Has Online Shopping Left Warehouse Workers WIthout Political Power? (msn.com) 45
A writer for the New York Times editorial board argues we don't yet fully understand the impact of warehouses. "Thanks to the rise of online shopping and the proximity to so many American doorsteps, warehouses have become a major source of blue-collar employment," both in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and beyond. "In Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, more than 19,000 people work in the warehouses that prepare our packages. Thousands more drive the trucks that deliver them."
But while the total number of warehouse-related jobs almost replaces the jobs lost from the closure of a major steel plant, "the political power that blue-collar workers once wielded has not been replaced." Despite their large numbers, their importance to the economy, and their presence in Northampton — a swing county in a crucial battleground state — warehouse workers don't form an influential voting bloc in the way that steelworkers did... It turns out that making stuff isn't the same as distributing it. Working in a steel mill is a communal act that lends itself to the pursuit of political power in a way that warehouse jobs do not. Steelworkers toiled alongside one another, forming lifelong bonds, bowling leagues and unions that delivered a reliable voting bloc. Back when thousands of workers streamed out of the gates of Bethlehem Steel at quitting time, "politicians would come out to shake our hands," Jerry Green, retired president of United Steelworkers Local 2599, told me.
Factories were so good at political mobilization, in fact, that some credit them for democracy itself. Women and working-class men won the right to vote in the United States, Western Europe and much of East Asia after about a quarter of those populations were employed in factories, according to recent research by Sam van Noort, a lecturer at Princeton. Warehouses, by contrast, have no such mystique. Nobody campaigns outside the Walmart distribution centers here. Workers tend to be hired by staffing agencies and many stay for only a few months. They work on their own and rarely socialize. They are notoriously difficult to organize. Alec MacGillis, author of "Fulfillment: America in the Shadow of Amazon," told me that the biggest challenge for labor organizers at Amazon warehouses was getting workers to stay on the job long enough to feel a sense of solidarity.
Malenie Tapia, who moved to Bethlehem from Queens, N.Y., five years ago and took a job as a "picker" in a Zara warehouse, explained why. For eight hours a day, she grabbed items off numbered shelves and delivered them to packers who packed them into boxes. Talking to co-workers was forbidden, she said, except during a brief lunch break. "Sometimes I would go to the section in the back, where there would be less eyes on you, and sneak in a little moment of conversation," she said.
Here's what happened when the reporter asked a pair of Latino workers about their political opinions: Most of all, they fretted about being replaced by machines. They spoke with dread about a fully automated McDonald's and a robot that unloads container ships. They didn't seem to see themselves as part of a working class that could band together to demand protections for their jobs.
The hot political issue around warehouses isn't the workers at all; it's the traffic and loss of green space associated with them. Both the Democratic and Republican candidates in the race for a state representative seat in Northampton have vowed to stop the proliferation of warehouses, which some citizens' groups say destroys their rural way of life. If warehouse workers had a political voice, they might push back. But they don't, so they won't. Warehouses have been an economic boon. But politically, for workers, they are a loss.
But while the total number of warehouse-related jobs almost replaces the jobs lost from the closure of a major steel plant, "the political power that blue-collar workers once wielded has not been replaced." Despite their large numbers, their importance to the economy, and their presence in Northampton — a swing county in a crucial battleground state — warehouse workers don't form an influential voting bloc in the way that steelworkers did... It turns out that making stuff isn't the same as distributing it. Working in a steel mill is a communal act that lends itself to the pursuit of political power in a way that warehouse jobs do not. Steelworkers toiled alongside one another, forming lifelong bonds, bowling leagues and unions that delivered a reliable voting bloc. Back when thousands of workers streamed out of the gates of Bethlehem Steel at quitting time, "politicians would come out to shake our hands," Jerry Green, retired president of United Steelworkers Local 2599, told me.
Factories were so good at political mobilization, in fact, that some credit them for democracy itself. Women and working-class men won the right to vote in the United States, Western Europe and much of East Asia after about a quarter of those populations were employed in factories, according to recent research by Sam van Noort, a lecturer at Princeton. Warehouses, by contrast, have no such mystique. Nobody campaigns outside the Walmart distribution centers here. Workers tend to be hired by staffing agencies and many stay for only a few months. They work on their own and rarely socialize. They are notoriously difficult to organize. Alec MacGillis, author of "Fulfillment: America in the Shadow of Amazon," told me that the biggest challenge for labor organizers at Amazon warehouses was getting workers to stay on the job long enough to feel a sense of solidarity.
Malenie Tapia, who moved to Bethlehem from Queens, N.Y., five years ago and took a job as a "picker" in a Zara warehouse, explained why. For eight hours a day, she grabbed items off numbered shelves and delivered them to packers who packed them into boxes. Talking to co-workers was forbidden, she said, except during a brief lunch break. "Sometimes I would go to the section in the back, where there would be less eyes on you, and sneak in a little moment of conversation," she said.
Here's what happened when the reporter asked a pair of Latino workers about their political opinions: Most of all, they fretted about being replaced by machines. They spoke with dread about a fully automated McDonald's and a robot that unloads container ships. They didn't seem to see themselves as part of a working class that could band together to demand protections for their jobs.
The hot political issue around warehouses isn't the workers at all; it's the traffic and loss of green space associated with them. Both the Democratic and Republican candidates in the race for a state representative seat in Northampton have vowed to stop the proliferation of warehouses, which some citizens' groups say destroys their rural way of life. If warehouse workers had a political voice, they might push back. But they don't, so they won't. Warehouses have been an economic boon. But politically, for workers, they are a loss.
Crediting factory work for democracy? (Score:1)
Democracy supposedly has its roots in classical Athens. Yeah, I know, Athens had direct democracy (not representative democracy), only men over 30 with military service could vote (no universal suffrage), and they had ostracism to try and counter abuse of power. Athens was never very stable under democracy, either - it always collapsed pretty quickly. You'd barely recognise it as the same political system as what we call democracy today.
The political theory that emerged from industrialisation was Marxism
No it's given them power (Score:2)
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If they all decide at once to walk out
Did you miss the part where they are not allowed to talk to one another?
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If they all decide at once to walk out
Did you miss the part where they are not allowed to talk to one another?
No you missed a contemporaneous comparison, comparing glory days of unions steel workers to warehouse workers. I worked in a warehouse in the 1980s, company parties, softball leagues, bowling leagues, plenty of informal hanging out with coworkers on your off hours, lots of friendships created at work, and plenty of talking at work too.
Re: No it's given them power (Score:2)
I wonder whether that is true. A company like amazon is so distributed that it probably would take a lot of warehouses to shut down at once before they are deeply impacted.
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No (Score:2)
The political power (Score:5, Insightful)
the political power that blue-collar workers once wielded has not been replaced
It's been outsourced to China where the workers there have no rights of assembly or speech.
Luddites (Score:1, Insightful)
Most of all, they fretted about being replaced by machines. They spoke with dread about a fully automated McDonald's and a robot that unloads container ships. They didn't seem to see themselves as part of a working class that could band together to demand protections for their jobs.
And why should their jobs be protected if a robot can do it? I mean, sewing machines are part and parcel of today's standard of living. Imagine a world where the seamstress union was able to successfully ban them and shirts cost 4 times what they do now because everything had to be hand sewn.
Automation is always viewed as an evil by the class of workers it's replacing, but it is inevitably a net positive for the world as a whole, as the price of goods drop and production increases. The class of work
Re:Luddites (Score:5, Insightful)
Since it's such a minor setback for the workers, perhaps the society as a whole should share the burden as well as the benefit. Perhaps if they had time and were allowed to talk, they might put together some sort of group that could lobby for that. Perhaps they could call it a union.
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This is why it is always important for people to be bettering themselves. People should stop mindlessly scrolling and spend that time improving their skillsets, so they can more quickly advance into another career if their industry changes. Or even better, move onto a job that isn't entry level and is higher paid even faster.
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People should stop mindlessly scrolling and spend that time improving their skillsets,
I started using Youtube to educate myself. Last week, I saw this video and now I am using it to power my refrigerator [youtube.com]. It doesn't generate a lot of electricity, but fortunately modern refrigerators are very electricity efficient. Next week I'm going to try a water/gas-tank hack I saw.
One big difference (Score:5, Insightful)
Working in a steel mill or factory takes skill, sometimes requiring years to learn
Working in a warehouse requires a short bit of training, sometimes just a few hours
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All labor does require some skill, but the question is how much skill is required? Can you learn the skills in a few hours? Or does it take years of education and training to acquire the skills?
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There is so much to unpack in your statements.
I ask you if it seems fair that all of the profit, all of the wealth should go to Billionaires?
Profit should go to the shareholders. If the shareholders are billionaires, then yes, the profit should go to them. However, in most cases, the shareholders consist of more than just billionaires.
Should all wealth go to billionaires. No.
Should America be an Oligarchy?
No, it should not be an oligarchy. However, I am concerned that we are rapidly approaching one.
I think that the wealth should be shared,
I would argue that wealth should be earned.
and America should be a middle class country.
A lot depends on how you define middle class and how you interpret that statement. America
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Umm, everyone can do it is why the pay is so low. If it was hard the pay would be high. Find out what your brain surgeon gets paid.
Not hours, 4-6 months to get skilled (Score:3)
Working in a steel mill or factory takes skill, sometimes requiring years to learn Working in a warehouse requires a short bit of training, sometimes just a few hours
As someone who worked in a warehouse in the 1980s, contemporaneous to when unions were strong, I would say no, not a few hours. But I would say 4-6 months, not years, to become skilled at it. Unloading trucks, tagging merch, stocking shelves, picking for orders, etc.
... Again, back in the days when unions were strong.
Also the article is flat out wrong regarding "They work on their own and rarely socialize.". Again, not true at all, company parties, softball leagues, bowling leagues,
Skillset (Score:2)
I'd say it is heavily dependent on the type of warehouse. An early 20's relative of mine worked a a food packing warehouse. They made him a low level supervisor after a month, mainly because he could read, write legibly, and do basic math. He also showed up to work on time and always finished out his shift. Apparently this put him in the top 5% of their workforce.
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I'd say it is heavily dependent on the type of warehouse. An early 20's relative of mine worked a a food packing warehouse.
Yeah, my experience was strictly with stuff heading to department stores, no food. Now that did include some jewelry and firearms that required special handling, mostly stocking in a secured area and constant observation from the truck to that area.
They made him a low level supervisor after a month, mainly because he could read, write legibly, and do basic math. He also showed up to work on time and always finished out his shift. Apparently this put him in the top 5% of their workforce.
Not entirely surprised, there was a strong contingent of stoners among the long time full timers at my warehouse. The ladies were good, most of them working mom's with kids old enough for them to return to work. The only problem they had were when the trucks were
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Working in a steel mill or factory takes skill, sometimes requiring years to learn Working in a warehouse requires a short bit of training, sometimes just a few hours
Electricians and machinists are skilled. Working an assembly line is not. Doing work that's in a warehouse or factory is not skilled, it's "located," and irrelevant in re: skilled labor or not.
But you knew that and were trying to poison the well with "equality," right?
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I am probably more skilled than you, but I do understand that America needs to be a middle class country, and not an Oligarchy. A minimum wage and exploitation of workers will not support a strong Democracy.
White collar and skilled labor are not the same. I'm white collar. You seem less able with language and reasoning. You win. You're "more skilled."
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I'm sorry. What was the topic? This is a parade of unhinged non-sequiturs. The poor grammar doesn't help any.
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I am not going to argue you have to be a genius to work in the average warehouse, but it certainly requires more than just a few hours of learning. The tasks are simple enough, but you still need to internalize them to do them with anything approaching competence.
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Trump had 4 years to fix the border. What happened?
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Trump had 4 years to fix the border. What happened?
He deported at a lower rate than Obama, was blamed for Obama's concentration camps, and started more work on the border wall that Biden continues.
Next question.
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What open border? Where is this nonsense coming from? Crossing are DOWN [newsweek.com]. They've been plummeting since President Biden restricted asylum seeking [politico.com]. If people are so faux worried about "illegals", then they wouldn't have a problem with the government making raids on construction sites, homebuilding sites, restaurants, lawn care companies, hotels, farms, ranches, and golf courses. Because clearly, none of those places would hire illegals. [lawandcrime.com]
As for inflation, you can thank corporate greed. They have created t [npr.org]
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Unless I am mistaken, and I read the article you linked... Border crossings are down from the previous 2 years of the Biden administration. They are still way up overall compared to the Trump administration.
This isn't a endorsement one way or the other, it just seems like the first part of you comment is a bit misleading.
Here is the source I used.
https://usafacts.org/articles/... [usafacts.org]
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Elephant missing from the room . . . (Score:2)
It turns out that making stuff isn't the same as distributing it
Or maybe they're not unionized workers anymore. How is that not the most obvious factor here?
"They work on their own and rarely socialize" (Score:2)
They work on their own and rarely socialize. They are notoriously difficult to organize.
Complete bullshit. When you compare workers of a contemporaneous period, lets say the end of the glory days of the unions, warehouse workers also made enduring friendships, engaged in company softball and bowling leagues, spent a lot of off hours handing out with coworkers. Been there, done that, worked is a warehouse in the 1980s.
What's different is the steel working is a more technical and dangerous job. It take years to become skilled at it, I'd say it takes about six months to get skilled at basic war
Does democeacy need factories? (Score:2)
Women and working-class men won the right to vote in the United States, Western Europe and much of East Asia after about a quarter of those populations were employed in factories
French first revolution happened before the industrial revolution. It was a landscape without factories, and working-class men (not women at that time) asked and obtained the right to vote
Unfortunately, the paper backing the allegation is not freely available, hence I cannot tell if it addresses that point.
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Skilled vs Unskilled Workers (Score:2)
Despite their large numbers, their importance to the economy, and their presence in Northampton â" a swing county in a crucial battleground state â" warehouse workers don't form an influential voting bloc in the way that steelworkers did... It turns out that making stuff isn't the same as distributing it.
Working in steel plant is skilled work - you can't just drag someone in off the street and expect them to do the work.
On the other hand, moving pallets, picking items, driving delivery trucks are really (comparably) unskilled jobs. A person can be brought in off the street and be trained to work in a warehouse in a few hours.
Thankfully, if warehouse owners ever faced a serious strike, all the owners would have to do is convert their systems to Spanish and start hiring some of those asylum seekers entering t