(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Trouble in the land – Daily Montanan [1] ['More From Author', 'August', 'Dave Lewis'] Date: 2023-08-19 The new No. 1 song on most charts is an anthem titled “Rich Men North of Richmond.” The author and singer is Oliver Anthony, a Farmville, Virginia factory worker. The main theme is in the chorus line where he complains of “working all day for bullsh-t pay.” He continues to point out that the rich men north of Richmond have no interest in the struggle that most people have to make a living. I think he is talking about the Washington D.C. elite. It is a powerful song that really speaks to the problems most people face. And at the same time, the Teamsters union got UPS drivers a very big raise. I can see people of every skill set known to America saying, “Wait a minute. How about me?” Drivers will make $170,000 in pay and benefits at end of a five-year phase-in period. I worked a few days as a driver helper during Christmas a few years ago just to get some exercise. It is a tough demanding job and I am glad they got it. UPS handles so much volume that they could afford the increase with small incremental increases in shipping fees. The effect of the settlement is to show other skilled employees in our economy that they can go for more money. The ripple effect of this settlement is going to be amazing. We start teachers in Montana at less than $50,000 a year. The attraction of a $170,000 job is going to be overwhelming. UPS will have their pick of the labor force. Most of our current workforce feels like Oliver Anthony. Overtime hours. Bullsh-t pay. There will be an increase in the ability of unions to attract membership. There will be pressure on unions to bring home the bacon. And most employers simply do not have the ability of UPS to pass large wage increases on through to the consumers. We have a very volatile situation developing in an election year. Housing prices, gasoline prices, groceries going up and incomes stagnant. The inability of most employers to pass through significant wage increases. I continue to believe that both Joe Biden and Donald Trump will fade as their respective troubles become more openly discussed. I have absolutely no idea who will rise to the top in the respective primaries. But I do know they are going to be faced with some very angry voters. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2023/08/19/trouble-in-the-land/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/