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I don't understand unions for tech workers. We're not living in shacks rented to us by the company and can't afford a bus ticket to a new city or school to star

I don't understand unions for tech workers. We're not living in shacks rented to us by the company and can't afford a bus ticket to a new city or school to start a new life. We're making six figures here. Want more pay? Sit on your butt and do leetcode or practice interviews and network with other rich programmers. Move to a tropical island and work remote. Heck, you don't even need to go to college and just about anything you want to learn is a $9.99 class away or free on in video format.

IE6 4y ago
Tech is not a monolith and there are certainly people employed by Tech companies who are engaged in technology oriented jobs who will benefit from unionization.
FinalBriefing 4y ago
Unions do more than ask for larger wages.
claytonjy 4y ago
Just because conditions are good, doesn't mean they couldn't be better, or that they will always remain good. Demands like unionization are made most effectively when the demanding party has high leverage. Unionization is a preventative measure against a future potential backslide in conditions. Not every worker can or wants to work for a FAANG, whether because of skill, time available to study, logistics like location, moral reasons, or anything else. We all deserve good working conditions now and in the future. Tech workers are absolutely spoiled compared to most other laborers. We also have higher leverage and thus a better chance at unionization compared to many others. Others having it worse should not prevent us from raising our own conditions, and actually helps improve conditions of other classes of laborers by making it more likely they'll unionize themselves or causing employers to improve conditions as a preventative measure.
- Xeoncross 4y ago
  Removing my skills or value proposition from the equation sounds very dangerous. This sounds like giving power to bean counters and exalting mediocrity. When I want 'better', I work for it and get it myself, not by schmoozing the union bosses to get on their good side or paying union fees for 20 years to build up tenure.
  - claytonjy 4y ago
    Unionization doesn't mean removing your value proposition from the equation. There are still different title tiers with different pay, and variance in pay within a given band. I would hope a tech worker union is less tenure-oriented than a union like the UAW but I acknowledge that is tricky to implement and not guaranteed. If you are vastly more productive than coworkers in the same title band and wish to capture more of that surplus value, you should look to change employers, found a company, or become an independent consultant. Those are the available options with or without unions.
    - cuteboy19 4y ago
      With most unions, pay is a function of seniority only. I think most of these tech-unions are ideologically motivated and have no interest in actually improving working conditions.
comrh 4y ago
Have you heard some of the horror stories from the game industry?
coryfklein 4y ago
The skills tech workers contribute are undervalued; I'd make the case that we tech workers are underpaid given the contributions we make to the tech companies we work at. Do you feel like you already make a lot of money, and you don't need more? If so, there are two actions you could take. You tell me which results in greater good in the world: 1. Don't push or struggle for better pay. Be happy with what you have, and let upper management and stockholder dividends soak up the extra. I'm sure they'll spend it making the world a better place. 2. Organize, push, and struggle to improve your pay. Since you're already happy with the pay level you get, donate all surplus to the charity of your choice. Put your niece through college. Save some of it, then retire earlier and spend more time with your family.
goodpoint 4y ago
> We're making six figures here Turns out there are other countries outside of the US. And even in US not all developers are overpaid. Moreover, software developers are much much more likely to drop out of their career before pension and/or face burnout than other fields.

IE6 4y ago

Tech is not a monolith and there are certainly people employed by Tech companies who are engaged in technology oriented jobs who will benefit from unionization.

FinalBriefing 4y ago

Unions do more than ask for larger wages.

claytonjy 4y ago

Just because conditions are good, doesn't mean they couldn't be better, or that they will always remain good. Demands like unionization are made most effectively when the demanding party has high leverage. Unionization is a preventative measure against a future potential backslide in conditions. Not every worker can or wants to work for a FAANG, whether because of skill, time available to study, logistics like location, moral reasons, or anything else. We all deserve good working conditions now and in the future. Tech workers are absolutely spoiled compared to most other laborers. We also have higher leverage and thus a better chance at unionization compared to many others. Others having it worse should not prevent us from raising our own conditions, and actually helps improve conditions of other classes of laborers by making it more likely they'll unionize themselves or causing employers to improve conditions as a preventative measure.

Xeoncross 4y ago
Removing my skills or value proposition from the equation sounds very dangerous. This sounds like giving power to bean counters and exalting mediocrity. When I want 'better', I work for it and get it myself, not by schmoozing the union bosses to get on their good side or paying union fees for 20 years to build up tenure.
- claytonjy 4y ago
  Unionization doesn't mean removing your value proposition from the equation. There are still different title tiers with different pay, and variance in pay within a given band. I would hope a tech worker union is less tenure-oriented than a union like the UAW but I acknowledge that is tricky to implement and not guaranteed. If you are vastly more productive than coworkers in the same title band and wish to capture more of that surplus value, you should look to change employers, found a company, or become an independent consultant. Those are the available options with or without unions.
  - cuteboy19 4y ago
    With most unions, pay is a function of seniority only. I think most of these tech-unions are ideologically motivated and have no interest in actually improving working conditions.

comrh 4y ago

Have you heard some of the horror stories from the game industry?

coryfklein 4y ago

The skills tech workers contribute are undervalued; I'd make the case that we tech workers are underpaid given the contributions we make to the tech companies we work at. Do you feel like you already make a lot of money, and you don't need more? If so, there are two actions you could take. You tell me which results in greater good in the world: 1. Don't push or struggle for better pay. Be happy with what you have, and let upper management and stockholder dividends soak up the extra. I'm sure they'll spend it making the world a better place. 2. Organize, push, and struggle to improve your pay. Since you're already happy with the pay level you get, donate all surplus to the charity of your choice. Put your niece through college. Save some of it, then retire earlier and spend more time with your family.

goodpoint 4y ago

> We're making six figures here Turns out there are other countries outside of the US. And even in US not all developers are overpaid. Moreover, software developers are much much more likely to drop out of their career before pension and/or face burnout than other fields.