I can't tell if you're joking. If you're seriously asking, how about that unions have consistently and successfully fought for better treatment and pay for wor

I can't tell if you're joking. If you're seriously asking, how about that unions have consistently and successfully fought for better treatment and pay for workers all around the world. Many of the standards we expect today only exist because of union action over the last century or so. Developers are no different from any other worker in the sense that they have more power as a group than individually. That generally has translated to better conditions, better pay. As the gp comment suggests, it seems entirely plausible that this same effect would apply when applied to vendors. A union/guild/group of people is more able to exert influence over vendors than any one individual, and vendors have a bigger incentive to keep them happy and address any issues promptly. Individuals are, as the op demonstrates, completely at the mercy of megacorps.