Robot Worries Could Cause a 50,000-Worker Strike in Las Vegas (technologyreview.com)

Thousands of unionized hotel and casino workers in Las Vegas are ready to go on strike for the first time in more than three decades. From a report: Members of the Culinary Union, who work in many of the city's biggest casinos, have voted to approve a strike unless a deal is reached soon. Some background: On June 1, the contracts of 50,000 union workers expire, making them eligible to strike. Employees range from bartenders to guest room attendants. The last casino worker strike, in 1984, lasted 67 days and cost more than $1 million a day. Why? Higher wages, naturally. But the workers are also looking for better job security, especially from robots. "We support innovations that improve jobs, but we oppose automation when it only destroys jobs," says Geoconda Arguello-Kline, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Union. "Our industry must innovate without losing the human touch."

Comments

Point?

[Alypius]

So they're willing to go on strike to prevent their jobs from being taken by robots that can't go on strike? I can see no downside.

Re:Point?

[religionofpeas]

Just because there's no good solution doesn't mean you should try a shitty one.

Re:Point?

[barc0001]

What else do you suggest they do?

Also, the robots can take their jobs one day, not *today*. If they are able to hammer out a legally binding contract that guarantees the casinos won't replace existing workers with robots under heavy financial penalty, then it's a win for them.

If they wait 10 years till those robots are ready to go and then strike they're screwed, so they have to play their hand now. I don't fault them in the least. Other workers in other sectors should be doing the same but too many people just consider themselves fortunate to be employed today and don't think about 10, 5 or even 1 year in the future and how their bosses are already planning their replacement.

Re:Point?

[Opportunist]

Re-training to what? What is that magical low-skill job that isn't going to be replaced by robots soon?

Right to strike

[fluffernutter]

I fully support their right to strike since it is the only mechanism the 'common worker' has to defend themselves and ensure they get a reasonable slice of the pie. However, this is probably something that cannot be stopped.

Re:Right to strike

[chispito]

I fully support their right to strike since it is the only mechanism the 'common worker' has to defend themselves and ensure they get a reasonable slice of the pie. However, this is probably something that cannot be stopped.

Strikes don't really influence the customer like they used to (in many cases they turn off customers who aren't in unions themselves), and I'm not sure how this would affect the management other than to increase their desire to automate.

You're doing it wrong

[rsilvergun]

rather than demand the continuation of exhausting and physically demanding work instead of automation you should be demanding the wealth generated by automation and civilization be evenly distributed.

Of course can't have that since it's the socialisms...

Re:You're doing it wrong

[Anonymous Coward]

Yep. Why don't you start by sharing some of your wealth with an African nation?

Oh, yeah, forgot, you only want to share other people's wealth. I forgot how looney left socialists think.

I do. And if you and the GP live in the US (or many other countries), so do you. Here's what countries the US gives foreign aid to. I'm not saying the current foreign aid structure is good, but the GP is definitely sharing some their wealth with African nations.

Just delaying the inevitable

[sjbe]

The simple fact is that they can either get on board with learning to work with automation OR they can eventually watch their jobs go away anyway when the jobs move to someplace with more pliable labor and better automation. It would not be hard for tourists to start going elsewhere if they don't like what they get. If you have a job that can be readily taken by automation then sooner or later it will be. Your only defense against this is to have a skill set that is difficult to automate. Pretending otherwise is like fooling yourself into thinking this internet thing is a fad.

Re:Just delaying the inevitable

[fluffernutter]

It's easy to write a comment professing "thou shalt learn a non-automatable skill" but there are many reasons why this is a vast oversimplification to the point that it is almost laughable. Education costs money, many people cannot BE educated if they have the money, and what do you educate yourself in anyway? Almost any "attainable with a college certificate" job seems to be a candidate for automation over the next 15 years or so.

Re:Replace the servers, not the chefs

[Higaran]

The USA needs to do that, not by replacing the servers, but by paying them legit wages for their time. The whole idea that a server should make less per hour because she MIGHT be tipped is just wrong. There are many countries around the world that do not tip, because it's not necessary, it's even frowned apon in some cultures.

There are millions of people who aren't smart

[rsilvergun]

enough to go to college, but they _are_ smart enough to hold a gun. For thousands of years demagogues have used desperation and fear to motivate and organize these people. Perhaps if you have the guts to brutally oppress and kill them you can keep them under control. Much like we keep the population of stray dogs under control. But I don't know a lot of folks who have what it takes to go that route or who would say it's the right thing to do.

If you abandon the working class they will turn on you out of desperation. And if you wait until they actually turn on you to oppress them it'll be too late. Now's the time to act. Either fix the world so it's a better place for everyone or hope you're gonna get to be one of the oppressors and get to work on justifications for the brutal things you're going to have to do to maintain your quality of life.