Yep that's reddit for ya. Would love for these people on r/firefighting to be introspective for a moment and ask themselves if the viewpoints of 80 to 90 percent of the firefighters they've met in real life(whether they agree with the viewpoints or not) actually match the reddit viewpoints. Because I promise you, what's popular on a subreddit isn't what's popular in the real world. It makes sense that a union wouldn't wanna come out and endorse a candidate who the majority of its' members don't support (whether the redditor thinks it's dumb or not)
Without showing favor to either candidate, I think you bring up a very good point. Not necessarily one that has an answer (especially one we can find in a subreddit forum), but interesting nonetheless.
I think that it's fair to say the following:
-the IAFF exists to protect the salary, benefits, rights and well-being of its members. that's its only purpose.
-Kamala is pro-union and, if anything, would overall be good for firefighters' salaries, benefits, rights and well-being.
-Trump is anti-union and, if anything, would overall be bad for firefighters' salaries, benefits, rights and well-being.
-most IAFF members are probably pro-trump if you look at all issues (not just "is this candidate good for firefighters?")
So it seems that kamala is best for the iaff to support if you look only at the topic of firefighter salary, benefits, rights and well-being, which is the only purpose of the iaff.
So what should the iaff do? Support the candidate that supports their only reason for existence? or listen to the feelings of its members, even if it hurts its own existence?
Thats the crux, a Dem may be better for ones contract and pay, but introduce undesired social and economic policies that affect us outside (even within the workplace).
But the IAFF cant lobby on behalf of gun rights, foreign policy, trade, govt spending, etc. Damned if you do, damned if you dont.
I think what you're missing is the fact that logical common sense would lead one to believe a union organization would at least explicitly state no-support for a candidate who would very much make unions illegal if he could. Let alone all the other bullshit trump has done towards firefighters by all intents.
God forbid people make voting decisions beyond what their union daddies say.
Where has Trump specifically say he would make them illegal, or are you just spewing bullshit.
Then again, won’t matter to me, I’ll vote what’s best for the country, not just my union. That vote damn sure won’t be for the continuation of the Harris/Biden abomination.
Seeing as the mods felt I was getting a little off topic (which indeed I did get I admit), gonna try to keep this as on topic to the matter of unions specific to your question;
So I'll provide an overview of things that trump has said or done in an otherwise clear negative of unions or of his perspective on unions;
How about first and foremost during his presidency when he promised to veto the PRO Act and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act. Two acts designed to provide more protection to non-private unions (you know, ones usually owned by the company and controlled by the company, largely defeating the purpose of the union?). His reasoning? Because they required personal information given to the non-private union (cause, apparently keeping a membership record of your union members is... bad?).
Everyone he placed in the National Labor Relations Board has been audibly non-union, and almost immediately that was also apparent in many of their decisions they made in undoing previously-granted union protections that previous administrations had enacted. See thesethreearticles.
His recent comments with Elon Musk that if union workers should strike they should automatically be fired (you know, kinda in direct offense to the literal existing point of protections unions provide, meaning this isn't something that could be done unless, well, you got rid of unions).
I mean there are many many more things that have shown Trump to not just be anti-union, but otherwise generally anti-average-joe-workers as well. I highly recommend a click of that link there, it's even full of source citations of all it's claims.
I on the other hand literally just spent an hour trying to find even a single law or action that Trump took that was beneficial to unions (or even really beneficial to the general labor working pool at all), and could not find a single one. Perhaps you would kindly provide me it since you seem to be under a better impression that he's pro-union?
Indeed. For the IAFF/union types, go look at the polling the IAFF did this year. A majority of union members lean conservative and care about national policy issues like economy, immigration, defense, etc. The sampling here on reddit is not reflective of the majority of members. I think the IAFF did the right thing because while Dems have been marginally better, or at least superficially at supporting firefighters, the unseen effects of their policies on immigration, spending/debt, and social issues are antithetical to most blue collar type workers. The big labor/union advocates who lean progressive will say thats voting against their interests, as if we are all just worried about how we identiy with the labor market and contract issues while entirely missing the importance of cultural and social issues we care more about.
I care deeply about the fire service and my pay/benefits. But I wont support a pro-labor candidate who will also support transgressive and untested cirriculum in my kids schools about transgenderism, nor do I want to pay increasingly higher taxes, or fund bogus social initiatives at home and abroad.
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u/idindunuffn Oct 04 '24
Bunch of cucks in here