Today’s links The unexpected upside of global monopoly capitalism: We’re all fighting the same enemy. Hey look at this: Delights to delectate. This day in history: None Upcoming appearances: Where to find me. Recent appearances: Where I’ve been. Latest books: You keep readin’ em, I’ll keep writin’ ’em. Upcoming books: Like I said, I’ll keep writin’ ’em. Colophon: All the rest. The unexpected upside of global monopoly capitalism (permalink) Here’s a silver lining to global monopoly capitalism: it means we’re all fighting the same enemy, who is using the same tactics everywhere. The same coordination tools that allow corporations to extend their tendrils to every corner of the Earth allows regulators and labor organizers to coordinate their resistance. That’s a lesson Mercedes is learning. In 2023, Germany’s Supply Chain Act went into effect, which bans large corporations with a German presence from using child labor, violating health and safety standards, and (critically) interfering with union organizers: https://www.bafa.de/EN/Supply_Chain_Act/Overview/overview_node.html Across the ocean, in the USA, Mercedes has a preference for building its cars in the American South, the so-called “right to work” states where US labor law is routinely flouted and unions are thin on the ground. As The American Prospect’s Harold Meyerson writes, the only non-union Mercedes factories in the world are in the US: https://prospect.org/labor/2024-04-08-american-workers-german-law-uaw-unions/ But American workers – especially southern workers – are on an organizing tear, unionizing their workplaces at a rate not seen in generations. Their unprecedented success is down to their commitment, solidarity and shrewd tactics…Pluralistic: The unexpected upside of multinational monopoly capitalism (10 Apr 2024)