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jelder t1_j6n3ij0 wrote

Should public employees be able to strike? Yes.

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foxrun89 t1_j6nsenj wrote

I’m in a union working for the state and I’ll be fired on the spot because I’m essential.

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jp_jellyroll t1_j6negld wrote

What about the police? They're very much public employees with a strong-as-hell union. Are they included in this?

The police union will inevitably decide to use their new-found leverage to go on strike whenever it suits them. If we try to push police reform or accountability? Strike. Trying to stop the crazy amount of police over-spending? Strike. Trying to fire a corrupt police chief who all the cops love? Strike.

The state will acquiesce every single time because, as much as we hate cops, we decidedly can't have ZERO police for an extended time. That's the reality.

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paganlobster t1_j6ngpmc wrote

They "strike" all the time by sitting on their asses anytime something doesn't go their way. Strangely, society does not collapse when this happens.

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spiked_macaroon t1_j6o78f6 wrote

I mean Jesus, look what they do whenever a locality tries to implement civilian construction flaggers.

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jp_jellyroll t1_j6ni4h2 wrote

Yeah yeah... cops suck, fuck cops, I hate cops, ACAB, we don't need cops. I get it. I don't like cops either.

But I also live in reality where police are still part of the equation. The kid who robbed me at gunpoint while I was coming out of the laundromat didn't care about politics. He only cared that police foot patrols were cut back so there weren't cops literally walking the block anymore. Easy money.

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oneMadRssn t1_j6nle5y wrote

I would dispute whether the cops we have would actually help in the situation you describe. Thanks to the Supreme Court, we already know that cops don't have a duty to intervene or save you during a crime. If anything, a cop being there might have caused the kid to pull the trigger sooner. The better way to prevent that kid from robbing you is ensuring he has a job available that provides him with better income and benefits than going around robbing people, and strengthening public unions is one small piece of doing that.

Back to the topic at hand, I think there is a middle ground available. I'd say public unions can only strike during contract negotiations and only after their current contract has expired. They shouldn't be able to strike mid-contract absent some very exigent circumstances.

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spg1611 t1_j6ntyvp wrote

I love how used this Supreme Court case is. They literally go to their calls lol

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OakenGreen t1_j6nqaqu wrote

I also live in reality and cops love to “silent strike” and leave those gaps wide open while striking is illegal. It doesn’t matter at all to them.

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IntelligentMeal40 t1_j6nuav0 wrote

Strung out drug addicts who rob you at gunpoint are going to do that even if the cops are around the corner. And the cops aren’t going to do anything about it because they don’t have to.

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5teerPike t1_j6nwewe wrote

That is why people say things like acab too.

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paganlobster t1_j6ok7fs wrote

Cops don't prevent crime. Plenty of studies have proven that. The only thing that actually reduces crime is reducing poverty and making something other than the dumb fucking societal choices we keep making that probably lead to that kid trying to take your shit.

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5teerPike t1_j6nw7up wrote

There's a difference between a protest that involves freedom of speech and a temper tantrum holding public safety hostage because you don't like people using their freedom of speech to criticize your brutality.

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Rizzpooch t1_j6nzuo1 wrote

Yeah, and generally people pay enough attention to understand the difference. Teachers striking for smaller class sizes and living wages? Parents bring them pizza. Cops striking to refuse body cameras and oversight? I don’t see that many people being sympathetic

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tubatackle t1_j6oune8 wrote

morally yes, legally IDK

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5teerPike t1_j6ovnbx wrote

Fair. I just don't use the law as a guidebook for morals though. No one should.

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BlaineTog t1_j6np0gj wrote

They do this already. It's called a, "sick-out," and they can't really be punished for it because they're the ones who would do the punishing.

Our policing system needs a complete overhaul.

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potus1001 t1_j6pfptp wrote

What a police officer gets paid is entirely different than what a teacher or an HMEO makes. I feel for those employees, just not so much for the police.

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IntelligentMeal40 t1_j6nu7t7 wrote

Yes I support having zero police because all they do is murder Black people anyway

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