#dock workers union

[iww-gnv]

Unionized dockworkers have the right to staff every job at a new container terminal in South Carolina under a federal court decision — but there is no guarantee that a $1 billion loading site that has sat largely idle will soon resume activity. A three-judge panel on Friday denied an appeal from the South Carolina State Ports Authority that would have instead maintained the fairly unique “hybrid” model that relies on state and union employees. The ruling handed a victory to International Longshoremen’s Association members in the least unionized state seeking to hold onto jobs after technological changes last century that threatened their work. The labor dispute began when the ILA sued the United States Maritime Alliance for sending shipping lines to Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal shortly after the completion of its first phase two years ago. The union alleged the move violated the terms of a master contract prohibiting the use of newly constructed terminals where ILA dockworkers do not perform all unloading tasks.

[nando161mando]

Dock workers of the COSCO union in Pireus, Greece block munitions shipment to Israel

[victusinveritas]

[bonesnake69]

today's my birthday and by god i love ratman danny hebert with all my heart. i want to fuck that man. i want to hear his union rep speech and then bite into his flesh afterward. he dreamed of the ocean? im dreaming of becoming taylor's stepmother. send tweet

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

By Gloria Verdieu

Cleophas Williams was a courageous working-class organizer, a fighter for social justice and the rights of workers nationally and internationally. He believed the struggle for social justice, equality, and dignity was a workers’ struggle.

[nationalvyvanseshortage]

Baby Niece (just nearly three months old!!!) was just fed and almost immediately fell asleep literally rubbing her tummy.

[kropotkindersurprise]

December 7, 2023 - Hundreds of UK union workers blockaded companies who sell weapons or parts for fighter jets that Israel uses for its genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people. Four factories were blockaded in Bournemouth, Lancashire, Brighton and Glasgow. Palestinian unions have asked for union workers across the world to use their power to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. Dock workers have recenty heeded this call for solidarity by blocking Israeli weapons shipments in several countries, inculding South Africa, Greece, Turkey, Belgium, and Italy. [video]

[apas-95]

The problem with CHAZ and Occupy strategies in general is that they pose absolutely zero threat to genocidal states or the capital that funds them. At any point they like, the state can disband them by force - the lines of arms-interlinked intellectuals toppled and ziptied in the course of ten seconds. They can do this not because of a lack of tactical ability or force on the part of the protestors (though they do generally lack tactical ability and force), they could just as easily deploy the national guard, even gun down a few people, and face no real consequences but electoral opponents trying to cynically cash in on sentiments caused by the violence.

The problem here is that there is no connection to the people. The whole world, each bit of it, runs on the labour of the workers. You want to stop a genocide 'your' state is carrying out? Organise work stoppage in the factories producing arms, in the trucks and boats and docks transporting them. If you can't do that, then your first priority should be getting into a position to do that: engage with organised labour like unions and guilds, engage with tenant organisations. Win over these politically advanced (though not yet revolutionary) sections of the people, and put your own labour to use positively, in volunteer work, political education, and building up community resources to enable further labour action.

[scottguy]

I hate it when the capitalist try to pressure labor to simply cave in to their greed because their workers' efforts are so vital to the economy.

If they're vital... pay them accordingly!

These obscenely profitable firms *always* cry poor. ( It's why the minimum wage hasn't changed for a really long time.)

It's not like shipping firms will go broke or even stop making a profit. They can meet all their workers' demands and still make record profits! (Just a little bit less of a record.)

It was the exact same way for strikes by the united auto workers union and for all of the entertainment industry with the writers.

Capitalists want labor being screwed as standard practice. If they raise wages and still make a profit, then people will realize these firms can EASILY afford it!

😱

Can't have that! The workers might eventually ask for more.

We have to collectively stand together against the wealthy who are trying to screw every... last... one... of us.

If you get all fussy that you're being inconvenienced, who is going to help you someday when you ask for more money from your boss?

This is a class war. The rich have been winning that war for the last 40 years. Greedflation is now the ultimate example of that.

Don't defend the wealthy because they are just as eager to screw you over, too.

[soberscientistlife]

I stand with Dock Workers Union

[psuedofolio]

I've been continuing my quest to draw 100 different characters, once a day every weekday and a couple weeks ago was like... "Girls and Mecha" week. And I tried each time to have like... a different take on the theme but would still have certain similar aesthetics. With the exception of the "school girl" the other machines were inspired more with industrial or construction machines.

So like... here's a power loader type mech. And a power armor type design. Then there was like... a mecha pilot but all she got was a roomba. Then there was the "pilot" and there was the girl that is actually the mech for a tiny robot. Was fun!

I had this whole lore where it was some corporation fighting some future union rebels on some space planet. Maybe I'll expand more on that someday.

EDIT: It occurs to me I should probably include the flavor text from when I tweeted these out. I'll put them in the same order as the images here:

"You know Kimmie, from the loading docks? Yeah she took to the Pile Bunker like a champ. You should see her tear open the corpo APCs."

2. "The off world colony workers repurposed the excavator suits into mobile armor frames. Corporate needs you to shut this down, now."

3. "The workers at the BIG PLANT found a little creative solution for taking their work with them while moving through and monitoring the factory floor. They've taken to personalizing their "Desk-bas" thinking of them like their own little mecha."

4. "The Cortex Walker, inspired by some particularly cruel science fiction, was Corporate's latest attempt to demoralize the rebel factions. While impractical from a mechanical perspective, the psychological impact of firing on captured allies could not be understated."

5. "My Best Friend is An Alien (and Unfortunately That's my Type!)"

[fairuzfan]

Have you heard about the global day of action on March 2?

Yes! I have! Here's more info about it (click). Here, from the "About" section:

There is a growing global movement for a Free Palestine. Across the world, millions of people are engaging in demonstrations and organizing major marches in solidarity with Palestine. Our demands for an immediate ceasefire, cutting all aid to Israel, and lifting the siege on Gaza have broader support than ever. On November 4th, over 500,000 gathered in Washington DC for the largest march in recent times to stand in solidarity with Palestine. Protests with half a million people erupted on the streets of London, constituents across Canada occupied over 17 MP offices from coast to coast, and Belgian dock workers' unions have refused to transport weapons by plane or sea that are destined for Israel.  We must keep building momentum and increase the pressure with more marches, walk-outs, sit-ins, and other forms of direct action directed at the political offices, businesses, and workplaces that fund, invest, and collaborate with Israeli genocide and occupation. NOW is the time for our mobilizations to grow in size, frequency, and focus; building a political climate that makes Israel’s business of genocide unsustainable.

Already protesters have shut down highways, train stations, and bridges in the United States; activists have targeted Israeli weapons manufacturers; Belgian dockworkers’ unions have refused to handle weapons transports to Israel; Bolivia has cut diplomatic ties with Israel while Jordan, Chile, and Colombia have recalled their Israeli ambassadors. Be part of the change, take action, and make your voice heard as the global struggle for Palestine enters a new phase.

Join the Shutdown for Palestine on Friday, December 8, 2023. We call on movements, organized labor, youth, students, media and healthcare workers, and all members of society to join us in demanding an immediate ceasefire, cutting all aid to Israel, and lifting the siege on Gaza. This call to action started on November 9, but we will continue to build up the momentum with ongoing days of action. No business as usual until Palestine is Free!

Walk out from work and/or school

Picket Israeli embassies and consulates

Picket against companies that profit from Israel’s occupation of Palestine (Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Elbit Systems)

Host speak outs

Wear kuffiyehs

Wear black armbands

[iww-gnv]

Image description copied from alt text: A square graphic with a red background that shows a raised fist bearing the IWW logo and text that reads, "Did you know? The IWW was founded in Chicago, Illinois in June 1905." The union website, iww.org, is also listed. End image description.

Did you know?

The Industrial Workers of the World, or the IWW, was founded in Chicago, Illinois in June of 1905. Its members are often nicknamed "Wobblies," and the union itself is frequently called "the One Big Union."

Why "One Big Union?" Because the IWW was founded to serve every worker. At the time the IWW was founded, only a short list of specialized trades had unions. Major industries such as textiles, docks, agriculture, and mining were all without representation, and many of the IWW's first battles were to organize those very workers!

If you're a member of the working class, you have a place with the IWW!

Learn More:

IWW - Our History

IWW History Project - University of Washington

The Industrial Workers of the World - PBS

Wobblies of the World: A Global History of the IWW, Edited by Peter Cole, David Struthers, and Kenyon Zimmer

[mostlysignssomeportents]

When the app tries to make you robo-scab

When we talk about the abusive nature of gig work, there’s some obvious targets, like algorithmic wage discrimination, where two workers are paid different rates for the same job, in order to trick occasional gig-workers to give up their other sources of income and become entirely dependent on the app:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

Then there’s the opacity — imagine if your boss refused to tell you how much you’ll get paid for a job until after you’ve completed it, claimed that this was done in order to “protect privacy” — and then threatened anyone who helped you figure out the true wage on offer:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/07/hr-4193/#boss-app

Opacity is wage theft’s handmaiden: every gig worker producing content for a social media algorithm is subject to having their reach — and hence their pay — cut based on the unaccountable, inscrutable decisions of a content moderation system:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/10/e2e/#the-censors-pen

Making content for an algorithm is like having a boss that docks every paycheck because you broke rules that you are not allowed to know, because if you knew the rules, you’d figure out how to cheat without your boss catching you. Content moderation is the last place where security through obscurity is considered good practice:

https://doctorow.medium.com/como-is-infosec-307f87004563

When workers seize the means of computation, amazing things happen. In Indonesia, gig workers create and trade tuyul apps that let them unilaterally modify the way that their bosses’ systems see them — everything from GPS spoofing to accessibility mods:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/07/08/tuyul-apps/#gojek

So the tech and labor story isn’t wholly grim: there are lots of ways that tech can enhance labor struggles, letting workers collaborate and coordinate. Without digital systems, we wouldn’t have the Hot Strike Summer:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/02/not-what-it-does/#who-it-does-it-to

As the historic writer/actor strike shows us, the resurgent labor movement and the senescent forces of crapulent capitalism are locked in a death-struggle over not just what digital tools do, but who they do it for and who they do it to:

https://locusmag.com/2022/01/cory-doctorow-science-fiction-is-a-luddite-literature/

When it comes to the epic fight over who technology acts for and against, we need a diversity of tactics, backstopped by tech operated by and for its users — and by laws that protect workers and the public. That dynamic is in sharp focus in UNITE Here Local 11’s strike against Orange County’s Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa.

The UNITE Here strike turns on the usual issues like a living wage (hotel staff are paid so little they have to rent rooming-house beds by the shift, paying for the right to sleep in a room for a few hours at a time, without any permanent accommodation). They’re also seeking health-care and pensions, so they can be healthy at work and retire after long service. Finally, they’re seeking their employer’s support for LA’s Responsible Hotels Ordinance, which would levy a tax on hotel rooms to help pay for hotel workers’ housing costs (a hotel worker who can’t afford a bed is the equivalent of a fast food worker who has to apply for food stamps):

https://www.unitehere11.org/responsible-hotels-ordinance/

But the Marriott — which is owned by the University of California and managed by Aimbridge Hospitality — has refused to bargain, walking out negotiations.

But the employer didn’t walk out over wages, benefits or support for a housing subsidy. They walked out when workers demanded that the scabs that the company was trying to hire to break the strike be given full time, union jobs.

These aren’t just any scabs, either. They’re predominantly Black workers who rely on the $700m Instawork app for gigs. These workers are being dispatched to cross the picket line without any warning that they’re being contracted as strikebreakers. When workers refuse the cross the picket and join the strike, Instawork cancels all their shifts and permanently blocks them from new jobs.

This is a new, technologically supercharged form of illegal strikebreaking. It’s one thing for a single boss to punish a worker who refuses to scab, but Instawork acts as a plausible-deniability filter for all the major employers in the region. Like the landlord apps that allow landlords to illegally fix rents by coordinating hikes, Instawork lets bosses illegally collude to rig wages by coordinating a blocklist of workers who refuse to scab:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/10/company-that-makes-rent-setting-software-for-landlords-sued-for-collusion/?comments=1

The racial dimension is really important here: the Marriott has a longstanding de facto policy of refusing to hire Black workers, and whenever they are confronted with this, they insist that there are no qualified Black workers in the labor pool. But as soon as the predominantly Latino workforce struck, Marriott discovered a vast Black workforce that it could coerce into scabbing, in collusion with Instawork.

Now, all of this isn’t just sleazy, it’s illegal, a violation of Section 7 of the NLRB Act. Historically, that wouldn’t have mattered, because a string of presidents, R and D, have appointed useless do-nothing ghouls to run the NLRB. But the Biden admin, pushed by the party’s left wing, made a string of historic, excellent appointments, including NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, who has set her sights on punishing gig work companies for flouting labor law:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/01/10/see-you-in-the-funny-papers/#bidens-legacy

UNITE HERE 11 has brought a case to the NLRB, charging the Instawork, the UC system, Marriott, and Aimbridge with violating labor law by blackmailing gig workers into crossing the picket line. The union is also asking the NLRB to punish the companies for failing to protect workers from violent retaliation from the wealthy hotel guests who have punched them and screamed epithets at them. The hotel has refused to identify these thug guests so that the workers they assaulted can swear out complaints against them.

Writing about the strike for Jacobin, Alex N Press tells the story of Thomas Bradley, a Black worker who was struck off all Instawork shifts for refusing to cross the picket line and joining it instead:

https://jacobin.com/2023/07/southern-california-hotel-workers-strike-automated-management-unite-here

Bradley’s case is exhibit A in the UNITE HERE 11 case before the NLRB. He has a degree in culinary arts, but racial discrimination in the industry has kept him stuck in gig and temp jobs ever since he graduated, nearly a quarter century ago. Bradley lived out of his car, but that was repossessed while he slept in a hotel room that UNITE HERE 11 fundraised for him, leaving him homeless and bereft of all his worldly possessions.

With UNITE HERE 11’s help, Bradley’s secured a job at the downtown LA Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, a hotel that has bargained with the workers. Bradley is using his newfound secure position to campaign among other Instawork workers to convince them not to cross picket lines. In these group chats, Jacobin saw workers worrying “that joining the strike would jeopardize their standing on the app.”

Today (July 30) at 1530h, I’m appearing on a panel at Midsummer Scream in Long Beach, CA, to discuss the wonderful, award-winning “Ghost Post” Haunted Mansion project I worked on for Disney Imagineering.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/30/computer-says-scab/#instawork

[Image ID: An old photo of strikers before a struck factory, with tear-gas plumes rising above them. The image has been modified to add a Marriott sign to the factory, and the menacing red eye of HAL9000 from Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' to the sky over the factory. The workers have been colorized to a yellow-green shade and the factory has been colorized to a sepia tone.]

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[libraryofgage]

Harlequin Prince (4)

Part of: Steve Deserves Good Parents, Actually

Debbie and Fester Addams One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six Rick and Evelyn O'Connell One | Two | Three Harley Quinn One | Two | Three | Four (you're here!) 10th Doctor and Rose One | Two Scooby Gang One Jedidiah and Octavius (from Night at the Museum) One | Two Queen Clarisse Renaldi One | Two | Three Leverage Crew One

This series was line jumped! If you'd like to learn more about line jumping, you can see this post

I meant to get this posted sooner but work genuinely became horrendously exhausting lmao

Anyway, here's some more Harley Quinn AU, now with three (3) memes at the end for your enjoyment

As always, if you see any typos, no you didn't ;)

------

"You're in my seat, squirt. Move."

The bar doesn't immediately go silent---this isn't some classic Western---but the chatter around them does die down. It still takes a few seconds and the man who spoke slamming his hand on the bar next to him for Steve to realize he's the squirt in question. He blinks, glances at Jason, receives absolutely nothing in return, and looks at the man standing next to him.

The work jumpsuit says dock worker, but the lift in his chin and puffed up chest scream newly-hired goon. If Steve had to guess, he'd say one of Penguin's. That's the only villain in Gotham who pays well and doesn't constantly fight Gotham's branch of the Union for the Rights of Henchmen and Goons (affectionately called Goonion by everyone in Gotham except the Joker).

"No, I'm not," Steve says, turning back to his drink.

"We gonna have a problem, kid?" the man asks. He leans in, towering over Steve. The sheer size of him would be intimidating if Steve hadn't grown up using King Shark and Killer Croc as his personal jungle gyms.

He sighs, knocks back his shot of tequila, and slams the glass on the counter. "We won't. You will."

The guy laughs, the sound echoing in the now-silent bar. Steve has never known his fellow drinkers to let something like conversation get in the way of watching a bar fight. Not that this is going to be much of one.

"Bring it on, little man."

"I'm bigger than you where it counts," Steve says, sliding off the stool. He only comes up to the man's shoulders, having to tilt his head back to see his face. "Did you know your mom's a size queen?"

He hears snickers from around them as the guy realizes the joke. The man's face twists into a scowl. He pulls his arm back and throws a punch. Steve snorts and ducks, looking up to watch Jason catch the guy's hand with his palm.

"My muscle's bigger, too," he says.

"Are you gonna make me fight all your battles?" Jason asks, looking down at Steve with a raised eyebrow. "You'll never learn this way."

Steve scoffs, popping up next to where Jason's hand is still gripping the guy's fist. Despite trying to pull away, he hasn't been able to loosen Jason's hold one bit. "I already know enough!"

"Prove it."

With a roll of his eyes, Steve gestures for Jason to let go. When he finally does, the guy turns on his heel and throws a punch at Steve. He ducks again, this time sweeping his leg out and up to jam his heel into the guy's knee. The crack echoes in the bar, followed by a pained grunt.

"You little shit," the guy growls, shifting to favor the injured leg as he reaches for Steve's shirt. Once he's got the material in hand, Steve grabs the guy's arm, turns, and throws the guy over his shoulder onto a table two feet away. The table buckles under the sudden weight, pint glasses shattering on the floor as it breaks in two.

"Aww, c'mon! I was still drinking those!" a woman at the table shouts, jamming her foot into the guy's side.

While he's busy with her, Steve turns around and smiles apologetically at the bar tender. "Sorry. We'll pay for the tables," he says, gesturing to Jason.

"B's gonna start getting on our asses if you keep busting tables every time we go out," Jason says as he pulls out his wallet and hands over a wad of cash to the bartender. "Let's go before you cause more damage I have to pay for."

"You're the one who likes drinking with me," Steve replies, grinning as he follows Jason out of the bar. "That guy kinda sucked at fighting, though."

"Of course he did. He's a goon. What'd you expect, a brawl with Cass?"

"More than two punches, at least!"

Jason snorts as he leads Steve over to his motorcycle. He tosses one of the helmets to him, grinning when Steve nearly fumbles the catch. "How about we visit a meta-bar next time then," he suggests, pulling his own helmet on.

"Is that a promise?"

"Sure...squirt."

----------

"Don't suppose you've got a sidecar somewhere," Robin says. She's standing by the handlebars, a dubious expression pulling at her features as she looks over the bike.

"Nope, don't carry those," Steve tells her, shrugging as he tosses his helmet to her. Robin barely catches it, holding the helmet close to her chest like it might try jumping from her hands. "Figured you could sit in front."

"In front?" Eddie asks, looking up from where he was inspecting a Nightwing logo sticker on the body of the bike. "I don't think you want Buckley driving."

"Who said anything about driving?" Steve asks. He gestures to the handlebars and says, "Robin sits here, I drive, and you sit behind me."

Before Eddie can respond to that, Robin waves Steve closer. "Is this some kinda ploy?" she asks.

"No clue what you mean, Robbie," Steve says, flashing a grin that immediately contradicts his innocence.

Robin scrunches her nose, disgust shining through. "That's not even safe," she says.

"Sure it is. You've got the helmet," Steve tells her.

"How will you even see?"

"By looking around you."

"We'll crash."

"Nope. I only crash when it's funny."

"You crash on purpose?" Eddie asks, sporting a frown when Steve looks at him. He's standing now, arms crossed and fingers drumming against his biceps.

"Only when I have an audience. And its comedic timing is appropriate. Jester logic is strict, you know."

"Jester logic? So, what, you're a clown?" Robin asks, amusement seeping into her voice like she's discovered the perfect teasing material.

Steve can feel a tension in the air, the held breath of the universe waiting to see something funny. His mother would be proud of the way he grabs the chance. Steve pulls out his wallet and procures a card he's just thought up. "Clown-in-training, actually. We take our profession very seriously," he says.

He turns the card around, showing Robin an ID with his photo, a comedy mask logo, and the words "Gotham Clown College Provisional Tomfoolery License" printed along the top.

"You can't be serious," Robin says, snatching the card and turning it over in her hands. "Gotham? What, are you a Joker wannabe?"

"The Joker is a disgrace to the profession," Steve tells her, taking the card back and sliding it into his wallet. The moment he stops touching the card, it disappears. The tension fades, a faint sense of satisfaction lingering and buzzing in Steve's ears.

"Wow. Strong clown opinions," Robin mumbles, rolling her eyes.

"Being a clown requires dedication and skill, Robin," Steve says, suddenly getting a nostalgic sense of deja vu. He's definitely had this conversation before with the bats. "You've gotta have a killer sense of humor, precise comedic timing, and unmatched adaptability. Not anyone can be a clown. Now, put on the helmet and get on the handlebars."

Robin blinks, her shoulders rising some. "I'm not sitting on the handlebars! I'm gonna die!" she says, immediately forgetting the clown argument, which means Steve won it by default.

He loves winning by default.

"You won't! Just trust me."

"Those are famous last words, dingus. Why don't you sit on the handlebars if you're so sure?"

"Do you know how to drive a bike?"

"Uh, guys," Eddie says, cutting through the argument before it can continue. "I have a van."

Steve blinks and looks in the direction Eddie is pointing. A nice van is sitting a few parking spots away. "Thank fuck," Robin says, shoving the helmet back into Steve's hands before walking over to the van.

"That's not nearly as fun," Steve mutters, hanging the helmet off the handlebars and nudging the kickstand up so he can start walking his bike over.

Eddie walks on the other side of the bike, keeping pace even as Robin turns to look at them with an impatient expression. "I wouldn't mind riding around later," he says, glancing at Steve and then at the bike between them. "Never been on one before."

Steve blinks and grins. "Doing anything tonight?" he asks.

"Well, as long as we don't get killed at this dangerous lab, nope, no plans at all."

"Don't worry, we won't get killed," Steve promises.

"What, it wouldn't be funny?"

"Exactly," Steve says.

Eddie blinks and laughs, but Steve doesn't try to convince him. He knows how unreal jester logic sounds, but Eddie will believe him when he sees it in action. Hopefully he'll laugh just as loudly then, too.

------

Tag list (there's definitely still room, so please let me know if you'd like to be tagged!)

@nectandra, @y4r3luv, @just-a-tiny-void, @dotdot-wierdlife

@midwestharpy,

@twilitdragoneye, @disrespectedgoatman, @lawrencebshoggoth, @gunsknivesandplaid, @sadisticaltarts

and now, some memes