Re:DoorDash’s about-face on tipping shows customers have mor...
by jfengel on Thursday July 25, 2019 @03:04PM
(#20528379)
It's true for unorganized labor. Organizing has been a powerful tool for people who are "unspecialized" (i.e. easily replaced). If the workers agree to support each other, they have the power to stop work. But it only works if they all agree to it. That's where the organization comes in.
It helps when government regulations exist to reduce employers' ability to find replacements. That's the fundamental conflict that employers can exploit: when they can appeal to each individual to work at cost to the advancement of the entire set of workers, the organization fails. Employers can then reduce pay and worsen working conditions to the poverty level.
A variety of things have reduced the effectiveness of labor organizers over the past few decades, but they were responsible for things like the 5-day, 40-hour workweek and safety regulations. The ability of the Internet to reach out to an even wider set of unskilled workers makes the job nearly impossible.
It helps when government regulations exist to reduce employers' ability to find replacements. That's the fundamental conflict that employers can exploit: when they can appeal to each individual to work at cost to the advancement of the entire set of workers, the organization fails. Employers can then reduce pay and worsen working conditions to the poverty level.
A variety of things have reduced the effectiveness of labor organizers over the past few decades, but they were responsible for things like the 5-day, 40-hour workweek and safety regulations. The ability of the Internet to reach out to an even wider set of unskilled workers makes the job nearly impossible.