Categorie: Tutti - unions - negotiation - strike - economy

da Samuel Lim mancano 8 anni

236

Alexis Tsipras Greek Drama

The text discusses Greece's economic struggles and its relationship with the European Union, emphasizing the history and impact of multiple bailouts, including those in 2010 and 2012.

Alexis Tsipras Greek Drama

Hellenic Government

Presidential powers are ceremonial

Laws are passed quickly

Anti-austerity law was enacted two months after Syriza came into power

Parliament makes national & international policy

Proportional representative electoral system adopted: 3% of votes required to qualify for parliamentary seats
Members are elected by secret ballot to 4-year terms

Porous borders allowing influx of migrants

Betty Batziana

Manuel Valls

Angela Merkel

Wolfgang Schäuble

European Commission

ECB

IMF

Yanis Varoufakis

Accept Austerity Measures

Greek Public

Syriza

Alexis Tsipras

hello

Default & Grexit

Greece/EU Relationship

History of Bailout

2012 Greece 2nd Bailout
2010 PIGS Bailout

Migrant Crisis

280,000 migrants entered EU in 2014
More than 3,500 people lost their lives in the Mediterannean in 2014
Greece is the main entry point of migrants to Europe

Share common currency - €

Inability to invoke monetary policy to save its crippling economy

Greek Politics

Greece Population/Culture

Ageing population with even more reliance on pension system
Bribery culture (Petty corruption averages to €554m in 2012)

How do Greece politics work?

How has Austerity measures impacted the Greeks?

Loss of dignity
Rising sucide rates
Talent drain
Marriage discords
Rocketing unemployment rates
Suffocating tax rate
Rise in medical cost
Pension cuts

Greece Economy

How did Greece end up indebted

Corruption
Public Debt
Poor taxation system

Who are Greece indebted to?

ECB (~6%)
IMF (~10%
Eurozone (~60%)
France (€42bn)
Germany (€56bn)

What do Greeks think about the economy

61% Support Grecit in the event of default
68% Oppose a debt cut
Needs a kick start: Economy is dead & they can't see the light at the end of the tunnel

What drives Greece economy?

Industry drivers
Food Processing
Tourism
Shipping

Debt Relief & Liqudity Solutions

There are a few factors that can cause a strike to be "shut down" prematurely:

1. The President of the United States can use the Tart Hartley Act to end the strike and have workers return to work

2. The union runs out of funds to pay strike benefits to striking workers. With a potential 185,000 workers going on strike, and a strike benefit of $55 per week, this amounts to a cost of about $10m for Teamsters weekly

3. Strikers become unconvinced that the strike can achieve anything meaningful and decide to cross the picket line

Alexis Tsipras - The Odysseus to fulfill the herculean task?

Ron Carey is in the midst of a re-election campaign against James Hoffa. While Ron has achieved much during his first term in the office, Teamster's finances are not doing well, and unions membership is on the decline. The upcoming UPS contract negotiation is an important one because he needed to make unions "relevant" again. If he can achieve substantial gains for the workers, it will bolster confidence in the bargaining power of unions, and help to solve Teamsters' long term problem of declining membership. Hence, it is crucial that he makes an aggressive bid for the workers' demands, and having to meet the broad expectations across both full-time and part-time workers.

The actor-network analysis reveals that Ron is in a weak negotiating position. It seems the only way to make UPS give in to his broad, aggressive demands is to present a credible strike threat, and be ready to execute the threat when negotiations fail. However, it looks that there are numerous obstacles standing in the way of an effective strike.

From a macro perspective, an effective strike needs a strike to "happen" and for it to deliver sustainable damage to UPS. The lack of FT/PT worker unity stands in the way of a concerted strike attempt, while the high likelihood of a Presidential injunction to end the strike even if it happens, makes it unlikely that a strike is possible or achieve its intended outcomes. Hence, it is imperative to unite the workers, and win popular public support for the strike.

Uniting the workers will require us to have a thorough understanding of the issues that concern FT and PT workers. The issue concept map reveals to us differing priorities over the creation of FT jobs and pension plans for PT and FT workers respectively. Ron needs to align the interests of the workers, such that FT (PT) workers see the "non-important" issues which matter to PT (FT) workers as being relevant to them. For the full-time workers, they need to understand that the creation of full-time jobs is relevant to them because there is an increasing trend for the company to outsource and convert full-time jobs to part-time. Supporting the issue of full-time job creation is in their interests as well. For the part-time workers, they need to understand that fighting for better and more stable pension plans will allow for full-timers to retire earlier, to make way for more full-time job opportunities for them.

How can Ron influence the media to manage the public's perception of a strike if it were to happen, such that the public does not perceive it to be an act of "greedy" UPS workers not contented with what they have, using brute force to get their demands met, and in the process cause massive inconveniences to the public? Recognizing the overall trend increasing involuntary part-time employment across all industries in the United States, Ron made deliberate efforts to frame the strike as a fight for the American part-time worker against greedy corporate America.

Actor-Network Diagram

Issue Concept Map