42.全世界的劳动者联合起来

Passage Forty-Two

Workers of the world unite

全世界的劳动者联合起来

【1】Over the past four decades American bosses have grown unused to labour unrest. Ever since Ronald Reagan sacked thousands of striking air-traffic controllers in 1981, shortly after being elected president (and despite(though) once leading the Hollywood actors’ union), American trade unions have been relatively meek(gentle).

在过去的四十年里，美国老板们已经不太习惯劳工动乱的发生了。1981年罗纳德·里根当选总统后不久便解雇了数千名罢工的空中交通管制员（尽管里根曾领导过好莱坞演员工会），自那以来，美国工会就一直比较温顺。

【2】America experienced an average of 17 big work stoppages (affecting 1,000 workers or more) a year from 2000 to 2022, down from 84 annually between 1977 and 1999. Union membership has fallen from a peak of 20m members in 1979 to just over 14m last year, split evenly between the public and private sectors. Just 6% of private-sector workers belong to a union these days, compared with more than 20% in the 1970s.

从 2000年到 2022年，美国平均每年发生17次大规模停工（规模达1000名工人或以上），低于1977年到1999年的平均值，每年84 次。工会成员人数已从1979年的2000万人峰值降低到去年略高于 1400万人的水平，其中公共部门和私营部门工会人数各占一半。目前，仅有6% 的私营部门工人加入了工会，而在上世纪70年代，这一比例曾超过20%。

【3】This year a confluence of tight job markets, accelerating technological change (think ChatGPT) and rising public support for unions (which enjoy a record 67% approval rate among Americans, according to Gallup, a pollster) has emboldened workers. Strikes are proliferating(surging).

今年，就业市场紧缩、技术变革加速（如ChatGPT），公众对工会的支持率上升（民意调查机构Gallup的数据显示，美国人对工会的支持率达到了创纪录的67%），种种因素交织在一起，让工人们变得大胆。罢工激增。

【4】There have been 16 big ones in the country in the first seven months of this year, up from 11 in the same period in 2022 and the most since 2005. Hollywood writers and actors are in a months-long standoff with studios.

今年前7个月，美国共发生了16起大规模罢工，高于去年同期的11起，这也是自2005年以来罢工次数最多的时候。好莱坞的编剧和演员与电影公司的对峙长达数月。

【5】On August 30th 99.5% of unionised American Airlines flight attendants voted to go on strike. Workers at Detroit’s big carmakers are threatening to follow suit.

8月30日，99.5%的美国航空公司工会空乘人员投票要参加罢工。底特律大型汽车制造商的工人也威胁称要进行效仿。

【6】If that weren’t irksome(disgusting) enough for American bosses, some of their businesses are feeling the pain abroad, too. On September 8th workers at two Chevron plants producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Australia may halt(stop) work.

如果这还不够让美国老板们恼火，还有其他坏消息，一些美国公司的海外业务也受到了罢工影响。9月8日，雪佛龙澳大利亚的两家液化天然气（LNG）工厂的工人可能会罢工。

【7】They will down tools for up to 11 hours a day, escalating to a full-blown strike if no agreement on pay is reached. Offshore Alliance, the union representing Chevron’s Aussie workers, recently rejected the energy supermajor’s pay proposals, claiming that they were stingier than those offered by its second-rate competitors.

一开始他们会每天停工11个小时，如果不能就薪资达成协议，停工将升级为全面罢工。代表雪佛龙澳大利亚工人的工会 "离岸联盟"（Offshore Alliance）最近拒绝了雪佛龙的薪酬条件，称这些条件比其二流竞争对手的条件更加苛刻。

【8】Chevron knows how to snuff out industrial action. Last year union workers at its refinery in California caved in and ended a ten-week strike without securing(acquiring) better pay. Demand for gas is lower at the end of the northern summer, which could weaken Offshore Alliance’s bargaining position.

但雪佛龙公司知道该怎么遏制罢工行动。去年，该公司加利福尼亚州炼油厂的工会工人最终妥协了，结束了为期十周的罢工，并且没有成功获得更好的薪酬。北半球夏末对天然气的需求较低，这可能会减少离岸联盟的谈判优势。

【9】Yet a prolonged(standing) dispute(conflict) down under could spell trouble for the American energy giant. The two Australian plants, Gorgon and Wheatstone, together made close to $7bn in net profits for their owner last year, contributing nearly a fifth to its bottom line.

然而，长期的争端可能会给这家美国能源巨头带来麻烦。去年，Gorgon 和 Wheatstone 这两家澳大利亚工厂一共给雪佛龙创造了近70亿美元的净利润，几乎占雪佛龙净利润的五分之一。

【10】Moreover, nearly 90% of Chevron’s LNG production from Australia is sold under long-term contracts, on which it would rather not renege(default). Chevron’s bosses in America understand this. So do its workers across the Pacific.

此外，雪佛龙在澳大利亚生产的液化天然气有近90%签的是长期合同，雪佛龙不希望违约。雪佛龙美国的老板们明白这一点。太平洋彼岸的工人们也明白这一点。