4 ms·

In my understanding unions that can "forces everyone working in a specific area in that company to join or quit" are exceptions not the rules in 2020 USA (and c

In my understanding unions that can "forces everyone working in a specific area in that company to join or quit" are exceptions not the rules in 2020 USA (and clearly not what the article was talking about). Perhaps am I ill informed (never been in USA, and my friend living there are not in unions), could you give us some sources saying that what you say is the main form of union in USA today ?

username90 6y ago
Kickstarter is such a union. Many of the union members didn't want it. I'd bet even most of the software engineers didn't want it, but were forced to since they were bundled up with a lot of unrelated professions. > In the end, employees voted 46-to-37 in favor of unionizing > As of February 2020, the union was made up of 85 engineers, directors, analysts, designers, coordinators, and customer support specialists https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/13/21257585/kickstarter-layoffs-employees-union-negotiations-severance https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/13/21257585/kickstarter-layo...
- skitout 6y ago
  The union "represented about 60 percent of the company’s 140 employees prior to the layoffs". From the article you mentioned. If 40% of the workers are not part of the union, seems that you are free to be part or not of the union. And that the union makes sense to the worker, as more than half of the workforce choose to join.
  - username90 6y ago
    The union doesn't include every employee group at kickstarter. For example no managers or supervisors are included. Also the fact that they have to even vote is evidence that they want to force people to join, or at least force them to pay union dues. Otherwise why not create a union without a vote instead?
    - skitout 6y ago
      So far I seen no indication (and you provided none) that people are forced to join the union, and seen indication that people can "freely" chose to join or not. And that most people "freely" chose to join the union - while some could be part of the union and chose not to be. What is you point ?
      - username90 6y ago
        Look, they voted about it meaning they forced people to pay dues. Paying dues is the same thing as joining. In Europe we don't do that, you just go to a site and say you want to join and then you are in a union and you don't pay to any union if you don't. no need to vote or talk to colleagues about anything, that is just stupid. I can join and leave a union whenever I want, if USA had such unions then they would already have huge union participation among software engineers and we wouldn't need these stupid discussions since you could join a union if you want and I could ignore it if I want, you don't have to convince your colleagues to join just because you want one.
        skitout 6y ago
        "meaning they forced people to pay dues" ; there are nothing about this specific point in what I read. Money helps, but union main strength comes from number of member and support. So paying for it or being member is in all case 2 very different things. And it seems workers are free to join or not, and most of them decided to join. I don't know the situation of all European countries, but in France, unions gets some money from their member, but they also get some money from the state (ie taxppayers), and some elected union/worker representatives have some work time paid by the company to work on workers representation and union stuff

username90 6y ago

Kickstarter is such a union. Many of the union members didn't want it. I'd bet even most of the software engineers didn't want it, but were forced to since they were bundled up with a lot of unrelated professions. > In the end, employees voted 46-to-37 in favor of unionizing > As of February 2020, the union was made up of 85 engineers, directors, analysts, designers, coordinators, and customer support specialists https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/13/21257585/kickstarter-layoffs-employees-union-negotiations-severance https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/13/21257585/kickstarter-layo...

skitout 6y ago
The union "represented about 60 percent of the company’s 140 employees prior to the layoffs". From the article you mentioned. If 40% of the workers are not part of the union, seems that you are free to be part or not of the union. And that the union makes sense to the worker, as more than half of the workforce choose to join.
- username90 6y ago
  The union doesn't include every employee group at kickstarter. For example no managers or supervisors are included. Also the fact that they have to even vote is evidence that they want to force people to join, or at least force them to pay union dues. Otherwise why not create a union without a vote instead?
  - skitout 6y ago
    So far I seen no indication (and you provided none) that people are forced to join the union, and seen indication that people can "freely" chose to join or not. And that most people "freely" chose to join the union - while some could be part of the union and chose not to be. What is you point ?
    - username90 6y ago
      Look, they voted about it meaning they forced people to pay dues. Paying dues is the same thing as joining. In Europe we don't do that, you just go to a site and say you want to join and then you are in a union and you don't pay to any union if you don't. no need to vote or talk to colleagues about anything, that is just stupid. I can join and leave a union whenever I want, if USA had such unions then they would already have huge union participation among software engineers and we wouldn't need these stupid discussions since you could join a union if you want and I could ignore it if I want, you don't have to convince your colleagues to join just because you want one.
      - skitout 6y ago
        "meaning they forced people to pay dues" ; there are nothing about this specific point in what I read. Money helps, but union main strength comes from number of member and support. So paying for it or being member is in all case 2 very different things. And it seems workers are free to join or not, and most of them decided to join. I don't know the situation of all European countries, but in France, unions gets some money from their member, but they also get some money from the state (ie taxppayers), and some elected union/worker representatives have some work time paid by the company to work on workers representation and union stuff