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> ...unions are becoming obselete in the US... They don't make sense for knowledge workers. Knowledge workers are rarely interchangeable, so standardizing cont
by humanrebar 9y ago
> ...unions are becoming obselete in the US...
They don't make sense for knowledge workers. Knowledge workers are rarely interchangeable, so standardizing contracts, job titles, pay schedules, working conditions, etc., makes little sense. There is also the chance for protectionism (closed shops) that runs counter to the freelance culture in tech.
Some sort of worker-administered group could make a lot of sense. But maybe a guild or cooperative instead.
Services that would be useful, especially (or only) if employers weren't paying the bill:
* Personal negotiation agents
* Career consultants. Lots of engineers are very underpaid and need some help holding their boss accountable. Or finding the next job.
* (Re)training. Engineers shouldn't specialize themselves into early retirement.
* Lobbying and marketing. Do you want BigCo telling your congressman what you think?
* Independent research and reporting on work environments. Some push back on penny-wise, pound-foolish facilities decisions.
* Charitable technology work not under a corporate brand
* Insurance, modulo whether competitive tax advantages can be arranged. Setting up pools for disability and life insurance, at least. Maybe healthcare if the tax advantages can be worked out.
- ForHackernews 9y agoA guild is just a union by another name. The Screenwriters Guild, the Screen Actors Guild, and the various professional sports unions (e.g. NFLPA) are all good examples of unions representing highly-paid, non-interchangable workers.
- humanrebar 9y agoI actually had those in mind as close to what might make sense. Though agent responsibilities might be assumed by the guild as well. However, the organizations you list have gone in strike as leverage in collective negotiations. That is an aspect I doubt makes sense for tech outside of basic health or ethical concerns. Both the collective bargaining and the striking.
- pault 9y agoI never thought I was underpaid until a year ago when I asked for double my previous salary (now in low six figures) at a new position and nobody blinked. I had been leaving a LOT of money on the table and didn't know it!
- notyourday 9y ago> They don't make sense for knowledge workers. Knowledge workers are rarely interchangeable, so standardizing contracts, job titles, pay schedules, working conditions, etc., makes little sense. There is also the chance for protectionism (closed shops) that runs counter to the freelance culture in tech. If that was the case, no one would have been whining about H1B import companies killing US knowledge jobs.
- humanrebar 9y agoI think your conclusion is premised on a false dichotomy: that either tech jobs are standardized or H1B visas are harmless. There are many ways both can be false at the same time.
- notyourday 9y agoOh no, jobs are not standardized. They workers doing those jobs are interchangeable.