BubbleMonkey
I got a full set of silverware for backpacking that collapses down to about the size of those folding reader glasses (plus a little hard storage case just like the glasses). It’s a spoon, fork, knife, and chopsticks. I think I paid $6 for the set. Not super high quality, since the focus was on weight and utility, but definitely does the job.
I don’t use it much anymore, but it was great for lunch at work, and is good when traveling (staying at hotels and getting takeout - no plastic trash!). I mostly keep it in my overnight backpack so it’s available whenever I’m not home and I can’t forget it.
I never said it wasn’t low. It’s low, but 14 million people is still a lot of actual people, people just like you, under a different circumstance.
14 million people looking for work means there are a lot of potential scabs, because our social safety nets are fucking laughable. They don’t even exist for a lot of people, such as those with no work history yet (can’t get unemployment if you’ve never been employed, for example, and if you only have a couple years employment history, unemployment in a lot of places doesn’t cover shit).
Having been one of the underemployed, you often take what you can get because you don’t have the luxury of finding the “right job”.
Or you and your family become homeless.
Those are basically the options these days and I’m not willing to say that’s not the case just because unemployment (which does not include underemployment, nor those who left the job market) is low by some economists standards, because it absolutely is for millions of people.
So sure, many of those people might be looking for “the right job”, but in the interim, they find and take “the right now” job. And that might be scabby.
All good friend; we do agree and it really sucks that it’s so difficult to get people to support their own best interest if it costs them in a tangible way (even if the benefits are exponentially more impactful).
This is an education thing and we are fighting a lot of anti-union propaganda, here and everywhere. We see people lose their jobs over joining.
Who can blame them not wanting to sign up?
Union leaders need to fight fire with -water-. They need an unyielding stream of information to fight the fanned flames of disinformation and anti-union propaganda going out to perspective members, and that’s… unfortunately just not generally practical.
I don’t really have a solution, I’m sorry, but I am absolutely behind yours and every other union. I will support you all with every breath in my body, for whatever that’s worth.
Ahh, I wish it were that easy, but 4.1% of 350 million is like 14 million people (I’m willing to accept that my math is wrong but I double checked it 4 times including using the internet… and idk if I mathed it wrong or if that’s just an accurate number… I really kinda hope I’m wrong…)
That’s a lot of people either way… and you can’t fault them for looking out for themselves or their family.
I’m really sorry to hear that. Genuinely. We all need better.
I am a firm believer in unions and collective action, despite never having the opportunity to be part of a union myself. And like they don’t have a lot of power here… they got most of it removed by law years and years ago.
But it doesn’t stop us trying at least, I suppose. And the general vibe is to support the unions. I’m sure there are tons of scabs here, but… they aren’t winning social favor being scabs at least.
Even if they are largely toothless, it’s better to be toothless together; A pack of starving wolves with one tooth each is enough to do a lot of damage if they attack together often enough.
The real problem is getting them to be part of the pack. I mean each wolf is toothless anyway, so getting them to join the pack is super important for their survival too.
You certainly aren’t wrong, but… at least in my area (and this is with state-level laws that fucking decimated union power), unions are relatively well respected by the population at large, because most of us have some experience with them (big trades area), and they are growing, rather than shrinking, despite having their legs cut off at the knee.
Despite being a super conservative and heavily gerrymandered area, our major trade unions (pipefitters, construction, metalworkers, electricians, etc.) never went away, much as the state (for the past 15 or so years) would have liked otherwise. And it’s making a big resurgence; there are tons of manufacturing plants near me and a lot of them are part of or bound by the unions (not just their workplace, but like regional unions)
I hope the trend continues! We need more collective action in our society. We need unions for non-tradespeople, and we don’t have any of those… but at least the trade unions are unshakeable, and that’s a good gateway for the rest of us.
Only scabs cross the line.
I come from a union family and walked way further than I thought it would be to see sanders speak at a union hall. Worth it.
The strike that happened a week or so before the event would have had me staying home, had it extended, though. Even tho I only ever saw one single person on the picket line. Only scabs cross the line.
Idk how actionable this would be for you, it probably depends what specific articles of clothing and in what style you are expected to wear, but are you able to buy any stretch fabric sort of shirts?
I personally can’t wear “normal” non-stretch clothing because it’s far too restrictive for my own comfort (autist), and find that permanent press fabrics do a great job of being more forgiving, largely because of the stretch portion of the fabric blend that prevents wrinkles. There’s a surprising amount of women’s clothing that meets my stretch requirement, and still looks professional. But I do most of my shopping at thrift stores because my needs are super specific, so I can’t give you any brands or anything, I’m sorry.
That might be another community to ask, though - autistic folks often have specific clothing restrictions, for the sake of existing without that distraction, that might help you find something appropriate for your needs. :)
If your stove can possibly be ignited when you aren’t home, don’t store combustible things on top of it, please.
Doesn’t matter what might set off the combustion - a short circuit, a dog, a small family member, a drunk family member…
Don’t store combustibles on your heat-emitting device. You’ll have a bad time.
Mine emits flame, and the only things I store atop it are metal (baking sheets and pans) or Borosilicate glass (like pyrex). But I’m looking to swap for an induction stovetop, because the gas explosion risk is enough for me to be uncomfortable!
Keep in mind that all of these could be more or less stopped if there was any real desire to do so.
But there isn’t.
