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The unions you are referring to are almost universally for blue collar workers. Most professional athletes are members of unions. Most highly paid actors are me
by PierceJoy 6y ago
The unions you are referring to are almost universally for blue collar workers. Most professional athletes are members of unions. Most highly paid actors are members of a union. Neither of those groups have decreased individual leverage. It's unlikely that a union for highly paid white collar workers would closely resemble a union for blue collar workers.
- pc86 6y agoProgrammers are much closer to electricians than they are professional football players, though. Athletes and actors have star power, and considerable individual leverage. Tom Cruise is definitely in the Screen Actor's Guild but when's the last time SAG did anything for him? They're there to make sure the lowest end gets their $2k/week. I get your point and it's a good one, I just think when we're talking about literally 100-200 people negotiating 8 and 9-figure yearly contracts it's an outlier (to say the least).
- umanwizard 6y ago> Neither of those groups have decreased individual leverage. Huh? Sure they do. The MLB negotiated agreement is terrible for top performers, who are paid close to the league minimum salary for the first three years of their career, and an arbitration-determined salary for the next two. As soon as the union-negotiated common salary time runs out, top players’ pay jumps several times.
- PierceJoy 6y agoWhat were equivalent players paid before the unions existed? Sports unions are responsible for the massive increase in pay over the years. Those top performers would have been making much less in the absence of a union, both at the start and in the peak of their careers. I personally don't view that as decreased individual leverage. > As soon as the union-negotiated common salary time runs out, top players’ pay jumps several times. That 'several times' level only exists because of the unions.