Shadow Empire

Chapter 116 Helplessness and Humiliation
Federally, union money comes primarily from two sources.

One is social donations. For example, the capitalists on the dock want to maintain a closer cooperative relationship with the trade unions. The trick to building and maintaining a good relationship is to donate money.

But this situation is not absolute. There are always some companies that are not bound by ordinary rules or do not think they need to donate. After all, they provide jobs and they have done what they should do for society.

Not every company donates every month, and federal capitalists refuse to force donations by extortion, but on average, the average amount they donate to the union each month is about 1,800 to 2,000 yuan.

The second source of income is the membership fees paid by the workers. Considering that the income of dock workers is not high in the overall industry, the membership fee of the dock workers' union is 2% of the monthly basic salary.

For a boat cleaner who earns thirty-three dollars a month, the membership fee he needs to pay is sixty-six cents a month.

Union dues are charged differently in different industries, and some states allow higher dues to be collected, but some states have strict requirements on the amount of dues collected.

Generally speaking, ordinary industries are between 2% and 3%. For example, the higher wages in the automobile union are between 3% and 5% of the basic salary.

There are two large ports in the entire Jingang City. Currently, the main port of Jingang is Jingang where the trade union is located, and the one next to it is Xingang.

The two ports have a total of eleven docks, and currently there are about seven thousand people counted and registered.

The more than 3,000 work cards in Lance's hands and some people who obtained work cards through other means to work here are not included in the list of union members, because most of these people's work card owners are not dock workers themselves.

Even if they do, they will stop paying dues after subletting their work cards.

With 7,000 members and a monthly membership fee of 66 cents per person, the union's monthly income is about 5,000 yuan, which is very stable.

It seems like this amount of money is not small?
But the problem is that the dock workers' union has multiple offices and departments, with a core team of more than 70 people, and occasionally there will be temporary expansion.

The ordinary staff among these more than 70 people earn 42 yuan per month, which has reached the average income of Jingang City.

Further up the list are the office manager and deputy managers, managers and deputy managers of several union departments, as well as a president and three vice presidents. Their salaries account for about 4,000 yuan.

This means that after paying wages, the dock workers' union can only have about 3,000 yuan left every month.

This does not include various daily losses, work expenses, and workers' club expenses. The monthly surplus is about one thousand yuan.

If there are no extra-curricular activities for workers and the club is open two days less, the surplus will be greater; otherwise, it will be less.

As for the problems causing insufficient union income, they are actually well aware of them, namely the low membership fees and the problem of illegal immigration.

Illegal immigrants flood the docks. In fact, there are about 12,000 workers working at the docks now, and more than 5,000 of them are non-union members or illegal immigrants.

Illegal immigrants make up the vast majority of them.

If this part also pays membership fees, the union will have an additional income of 3,000 yuan per month. If the membership fee can be adjusted from 2% to 3%, it will be at least 5,000 yuan more per month.

But, it's difficult.

President Scott glanced at the accountant, "How much money do we have in our account now?"

The accountant was a 36-year-old married woman, a little plump. "Probably less than 3,000 yuan."

President Scott frowned, "So little?"

He recalled, "I remember when we reviewed the first half of the year, there was still more than 20,000 yuan in the account, right?"

“Where did all this money go?”

The accountant's tone was a little stiff. She felt that President Scott was questioning her. "You forgot that during the two-month march, many people were injured and lost their source of income due to the temporary suspension of work. All our money was used for this."

"If you want to reconcile the accounts, I can move the account books over here, but you have to arrange two people to help me. I can't move it alone!"

President Scott slapped his forehead and said, "I'm sorry, I forgot about this."

The anti-immigration demonstrations actually lasted only a little over twenty days, but from the outbreak to the end, it took almost two months in total.

There was chaos on the docks during this period, and many people were injured. The capitalists refused to follow the work-related injury program to deal with injuries sustained while on the job.

Social insurance does not include accidental injury insurance, so these injured workers cannot get compensation for medical expenses and can only turn to the trade union for help.

This is also one of the union's jobs, although the cost is not high.

Some cost dozens, some a hundred or two, but there were too many workers on the dock. Fortunately, there were no major casualties, but the funds in the union account were gone in a very short time.

Being able to leave two or three thousand yuan for emergencies is already their best effort.

Only then can they understand why the insurance manager rejected the insurance.

Some workers deliberately cut their fingers, come over to ask for five dollars, then turn around and find a piece of gauze to wrap their fingers and leave them alone. There are quite a few people like this.

President Scott rubbed his temple and asked, "What if we let the capitalists pay?"

He looked at Vaughn. As the vice president, Vaughn's main job was to maintain contact with some capitalists.

Vaughan shook his head. "There are more than 7,000 workers working for different companies. We can't convince these companies to do this."

"It might cost 10,000 yuan or more in total. Do you think they are willing to pay that?"

President Scott had a headache. "It's all because of that...Lance."

"I remember there were some reports against him and his firm. Have you interviewed him?"

Vaughn nodded, "I was going to talk to you about this alone."

President Scott looked at him, and after the two looked at each other for a moment, he temporarily skipped the topic.

"We'll talk about this later." He looked at the others, "Think about it and see if there is any good solution, or contact the capitalists at the dock."

“See if they’re willing to pay.”

"After all, when the workers put on the uniform work clothes, they will indeed look better."

Several ministers smiled faintly, but quickly restrained themselves.

It just looks good, but the capitalists won't pay for it.

President Scott seemed to realize this as well, and waved his hand irritably, "Let's adjourn the meeting first, Vaughn, come to my office."

The two entered President Scott's office and closed the door before Vaughn reminded them, "The twenty dollars."

President Scott was slightly startled, "Did Lance give it to you?"

Vaughn had a speechless expression on his face, "I remember telling you this."

President Scott stroked the armrest of his chair, "This is not easy to do. I remember he donated three hundred dollars."

Vaughan nodded, "The money is still in an independent account."

Because Lance said that this was a donation to those in need, not to the union, so it would not go into the union's public account.

If Lance doesn't want to know who the three hundred dollars was given to, how it was given, and how much was given, then they don't have to provide it.

In other words, apart from the president and vice presidents, even the accountant didn't know that there was an independent small account of 300 yuan.

With this money, plus the twenty dollars of nutrition subsidy he had already received, it was difficult for President Scott to maintain an impartial and neutral attitude when considering the issues of Lance and his company.

"Has the complaint against his company been resolved?" He had to express his gratitude since he had taken so much from others, even though he had just intended to use this incident to make things difficult for Lance to vent his anger.

Vaughn nodded. "It's all resolved."

President Scott patted the armrest and said, "If you can't push it, forget it."

He felt it was a pity that in the federal union system, the city union was only the lowest-level union organization. Above them were the "State Dockworkers' Union (in some states)", the "Federal Dockworkers' Union" and the "International Dockworkers' Union".

Now the International Longshoremen's Union is just a decoration, and very few countries respond to them, but the Federal Longshoremen's Union is an organization with greater power.

The working conditions of dock workers throughout the federation are controlled here. If President Scott obtains approval from the higher-ups, he can launch a general strike of dock workers in Jingang City.

Then the president of the Federal Longshoremen's Union can launch a collective strike of all federal longshoremen!

He was only in his early fifties, and he also wanted to go to a high place to see the scenery above, but there were too many people who wanted to go up there. There were so many cities with ports and docks in the Federation, and everyone wanted to go up there. It was just that he was more likely to succeed than others, after all, this was Jingang City, but even if it was easier, he still had to show convincing ability.

If this matter is managed well, it might be an opportunity, but right now it seems that there is no clue.

He himself knew very well that if the capitalists were asked to make new uniforms for the workers, they would never agree.

And there is no law to support the union in doing this, so he can only convince others to agree and then pay, rather than forcing them to pay.

As for launching a general strike because they were unwilling to spend money to make new uniforms, he would not even consider it unless he wanted to be investigated.

Strikes are indeed a powerful weapon against capitalists, but they cannot be initiated casually. They must be carried out at the right time, otherwise it is a crime!
While President Scott was thinking about whether he had a chance to move up, and Vaughn felt that he was worthy of the money given by Lance, the workers at the dock were also discussing the new uniforms.

"Have you asked about this?" Several workers who were tightening screws with wrenches at the dock started chatting about this while slacking off. One of the workers who seemed to have a slightly higher status asked.

A younger man nearby nodded and said, "I found out that this was issued by the office where they obtained their work permits, not by the company or the dock."

"Is it from the firm?" the strong worker said in astonishment. "Is the boss of their firm a philanthropist?"

"Ask them if we can join!"

We gave out a set of work clothes and two pairs of gloves for free. If you buy these things in a store, they would cost about one dollar and fifty cents, but now they are given out for free.

They also heard that if clothes or gloves are worn out, they can just take the worn-out ones and exchange them for new ones.

Why do some heavy manual laborers work with their buttocks naked?

This is not a joke. Many workers on heavy industrial production lines only wear shorts or even work with their butts naked.

On the one hand, it is because the production workshop is too hot, and various thermal equipment and steam will make their clothes wet with sweat quickly.

On the other hand, the problem of clothing wear and tear is also taken into consideration, especially at the seaside such as the dock, or in a production workshop where corrosive chemicals are present, it is normal to change clothes every two or three months.

For rich people, more than one dollar is nothing, not even enough for them to have a drink in the bar.

But for ordinary lower-class people, if they can save money, they will definitely be willing to do so.

This is actually a very interesting phenomenon. They would rather go to the bar and spend 40 cents on a drink than spend a dollar to buy themselves a new or second-hand set of clothes. The consumption concept of federal people is always so weird.

Coincidentally, a worker in work clothes who had just finished urinating passed by here. He shouted "Hey", and the worker was startled by the sudden sound.

He looked around and saw the group of people.

He already wanted to leave. Some of these local federal workers on the dock were very bad and would bully them for fun, just plain bullying them, pushing them around, or punching them, forcing them to lie on the ground and pee like a puppy.

Never overestimate human moral bottom line, and never underestimate the pure evil in people's hearts.

The worker didn't want to go over, so he put the tip of his hand against his chest and looked at the men and said, "Me?"

The sturdy worker nodded. "Of course, it's you. What's your name?"

"Jamie." Jamie stood there, feeling a little tingling on his scalp, but now he had no choice but to continue.

He really shouldn't have run to the toilet to pee. Couldn't he have just found a beach to pee?

He swore that he would never do that again next time!

I hope I don’t suffer this time!
The strong worker waved at him, "Hi, Jamie, nice to meet you, my name is Johnny, come here, I have something I want to ask you."

The workers around him were all strong and had wrenches in their hands.

As a vulnerable group on the dock, Jamie was also an illegal immigrant. He didn't dare to resist and could only walk past with his head down.

When he got closer, Johnny touched his clothes and showed a look of surprise. "The quality is great, a bit like canvas and a bit like denim. It should be very strong."

When others heard this, they all went to touch the fabric. They worked on it every day and could tell the quality of the fabric.

Maybe it is not the most comfortable to wear, but for workers, it is the most practical!
Because being strong not only means being wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant, it also means less possibility of injury!
For fabric like this, even if you cut it with a knife, you may not be able to cut the clothes, let alone cut the flesh.

The most common injuries when working at the dock are various accidental injuries, such as being hit, scratched, pulled, etc., and a bloody wound can easily appear.

If you have a set of clothes like this, it will obviously make you safer.

Several people were amazed and touched Jamie all over, even reaching into his pocket and taking away three five-cent coins.

He acted a little sad to see that he was robbed in the end.

I can only earn sixteen dollars a month, which is barely enough to make ends meet, but now I am being robbed.

Although the money was not much, it was enough for his lunch and dinner, which also meant that he would have to go hungry all day.

"Can I leave?" He sighed silently and finally chose to give in.

He is an illegal immigrant. If you call the police, he will be the first to suffer. This is the primary problem that illegal immigrants face. Your own losses will be greater than that of the other party.

And calling the police may not be helpful. Fifteen cents is enough, and the gas cost for the police may be more than that.

Johnny cursed "poor bastard", then put the money into his pocket with a grin, and then said something that made Jamie unbelievable.

"Take off your clothes."

Jamie looked at him, a little overwhelmed, "Sorry..."

"I said, take off your clothes."

Jamie shook his head. "Johnny, this dress..."

With a bang, the punch hit Jamie directly in the face, causing him to stagger and fall to the ground.

The workers around Johnny were still laughing and joking, just like they did in middle school.

"This is the third and last time, don't make me run around the dock with your naked butt in front of everyone."

"Now, take off your clothes." The smile was gone from his face, replaced by an unsettling ferocity.

Jamie acted like he didn't hear anything until someone approached him and reached out to unbutton his clothes.

He waved his arms to stop them from succeeding, "I'm going to fight you!"

Several strong men surrounded him and kicked him until he had no ability to resist. Then they stripped his clothes off and left happily.

Even though it was kicked many times, the clothes were fine. They are really good clothes.

About three or four minutes later, Jamie's friend saw that he had not returned yet, so he called his companions to come look for him.

They saw Jamie wiping his tears beside a rope stake at Pier No. 1.

"Jamie, what's wrong with you?"

The concern of his companions made it even more difficult for him to suppress the grievances in his heart. He was discriminated against, hurt, and humiliated. All the unfairness he had experienced since coming to the Federation suddenly exploded!

He cried loudly and told the two men what had happened to him. The two men became furious and clenched their fists together.

But soon, one of them became depressed again.

Being bullied by local dock workers is something they often encounter.

It was like that in the past.

I was walking peacefully, but was stopped by several people and asked to take the money out of my pocket or be humiliated by them.

This has become a routine!
The two men helped Jamie, who was only wearing his underwear and had bruises all over his body, back to the core area where they worked. Many people came to ask about his concern, and then became angry or helpless.

No one talked about revenge or put forward any valuable ideas. The only thought in many people's mind at this time was to forget it if it didn't work out.

It's not the first time, why bother?
But there are always people who are unwilling to accept such a result!
"We can't just let this matter go!" someone suddenly said through gritting his teeth!
Some minor changes in the update. Previously, it was 3 chapters per day, 3k, which added up to 9k. Now it is changed to 2 chapters per day, 5k each, which is 1k more than before. The reason is that the average subscription is not high, and it has not been refined until now. Therefore, without changing the number of updated words and improving it, the number of updated chapters will be reduced to make the average subscription a little better, so as to increase the exposure opportunities in the later stage. Special notice.

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(End of this chapter)