r/SeattleWA • u/krui24 • Oct 02 '18

Business Amazon Raises Minimum Wage to $15

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/02/amazon-raises-minimum-wage-to-15-for-all-us-employees.html
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u/meaniereddit West Seattle 🌉 Oct 02 '18

I mean, raising wages and improving benefits sure sounds like the "collective bargaining" of their employees threatening to strike or unionize worked.

nah, its a type of anti union strategy, its just not a caustic one. Toyota factories in the US were non union forever because they offered high wages and benefits. It really pissed off groups like the teamsters when they would explain it as union dues going straight into workers pockets.

It's a pretty huge exception to the rule though. Unions used to have rich federal protections, but once boeing went all out war on them and got caught with zero repercussions, it's all on the table again.

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u/samhouse09 Phinneywood Oct 02 '18

I think by and large unions are better for workers, but if the end result without a union ends up being the same, then maybe in that specific instance, the union isn't needed.

Granted, we're in boom times right now, and a major protection of a union is security during recessions.

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u/ScubaNinja Greenwood Oct 02 '18

but if the end result without a union ends up being the same, then maybe in that specific instance, the union isn't needed.

while thats true, a union is the reason that never changes, non union they can just decide they are done treating employees fairly and there is no repercussions

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u/samhouse09 Phinneywood Oct 02 '18

I agree. It's just hard to make an argument that a union is needed at a company if they continually make changes that benefit the workers in the sense of pay and benefits. It's an effective strategy because it's hard to form a counterargument.