Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
On the Clock is Motherboard's reporting on the organized labor movement, gig work, automation, and the future of work.
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"It’s been steadily getting worse since I’ve been here as far as how I’m treated," said a striking Kellogg's mechanic in Battlecreek, Michigan. “[Kellogg's] has made it very clear that anybody new who starts would never have a path to a pension or premium health care. The main issue really is our future. Our future is not for sale."Experts say workers are seeing wages go up around the country (some fast food chains are paying more than $20 an hour)—and are using this knowledge to collectively pressure their employers into paying them more and to refuse deteriorating working conditions. Kellogg's has proposed ending its workers' cost-of-living raises; meanwhile John Deere wants to lower raises for its workers so that they no longer keep up with inflation.This newfound leverage workers have to demand more is compounded by the pandemic conditions. Many of the complaints from striking workers are not only related to wages, but about hours, scheduling, safety, and overwork.
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