2 ms·
Eastman Kodak was a technology innovator. Where are they now? Unions were/are a huge drag on them. In order to 'protect' workers, unions define job functions
by tomohawk 9y ago
Eastman Kodak was a technology innovator. Where are they now?
Unions were/are a huge drag on them.
In order to 'protect' workers, unions define job functions. This prevents an engineer from being moved over to bathroom cleaner. However, it also locks people into job descriptions that may have made sense at one time, but no longer do. It also makes the business unable to respond flexibly to new conditions.
A friend of mine worked at Kodak. It took months to get a photocopier installed because the movers were unionized, and they wouldn't move the old one because it was plugged in. Only the unionized electricians were allowed to unplug it.
- emodendroket 9y agoNon-unionized workplaces can also have ridiculous, bureaucratic rules.
- Clubber 9y agoYa, I've heard stories about people getting in trouble for moving a printer because it's a union job. Like I said before, not all unions are the same, just like not all developers are the same. BTW, unions didn't kill Kodak. Executives love to blame unions for their own ineptitude. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/01/what-killed-kodak/250925/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/01/what-ki...
- Daishiman 9y agoIBM is not unionized and has fought unionization since forever. They didn't need unions to have ridiculous rules pegging people into hyper-specific roles at the cost of productivity. If the company cared about that being a huge drag on productivity, it would bring it up with the unions. Pathological management is around everywhere.