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There's one big structural problem with the idea of a consumer union: what happens when negotiations break down. Typically for a worker union, that means the un
by lhorie 6y ago
There's one big structural problem with the idea of a consumer union: what happens when negotiations break down. Typically for a worker union, that means the union tells workers to go on strike. Imagine being told by your union that no one should use google.com/gmail/maps/docs/etc until further notice. It wouldn't fly no matter how you slice it.
- rocqua 6y agoAddblock usage / private mode / not being logged in, could be seen as a strike?
- jfengel 6y agoStriking is the last resort of unions, but it's not their main mode of operation. Some unions can't strike at all. But they are often supported by laws which give them leverage without having to strike. Strikes are bad for everyone concerned. The union also has agreements with the company that give it power, again, precisely because strikes hurt everybody. Unions are mainly about giving workers a unified voice, in the democratic sense -- this is what most of us want, and we all agree to abide by it. The main job of a union is doing that voice, rather than having to leave that up to the many individuals, who usually lack the experience to do it well. It's nearly always routine, and if the word "strike" is even mentioned it's because things have seriously gone off the rails. Google could theoretically empower a users union to represent users, in the same way, and the government could beef that up with laws. It's not impossible. The impossible part is how you elect union leadership. Not with hundreds of millions of people. Unions are fractious enough as it is with tens of thousands of workers all united by similar work environments. The election would be nearly as hard as electing a US President -- more so than any individual Senator.
- toper-centage 6y agoPeople striking by not using Google would save Google money. Instead, people should all do a coordinated DDoS on Google, send thousands of mails per second, click on all ads, etc
- at-fates-hands 6y agoPeople boycott products all the time. This would be no different. If you really wanted to have an impact, you get a few hundred businesses together and they all drop their contracts with said companies and find new vendors. Happens every day in business. People switch vendors all the time. Saying that Google is too big and it would never happen is a bit myopic don't you think?
- smaryjerry 6y agoIt should be like an uploaders union for YouTube or something really. I think that type of organizing has been attempted but they are too big and too global to even care if a even all the big stars in one country band together.