Thomas Fellows’ economic and workforce commentating has always sought to strike the delicate balance between these two quotes by Adam Smith, known as the father of Capitalism, which are below:

“It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest. We address ourselves not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities, but of their advantages.”

“No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable. It is but equity, besides, that they who feed, clothe, and lodge the whole body of the people, should have such a share of the produce of their own labour as to be themselves tolerably well fed, clothed, and lodged.”

With that being said, Fellows has been unafraid to comment not only whether unions should have a place in America’s free market economy, but how they should exist in America’s free market economy.  In the past year, he has extensively covered the UAW Strike, the Port Strike, the Boeing Strike, and most recently, the Starbucks strike.   

In terms of the UAW strike, in mid-September of 2023, something happened that has never happened in the history of the United States: the “Big Three” automakers, Ford, GM, and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler), all went on strike for the first time in hopes that they would receive better pay packages as a result of striking. 

Stations were eager to have Fellows comment on the situation after he published a report dealing on the intricacies of not only unions, but also how they tie in with the United Auto Workers Association. Overall, during the strike, Fellows would interview with stations in Texas, Kentucky, and Indiana.   He started off the report by quoting John F. Kennedy when he said, “My intention is to talk not of general principles, but of specific cases – to propose not partisan criticisms but what I hope will be constructive solutions.” 

 Points covered in the report include discussing whether or not unions should exist in a free market economy, whether or not the auto workers were being paid enough, whether the CEOs were being paid too much, and creative ways companies could be more equitable in sharing the profits with their company. To conclude his report Fellows writes that, “half-truths have no place in an industry as important as the auto industry. Issues must be debated and discussed with alacrity, and once that happens, we will not only have clarity, but equity.”

Seven months later, the UAW began to gain steam in the South, a part of the country which has typically resisted unions.   Within a span of just a few days, Fellows appeared on every single Chattanooga, TN affiliate station, discussing whether or not he thought workers at the Volkswagen plant in town should strike.  Although on ABC Chattanooga and NBC Chattanooga, he encouraged workers to strike, he also warned workers on CBS Chattanooga that the plant could lay people off, which is what happened with workers at fast food joints in California when they recently raised the minimum wage to $20.  Furthermore, he warned that the VW plant could start to outsource the work to other parts of the world as well.  

To end his commentating for the week, Fellows interviewed on NBC Birmingham where he stated that workers deserved better pay because inflation rose to as high as 9.1% in June of 2022.  He also stated that 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.   

More recently, Fellows commented on the Port Strike, which affected many Ports across the United States.  Overall, he interviewed six times.  Three of those times were with the ABC affiliate station in Virginia (the ABC Norfolk station three times), two were with two Charleston stations, and one was with a Wilmington, NC station.

On several of the stations, he spoke of consumer prices potentially rising as well as prices for agricultural exports, automobile exports, manufacturing imports.   On NBC Charleston’s local affiliate, he said that the “artificial intelligence that will come into play for this sector of the economy is logistics software, autonomous cranes, and a robotics system for unloading and loading.”

In general, Fellows opinion on the situation can best be summed up by what he told the NBC Wilmington, NC station: “I think for the American people, it’s best they come to an agreement as soon as possible.”   

Most recently, he commented on the Boeing Strike. The recent Boeing strike, which began on September 13, 2024, involves about 33,000 machinists represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Workers are demanding higher wages and the restoration of pensions, which were previously cut in 2014. Despite recent contract negotiations, including an offer with a 35% pay raise over four years and bonuses, the union rejected the latest proposal, prolonging the strike and disrupting Boeing's production of key aircraft like the 737 MAX and 777 models.

Fellows first interviewed with Joel Moreno of ABC Seattle, WA. In a web story entitled, “Boeing strike lingers as machinists and management fail to reach common ground, Moreno writes that “Fellows said the Boeing strike is also about the future of labor in an automated world. In a summary of the broader implications of the Boeing strike, Fellows cautioned that the airplane maker must see workers as part of its long-term success. At the same time, workers must come to terms with the reality that technological disruption is inevitable.” 

Moreno later says that, “whatever outcome the strike has, Fellows predicts in his summary that it will set a precedent for how corporations and labor unions negotiate in an era where automation and globalization shape every decision.”

A day after interviewing with Moreno, Fellows interviewed with ABC Seattle again, this time with Karina Vargas.  When asked why workers shouldn't keep trying to restore their original pension plans, Fellows commented, "The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) requires pension liabilities to be listed on company balance sheets. This transparency can make a company’s financial statements look weaker, affecting stock performance and investor confidence. Additionally, initial funding requirements and globalization also are reasons why many companies aren't offering pensions any longer."

A few days after interviewing with Vargas, Fellows interviewed yet again with ABC Seattle, this time with Jeremy Harris.  Harris first asked Fellows how the strike was affecting the community outside of Boeing itself. Fellows replied with, “It’s already impacting Spirit Aersosystems.  They had to furlough 700 workers so this is going to have a broader impact starting in the next few weeks on other suppliers.” Later, he told Harris, “If this goes on for, say, another two or three weeks, this could affect even other sectors of the economy.”

  In late December 2024, approximately 10,000 Starbucks workers across more than 300 U.S. stores initiated a five-day strike, culminating on Christmas Eve. Organized by Starbucks Workers United, the strike aimed to pressure the company into negotiating a fair contract, with workers citing insufficient wages and challenging working conditions as primary concerns.

Fellows interviewed with a few stations across the country.  In an interview with ABC Seattle's Jackie Kent, he noted that "the housing market in Seattle has absolutely exploded. It’s gone up 218% and wages have not nearly gone up as much," Fellows stated. "The average Starbucks wage is $18 an hour, but $18 an hour doesn’t go very far anymore."

In an interview a few days later with CBS San Antonio, Fellows said that, “Across the country, the average wage is $18 an hour, which comes out to $36,000 a year if you work 52 weeks," Fellows said. "That is just not enough for many of these workers today to survive. A lot of economists will say, ‘Well, some of these workers are students’ and so forth, but many are working full-time and they cannot live on just $18 an hour.”

To see his interviews, click on the links below.