The Benjamin Dixon Show is only possible with listeners support. Go to www dot
The Benjamin Dixon Show dot com to register for our blog and join the progressive
market. I respect workers right to use their options under the collector bargainer system,
and I understand the worker's frustration over generations. Auto workers sacrifice so much
to keep the industry alive and strong, especially the economic crisis and the pandemic.
Workers deserve a fair share of the benefits they help create for an enterprise.
I do appreciate that the parties have been working around the clock. When
I first call them at the very first day of the negotiations, I said,
please stay at the table as long as you can to try to work
this out. And though they've been around the clock and the companies have made
some significant offers, but I believe this should go further to ensure record corporate
profits made record contracts for the um I say it again, record corporate profits
which they have should be shared by record contracts for the UAW. That was
the voice of President Joe Biden showing support for the United Auto Workers who have
gone on strike. As of midnight last night, they were unable to come
into an agreement with the big three auto makers there in Detroit, and so
one hundred and fifty thousand auto workers have agreed to go on strike. Now,
as it stands today, only about thirteen thousand of those one hundred and
fifty thousand workers have already walked off their jobs as a part of the strategy
that was put forward by the President of the UAW, Sean Fayne, which
is keeping all of the executives guessing where is the strike actually happening, Where
is the next stoppage of work going to occur? The executives don't know because
up this particular strategy being employed by the UAW. Here's more from President Joe
Biden. Auto companies have seen record profits, including the last few years,
because of extraordinary skill and sacrifices the UAW workers, but those record profits have
not been shared fairly in my view, with those workers. Just as the
Treasury Department has released the report pointing out that the most conference report ever dealing
with how unions are good for both union workers and non union workers. To
the hand the overall economy, unions raise workers wages, they said, incomes,
increase homeownership, increased retirement saies increase access to critical benefits like sickly and
childcare, and reduced inequality, all of which strengthen our economy for all workers.
That's because unions. Unions raise standards across the workplaces and entire industries,
pushing up wages and strengthening benefits for everyone. That's why strong unions are critical
of the growing economy. That's why strong unions are critical for a growing economy.
I believe that might be one of the most salient remarks with regards to
union unions coming from the President. Yet unions are critical for a growing economy.
Unions are critical for a middle class. I want to play a clip
of UAW President Sean Fayne. He says that the cost of labor that goes
into a vehicle is only five percent of the vehicle. These companies could double
our wages and they could not raise the price of vehicles, and they would
still make billions of dollars. That's what it means to have record profits and
to be stealing wages from workers. You have plenty of headroom to make adjustments
and to make it right. You heard the CEO of Ford say that it
would bankrupt them if they met your demands. What'd you think of that?
I think it's a joke. You know what, they could double our pay
right now. Labor, the cost of labor, it goes into a vehicle,
there's five percent of the vehicle. They could double our wages and they
could not raise the price of vehicles. They would still make billions of dollars.
It's a lie, like everything else that comes out of their mouths Now,
I can't pretend like I knew that the cost of labor that goes into
the price of a vehicle is only around four to five percent. But the
absurdity of labor being disrespected that much when you consider the productivity of the average
American has increased sixty percent since two thousand, and wages for the average American
has only increased some four to three to four percent in the same time period.
It's not a mistake. That's not a bug, that's a feature.
The entire agenda is to minimize the cost of labor and maximize the profits.
Listen to this clip of General Motors CEO Mary Barra, who makes about twenty
nine million dollars a year while refusing to do anything to increase the wages of
the people who help her make that money. You've seen a thirty four percent
pay increase in your salary, you make almost thirty million dollars. Why should
your workers not get the same type of pay increases that you're getting leading the
company? Well, if you look at compensation, my compensation, ninety two
percent of it is based on performance of the company. I think one of
the strong aspects of the way our compensation for our represented employees is designed is
not only are we putting a twenty percent increase on the table, but if
you're getting a thirty four percent pay increase over four years and you're offering twenty
percent to employees right now, do you think that's fair? Well? I
think when you look at the overall the overall structure, and the fact that
ninety two percent is based on performance, and you look at what we've been
doing of sharing in the profitability when the company does well, I think we've
got a very compelling offer on the table. And that's the focus I have
right now. Right now was the portion that was clipped. Here's the interesting
thing about the benefits package and all of the generous, you know things that
she says is all for two workers, is that it's not all for to
all workers. There's a two tiered system that the UAW is trying to get
rid of. They're trying to abolish the two tier system that gives you know,
they categorize is top tier employees. I don't like that categorization, but
that's what it's called, their top tier employees versus their lower tier employees.
The lower tier employees don't receive those benefits, that those pensions, those those
health benefits, and well they get health benefits, but they're far less generous,
right and so one of the things that the UAW is trying to get
rid of is that two tiered system, because right now, that two tier
system is how this CEO gets to brag about how generous their benefits are,
but it's not applied to all of the workers. Just keep in mind,
in terms of she's bragged she makes twenty nine million dollars a year, the
average worker, according to CBS News with the UAW, is making about twenty
eight dollars an hour. Twenty eight dollars an hour, which in some places
is a really decent living right. There are a lot of people who would
be happy to make that kind of money. But when you are working in
an industry that is making record profits, You as a collective body of workers,
have the right to demand better. You have the right to demand more,
especially when your productivity and your efficiency has skyrocketed over the last twenty years
and the wealth has all gone to the CEOs. I want to play one
last clip. This is of former President Donald Trump when asked about the strike.
Whose side is he owned? He was asked this by Kristen Welker,
and this was his response, And I want you to really listen to how
he prevaricates and does his best to avoid the question, but at the end
he reveals what side he's really owned. My question for you, mister President,
whose side are you on in this? I'm on the side of making
our country grade. The auto workers are not going to have any jobs when
you come right down to it, because if you take a look at what
doing with electric cars, electric cars are going to be made in China,
the autoworkers are not going to have any I'll tell you what. The autoworkers
are being sold down the river by their leadership, and their leadership should enduse
Trump. The reason is you're gonna have choice, like in school. I
want school choice I also want choice for cars. If somebody wants gasoline,
if somebody wants all electric, they can do whatever they want. But they're
destroying the consumer, and they're destroying the auto workers. The autoworkers will not
have any jobs, Kristen, because all of these cars are going to be
made in China. The electric cars automatically are going to be made in China.
No doubt that these companies are going to seek out the cheapest labor they
can possibly find. That's why it is incombat upon us as a matter of
policy to not allow them to push us into a race to the bottom to
see which state or in this case, which nation, is going to give
them the cheapest labor. We'll be back with more the Benjamin Dixon Show right
after this break. Yeah, what y look, I'm in line with the
stars. I'm gonna sink with the earth tintoes deep flower Child from the turf.
I never switch sides, Like even when I die, I'm gonna ride
for the squad letter ties in the hearst. I've been on a five kind
of hard to describe. I remember between I'm good and it's fine, but
I'm tired of the grind. Then I come alive in the night to realize
I'm in the middle of the time of my life. I never saw back,
Chris stacking the light on the back. Better back from the way that
I write it, Queen the Tyson, that's the five when they meet it
out. Welcome back to The Benjamin Dixon Show. Visit us online at the
Benjamin Dixon Show dot com. What Back. Welcome back. So, if
you want to know how political propaganda works. Right now, today right wing
conservatives are esthetic because three men who were accused of providing support to a plot
to kidnap Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, they were acquitted by jurors earlier today,
and the narrative that is, well, first, let's let me slow
down. I don't know if you remember earlier during the pandemic, when Michigan
became ground zero for the war against vaccines and the war against mask mandates,
and there literally was a plot to kidnap and potentially harm Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
That plot was for and several people were arrested charged. And today if
the only thing you knew about this story came as a result of you watching
the news today, you would believe that everyone involved was acquitted. That's not
what happened, but that is how propaganda works. Let's go to the receipts.
Adam Fox was accused of charge of kidnapping, conspiracy, and conspiracy to
use a weapon of mass destruction. He was found guilty and sentenced to sixteen
years. Joseph Morrison materially a charge with materially aiding a terrorist and membership in
a gang, found guilty, sentenced to ten to twenty years. Tye Garbin.
All of this is easily readily accessible, but you actually do have to
just do the search. You have to look and not depend on what you
see and hear from social media. Who's trying Currently right wing media is trying
to convince us that everything related to this conspiracy to kidnapped Governor Gretchen Whitmer was
a false flag. But if it was a false flag, then you have
ty Garman who pleaded guilty. He pleaded guilty and got six years. Barry
Croft found guilty nineteen years, seven months, Caleb Franks pleaded guilty four years.
Then you have Pete Masuko found guilty twelve to twenty years. You have
Paul Beller found guilty of materially aiding a terrorist and gang membership seven to twenty
years. So there are plenty of people who have been involved in this plot
and this conspiracy to kidnap and harm Michigan Governor Democrat Gretchen Whitmer. But if
you look at the timeline today, the conservative movement is celebrating as if these
two men who were are three men who were found not guilty. Who were
they were found not guilty? If we dig into their charges, you could
see they were being charged with aiding and abetting this plot of supplying guns.
But ultimately, because it seems as though they did not know a purpose for
which they were supplying guns, that's probably how they got off. But that's
three out of the entire group, many of whom have already been found guilty
or played guilty. But as you look at how the propaganda is fomenting on
social media, you would think that this is a validation of every single conservative
idea in the history of conservative ideas. And I know that's being hyperbolic,
but this is a level of celebrating. I mean, you would you would
honestly think that this was like their OJ moment. You know, they really
are excited about these three individuals getting off, but completely erased the existence of
every other individual who has already been found guilty or played guilty. But again,
that's how propaganda works. All right, let's go to this patron party.
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patron parties Patreon dot com Force slash to BPD Show, and we will be
back right after this break. Unless you're a patron, in which case you
don't get commercials. You just get the beats. Welcome back to the Benjamin
Dixon Show. Visit us online at the Benjamin Dixon Show dot Com. Welcome
back, Welcome back. Earlier this week, the CDC voted by a vote
of thirteen to one in favor of recommending a new COVID nineteen vaccine for basically
everyone from ages six to sixty five and older. The purpose of this vaccine,
of this booster shot, obviously, is to deal with the ever mutating
coronavirus which continues to mutate because well, we as an American society, we
have opted to just you know, say effort and just go with the pandemic
and not do what's necessary like wearing masks, sheltering in place, mask band
aids, mandates, vaccine mandates. You know, we're living in the anti
science stage of American decline. In fact, that decline is so acute.
This next clip I'm getting ready to play for you is of the Florida Surgeon
General and I laugh. I kid you not. This next clip has to
be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard a medical professional say on
national TV. No Less, he was on Fox News with Sean Hannity.
Here is Rhonda Santis's pick for Surgeon General, Joseph Ladappo, as he claims
that he knows better than the CDC. One Surgeon General says that the vaccine
is not safe to take, and he said that to all of Fox News
viewers last night. Take a listener. I think most people in the United
States recognize that the safety of these vaccines is unlike, certainly unlike flu,
which they always try and pair it with and compare it to. But this
is a very different type of medication, and it's an unsafe medication. I
mean, it's really unfortunate that this is what so many Americans have been persuaded
to take. How could we ever trust people but that, like Joe Biden,
if you get the vaccine, you're never gonna get COVID if you get
the question cuts off. But I wanted you to hear Sean Hannity and his
propaganda technique allowing that floor to Surgeon General to say something without not only without
following up on the erroneous nature of what he said the lie. He didn't
follow up on the lie. He just pivoted to something that's easily arguable and
debatable. Right, should we trust Joe Biden when they told us you wouldn't
catch COVID nineteen? No, who told us that we would never catch COVID
nineteen if we had the vaccine. I don't remember one person, one entity,
one organization saying that you would not catch COVID nineteen. But what I
did see, without a shadow of a doubt, is that those people who
were vaccinated than they did contract COVID nineteen, they did not suffer or die
at the rates that everyone else did. Now, someone on Twitter said this
earlier, and I absolutely thought it was brilliant. He said. Every reporter
going forward must ask rhn De Santists if this Florida Surgeon General that he picked
would be a pick for the United States Surgeon General, because that in and
of itself would be disqualifying for Rhonda Santists. Rhonda Santists has picked an opportunistic
quack of a doctor right who's who has clearly been assigned to do one thing,
and that has undermined the state of Florida's ability to recover from COVID nineteen
by spreading misinformation from the highest office in the state with regard to this pandemic.
He has been accused. The Florida Surgeon General has been accused of personally
changing data with regard to COVID nineteen personally doing that, and now he is
out here on a campaign against the booster shot because well, this week the
CDC announced the approval of a new not only the CDC announced it, but
also the FDA approved it. Now, I don't have full blind trust in
any of these institutions, but because I'm not a scientist, nor do I
have the bandwidth or the time to go and do these studies myself, I
have to offer these institutions a measure of my trust. Now, if you
ask me a competition between trusting the CDC and the FDA over trusting someone like
Rhonda Santis and his Florida Surgeon General when they have clearly decided to side on
the side of anti science, on the side of anti public health. They
have opted on the side of doing everything they possibly can to under mine our
collective ability to defeat this pandemic. If you ask me who I'm going to
choose, I'm still going to choose the CDC. They did not do.
The CDC did not do a good job with this pandemic. And I could
tell you exactly when they'd stopped doing a good jobs, when they gave in
and said, hey, hell, we're just gonna go with what the masses
say, right, some of the recommendations. And actually, let me take
a step back. Here's another thing the CDC did. They went along with
a lot of corporations like Delta Airlines. When Delta Airlines wanted to get rid
of the mask mandate, the CDC, it's just spaceis Sam Man. So
this is not a statement of trust for the CDC. But if you ask
me, if I trust that doctor Moore, that doctor Lodopa, whatever his
name is, Rhonda Santiss, pick the guy we've just listened to, who
do I trust more that that man or the scientists behind the vaccine? Yeah?
So anyway, when are you getting your booster shot? I'm I am
going to get next week because apparently I've got to do some traveling. I'll
tell you more about that later. I got to hit the road and get
on a couple of planes. And if you know me, you know I
don't like flying anyway, but you certainly know I don't like flying in a
pandemic. I think I'll be on the plane not only boosted, but also
with a full mask because people just don't care. And when I say a
full mask, I mean like a gas mask with my own oxygen supply,
because these people really do not care if they get on planes, go into
classrooms, go back to work sick. And that makes sense when you consider
we have people like Rhonda Santis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladopa Ladoppo out here
spreading misinformation and encouraging the most exposure possible. Speaking of labor, I am
a little late with this clip. I'm sure you've seen it and heard it
already. It is a clip of Tim Gerner, who is the CEO of
the Gerner Group. Okay, and this is perhaps the most clear example that
we're going to find of what CEOs really think about their employees. More precisely,
I think this is the clearest example of what capital honestly believes about labor.
I think the problem that we've had is that we've, yeah, we
have people decided they didn't really want to work so much anymore through COVID,
and that has had a massive issue on productivity. You know, tradees have
definitely pulled back on productivity. You know, they have been paid a lot
to do not too much in the last few years, and we need to
see that change. We need to see unemployment rise unemployment has to jump forty
fifty percent. In my view, we need to see paint in the economy.
We need to remind people that they work for the employer, not the
other way around. Me. There is a there's been a systematic change where
employees feel the employer is extremely lucky to have them as opposed to the other
way around. So it's a dynamic that has to change. We've got to
kill that attitude and that has to come through hurting the economy, which is
what the whole global you know, the world is trying to do. The
governments around the world are trying to increase unemployment to get that to some sort
of normality, and we're seeing it. I think every employer now is seeing
it. I mean, there is definitely massive layoffs going off. People might
not be talking about it, but people are definitely laying people off. And
we're starting to see less arrogance in the employment market, and that has to
continue because that will cascade across. Sweet Jesus, you know, sometimes I
should listen to the four clips before I actually play them in this show,
because if they have known that he went this far, I probably would have
saved it for the patrons only because there's some things I need to say about
this guy. But I'll I'll let me see if I could do it without,
like literally with zero profanity. This is how evil these people really are.
Yeah, I can you know how I can discuss this without any profanity.
I have to talk about this from like a religious spiritual perspective. This
is downright evil, right. These are people who if they could get slave
labor, they would do it and say that it's the right thing to do
because it's in the best interests of their shareholders. They have the maxim they
have a mandate to maximize profits. They would absolutely accept slave labor. CEOs
are currently accepting sweatshop labor all across the globe. There is a disposition.
Before I even get to the disposition, let's talk about the inherent conflict,
right, There's an inherent conflict between the profit motive and the best interests the
majority of human beings on this planet, the workers. As long as CEO's
and corporations and their shareholders are allowed to seek profit without end, we will
always see this paradigm where the majority of the people on this planet who are
workers are going to be told that they have to suffer they have to suffer,
and they have to have the right disposition towards the CEOs and the companies.
Do you see the entitledment to our labor that these monsters have. Do
you see the entitlement to our lives? Not just our lives, but our
entire life force, like our energy. They expect to be able to drain
us and leave us with nothing, not even not even sensible wages, Not
even reasonable wages. We just got through talking about the uaw that labor.
That the price of your forty thousand dollar car, which is like a pretty
inexpensive car these days, only four percent of that is labor. That the
general disregard for the value of what we bring to the table has always been
dismissed, deep valued, and sabotaged by the likes of this Garner guy.
He's not He's not saying anything that we didn't already know. He's just dumb
enough to say it publicly. He's since come out and apologize for it.
No, don't apologize for your deeply held belief No, no, no,
no, don't apologize unless you are turning away from repenting from those deeply held,
deeply sadistic beliefs. I just you know, let me play it again
so I can give you real time commentary. I think the problem that we've
had is that we've, yeah, we have people decided that they didn't really
want to work so much anymore through COVID, and that has had a massive
issue on productivity. Okay, never mind the fact that worker productivity slash efficiency
is up sixty percent since two thousand. Like we stated earlier in the show,
several companies have reported that their workers were more efficient during the pandemic when
they work from home. Let's continue. You know, they have been paid
a lot to do not too much in the last few years. Literally provides
no source for that claim except for his feelings. He's got a gut feeling
that workers are getting paid to do not much. We need to say that
change. We need to see unemployment rise. Unemployment has to jump forty fifty
percent in my view. We need to see painting the economy. We need
to remind people that they work for the employer, not the other way around,
because they sincerely need a type of system where you are grateful to take
whatever wages they give you, and that you are so stressed that you would
not even consider leaving that job. This is one of the reasons that healthcare
is tied to your employment, so that if you're in a desperate situation,
you would never leave your job because you've got to keep those benefits coming.
You've got to keep that healthcare insurance going. There's been assist matic change where
employees feel the employer is extremely lucky to have them as opposed to the other
way around. So it's a dynamic that has to change. We've got to
kill that attitude, and that has to come through hurting the economy, which
is what the whole global you know, the world he's trying to do.
The governments around the world are trying to increase unemployment. So to be sure,
he's saying that the governments should and are willing to harm their economies to
keep the proper attitude instilled in the workers. They're willing to hurt the economy
to make sure that you, the worker, don't get besides yourself and get
too bougie and start asking for you know, benefits, you know better and
dental insurance. You know, maybe i'd get two dollars more an hour so
I could buy me a sandwich after work, you know, to know,
they're willing to harm the economy to keep you in check with saying it.
I think every employee now is saying it. I mean, there is definitely
massive layoffs going off of people might not be talking about it, but people
are definitely ling people off. And we're starting to say less arrogance in the
employment market, and that has to continue because that will cast guide across the
cost bound. So they're willing to lay people off collectively. This require this
should there should be a reco case involved in this. But that's the Department
of Labor's responsibility here right to see these unfair labor practices in action and see
that companies are collectively deciding to harm the economy so that they can get rid
of the arrogant disposition and workers. I promise you if there's if I've ever
seen a piece of propaganda that's specifically designed to turn people into communists, the
greatest piece of propaganda I have ever seed, I feel like doctor doctor Carl
Mack ever seen in my life to push someone to be in a full communist
or at a minimum, come on over here to be as a socialist.
It's this clip from this CEO who manages I looked up his little girdie firm,
and I guess it's not so little. They manage of like nine point
five billion dollars of investments, so extremely wealthy, extremely rich. But you
know what matters to him the most, what keeps him up at night.
How much money you make as a worker, how arrogant you are. Do
you have respect for your employer? Do you understand that you work for the
employer and the employer doesn't work for you. Patrons, stay tuned, we'll
have more of a conversation after this. Everyone else patreon dot com or Slash
the BPD Show. If not, I will see you next week. The
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