Striking for Jobs That Will Soon No Longer Exist
Imagine Boston in 1750 or so. Lamplighters, employed by the municipality, toured public streets at dusk, lighting outdoor fixtures by means of a wick on a long pole. At dawn, the lamplighter would return to put them out using a small hook on the same pole. Other duties include carrying a ladder and renewing the candles, oil, or gas mantles.
Beginning with Frederick Albert Winsor's 1807 exhibition, gas lights steadily overtook candles and oil lamps as the dominant form of street lighting. Early gaslights required lamplighters, but by the late 19th century, systems were developed which allowed the lights to operate automatically.
Now imagine at the turn of twentieth century, the streets of Boston were electrified and lamplighters were no longer necessary. Technology had outpaced them. It’s not a stretch to think these guys were pretty pissed. If there had been unions back then, I’d guess they’d put up a fuss and try to get one last bit of job security before the entire premise of their gig was kaput.
News unions have expanded their footprints in the last couple of years, organizing longtime holdouts like the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and a dozen Gannett newsrooms, as well as most top news websites and magazines (Slate, Vice, HuffPost, POLITICO, The Atlantic, Esquire, The New Yorker, New York, Washingtonian, et al.). But the successes can’t mask the newspaper industry’s death spiral. Post workers may well win a new contract, secure desired workplace enhancements and collect raises if they keep at it. But the victory may prove Pyrrhic as the newspaper industry’s dim and dark present unfolds into its future.
Unions are winning battles, but may not be ready to win a war around increasing automation.
China is moving towards fully automated ports and leading European ports are following suit.
Workers at 29 West Coast ports sealed a new six-year contract in August, but focused on pay rather than automation, even as advanced automation expands at ports like Long Beach.
A new Teamster contract covering 340,000 UPS drivers won impressive salary increases but no system for managing a UPS fleet transition to autonomous vehicles that's already underway.
Simply put, these unions are fighting a battle against two things: greed and technological advance. They may win (and have been) in the short term but it’s really just fighting a battle for jobs that will no longer exist in ten years.
Suggestion? Squeeze the greedy fuckers at the top for as much as you can but start training for a job that is technology proof (at least for another 25 years).
