5 ms·

Garbage workers have used labor organization to stand up to unfair treatment. Do YouTube Moderators?

by SolaceQuantum 7y ago

tantalor 7y ago
Explain how this is unfair treatment.
- zweep 7y ago
  Well garbage workers unions have ensured that the job is one of the best paying you can get without a degree or credential.
  - martin_bech 7y ago
    Dunno why the downvoted. here at least, they mske more than a say a nurse.
    - dredmorbius 7y ago
      The comment seems to imply an unjust degree of compensation, or at the least, fails to acknowledge its merits. Given the charged and rather wanton nature of other comments in this thread, it may be being judged unfairly, though that's not my view.
  - gugagore 7y ago
    from https://www.bls.gov/emp/documentation/nem-definitions.htm https://www.bls.gov/emp/documentation/nem-definitions.htm: No formal educational credential. This category signifies that a formal credential issued by an educational institution, such as a high school diploma or postsecondary certificate, is not typically needed for entry into the occupation. Examples of occupations in this category include janitors and cleaners, cashiers, and agricultural equipment operators. I didn't look to see if garbage workers specifically get higher salaries, but could be. But even if that's the case, it doesn't seem like a very high salary, so, assuming that unions are not in a zero-sum game, and didn't need to cause other salaries to lower, this sounds like a benefit of unions. Or is it a drawback? I wasn't sure how your statement was taken.
  - pmiller2 7y ago
    Sanitation worker is also one of the most dangerous jobs you can do. Being a sanitation worker is more dangerous than being a cop: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/01/08/most-dangerous-jobs-us-where-fatal-injuries-happen-most-often/38832907/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/01/08/most-dangero...
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- untog 7y ago
  For one, this is something existing employees are being told to sign. So they've been working at a job liable to give them PTSD for quite some time, and only now is the company acknowledging it... via a legal disclaimer they're forcing employees to sign. > It also seeks to make employees responsible for monitoring changes in their mental health and orders them to disclose negative changes to their supervisor or HR representative. Absolute abdication of responsibility. Doesn't exactly scream "fair treatment" to me.
  - goatinaboat 7y ago
    It is very much the nature of mental health that by the time you notice the deterioration you have already been possibly permanently harmed. What exactly will happen to someone who reports themselves as such to HR? Let me repeat again for anyone who hasn’t figured it out yet: HR is not your friend.
    - pmiller2 7y ago
      Exactly why these employees should all be provided regular therapy sessions as part of their employment, regardless of whether they've noticed any issues.
    - wombatpm 7y ago
      Having been around the corporate block a few times. I agree and say as much to my younger coworkers. You have a problem. You think, "I'll ask HR for help." Now you have 2 problems.
  - SpicyLemonZest 7y ago
    It's a responsibility that should be abdicated. Would it be better if Google could force people to attend therapy because the company decided they're unwell?
    - untog 7y ago
      It would be better if every employee had a regular check in with a mental health professional. Google don’t need to decide anything. “Forced” makes it sound very authoritarian, but yes, requiring such checkups as a condition of employment would be a good thing.
- ceejayoz 7y ago
  > Employment law experts contacted by The Verge said Accenture’s requirement that employees tell their supervisor about negative changes to their mental health could be viewed as an illegal requirement to disclose a disability or medical condition to an employer. > The Verge’s investigation last month into Accenture’s Austin site described hundreds of low-paid immigrants toiling in what the company calls its violent extremism queue, removing videos flagged for extreme violence and terrorist content. Working for $18.50 an hour, or about $37,000 a year, employees said they struggled to afford rent and were dealing with severe mental health struggles. The moment they quit Accenture or get fired, they lose access to all mental health services. One former moderator for Google said she was still experiencing symptoms of PTSD two years after leaving.
freehunter 7y ago
Handling garbage as a garbage collector is not unfair treatment, it’s the actual job. Handling garbage as a YouTube moderator is not unfair treatment, it’s the actual job.
- cmsonger 7y ago
  But aren't there ways to mitigate some of the issues of both? Might those ways incur costs to the company? Isn't the role of organized labor to advocate for the workers in areas where pure drive for profit would put workers lower priority?
  - SpicyLemonZest 7y ago
    The role of organized labor is to advocate for workers who want to organize. I don't think it's reasonable to assume that something must be wrong with a company simply because it doesn't have a union.
    - cmsonger 7y ago
      I didn't intend to say that something is wrong with a company if its employees are not unionized. I did intend to say that a union can be an effective tool in advocating for employees to an organization that is driven to maximize profit. For profit companies are often rewarded for minimizing costs. Certainly one can envision that FB might view moderation teams as an expense rather than strategic investment. Organized labor can be a good counter balance to that.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- scoutt 7y ago
  It seems to me that a youtube moderator has to moderate things ranging from a simple boob on screen to the most atrocious acts you can imagine. Is like telling the garbage collector that picks up the thrash in your neighborhood to go to a melted reactor to pick up a bag because, hey, his/her job is to collect garbage. Would it be unfair treatment?
anoncake 7y ago
You can't give Youtube moderators reasonable working conditions. The job itself is unreasonable.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
extropy 7y ago
It's more like. Hey you signed up for this little known and fancy "Moderator" position, no prior experience required, before you start, let us explain what it's actually about.

Garbage workers have used labor organization to stand up to unfair treatment. Do YouTube Moderators?

tantalor 7y ago

Explain how this is unfair treatment.

zweep 7y ago
Well garbage workers unions have ensured that the job is one of the best paying you can get without a degree or credential.
- martin_bech 7y ago
  Dunno why the downvoted. here at least, they mske more than a say a nurse.
  - dredmorbius 7y ago
    The comment seems to imply an unjust degree of compensation, or at the least, fails to acknowledge its merits. Given the charged and rather wanton nature of other comments in this thread, it may be being judged unfairly, though that's not my view.
- gugagore 7y ago
  from https://www.bls.gov/emp/documentation/nem-definitions.htm https://www.bls.gov/emp/documentation/nem-definitions.htm: No formal educational credential. This category signifies that a formal credential issued by an educational institution, such as a high school diploma or postsecondary certificate, is not typically needed for entry into the occupation. Examples of occupations in this category include janitors and cleaners, cashiers, and agricultural equipment operators. I didn't look to see if garbage workers specifically get higher salaries, but could be. But even if that's the case, it doesn't seem like a very high salary, so, assuming that unions are not in a zero-sum game, and didn't need to cause other salaries to lower, this sounds like a benefit of unions. Or is it a drawback? I wasn't sure how your statement was taken.
- pmiller2 7y ago
  Sanitation worker is also one of the most dangerous jobs you can do. Being a sanitation worker is more dangerous than being a cop: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/01/08/most-dangerous-jobs-us-where-fatal-injuries-happen-most-often/38832907/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/01/08/most-dangero...
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
untog 7y ago
For one, this is something existing employees are being told to sign. So they've been working at a job liable to give them PTSD for quite some time, and only now is the company acknowledging it... via a legal disclaimer they're forcing employees to sign. > It also seeks to make employees responsible for monitoring changes in their mental health and orders them to disclose negative changes to their supervisor or HR representative. Absolute abdication of responsibility. Doesn't exactly scream "fair treatment" to me.
- goatinaboat 7y ago
  It is very much the nature of mental health that by the time you notice the deterioration you have already been possibly permanently harmed. What exactly will happen to someone who reports themselves as such to HR? Let me repeat again for anyone who hasn’t figured it out yet: HR is not your friend.
  - pmiller2 7y ago
    Exactly why these employees should all be provided regular therapy sessions as part of their employment, regardless of whether they've noticed any issues.
  - wombatpm 7y ago
    Having been around the corporate block a few times. I agree and say as much to my younger coworkers. You have a problem. You think, "I'll ask HR for help." Now you have 2 problems.
- SpicyLemonZest 7y ago
  It's a responsibility that should be abdicated. Would it be better if Google could force people to attend therapy because the company decided they're unwell?
  - untog 7y ago
    It would be better if every employee had a regular check in with a mental health professional. Google don’t need to decide anything. “Forced” makes it sound very authoritarian, but yes, requiring such checkups as a condition of employment would be a good thing.
ceejayoz 7y ago
> Employment law experts contacted by The Verge said Accenture’s requirement that employees tell their supervisor about negative changes to their mental health could be viewed as an illegal requirement to disclose a disability or medical condition to an employer. > The Verge’s investigation last month into Accenture’s Austin site described hundreds of low-paid immigrants toiling in what the company calls its violent extremism queue, removing videos flagged for extreme violence and terrorist content. Working for $18.50 an hour, or about $37,000 a year, employees said they struggled to afford rent and were dealing with severe mental health struggles. The moment they quit Accenture or get fired, they lose access to all mental health services. One former moderator for Google said she was still experiencing symptoms of PTSD two years after leaving.

freehunter 7y ago

Handling garbage as a garbage collector is not unfair treatment, it’s the actual job. Handling garbage as a YouTube moderator is not unfair treatment, it’s the actual job.

cmsonger 7y ago
But aren't there ways to mitigate some of the issues of both? Might those ways incur costs to the company? Isn't the role of organized labor to advocate for the workers in areas where pure drive for profit would put workers lower priority?
- SpicyLemonZest 7y ago
  The role of organized labor is to advocate for workers who want to organize. I don't think it's reasonable to assume that something must be wrong with a company simply because it doesn't have a union.
  - cmsonger 7y ago
    I didn't intend to say that something is wrong with a company if its employees are not unionized. I did intend to say that a union can be an effective tool in advocating for employees to an organization that is driven to maximize profit. For profit companies are often rewarded for minimizing costs. Certainly one can envision that FB might view moderation teams as an expense rather than strategic investment. Organized labor can be a good counter balance to that.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
scoutt 7y ago
It seems to me that a youtube moderator has to moderate things ranging from a simple boob on screen to the most atrocious acts you can imagine. Is like telling the garbage collector that picks up the thrash in your neighborhood to go to a melted reactor to pick up a bag because, hey, his/her job is to collect garbage. Would it be unfair treatment?

anoncake 7y ago

You can't give Youtube moderators reasonable working conditions. The job itself is unreasonable.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

extropy 7y ago

It's more like. Hey you signed up for this little known and fancy "Moderator" position, no prior experience required, before you start, let us explain what it's actually about.