We Went To Rural Tennessee and Found…A Workers Paradise?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 чер 2024
- This small Tennessee town is charting a future for the working class. It’s home to one of the biggest new manufacturing projects in America - building Ford’s EV truck. Workers say it changed their lives. It could be a preview of an economic boom for communities everywhere.
This is the first episode of a new series we’re calling Made In America - our investigation into what the future holds for American workers.
Featuring @heyjohnrussell
-----
More Perfect Union is a nonprofit media organization with a mission to build power for working people. Learn more here: perfectunion.us/
Follow us on Twitter: / moreperfectus
Instagram: / perfectunion
Facebook: / moreperfunion
Tiktok: / moreperfectunion
I’ve been in a Union for over 35 years and I will be retiring comfortably at the age of 62. My wife is retiring at 56 as well. We would not be able to retire, let me repeat myself, we would not be able to retire until I was age 70 and my wife was at least 64!!! It is 100 percent because of my Union membership. I pray for the day all labor is Unionized!!!
All labor unionized would be bad most would be great. None union pressures union to be better. The same as union pressures none union.
From one union member to another, congratulations on your upcoming retirement. Enjoy that pension you earned it 👍
Exactly!!
Same for my grandpa. He retired and was able to live in the house he built until he passed at age 93. Great health insurance from his union also. I wish I had chosen a union career. If I hadn’t gotten ill I still would.
Congrats!! Perhaps in retirement if you want to stay busy you can help the union! It's the perfect time. Hot Labour Summer 2.0 is approaching. ☀️ Help unions turn up the heat 🔥
You asked for more stories: If you're still in the Tennessee area, there is a BIG union vote at the Volkswagen plant here within a few weeks. Local Republican leaders just held a very loud press conference in front of the plant saying the UAW is "corrupt" and "a sinking ship" despite obvious evidence to the contrary in recent wins. It's getting interesting.
We'll be heading there in a couple weeks!
@@moreperfectunion I don't approve of unions. It is a matter of winning the tug-of-war battle with businesses. What is necessary is that "the right to earn a living" of every person who needs work is respected. Strictly speaking it would be possible to arrest the CEO or others in the company who refuse to hire someone who needs a job. Rights don't come from unions.
@@truecatholic1 Spoken like a true ignoramus. Clearly facts just went sailing through your head with zero obstructions.
Notice how they don't give a shit about the railway workers?
@@janearcher3834 You haven't identified any facts.
The only reason that unions have power is that the federal government is willing to enforce the law. But it would be better if unions weren't necessary. Strictly speaking they aren't.
Business could be held accountable for its hiring and firing decisions. For that matter at least the latter ought to be a matter in court.
The people injected with hope in this story makes me so happy! Solidarity with all workers ✌️
It really is amazing. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
too bad it requires siphoning the labor of millions of Americans who don't live there via taxation and currency debasement.
These people need to watch fox news so they can despair and hate. That's the Republicans message. Despair and hate.
The last decade has made me so cynical that I couldn't help wondering when the other shoe would drop, but I this so infectiously joyful. I wish them every success, and I hope their Unions and local government continue to provide for and protect them.
Did you have a small stroke in the middle of that?
too bad it requires siphoning the labor of millions of Americans who don't live there via taxation and currency debasement.
@@tann_man thought this was a bad take then I looked at your videos, truth is you are trying to be fair, you just are trapped in a system you can't see because you are in it, a Marxist would call this hegemony, you would probably call it paradise remember you words one of the things that makes capitalism great is"it must not violate the human rights of those not in the system". We have seen a system with no government constraints on capitalism I believe they call it the gilded age and they found fingers in food, and children worked in factories.
Agreed, but eventually the companies in charge of these worker paradise factories will just make sure the next local elections have only bought and paid for yes-men on the ballots, then they'll reverse all the progress and benefits so its exploitative, conditions unsafe, paychecks slashed, and the workers held financially hostage like literally everywhere else in America. The call of greater wealth is absolute, and those who hear the call will do anything for money's sake, even if it means killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people to do it.
I give this factory a few months before either it goes to hell or the town gets poisoned by dumped toxic waste into the water supply.
Ditto on the cynicism. I hate feeling that way.
When people call me a pessimist I go with Frances A Lobowitz's answer "" I am a disappointed optimist".
That young woman with the glasses and the invisaligns for her kids, that is what every person deserves to feel when they work. I am so happy for those people, and I am hopeful that this will spread across the country. The power of unions! Workers Unite!
There's something so moving about someone being able to give their children aid. Her joy made me cry❤ I love this for them. I know so many who moved away from that county due to lack of jobs
One thing I love about MPU is how they manage to find the most charismatic, energetic working class people. The people they pull in front of the lens can talk, they are often some real characters. An implicit assumption in a lot of our media, news coverage as well as fiction is that "the masses" are faceless grey crowds, but there are a few special people that rise to the top that are charming and engaging. But no, we are actually surrounded by really interesting people everywhere, be it a mother that is hyped about glasses for her kids or a dude straight out of jail who just walked into the union meeting after seeing a sign without any real plan. What amazing people
Exactly
IT guy here, represented by SEIU Local 2. 11 years into the job and I expect to be able to retire in 10 more years at 60 with a defined benefit pension. Unions!
My dad has worked as a union electrician for most of his life and he’ll retire in a couple years at 56. Full pension and medical for both him and my mom. It’s what America should be about. I will fight for unions for the rest of my life.
The problem with full pension and medical at 56 is he could live 30 years, at which point it will be close to the amount of time he actually worked. Let's be generous and say long term there's 1 retiree for each 2 workers (and worse, with his wife getting medical too). That's a hell of a burden on the current workers.
As much as I'd like to retire at 56, if everyone did it, it would be really hard to pay for without restructuring the financial system, and have fun with that.
@aluisious the USA needs a smaller military budget and a bigger welfare budget. Our leadership is corrupt. Look at the standard of living of pre-ww2 germany. One working man, wife and kids all happily taken care of. That's what we should be aiming for. Working past 50 is as normal as the war on terror. Which was fake.
I went into construction after three years of working as many corporate jobs. I saw an instant pay increase, i got health insurance, and im finally building a retirement account. Unions make a huge difference
As soon as I heard LIUNA it all made sense. Never met happier working class people than Laborers Local 110 and 42.
Local 341
@@scottsammons7747FUCKIN ANCHORAGE HELL YEAH BROTHER
Brian Tyler Cohen just shared this story on his channel. Thank you for bringing these small town success stories to us. It's too bad good news like this doesn't make the traditional news, so I appreciate this!
Bidens campaign promise and he did not lie. The GOP just po-pooed everything to do with infrastructure and ecology based jobs and offered nothing. If they get in in Nov.
I'm afraid it will be back to square one.
PLEASE VOTE BLUE.
I grew up in Chicago. Unions kept my father's generation safe, but in the 80s they declined precipitously. Quality of life suffered commensurately.
I am glad to see a resurgence of unions. Let those who provide the necessary labor share in the wealth!
.
Sadly the people who have lost out the most from these changes blame Democrats for "forgetting" them, when it has been Republican policies that got us here. And it is Democrats who will strengthen unions and enforce antitrust laws, so businesses actually have to compete and small businesses will have a change to grow again.
As an IUOE crane operator that has worked at that plant before, even this understates the massive shift that plant has done for that part of the state. You did an excellent job of capturing the hope that the plant has brought to the area and the numerous lives that have been affected for the better by this plant. Great video!
Glad to see the hard working Americans are unionizing
Love to see my fellow Americans moving up
Nice comment!! ❤
In solidarity with all Workers 🎉❤🔥🔥
Salute to you sir
This is a game changer for these workers, hands down. Imagine if we took this nationwide.
Thanks, President Joe Biden! Vote 💙 for more of this across the country.
LMAO. there's not enough fake money to go around to do this everywhere. Just this project alone requires a massive siphoning the labor of millions of Americans who don't live there via taxation and currency debasement. You see the prosperity in this town but you don't see the crippling burden it puts on millions of middle class citizens all over the nation.
"I am so fully unionized" HAHA I love it!
Democrats will never figure out that this is their best commercial, short-sighted.
Establishment Democrats are their own worst enemy. Don't forget, they literally preferred to lose to Trump than win with Bernie.
Most cities will not return to manufacturing because it's too expensive. There's a reason it's being done in West Tennessee instead of New York City or San Diego
@@sp123 Be happy that some people are becoming better off, it will spread after and it can get better in your life too.
@@sp123 unions aren't exclusive to manufacturing, nor is the idea behind the law that was passed. Pick an industry, repatriate it and empower unions, you've given the working class the ability to bring themselves back up. The money is there, it's just being allowed to sit and circulate in small circles, not working for the people who help create it.
At a minimum, just making sure that the workers who help produce wealth get a bigger share in it already does wonders, not even assuming that it results in any growth.
Oh no, they know. They just don't want to lose those corporate profits.
I'm terrified of how close I am to the edge these days... I needed to see this. Thank you.
wait till you realize how much labor is siphoned from millions of Americans who don't live there via taxation and currency debasement. That's the only way the government can do this.
One month update: I've watched this video at least a dozen times now
Wow the relief and happiness and sense of optimism from just having a job and a community.
Absolutely love to see it! This is exactly why unions are so important.
$25 per hour is really what is needed in most situations as bare minimum these days even as a single person. Double that for families. I understand that this works in communities like theirs but in cities that is barely making it.
Its about triple that in Cali and New york so you are right. COL is part of the contracts.
I wish I could get some of that energy here with my union. We're teamsters, and people are actively talking about decertifying our local because 'unions ain't American' and all that nonsense.
😔
Could your union leaders show this video? There's a lot of disinformation from corporate Repubs who have been weakening and destroying unions for the past 40+ years. People who only hear that perspective are misinformed.
Crazy nonsense unions built this country and keep the greedy overpaid corporations from stealing everything from the workers.
I'm genuinely happy for all these people.
Genuinely made me happy watching this. Thank You, MPU.
love to see this. I know most working situations are awful and need addressing, but hearing more about the positive side of certain workforces should be a thing tackled by this channel. A good balance would be great to see where we could and SHOULD be in America
Ah The EV market is dying and this EV plant will be converted before it is operational.
Good for these people but it’s just a government boondoggle !!!
@@deantait8326Not gonna bring up a single statistic, are you?
@@deantait8326 In your nasty dreams I guess.
@@deantait8326how is the EV market dropping? EVs aren't a trend they are a necessity to eventually remove natural gas from large-scale use. This isn't some optional choice it is in the U.S.'s best interest to stop relying on foreign oil ASAP which is why there is more and more mandates to require all vehicles to be electric in the future.
Just this project alone requires a massive siphoning the labor of millions of Americans who don't live there via taxation and currency debasement. You see the prosperity in this town but you don't see the crippling burden it puts on millions of middle class citizens all over the nation.
More people need to see what we can achieve together keep up the great work more perfect union 🎉
This project alone requires a massive siphoning the labor of millions of Americans who don't live there via taxation and currency debasement. You see the prosperity in this town but you don't see the crippling burden it puts on millions of middle class citizens all over the nation.
So nice to see those folks happy and being able to take care of their families.
I honestly am always very skeptical about massive manufacturing, it's good to see it's union organized and good to their workers, I just hope this isn't the next $5 day. Empowering workers to create a strong company capable of dominating a market, and a town completely dependent on a corporation with no alternative options of employment......then reduced pay, benefits, safety, ECT.
Wouldn't be the first time. Time will only tell, 75 years from now we can look at that town and see if it is a place suitable for the workers great-grandchildren to raise their kids.
Organized 🙌 United Association of Pipe Fitters representing!
👍🏻 All of my mom's family were pipe fitters in NYC. 😊
Excellent video!
She said it best, “$15/hr vs $25/hr vs $25/hr with FULL Benefits!” Vast difference!
Build the Labor Movement!
The benefits aren't free. Granted the premiums tend to be lower for insurance, but tack in that and the union dues, take home is probably closer to $20. I'm pro union, but that is weak tennessee, out here in the west, a first day non union laborer is making 20-25 an hour, no experience. Union work should be in the $45 an hour range to start.
@@Peter07Pal true, but it also depends highly on the industry and the contract. UAW & John Deere contracts have a $0/monthly premium with a $0 deductible and a small co-pay.
UAW members traditionally pay 2.5 hours/month for dues. For someone making $25/hr, union dues are only 1.5%/month or 37.5¢/hr for 4 forty hour weeks. Work more hours and your dues are still only 2.5 hours.
The benefits have never been free. They have always been 100% paid for by the worker with every hour of work the complete. Making employees pay anything out of pocket for insurance premiums is wage theft. I’d like all healthcare to be $0/employee cost, but I know that’s a very long way away.
But still, offering someone a $25/hr job but charging $320/month for a premium with a $5,000 deductible is a complete scam.
In my building trade union UA Local 25 I pay a little under $7/hr for my insurance. I have a $400 deductible and a $2,000 OOP max. I only need to work 1,600/hrs/year to have 12 months of insurance coverage premium paid.
I make $71/hr when you add the wage to the fringe benefits.
Apprentices here in eastern Iowa start at $17/hr. Insurance takes affect in 6 months, but day one their contributing to the insurance fund. The reason they wait 6 months is so that when their insurance begins they actually have a reserve amount that covers 6 months in case they get laid off. You can reserve upto 3 years of insurance. Basically every hour beyond 1,600 is how you build your reserve.
@@Peter07Pal yep I agree all the wages for the working class need to be higher, in all jobs, regardless of union status.
But it’s a solid start for those workers in TN.
Thank You for this, it made me feel better seeing people happy
I work for IATSE so I am pro union, but once this facility is built, the operations will most certainly be fully automated, so what happens then? Conventions and Trade shows will always need
workers, so I hope there are more construction mega projects ahead for these individuals.
I just wish that the Biden administration would do more to tout accomplishments such as this.
Perhaps it’s word of mouth bragging from actual American voter’s … because he’s not a braggart like that orange dude. I’m happy to advertise for Biden after seeing this entire town transformed!! 💙💙💙
This is no accomplishment. It requires siphoning the labor of millions of Americans who don't live there via taxation and currency debasement.
Yes!!
I am so so happy for that mom that is estatic that she is able to take care of her babies. It's a beautiful thing to see, and I hope this trend continues for more workers. Thanks for continuosly engaging reporting
Mothers being able to take care of their babies is a matter of national security and we should treat it like it is.
@@charleswalters5284 Exactly! And young men who can build generational wealth. I love that this union is teaching workers that they must learn to pay attention to policy when consuming media, not just the emotions someone wants to use to manipulate us.
i worked for a company w excellent pay & benefits, not union & no one wanted union dues … however we weren’t in a super rural area & suppressed like these people. seeing how much a union has done for these people, it’s necessary in that area & it’s AWESOME what they have done for the people there. it is life changing to have good pay & benefits, as a single mom of 2 it was great! off welfare & up to middle class 😊 bought a house, college, everything. idk any single person (personally) that were able to do as much for their kids as I was able to do for mine. It’s a really good feeling and I’m so happy for these people. I hope there’s more areas like that. Thanks, President Biden!!!
We *NEED* more content like THIS. It gets damn depressing and more than a little overwhelming to just hear how everything is horrible, and everyone in charge is so focused on how to get ahead that they'll throw anyone and everyone else under the bus. Makes a person feel hopeless after a while.
my father is with a union and he is so happy, i have some friends with the union and they are also very happy. Union is key
Great coverage of a positive story. Spread the love.
Absolutely!
This project requires a massive siphoning the labor of millions of Americans who don't live there via taxation and currency debasement. You see the prosperity in this town but you don't see the crippling burden it puts on millions of middle class citizens all over the nation.
I feel like that mayor is playing Cities Skylines, in the best way :)
Beautiful
I've belonged to a union for 43 years and I'm retired and living comfortable. The union took care of my family by making sure we got a fair contract so we can take care of our families with dignity. Even though I'm retired if my union needs my help I'll be there in a heartbeat. Glad to see some of the southern states who were always told that unions were bad are realizing they were lied to. The Republicans have always been anti union.
I needed this. I need hope for my country
Goddamn this made me so fucking proud to be and american and in a union. One step at a time we will elevate all our fellow Americans.
LMAO. there's not enough fake money to go around to do this everywhere. Just this project alone requires a massive siphoning the labor of millions of Americans who don't live there via taxation and currency debasement. You see the prosperity in this town but you don't see the crippling burden it puts on millions of middle class citizens all over the nation.
man, young adults thinking about the future is revolutionary. I'm 25 and hustling my ass off to try to just survive, I don't think about the future beyond about a year because I just don't see one some days. I'm not talking about killing myself, I just see more of the same bullshit a year, two years, hell, ten years out.
The state will continue to siphon your labor in the form of taxation and currency debasement. It's only going to get worse.
Thank you for showing a more positive story
In New Bedford Ma it’s been amazing to see the development that offshore wind has brought to the northeast, more investment in clean energy projects!!!
Share this on social media guys. Everyone needs to know this is happening. These people will be lifted out of poverty by this!
The union leaders will hopefully remain uncorrupted and generous. Unions were formed to protect workers and in many cases save lives. Leadership needs to remember that.
I love a more perfect union 🔥🔥🔥
Wow! Beautiful to see N hear. And of all states in TN with some of those egregious elected officials. Thank goodness for this AND the Inflation Reduction Act. Didnt knownthe depth of it till now. ✊️✊️
As a retired union worker....this warms my heart ❤️
Thank you for posting this. It's easy to forget with all the mayhem in the news that stuff like this is happening!
It's good to see so many smiling faces. It's good to see hope again. It's even better seeing being people waking up and being involved by learning about how politics is for them and actually can help them 💜
Hell yea union strong. My job I have now is the first union gig I've ever had and it changed my life. Wages are WELL above market rate for my industry, the benefits are excellent and management can't just run right over us for no reason. I told a manager NO, when he asked me to do something outside the scope of my job and the CBA and he didn't and COULDN"T do anything about it except pout! HA! Can't do that without a union backing! If it weren't for me being in the union I would have had to ask him "how high sir?".
38 years Local 13 Chicago Carpenters retired collecting pension and have security of annuity I never would have had nonunion. UNION YES
Workers organize.
Give people the opportunity to take care of themselves and most will. When people feel the future is bright, it's powerful.
Imagine if they'd managed to get the Build Back Better scheme through. Things could be absolutely incredible right now
You know, People just Love taking care of their families.
And it does matter how you do business.❤
Good for You!
I loved watching the people who were positive, and have a great out look, working hard and taking care of their families. We need more adults like this.
See this is how people react when they actual get unions. Most people are savvy enough to clue on to the benefits. It's why megacorps and the billionaires try so hard to deal with billionaires.
Pink lady is GOAT lol
This is do heart warming! I know what these good jobs with benefits mean to these awesome people!
I love the water guy, he knows his shit
This was such a great video to watch.
great reporting you guys, job well done.
That Stanton Mayor- more people like him are needed in politics. He was actually talking about preventive measures and what to do to for his city to grow sustainably. At the moment, there are too many cookie politicians that only think short term and their way of resolving issues is hope for the best, pretend they don't exist and kick the can down the road.
Worker/consumer co-ops, strong unions.
Thank you for highlighting this!
What really stands out is just how optimistic these people are about their jobs and lives.
Having a job that makes it worth a damn to show up is a huge difference in people’s outlook.
That's great to see. Hopefully there will be more projects like this
Keep voting 💙 and there will be.
LMAO. there's not enough fake money to go around to do this everywhere. Just this project alone requires a massive siphoning the labor of millions of Americans who don't live there via taxation and currency debasement. You see the prosperity in this town but you don't see the crippling burden it puts on millions of middle class citizens all over the nation.
AWESOME News...Good Paying UNION JOBs👍
.
My son is a high school senior and on his way to joining Liuna in Wisconsin... he would be the first union person in our family- and i couldnt be more proud!! And excited for him!
I live in the northwoods of wisconsin, super rural and economically depressed. With Liuna, he can leave if he wants- but he can also stay if he chooses and live and work right here and still make a great living. Go union!!
Excellent video! Please everyone share this video right now with all your friends! ❤
Love love love this! It’s about time middle working class citizens are paid a good honest wage and don’t have to be solely dependent on social security alone. Stop allowing CEO’s and millionaire stockholders be the only ones who can retire and afford good healthcare, keep their home, etc.
Seeing this made me so happy!
Crying at work again, but this time from joy. These people you interviewed, the joy was infectious, how could I not feel a bit of hope after this.
To the man @ 4:54 😊 GOOD for you 👍 💯
THEY’RE UNION! 🙌🏻 SCORE! ‘… build generational wealth’! 👍🏻 Love you Mr. President. (🙏🏻the union isn’t corrupt 😬).
Thank you Brian Tyler Cohen for sending me to this video from More Perfect Union.
⚖️🦅🇺🇸
So exciting to see!
UAW changed my life! ✊🏼
I hope this spreads. ✊
Keep voting 💙 and it will.
Ooh we need more stories like this!!!
MPU run great stories!
$25 per hr starting I hope..get rid of right to work ( what an oxymoron)
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! This was the most uplifting story I read last week and then today there’s the Tennessee Volkswagen story! My family is from Detroit and my grandfather, my uncle, and I were union organizers. It’s deep in my bones. I was visiting family in Detroit during the UAW strike last year. The city was electric with energy and it was a huge story, but you’re right, the regular news outlets rarely talk about these “smaller” but IMHO, equally important stories. I for one need them. More please. 😊
Power to the people!
nice video. This is what unions do.
Cool to see a change for the workers, and to see that good things are happening to ordinary people, all while the Tennessee state senate debates the issue of whether or not to allow “vaccinated produce” in their supermarkets or to label it a drug
This project requires a massive siphoning the labor of millions of Americans who don't live there via taxation and currency debasement. You see the prosperity in this town but you don't see the crippling burden it puts on millions of middle class citizens all over the nation.
Man, I work in water resources engineering and that bit at about 9 minutes in where the mayor talks all about planning for water system capacity with new growth is REAL. That's why it's so important to change zoning to allow much higher housing densities than we currently do - a water system serving a densely populated area needs less distribution and wastewater piping per person.
This is great but its a bummer that nowhere near me is taking advantage of anything from the IRA. We have low paying jobs where I live.
Some times you have to actively create opportunities. I've been watching Biz Kids on PBS with my nephew, and they feature a lot creative start up businesses. Some of them are more feasible than others, but part of it is to look at the community, find a need, fill the need.
Proud to be in West Tennessee💙💙💙‼️
Not everyone deserves unions. But it is beautiful to see this
love it! good vibes all around
This channel is amazing, no other publication is putting out stuff like this.
Great story. Keep up the great work!
Inspired by this! Thank you.
Don’t ask Ford where they get that lithium though!
Had to scroll too far to find a critical comment. Deeper concern of the effects of rare metal acquisition and that this is through a mega corp. we need something new, more. But what that looks like, we’ll have to experiment.
I’m so happy for my comrades down in Tennessee.