Secret Union Tactic Fuels Unprecedented Labor Wins

The practice of joining a workplace with the secret aim of organizing it is called “salting.” And until now, it's been the mostly secret ingredient in a once-in-a-generation wave of union organizing that’s spread from Starbucks and Amazon to other Fortune 500 companies in the Covid-19 era. Bloomberg's Josh Eidelson explains the tactic's recent revival after exclusive visits to undercover training sessions over the past year.

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[ansh]

I always wondered how do people figure out how to organize unions. So happy to hear something like this exists.

[Dayanto]

It is crazy to me that the US doesn't even have something as basic as freedom of association. The fact that you need to get past all these hurdles to even be _allowed_ to exercise your individual human right to join an organization is wild. This is something that anyone should be able to just do whenever they want to. Why should someone else have veto power over your choice on whether or not to be a member? That is straight up authoritarian.

[Tochinoki]

Germany is a great example of how business and unions can work well together.

[esgee]

seems like the ability to salt a company is dependent upon being able to recruit young people to relatively entry-level roles. could be harder to salt into any role requiring more skill/experience/education, no? actually would be more interesting to see how salting is accomplished in companies hiring for mostly for more skilled roles. also, did you know average retirement age in china is LOWER (much lower actually) than in france?

[sepilokfui]

it also means us as a developed nation has been treating the general labour force so badly that laborers do not even have the basic benefit like health insurance, paid holidays, etc...

[djp]

Back when America was "great" unions were everywhere. People could afford a house without a college degree.

[ProletarianPower]

Bernie. "Rebuilding the middle class" is an embracing of class disparity. Fighting to create a labor aristocracy that sits above the rest of the working class. We need a working class revolution. A world run by the workers for the workers.

[willyjoerockhead]

Thank you for allowing comments. Youtube hates freedom of speech

[YoSmoked]

To the person reading this: Even though I don’t know you, I wish you the best of what life has to offer ❤

[nickcheema]

this is fantastic news! Hopefully this results in much higher prices at SBUX

[YoungWilliamO]

In the United States, workers have the right to engage in "protected concerted activity" (such as collective bargaining, strikes, protesting working conditions, etc.) with or without a union. And you can't get fired or disciplined for exercising those rights. I would rather take my chances on my own, or with my co-workers who actually want to be there with me, than trust these professional liars . . . they have their own motivations and those motivations aren't about helping me do my job. If they are willing and able to lie their way into a job that has application processes and requirements, do you really think they won't lie to you? Sheesh. If you want a union, be about it upfront and be prepared for people to agree or disagree with your position. Why are we turning into a nation of decepticons?

[joshuaphillips]

😂 this video is Bloomberg, salting?

Remember kids, Unions don't rub shoulders with suits - those are clubs. Your rep is all about you, always - or you're just in a club.

[Davethreshold]

If hired under false pretenses, they should be able to be fired under honest pretenses.

[felineboy]

They really need to litigate individual cafes as franchises with franchise holder bieng the employer

[yt]

Because I’ve never been to Starbucks, and I have no intentions of going there, they can charge any price they want, and they can pay any wage that they want or negotiate with the union. In my particular area, I know the person that owns the commercial property where they are located. He has indicated that Starbucks is not renewing their lease and not going to be moving anywhere else, they’re going to be closing that at that location. How’s that going to work out for everyone?

[toma]

All these jobs soon or later will be replaced by machine. All these workers should spend time to improve themselves and learn a skill. Sorry to see that more they do in unionization, the quicker their job will be replaced by machine. If you go overseas, people are now ordering through “panel” and robot arm is making coffee.

[FA-udfy]

. 99¢ coffee, , ,
No talk about customers.
Worry about customers 1st.

[boomsuga]

Like the great Ty-pac said “it’s hard to tell the snakes from the fakes”