[HowardStark]

Or they live in fancy houses because they're doing a great job at ensuring their union members get better wages and working conditions?

Harold Daggett has been the main labor leader getting criticized recently for a large salary. He's the leader of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), and makes somewhere in the ballpark of ~$1M a year. The ILA is striking right now in the hopes of getting a ~70% wage increase over the next 6 years, better healthcare benefits, and better retirement contribution.

If I were a longshoremen making $130k, and I stood to get a ~70% wage increase + benefits, I'd absolutely be okay with the person who could make that happen making a low 7 figure salary.

Generally, I think the discussion around labor leader salaries to be very insidious. The truth is that they're fighting for chump change against an industry that's pulling in hundreds of billions in profit. And the same goes for the Teamsters. I'll let the respective unions determine leadership profits, but I'll 1000% support whatever they agree upon, so long as the union leaders are making sure that workers get treated well.

[philwelch]

Harold Daggett has also been credibly accused of having ties to the Mafia, which is especially consistent with the idea that the union is involved in drug trafficking.

> The ILA is striking right now in the hopes of getting a ~70% wage increase over the next 6 years, better healthcare benefits, and better retirement contribution.

And a permanent ban on automation, you forgot to mention that part. Also, the strike is on pause until January 15th.

> The truth is that they're fighting for chump change against an industry that's pulling in hundreds of billions in profit.

Ports aren’t private industry. They’re public infrastructure, owned by the public, and the ones that do turn a profit are a source of funding for public services.

> And the same goes for the Teamsters.

Teamsters are, among other things, a cop union.

[sickblastoise]

And he just secured a massive salary increase for his constituents, in short time. As a member of the labor class of society, I can’t help but cheer him and the union on.