For the second time in less than a year, a major, headline-grabbing strike has been averted. Not with the employers giving in to the unions’ demands. No, that would be too sensical, too much of a break with the cruel absurdity of our moment.
Rather, the strikes have been averted by the usual and mundane. Namely, the union’s leadership reaching a deal with management that either disappoints or outright angers the rank-and-file. In late 2021, it was the IATSE strike that was dodged, regarding stagehands, camera operators, and other film and TV crew. That strike, had it gone ahead, would have been near impossible for most people to ignore, as it would have brought the lion’s share of mainstream, big-budget cultural production to a halt. And what a joy that would have been.
A strike on the nation’s railroads would have been much harder to avoid. Like the unionization drives at Amazon, the grievances among train operators, conductors, machinists and mechanics reveal just how much that strain…
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