3 ms·

This, I think, is the core issue. While unions have their faults, they have also fought for workers' rights and for reasonable conditions, promotions, etc. In o

This, I think, is the core issue. While unions have their faults, they have also fought for workers' rights and for reasonable conditions, promotions, etc. In our drive to demonize unions and fetishize business we've forgotten that there is a powerful "drive to the bottom", and it doesn't care about who (or how many) people are in its path.

jacquesm 10y ago
The problem with unions is that over time they devolve into yet-another-powerstructure whose main goal seems to be self preservation rather than to protect those workers rights leading to all kinds of abuses and nonsense regulations that in fact harm those workers.
- prawn 10y ago
  You can say this about many/most human-led organisations, right? I've wondered when we might see someone pitch to YC a technical solution to what unions do, without the cruft that can come from human influence (losing sight of purpose, developing corruption, etc). Is there even a way to do it?
  - jacquesm 10y ago
    > You can say this about many/most human-led organisations, right? Yes, that's true. > I've wondered when we might see someone pitch to YC a technical solution to what unions do, without the cruft that can come from human influence (losing sight of purpose, developing corruption, etc). Is there even a way to do it? These are social problems, not technical problems. Solving social problems requires the cooperation of all the parties involved. Democracy is one nice example of a technical solution to a social problem, money another. Both rely heavily on everybody playing by the rules.
- vacri 10y ago
  I have no great love for unions, but they're a necessary evil. "Harm those workers" as in "sell them out" is a better place to be than "harm those workers" as in "they lose limbs or worse". Unions create fat cats at the top, but it's still better overall for the rank and file to have them than not have them.

jacquesm 10y ago

The problem with unions is that over time they devolve into yet-another-powerstructure whose main goal seems to be self preservation rather than to protect those workers rights leading to all kinds of abuses and nonsense regulations that in fact harm those workers.

prawn 10y ago
You can say this about many/most human-led organisations, right? I've wondered when we might see someone pitch to YC a technical solution to what unions do, without the cruft that can come from human influence (losing sight of purpose, developing corruption, etc). Is there even a way to do it?
- jacquesm 10y ago
  > You can say this about many/most human-led organisations, right? Yes, that's true. > I've wondered when we might see someone pitch to YC a technical solution to what unions do, without the cruft that can come from human influence (losing sight of purpose, developing corruption, etc). Is there even a way to do it? These are social problems, not technical problems. Solving social problems requires the cooperation of all the parties involved. Democracy is one nice example of a technical solution to a social problem, money another. Both rely heavily on everybody playing by the rules.
vacri 10y ago
I have no great love for unions, but they're a necessary evil. "Harm those workers" as in "sell them out" is a better place to be than "harm those workers" as in "they lose limbs or worse". Unions create fat cats at the top, but it's still better overall for the rank and file to have them than not have them.