Chapter 116: No Way and Humiliation

In the Federation, the union's money mainly comes from two places.

One is social donations. For example, capitalists on the docks want to maintain a close cooperative relationship with the union. The secret to maintaining a good relationship lies in donations.

But this situation isn't absolute. There are always some companies that can avoid being bound by ordinary rules or don't think they need to donate. After all, they provide jobs, and they have already done what they should for society.

Not every company donates every month. Federal capitalists refuse extortionate forced donations, but on average, the donations they give to the union each year, averaged out to each month, are about 1,800 to 2,000 dollars.

The second source of income is the dues paid by workers. Considering that the income of dock workers is not high in the overall industry, the dock union's dues are 2% of the basic monthly wage.

For a ship-cleaning worker with a monthly wage of 33 dollars, the dues he needs to pay each month are 66 cents.

Different industry union dues are collected differently, and some states allow collecting more, but some states have strict requirements on the amount of dues collected.

Generally speaking, ordinary industries are between 2% and 3%. For example, the auto union, where wages are higher, is basically 3% to 5% of the basic wage.

The entire Jincheng has two large ports. Currently, the main port of Jincheng is the Jincheng where the union is located, and next to it is Xingang.

The two ports combined have eleven docks, and currently, there are about 7,000 people with statistics and registration.

The more than 3,000 work cards in Lanse's hands, and those working here through other means, were not included in the union membership list because the owners of the work cards held by most of these people were not dock workers themselves.

Even if there were, after they rented out their work cards, they stopped paying dues.

7,000 people, calculated at 66 cents in dues per person per month, the union's monthly income is about 5,000 dollars, which is very stable.

Does this money seem like not a small amount?

But the problem is that the dock union has multiple offices and departments, totaling a core team of over 70 people, and occasionally they expand temporarily.

Among these 70-plus people, ordinary staff members earn 42 dollars a month, which has reached the average income of Jincheng.

Continuing up, there are office supervisors and deputy supervisors, supervisors and deputy supervisors of several union departments, and one president and three vice presidents. Their wages account for about 4,000-plus dollars.

That is to say, every month, besides paying wages, the dock union can only have about 3,000 dollars left.

This doesn't include various daily wear and tear, work expenses, and the expenses of the workers' club. The monthly balance is between about 1,000 dollars.

If they don't organize workers' amateur activities and the club is open two days less, then there will be more balance; otherwise, there will be less.

And they are actually very clear about the problem that causes the union's insufficient income, which is the low standard of dues and the issue of illegal immigrants.

Illegal immigrants flood the docks in large numbers. In fact, there are about 12,000 workers working on the docks now, and more than 5,000 are non-union members or illegal immigrants.

Among them, illegal immigrants account for the vast majority.

If this part also paid dues, then the union would have an additional 3,000 dollars in income each month. If the 2% dues could be adjusted to 3%, then at least another 5,000 dollars could be added each month.

But, it's difficult.

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

The accountant was a 36-year-old married woman, a bit chubby, "About less than 3,000 dollars."

President Shi Diwen frowned, "So little?"

He recalled, "I remember when we summarized in the first half of the year, didn't we have more than 20,000 in the account?"

"Where did all this money go?"

The accountant's tone was a bit stiff. She felt that President Shi Diwen was questioning her, "Did you forget the two months of protests? Many people were injured, and because of the temporary work stoppage, they had no source of living. Our money was spent in this regard."

"If you want to check the accounts, I can move the account books over, but you have to arrange for two people to come with me. I can't move them alone!"

President Shi Diwen patted his forehead, "Sorry, I forgot about this."

The anti-immigration protests actually lasted for more than 20 days, but from the outbreak to the end, it was almost two months in total.

During this period, the docks were in chaos. Many people were injured, and capitalists refused to handle it according to the work-related injury plan for workers injured at work.

Social insurance doesn't include accidental injury insurance, so these injured workers couldn't get compensation for medical expenses and could only seek help from the union.

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

This one is dozens, that one is one or two hundred, but there are too many workers on the docks. Fortunately, there were no major casualties, but the funds in the union's account were also gone in a very short time.

Leaving two or three thousand dollars for emergencies was already their greatest effort.

Only at this time can they understand why the insurance manager refused to insure.

Some workers deliberately broke their fingers and ran over to ask for five dollars, and then turned around to find gauze to wrap their fingers and didn't care. There are quite a few such people.

President Shi Diwen rubbed his temples, "What if we let the capitalists pay?"

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

Wo En shook his head, "More than 7,000 workers belong to different companies. We can't convince these companies to do so."

"Adding it up, it might need 10,000 dollars or more. Do you think they are willing to pay this money?"

President Shi Diwen's head kept hurting, "This is all to blame for that... Lanse."

"I remember there were some reports against him and his office. Have you talked to him?"

Wo En nodded, "I plan to talk to you about this alone."

President Shi Diwen looked at him. After the two looked at each other for a while, he temporarily skipped this topic.

"Let's talk later." He looked at the others, "You guys also think about it, see if there is any good way, or go to contact those capitalists on the docks."

"See if they are willing to pay."

"After all, after the workers change into unified work uniforms, they will indeed... become better looking."

Several department heads showed faint smiles, but quickly restrained them.

Just better looking—those capitalists won't pay.

President Shi Diwen seemed to realize this too, waving his hand irritably, "Let's adjourn the meeting first. Wo En, come to my office."

The two entered President Shi Diwen's office. After closing the door, Wo En prompted, "That twenty dollars."

President Shi Diwen was slightly startled, "Did Lanse give it?"

Wo En had a speechless expression, "I remember I told you about this."

President Shi Diwen stroked the armrest of the chair, "This is not easy to handle. I remember he also donated 300 dollars."

Wo En nodded, "This money is still in an independent account."

Because Lanse said this was donated to those who needed help, not to the union, so it wouldn't enter the union's public account.

Who exactly got this 300 dollars, how it was given, and how much was given—if Lanse didn't want them to know, they didn't have to provide it.

In other words, except for the few presidents and vice presidents, even the accountant didn't know there was an independent small account of 300 dollars.

With this money, plus the 20 dollars of nutritional subsidy already in hand, it was difficult for President Shi Diwen to stand in a fair and neutral attitude when considering the issue of Lanse and his company.

"Have the reports against his company been resolved?" Since he took so much from others, he had to express something, even if he just planned to use this matter to make things difficult for Lanse to vent his anger.

Wo En nodded, "All resolved."

President Shi Diwen patted the armrest, "If it can't be pushed, then forget about this matter."

He felt a bit of a pity. In the Federal union system, the city union is only the lowest-level union organization. Continuing up, there are "State Dock Workers Union (some states)," "Federal Dock Workers Union," and "International Dock Workers Union."

Now the International Dock Workers Union is just a display. The number of countries responding to them is pitifully small, but the Federal Dock Workers Union is an organization that holds greater real power.

This controls the work situation of dock workers across the Federation. If President Shi Diwen, with the approval of the higher-ups, can launch a general strike of dock workers in Jincheng.

Then the President of the Federal Dock Workers Union can launch a collective general strike of dock workers across the Federation!

He is only in his early fifties. He also wants to go to a higher place to see the scenery above, but there are many people who want to go up. There are so many cities with ports and docks in the Federation, and everyone wants to go up.

It's just that he is more likely to succeed than others. After all, this is Jincheng, but even if it is easier, he still has to come up with convincing ability.

If this matter is managed well, maybe it is an opportunity, but now it seems there is no clue.

He himself is also very clear that capitalists will definitely not agree to let capitalists pay for workers to make new work uniforms.

And there is no law supporting the union to do so. He can only persuade others to agree and then pay, not force them to pay.

As for launching a general strike because they are unwilling to pay for new work uniforms, unless he wants to be investigated, he won't even consider it.

A strike is indeed a killer for capitalists, but it cannot be promoted casually. It must be at the right time, otherwise, it is a crime!

President Shi Diwen was thinking about whether he had a chance to climb up. Wo En felt that he had already lived up to the money Lanse gave. The workers on the docks were also discussing the situation of these new work uniforms.

"Did you ask?" Several workers holding wrenches on the docks chatted about this while being lazy. One of the workers who looked a bit status-conscious asked.

A younger one next to him nodded, "I asked. This was issued by the office where they got their work cards, not by the company or the docks."

"Issued by the office?" The strong worker looked surprised, "Is the boss of their office a philanthropist?"

"Ask them if we can join!"

Issuing a set of work uniforms for free and two pairs of gloves—if you buy these things in a store, it would take about 1.5 dollars, but now they are issued for free.

And they heard that if the clothes and gloves are worn out, you can take the worn-out ones and exchange them for new ones directly.

Why do some heavy laborers work with their butts bare—

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

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

On the other hand, it is also considering the wear and tear of clothes, especially on the docks or in production workshops with corrosive chemical substances. It is normal to change clothes every two or three months.

For rich people, a dollar or so is nothing; it's not enough for them to have a drink in a bar.

But for ordinary underclass workers, if they can save it, they will definitely be willing to do so.

This is actually a very interesting phenomenon. They would rather go to a bar and spend 40 cents for a drink than spend a dollar to change into a new set for themselves, or second-hand clothes. The consumption concept of Federal people is always so strange.

Coincidentally, a worker wearing a work uniform who had just finished peeing passed by here. He said "Hey," and the worker was startled by the sudden sound.

He looked around and saw this group of people.

He already wanted to leave. Some of these local Federal workers on the docks are very bad. They will bully them for fun, just purely bullying them, pushing them around, or giving them a few punches, forcing them to lie on the ground and learn to pee like a puppy.

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

This worker didn't want to go over. His palm pressed against his chest, looking at these people and saying, "Me?"

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

"Jamie." Jamie stood in place, his scalp tingling, but now he could only bite the bullet and continue.

He really shouldn't have run to the toilet to pee. Wouldn't it be fine to find a beach to pee?

He swore he would never do this again next time!

Hope not to suffer this time!

The strong worker waved at him, "Hi, Jamie, let's get to know each other. My name is Johnny. Come over, I have something I want to ask you."

The workers around him were very strong, and they all held wrenches in their hands.

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

After getting close, Johnny touched his clothes, showing a look of surprise, "The quality is great. It's a bit like canvas and a bit like denim. It should be very sturdy."

Others heard it and touched it one after another. They worked every day and could distinguish the quality of the fabric.

Perhaps it is not the most comfortable to wear, but for workers, this is the most practical!

Because sturdiness not only represents wear resistance and corrosion resistance, but also represents the possibility of fewer injuries!

Like this kind of fabric, even if you cut it with a knife, you might not be able to cut the clothes, let alone cut the meat.

The most common thing on the docks is various accidental injuries—being smashed, scraped, pulled, etc., and you get a blood bruise at every turn.

If you have such a set of clothes, it can obviously make yourself a little safer.

Several people marveled, their hands touched Jamie's body, and even touched into his pockets, taking away three five-cent coins.

Seeing that he was finally robbed, he looked a bit sad.

He could only earn 16 dollars a month, barely enough to ensure food and clothing, but now he had to be robbed.

Although the money was not much, this was his lunch and dinner money, which also meant he had to go hungry for a day today.

"Can I go now?" He sighed silently and finally chose to retreat.

He was an illegal immigrant. If he called the police, he would definitely be the first to suffer. This is the primary problem faced by illegal immigrants—their own losses will be greater than the other party's.

And calling the police might not be useful. 15 cents—the gas money for the police to come might be more than this amount.

Johnny cursed "poor ghost," then laughed and put the money in his pocket, then said something that made Jamie unbelievable.

"Take off your clothes."

Jamie looked at him, a bit at a loss, "Sorry..."

"I said, take off your clothes."

Jamie shook his head, "Johnny, these clothes..."

Bang! A punch hit Jamie's face directly, hitting him so that he stumbled to the ground for several steps.

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

"This is the third time, and the last time. Don't force me to let everyone watch you run around on the docks with your butt bare."

"Now, take off your clothes." His face no longer had a smile, replaced by an unsettling ferocity.

Jamie acted as if he didn't hear it, until someone approached him and reached out to unbutton his clothes.

He waved his arms to prevent them from succeeding, "I'll fight you!"

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

Obviously kicked many times, but the clothes were fine. It was indeed good clothes.

About three or four minutes later, Jamie's friend saw that he hadn't returned yet and called his companion to find him.

They saw Jamie wiping tears by a rope pile at Pier 1.

"Jamie, what's wrong with you?"

The companion's concern made him even more unable to suppress the grievance in his heart—being discriminated against, being hurt, being humiliated, all the unfairness he encountered after coming to the Federation erupted instantly!

He cried loudly and told the two what he had encountered. The two were furious, and their fists were clenched tightly.

But soon, one of them became dejected.

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

It was like that before.

Walking well, being stopped by a few people, asked to take out the money in their pockets, or being humiliated by them.

This has become a routine!

The two helped Jamie, who was only wearing a pair of underpants and was bruised all over, back to the core area where they worked. Many people came to ask with concern, and then began to be angry, or helpless.

No one mentioned revenge, or proposed any valuable ideas. Many people's only thought at this time was, forget it if it doesn't work.

It's not the first time, why bother?

But there are always people who are unwilling to accept such a result!

"This matter, it can't just be forgotten!" Someone suddenly said through gritted teeth!

Small changes in the update: it used to be 3 chapters of 3k per day, totaling 9k. Now it is changed to 2 chapters per day, 5k per chapter, which is 1k more than before. The reason is that the average subscription is not high, and it hasn't been refined yet, so without changing the number of words updated, reducing the number of chapters updated will make the average subscription look a bit better, so as to increase the exposure opportunity in the later stage. Hereby notified. ===== CHAPTER 117 =====