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How is this not the standard view?
(lemmy.nz)
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this post was submitted on 22 Oct 2026
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Political Memes
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The rise of steam power during the industrial revolution didn't just result in people working fewer hours. Workers were much more productive than before, but they didn't automatically get shorter work weeks.
Getting an 8-hour work day required the workers to form powerful unions and go on strike. Those strikes were broken up by private security and cops. People were killed. But, eventually, decades later, the rich people with power were forced to negotiate and 8 hour days were the norm.
I have known individual workers who had skills that were in high demand which gave them leverage. They negotiated deals like 4 day work weeks, or 30 hour work weeks because they could.
But, for the average worker to get a shorter work week, it's going to take collective action. It's probably also going to require that blood be spilled. Unless people are angry enough to getting beaten or maybe killed, nothing's going to change. Step 1 is joining a union.
The US government crushes unions routinely.
They were at over 45% of the work force in the 1940s-50s.
Now less than 10%, and most of those are cops ironically. The union busters have a union.
I don't think the government itself particularly hates unions. A lot of government workers are unionized. The problem is that rich people are either getting elected or are buying elections, and the rich-friendly reps are passing more and more laws that weaken unions.
I came across an article recently by some reporters who had "snuck in" to a police union meeting. It's interesting what they saw. One quote:
"When it comes to police unions, what we run across is the left is very suspicious of us because we’re police, and the right is suspicious of us because we’re in unions. We get it from both sides."
https://therealnews.com/beards-and-loathing-a-cop-union-convention-comes-to-las-vegas
Most governments hate unions because they stand in the way of their work: doing the oligarchs bidding.
Now tell them about the light bulb cartel and planned obsolescence.
I just bought an unbreakable Superfest glass on Etsy. When we start producing these things again we can revisit this conversation.