I mentioned earlier about a story that was pushed down because of the reporting on the Queen. This is that story. Rail workers in America decided that they were going to go on strike. I am a huge proponent of striking and unionizing because I think both actions can lead to power going back into worker's hands. There are many other reasons why I strongly support (most) unions and strikes, but I could make an entire blog post at some point about why. That is not the main topic of this post. The rail strike was in its planning stages during the news cycle about the Queen's death, so it didn't get much coverage. However, this strike could have been devastating to the supply chain in this country. Rail is still a major mode of transportation for materials and products demanded by American consumers every day. Rail workers going on strike could destroy the supply chain, even more so than it already is. With this much at stake, you would expect to see every type of mass media talk about it. However, it wasn't heavily featured on any of the mass media news sources. Sure, it got a story or its 15 minutes of fame, but not in a largely substantial way.
As I have mentioned in some of my discussion boards, I believe we can trace what gets reported on and what doesn't back to money. Honestly, powerful people are scared of strikes. They are scared of unions. Companies like Amazon spend so much money on anti-union mass media campaigns each year. All managers and people in high places are scared of unionization. Why? They know they will lose power. I think that this is a major reason this story didn't get heavily featured -- a strong anti-union sentiment that people with power (who may also in some way contribute to or fund some parts of the major mass media corporations) seem to possess. There was also very little media coverage for the (still ongoing) unionization of numerous Starbucks franchises around the country.
If you have some time, look into the railroad strike. After all this, you'd expect that they were striking for some major changes, but you may be surprised.
Hi Bryce! I think it's really great that you shed some light on something serious that was not getting enough attention. I don't know why I never think of the rail industry as being a key factor in the American supply chain. It makes sense that this industry is important now that I think of it, but I also understand why it's overlooked. I agree that powerful companies are scared of strikes and unions. I think just in the past year I've seen several Amazon warehouse strikes and Delta strikes. These strikes hit companies with major blows and always get attention from the media.
ReplyDeleteAlso, there might be an obvious answer to this but why were the rail workers planning a strike?