The Weight of History

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Yours truly came across this headline from the San Francisco Chronicle:

How ‘historic’ UC strikes could ignite a new labor movement in California*

As the headline suggests, the thrust of the article is that the student worker strike could be the start of something bigger. Here is one quote:

" Whereas 'academics' may have once felt separate from the masses, hidden away in the proverbial ivory tower, that’s not the case anymore."

Another quote compares the current strike with “ epic showdowns with General Motors or Ford during the mid-twentieth century.”

Of course, all of that could be correct. Maybe the 2020s will be like the 1930s, when the labor movement - which had been in decline - suddenly took off. But it's hard, when events occur, to be sure where they will lead. Looking at the 1930s for guidance gives us a sample size of one. And the problem with investing the current strike with a Grand Significance beyond the pay issues that are its immediate cause is that such investing could make the dispute harder to settle. That's why part of the recent deal to go to mediation also included a closed-door approach to the negotiations, i.e., no public discussion by the parties of what is occurring at the bargaining table.

So, maybe it would be better to let the future take care of itself. It surely will! Let's wait and see if the dispute can be settled with the help of the new mediator. Once it is settled, we can look at the outcome and make judgments about any larger societal implications.

Just a thought from yours truly...

* https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/How-historic-UC-strikes-could-ignite-a-new-

17649486.php.

To hear the text above, click on the link below:

https://ia601402.us.archive.org/25/items/big-ten/significance.mp3