The chestfeeder comes out of the closet to help Kamala and her bosses deflect voters' attention

Acre: the amount of land that a team of oxen and a man could plow in one day.

“We do not believe that robotics should take over a human being’s job,” he said. “Especially a human being that’s historically performed that job.” Yacht owner and union president Harold Daggett

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Pete Buttigieg Goes To Bat For Union That’s Shutting Down America’s Ports Over 77% Pay Raise

“The companies need to put forward an offer that’s going to get the workers to the table. And again, such an offering would be absolutely compatible with the companies remaining profitable. We’re talking about an industry that got unbelievable profits,” Buttigieg claimed during an appearance on “The Exchange.” “There was a single year where the shipping sector took $220 billion in profits around the world, and you’ve got these ocean carriers, foreign ownership, but we’ve been engaging them at the global level and at the North American level. They are certainly in a position to be able to include workers to participate in this profitability. They could end this tomorrow.”

That’s bullshit.

Buttigieg, or, at least, his handlers know what the real battle is here, and it’s not wages. Hell, even Jeff Bezo’s liberal rag knows, and that means the politico’s do — but if the American public learns that the reason grocery shelves are bare and prices have soared is because these pampered pets of the Democrats are demanding the elimination of technology, they might get angry, and, God forbid, assign the blame to the ruling party.

DEMOCRACY DIED IN DARKNESS

The Real Reason 47,000 dockworkers Are On Strike

For American workers, this is one of the first great battles against advanced automation.

The union representing the dockworkers — the International Longshoremen’s Association — is demanding higher pay and benefits. There’s also a dispute over where cameras can record workers. But these issues could be settled pretty easily with the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents the major shipping lines and port terminals. Just look at the West Coast dockworkers’ contract deal last year that significantly hiked pay, or the record wage gains that United Auto Workers won last fall. The difficult issue at the heart of this strike is whether machines will displace workers earning up to $39 an hour at the ports.

The dockworkers’ last strike in the 1970s was also over technology. Back then, the shipping industry was beginning to use big containers, because they are much easier to handle than individual boxes. The 44-day strike ended with a substantial pay hike and a guaranteed income for union members, whether they worked or not.

Today, the shipping industry is at the forefront of a second revolution. It is now possible to run a dockyard with almost no humans present. The two key jobs — operating cranes and moving containers around — can be automated. Cranes pick up the heavy containers from the ships and sort them on shore. Then trucks carry the containers from the dock to wherever they need to go next — a railroad or trucking hub or storage facility. People are needed to oversee things, but their role is now more akin to air traffic control. Maintenance and IT jobs also remain. But the bottom line is: Fewer workers are needed.

.… In this country, three terminals (in Los Angeles and Long Beach) are considered fully automated. Another three (one in New Jersey/New York and two in Virginia) are classified as semi-automated, meaning that machines do some of the sorting. A 2022 study by the Economic Roundtable of Los Angeles found that 572 jobs a year were lost (about 5 percent of the workforce) after automation in California. The study was funded by the West Coast dockworkers union.

The fact is, container ships are getting bigger and bringing more cargo. Ports that want to operate 24 hours a day to attract larger ships are likely to automate. (It’s easier to schedule machines 24/7 than humans who get overtime.)

…. The East Coast dockworkers understand what’s happening around the world. They know about shipping companies’ hefty profits in recent years. And they know President Joe Biden is unlikely to force them back. … For now, the workers feel emboldened.

This strike will make a difference in what’s available on your local store shelves. But the ramifications are bigger than that. Disputes like this can set a precedent for what happens when machines come for all kinds of jobs.

*Fun Facts: