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From the other perspective, I’ve also wondered about what it would mean to have a union for international remote employees. Unions for tech workers are rare bu

From the other perspective, I’ve also wondered about what it would mean to have a union for international remote employees. Unions for tech workers are rare but if you’re working for a company with people scattered all over the planet, it’s a massive increase in complexity. I’ve never done any serious organizing, and the companies I’ve worked for have been relatively benign. But after almost ten years in satellite offices or remote work from home, it feels like I’m taking on risks here if I ever get into a dispute. According to one organizer I talked to, you need to form unions in each country with “recognized units” of a handful of people. At my current company there are knots of employees here and there but we are starting to look like the General Assembly of the UN with one person per country. Then there’s all the varying rules on when the employer has the recognize a union. Are there any precedents for doing this?

verve_rat 5y ago
Good questions. I unfortunately can't help with any insight. But my personal policy is to only take jobs that I could walk away from and quit the moment anything I'd want union support for comes up. A union for international employees seems next to impossible, especially with the employer of record thing getting in the way. Luckily the market for my skills is such that I can afford that policy. You should probably only consider international employment relationships if you are going to be paid a butt load of money and can find a replacement job very easily.
withinboredom 5y ago
I’ve also thought of this. IMHO, it would be like a professional union, not one tied to a specific employer (so opt-in only). The job of the union would be to provide legal assistance to the employee and consult with employers who hire remote workers. I have lots of thoughts for this, and it’s something I think about quite a bit as a remote worker. If this is something you are serious about, or just want to chat about, look me up.

verve_rat 5y ago

Good questions. I unfortunately can't help with any insight. But my personal policy is to only take jobs that I could walk away from and quit the moment anything I'd want union support for comes up. A union for international employees seems next to impossible, especially with the employer of record thing getting in the way. Luckily the market for my skills is such that I can afford that policy. You should probably only consider international employment relationships if you are going to be paid a butt load of money and can find a replacement job very easily.

withinboredom 5y ago

I’ve also thought of this. IMHO, it would be like a professional union, not one tied to a specific employer (so opt-in only). The job of the union would be to provide legal assistance to the employee and consult with employers who hire remote workers. I have lots of thoughts for this, and it’s something I think about quite a bit as a remote worker. If this is something you are serious about, or just want to chat about, look me up.