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Silicon Valley tech workers consider starting their first union to defeat Trump

5 points by deegles 10y ago

jerf 10y ago
A terrible idea. One way or another, someday there won't be a Trump. Then the union has to find a new reason to exist, because very few organizations that size simply dissolve. What's going to be the new animating goal that doesn't result in internal political infighting to drive the union unto its destruction, with no principles like "Get the workers higher pay" which for all their issues are at least simple enough for all the participants to rally behind? I'd also like to hear the putative advocates of "diversity" explain the virtues of what would almost certainly swiftly degenerate into "having a silicon valley development job requires you to conform to silicon valley political opinions". (Though I can easily imagine funding my retirement via the lawsuits I'd be filing against the union when it turns into that.) Again, if you can't possibly imagine anyone disagreeing with your "resistance", can you imagine disagreeing with chosen tactics, or perhaps someday, having some other political issue come up that you disagree with? Typing unions to politics is a terrible idea. Form a PAC, not a union. Or form a union for more conventional union goals too, that's fine. But don't form a PAC and call it a union.
- ahartman00 10y ago
  "having a silicon valley development job requires you to conform to silicon valley political opinions" Seeing this, and all the boycotts based on political opinions happen at the same time as the bitcoin split makes me wonder if we are going to end up in separate economies. Crazy, I know... But if you have to agree on politics to get a job, won't the other side just form a different union? With republican owned companies hiring republicans, and vice versa. Seems like diversity of thought is going to decline. And why? Diversity! "if you can't possibly imagine anyone disagreeing with your "resistance", can you imagine disagreeing with chosen tactics, or perhaps someday, having some other political issue come up that you disagree with?" Fractal economies!?! Now which ones will have the best jobs : employees ratio? I need to place my bets/form my political opinions appropriately.

5 points by deegles 10y ago

jerf 10y ago

A terrible idea. One way or another, someday there won't be a Trump. Then the union has to find a new reason to exist, because very few organizations that size simply dissolve. What's going to be the new animating goal that doesn't result in internal political infighting to drive the union unto its destruction, with no principles like "Get the workers higher pay" which for all their issues are at least simple enough for all the participants to rally behind? I'd also like to hear the putative advocates of "diversity" explain the virtues of what would almost certainly swiftly degenerate into "having a silicon valley development job requires you to conform to silicon valley political opinions". (Though I can easily imagine funding my retirement via the lawsuits I'd be filing against the union when it turns into that.) Again, if you can't possibly imagine anyone disagreeing with your "resistance", can you imagine disagreeing with chosen tactics, or perhaps someday, having some other political issue come up that you disagree with? Typing unions to politics is a terrible idea. Form a PAC, not a union. Or form a union for more conventional union goals too, that's fine. But don't form a PAC and call it a union.

ahartman00 10y ago
"having a silicon valley development job requires you to conform to silicon valley political opinions" Seeing this, and all the boycotts based on political opinions happen at the same time as the bitcoin split makes me wonder if we are going to end up in separate economies. Crazy, I know... But if you have to agree on politics to get a job, won't the other side just form a different union? With republican owned companies hiring republicans, and vice versa. Seems like diversity of thought is going to decline. And why? Diversity! "if you can't possibly imagine anyone disagreeing with your "resistance", can you imagine disagreeing with chosen tactics, or perhaps someday, having some other political issue come up that you disagree with?" Fractal economies!?! Now which ones will have the best jobs : employees ratio? I need to place my bets/form my political opinions appropriately.