5 ms·

I am a unionized software engineer and we will be bargaining for COLA to address the issues you highlight. When workers don't have democratic organizations of

I am a unionized software engineer and we will be bargaining for COLA to address the issues you highlight. When workers don't have democratic organizations of their own, their interests fall by the wayside.

giantg2 5y ago
Which union? I haven't really heard of any for software. I would love to have one at my work.
- casralad 5y ago
  Yes. I would like to learn more about your union experience.
- bwestergard 5y ago
  I'm a member of the Communications Workers of America, which is actively supporting software developers organizing in a number of sectors. https://twitter.com/webuildnpr https://twitter.com/webuildnpr https://twitter.com/CODE_CWA https://twitter.com/CODE_CWA
  - giantg2 5y ago
    Is it possible to just unionize the IT division of a company?
    - bwestergard 5y ago
      Indeed. In general, you have more bargaining power when you unite all of your coworkers in one union. But it may be strategically wise to begin with a department where mutual understanding among coworkers is high; once you've got the union up and running, you can help coworkers organize and join.
      - giantg2 5y ago
        All the resources I found say you need 30% of the employees at a company to organize. Do you have any details about how this works at the division level?
        bwestergard 5y ago
        Close, but that's not quite right - 30% is the threshold within a "unit" (which can be one department) for a "showing of interest" which can be used to trigger a National Labor Relations Board election. An election is one of the most common ways to get an employer to live up to its obligation to bargain with its employees, but there are several. For an overview, check out "Labor Law for the Rank and Filer" by Daniel Gross. Legalities aside, if you want to organize a union with your coworkers the first step is to form an organizing committee that is broadly representative of the unit you are trying to organize. You can then either form an independent union, or join an existing one. I'm happy to answer further questions by email (which you can find in my profile).
jethro_tell 5y ago
Where are you located and which union?

giantg2 5y ago

Which union? I haven't really heard of any for software. I would love to have one at my work.

casralad 5y ago
Yes. I would like to learn more about your union experience.
bwestergard 5y ago
I'm a member of the Communications Workers of America, which is actively supporting software developers organizing in a number of sectors. https://twitter.com/webuildnpr https://twitter.com/webuildnpr https://twitter.com/CODE_CWA https://twitter.com/CODE_CWA
- giantg2 5y ago
  Is it possible to just unionize the IT division of a company?
  - bwestergard 5y ago
    Indeed. In general, you have more bargaining power when you unite all of your coworkers in one union. But it may be strategically wise to begin with a department where mutual understanding among coworkers is high; once you've got the union up and running, you can help coworkers organize and join.
    - giantg2 5y ago
      All the resources I found say you need 30% of the employees at a company to organize. Do you have any details about how this works at the division level?
      - bwestergard 5y ago
        Close, but that's not quite right - 30% is the threshold within a "unit" (which can be one department) for a "showing of interest" which can be used to trigger a National Labor Relations Board election. An election is one of the most common ways to get an employer to live up to its obligation to bargain with its employees, but there are several. For an overview, check out "Labor Law for the Rank and Filer" by Daniel Gross. Legalities aside, if you want to organize a union with your coworkers the first step is to form an organizing committee that is broadly representative of the unit you are trying to organize. You can then either form an independent union, or join an existing one. I'm happy to answer further questions by email (which you can find in my profile).

jethro_tell 5y ago

Where are you located and which union?