these pay increases. The time is over where the Bigs can party on an island while the little people struggle.