Striking to End Suicide Shifts, Frito-Lay Workers Ask People to Drop the Doritos | Hacker News Reader

Striking to End Suicide Shifts, Frito-Lay Workers Ask People to Drop the Doritos

npr.org

122 pointstestrun57 comments

When I was a kid growing up in Middle America (I'm in my 50s now), it seemed like people really cared about these types of labor issues. I remember most adults took interest in the working conditions at the local auto plant, even if they didn't work there. Now, it feels like, at best, people just don't care ("Pfff. I don't work there, why should I care?"), or at worst, people blame workers ("Bunch of lazy bums!", "Be grateful you have a job at all!", "Should've gone to college!") I'm sure there's a list of reasons for this shift in attitude, but I can tell you that it's real, and kinda depressing.

what are the reasons for this, in your view?

Narcissism becoming the mainstream culture of America.

IMHO, two things: (1) The gradual destruction of labor unions. When I was a kid, labor unions were strong, seemed like every adult was part of one. And there existed a "brotherhood" amongst the various unions. When one union went on strike, the other unions would wholeheartedly support them. And (2), pro-business bias in reporting (don't wanna upset PepsiCo, a massive sponsor!). Here's a great example: https://www.google.com/search?q=frito-lay+strike+site:foxnew... . Nothing about the Frito-Lay strike. Fox News is the ONLY news source in Middle America. I don't feel like other major sources are much better; they've got sponsors to please, too.

There's also Google News search if we just want to focus on news outlets.

https://news.google.com/search?q=frito-lay+strike

> I don't feel like other major sources are much better; they've got sponsors to please, too.

In contrast to Fox, we can see coverage from NYT, Wapo, Newsweek, CNN, Independent, and many small outlets.

> Fox News is the ONLY news source in Middle America.

Aren't OANN and Newsmax competing against Fox for the same audience?

Regarding (2), I think it illustrate the more general phenomenon of the global shift of blue collar vote to the right, against their interests.

While I understand your point about the popularity of Fox News in middle America, it's a big stretch to conclude that it's the only source. People have to start taking responsibility for which sources they read, listen to, and trust. There's nothing stopping these people from showing a bit of initiative and reading a broader range of news sources. Well, nothing except their passivity and desire to be spoon-fed news and opinion that correlates with their pre-constructed worldview.

Why care about it when you can Tweet your support for the same social clout?

I'm almost 50 and I've bounced between white collar and blue collar work, union and nonunion, during my professional career. It is indeed depressing and was never more palpable, IME, than in academia of all places. Thomas Frank wrote a great book on this shift in Listen, Liberal: Or, What Ever Happened to the Party of the People?

60 hour cap! Ha. I mean who wouldn't want to spend every waking hour at the sweltering chip factory for basic rate.

Basic rate with 2% raises for the next two years. Frito Lay execs must be puzzled why the plebs aren't throwing themselves at the gate for such a great deal.

According to the company, “This is what the union proposed for wage increases, and Frito-Lay accepted the union's proposal.”

Yes that’s what the company said, the same company the appears to be over working employees in unsafe working conditions, so it shouldn’t come as a shock the company statement is bellied by the fact the employees are still on strike and the union is still negotiating.

How many proposals were given a flat "No" before this one was offered?

Yes, an offer under duress isn’t a real offer. It’s an attempt to not lose more.

This reminds me of a rape case where the girl asked the guy to use a condom. Getting raped was going to happen. She wanted to at least not get AIDS. In court, he argued it wasn’t rape because she asked him to use a condom, therefore consented. The court of course wasn’t having it.

They do make a decent amount more than minimum wage. The pay is only part of it. Work conditions are a major factory.

This is not the kind of thing that should require striking. The whole point of government is strength in numbers; protecting small groups of people from being abused.

I'm not optimistic, but I really am hoping that we can get our capitalism better regulated some day. At this point, it's not even really capitalism: there's no real competition, and the investments on short term gains are drying up. The field's of opportunity have been ransacked by short cons. Nothing left to do but invest keeping the short cons out.

> At this point, it's not even really capitalism

yes it is.

1. You don't know what the government is.

2. You don't know what capitalism is.

This is what happens when we let CEOs pretend to be gods who establish a directive for all subordinate management to achieve unattainable goals. They then become sociopaths and psychotically treat people like garbage.

This comes back around to how general labor places "can't find anyone." Well in the words of Bill Engvall: "Here's your sign..."

I don't think this is on CEOs. I grew up pretty poor and now make very good money. However, if someone was always sheltered they are so disconnected from reality they have no idea what is a livable wage. It is capitalism that creates this dynamic, not CEOs or business owners.

This is why governments have minimum wage. Not sure if this is still the case but walmart was helping emoployees get on food stamps....tax payers were literally funding mcdonalds and walmart workers.

The bottom of the work force does not have much negotiating power.

Sorry, are you suggesting that the CEO of PepsiCo is somehow powerless to answer the pleas and protestations of the strikers?

No, they definitely can. I just don't expect someone who cannot relate at all to care. I would want everyone to get a livable wage.

I'm surprised that none of the workers have decided to take it out on the managerial or executive level at the company. Might as well take a few of the people who made you want to commit suicide with you.

Just fire them and be done with it. Do not negotiate with unions.

The last few paragraphs seem interesting...

Looks like the company met the pay demands and the working condition changes the union asked for, yet the workers still aren't happy.

Is there something else up? Is the union not asking for the right things? Are there other unreported conditions or requests?

Probably the union proposals were not actually met. NPR uses the wording "According to the company".

Why isn't the union disputing it then?

> Why isn't the union disputing it then?

> NPR was unable to reach union officials

Clearly, they are: the strike continues.

The last few paragraphs are quoting the company. My experience of labor disputes is that companies are often less than honest when engaged in them. I wouldn't trust their self reported records in this case.

But also, it wouldn't be very surprising if the union drove a weaker bargain than the workers wanted. A lot of unions have gotten pretty toothless.

I would guess both factors are at play here.

Yeah...

> The plant, which is one of 30 in the U.S., employs about 850 people. Yet, officials said, only about 20 — approximately 2% — averaged over 60 hours per week.

> "Our records indicate 19 employees worked 84 hours in a given work week in 2021, with 16 of those as a result of employees volunteering for overtime and only 3 being required to work," the company said on Monday.

That's not even the normal qualified/hedging language, that's pretty cut and dry.

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