US teacher strikes were good, actually (www.vox.com)

submitted 1 month ago by CrimeDad@lemmy.crimedad.work to c/usa@lemmy.ml

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New research finds labor stoppages raised wages without harming student learning.

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[-] ristoril_zip@lemmy.zip 20 points 1 month ago

If a whole union votes to strike, it's for a good reason and with a reasonable expectation from the whole union membership that the outcome of the strike is worth the interruption to everyone's lives.

Given the Wisdom of Crowds is an actual thing that really works, it shouldn't be surprising.

What should really be called into question is letting one CEO or a C-Suite or a Board of Directors make drastic decisions that will change the lives of thousands of people without any input from the greater community. Those people are only human.

What was the name that one media company had their board come up with that was so stupid?

[-] davel@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 month ago

The working class knows what’s up, often better than the capitalist class, or even mid-management, but I wouldn’t run with the term “the wisdom of the crowd,” which I think is a popsci/Freakonomics sort of thing: at best over-applied and at worst pseudoscience.

And anyway, labor action isn’t even about “right” or “wrong,” “good” or “bad”: it’s about power. Whether teacher strikes help, harm, or have no effect on students is really beside the point. They shouldn’t have to make excuses for it.

[-] ristoril_zip@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 month ago

I agree that they shouldn't have to make excuses.

There are people out there who are persuadable but currently buy the Republican anti union bullshit, though. For better or worse, one way to crack through that wall is to point out the ways that unions and collective action like strikes leads to better outcomes for every worker (not only union members), and every worker's child.

I'm aware there's some pseudo science danger, but if the membership is informed and can vote their conscience individually, I'm sure they'd do better than not most every time. Obviously if there's a pressure campaign or film flam man at the top lying or misleading it can all go to shit.

[-] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 month ago

I think it was meta.

this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2024

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