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by ericmay·14d ago·view on hn ↗
I know history better than you do, generally speaking.

You cherry-picked the wrong comment. Vaccines and vaccine adoption has nothing to do with unions nor are they even remotely comparable.

1 comments
I literally did not say that vaccine and vaccine adoption has anything to do with unions. Why would you ever think I did? It's an analogy.

(Though as it goes, I suspect vaccine rollout and universal healthcare does, in fact, owe some of its ability to function to the products of the organised labour movement; national, universal healthcare in the UK literally sprang from the first Labour government)

If you can't understand why I am comparing anti-union with anti-vax, then I think you don't really understand the point I am making about history, or about culture.

> I literally did not say that vaccine and vaccine adoption has anything to do with unions. Why would you ever think I did? It's an analogy.

???

> we don't need unions anymore are engaging with the status quo in the same way as people who say we don't need vaccines anymore.

> If you can't understand why I am comparing anti-union with anti-vax, then I think you don't really understand the point I am making about history, or about culture.

If you want to remove vaccines and these analogies that's fine but you're clearly doing something you're claiming you are not.

It's an analogy. In that sentence I'm not saying that one has to do with the other.

I am talking there about the relationship of people arguing against a concept with the status quo for that respective concept.

The way those arguments are made is similarly ignorant of history, is the simple point.

It's not that difficult. Really. Other people grasped it.

It's not a good analogy though. Unions aren't a clear public good.

> The way those arguments are made is similarly ignorant of history, is the simple point.

Yes and that point is rejected by me.

The comparison is the unambiguous gains for society union labour organisation achieved through industrial history, which was a clear public good, and what is lost if there are no longer unions to defend those gains.

Stuff can go backwards and currently in the USA absolutely is going backwards, at a federal, state and commercial level. Unions, even in their flawed American form, are a force pushing back on that.

You still need them. In just the same way that you still need continued vaccination to protect the gains made by vaccination.

I am obviously not bothered if you reject my points; I am disappointed with the way you argue, though.

> The comparison is the unambiguous gains for society union labour organisation achieved through industrial history, which was a clear public good, and what is lost if there are no longer unions to defend those gains.

It's a loose comparison. I think vaccines are a much more clear public good.

> Stuff can go backwards and currently in the USA absolutely is going backwards, at a federal, state and commercial level. Unions, even in their flawed American form, are a force pushing back on that.

Ok... https://apnews.com/article/trump-chavezderemer-labor-secreta...

> You still need them. In just the same way that you still need continued vaccination to protect the gains made by vaccination.

I'm not sure we need them. I don't need one. But I do need vaccines and society at large to be vaccinated.

It's a logical mistake to think anyone cosies up to a politician because of what they have already done to benefit them. It's much more about what they could be persuaded to do or not do, or worse, might do if they don't reach out.

In short the picture there is not what you suggest. Unions have notable concerns about the current administration, and about trends in state governments which are going backwards.

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2023/may/01/us-surge-efforts...

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-workers-rights-wa...

https://cwa-union.org/trumps-anti-worker-record

https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/12/twists-and-turns-t...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/19/how-unions-p...

https://betterinaunion.org/project-2025

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/excl...