It is hard to believe that “once upon a time” labor unions were enemies of government. Fedgov and State governments both. 150 years ago, and much more recently, the FedGov and States used the Army and National Guard (Organized Militia) to suppress labor union activities. Especially strikes. Quite often, using military forces (literally the threat of force or show of force) did result in actual use of force. Violence: killing people (usually unarmed people).
These violent acts of suppression by State or Federal military forces, from the 1870s through the 1930s, were not the result of panic or matters getting out of hand. They were planned and commanded, not just by governor’s or presidential executive orders, but by legislatures.
This was, of course, wrong: one of the many ways in which human government treated and treats people wrongly.
Today, to some degree, the pendulum has swung to the other extreme. In Colorado, for example, we find the Regressive-controlled General Assembly (the Legislature, both upper and lower houses) pushing for government to treat labor unions like the senior house of the General Assembly. In some really stupid ways!
Especially since what the unions want means government agencies snatching more power to micro-manage everyday life, and create opportunities for new government jobs (more government parasites) and fees and fines, and at the same time increase the incentives to shove campaign contributions into the pockets of politicians. And treat everyone like the children they seem to be.
In Greeley, Colorado, JBS operates a huge meatpacking plant producing food for millions of people. They’ve just enjoyed a 40-day labor strike. But the issues and demands of the union (UFCW Local 7) are far from satisfied. So they go to the Gold Dome in Denver:
- UFCW Local 7 wants a state law covering livestock slaughter employers with more than 500 workers, requiring reasonable restroom access. Because nothing says “advanced civilization” quite like drafting legislation for bladder management. (Oh, and guess how many packing plants in Colorado have more than 500 workers?)
- The union now wants bathroom access taken out of the realm of negotiation entirely. Hmm. Maybe fair enough. Some things should not require a labor standoff and a mediator with a clipboard. But what if it is a government inspector, instead?
- A union rep says JBS should be ashamed that legislation is even being discussed to enforce what she frames as existing OSHA-level expectations. Gee! IF OSHA rules already require “restroom access” then why do the idjits under the Gold Dome need to do anything? Of course, the relationship between JBS and Local 7 is not exactly built on mutual trust and handshakes.
- JBS says it already provides reasonable restroom access through a long-standing process that lets workers leave the line when necessary (not necessarily any time they want to). So is this bill fixing a real problem, or just codifying what is already standard practice. Government loves that kind of sequel: more control! More cowtowing! More money!
- For those in power in Denver, this is a perfect opportunity. After all, JBS is no mom-and-pop butcher shop. It employs 3,800 people in Greeley (and more than 270,000 globally). So this isn’t just a workplace disagreement: it is a full-blown political pageant under the Gold Dome. More newstime! More votes! More power!
A correspondent notes, this is not partisan. It is civilizational. It seems we really have reached the point where one side says it needs a law to guarantee bathroom breaks and the other side says, no no, we already allow that. So, the only possible referee is the state legislature? A healthy society is made up of self-governors, but Colorado is now society that has forgotten how to govern itself at even the most basic level.
We can blame both sides here. Management has maybe handled this badly. The union sees glory in turning a workplace dispute into a legislative prize. But if we can’t work out basic human needs between employer and employee? Without dragging in lawmakers, staffers, lobbyists, press releases, and the inevitable parade of virtue signalers? We are watching dependency dressed up as progress: to us at TPOL, a classic case of Regressive action.
Is this not absurd? How is this to be enforced? Restroom czars now? (And we know who will pay for them: the consumer and/or taxpayer.) State-run stopwatch audits and TSA-like potty compliance thugs? How about a hotline for unauthorized delays or insufficient (or insufficiently clean) stalls?
The state is already too big, too nosy, and too convinced every human conflict requires another statute. This is how freedom gets chipped away, one supposedly reasonable intervention at a time. The fact that we are going for nonsense like this shows that most liberty is already gone.
First, everyone needs to behave like adults. And the idjits in Denver must resist the temptation to turn everything into (as one person puts it) “another monument to legal micromanagement.”
If we need to legislate regulating someone’s ability to pee? A lot more than just labor policy is broken.
The only bright side we can see to this is that it pushes the collapse of the Nanny State just that much closer.
About TPOL Nathan
Follower of Christ Jesus (a christian), Pahasapan (resident of the Black Hills), Westerner, Lover of Liberty, Free-Market Anarchist, Engineer, Army Officer, Husband, Father, Historian, Writer, Evangelist. Successor to Lady Susan (Mama Liberty) at TPOL.
The Price of Liberty 
The nanny state being pushed
It is hard to believe that “once upon a time” labor unions were enemies of government. Fedgov and State governments both. 150 years ago, and much more recently, the FedGov and States used the Army and National Guard (Organized Militia) to suppress labor union activities. Especially strikes. Quite often, using military forces (literally the threat of force or show of force) did result in actual use of force. Violence: killing people (usually unarmed people).
These violent acts of suppression by State or Federal military forces, from the 1870s through the 1930s, were not the result of panic or matters getting out of hand. They were planned and commanded, not just by governor’s or presidential executive orders, but by legislatures.
This was, of course, wrong: one of the many ways in which human government treated and treats people wrongly.
Today, to some degree, the pendulum has swung to the other extreme. In Colorado, for example, we find the Regressive-controlled General Assembly (the Legislature, both upper and lower houses) pushing for government to treat labor unions like the senior house of the General Assembly. In some really stupid ways!
Especially since what the unions want means government agencies snatching more power to micro-manage everyday life, and create opportunities for new government jobs (more government parasites) and fees and fines, and at the same time increase the incentives to shove campaign contributions into the pockets of politicians. And treat everyone like the children they seem to be.
In Greeley, Colorado, JBS operates a huge meatpacking plant producing food for millions of people. They’ve just enjoyed a 40-day labor strike. But the issues and demands of the union (UFCW Local 7) are far from satisfied. So they go to the Gold Dome in Denver:
A correspondent notes, this is not partisan. It is civilizational. It seems we really have reached the point where one side says it needs a law to guarantee bathroom breaks and the other side says, no no, we already allow that. So, the only possible referee is the state legislature? A healthy society is made up of self-governors, but Colorado is now society that has forgotten how to govern itself at even the most basic level.
We can blame both sides here. Management has maybe handled this badly. The union sees glory in turning a workplace dispute into a legislative prize. But if we can’t work out basic human needs between employer and employee? Without dragging in lawmakers, staffers, lobbyists, press releases, and the inevitable parade of virtue signalers? We are watching dependency dressed up as progress: to us at TPOL, a classic case of Regressive action.
Is this not absurd? How is this to be enforced? Restroom czars now? (And we know who will pay for them: the consumer and/or taxpayer.) State-run stopwatch audits and TSA-like potty compliance thugs? How about a hotline for unauthorized delays or insufficient (or insufficiently clean) stalls?
The state is already too big, too nosy, and too convinced every human conflict requires another statute. This is how freedom gets chipped away, one supposedly reasonable intervention at a time. The fact that we are going for nonsense like this shows that most liberty is already gone.
First, everyone needs to behave like adults. And the idjits in Denver must resist the temptation to turn everything into (as one person puts it) “another monument to legal micromanagement.”
If we need to legislate regulating someone’s ability to pee? A lot more than just labor policy is broken.
The only bright side we can see to this is that it pushes the collapse of the Nanny State just that much closer.
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About TPOL Nathan
Follower of Christ Jesus (a christian), Pahasapan (resident of the Black Hills), Westerner, Lover of Liberty, Free-Market Anarchist, Engineer, Army Officer, Husband, Father, Historian, Writer, Evangelist. Successor to Lady Susan (Mama Liberty) at TPOL.