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On a side note I feel we can take Unionization into the tech world as a start up or an App. Imagine a blind-esque App that just allows everyone participating t
by kilgnad 4y ago
On a side note I feel we can take Unionization into the tech world as a start up or an App.
Imagine a blind-esque App that just allows everyone participating to vote anonymously for a union. Then AFTER a union is official then leaders and instigators could reveal themselves or maybe there were no leaders or instigators the whole thing was p2p.
I feel something as easy and convenient as blind can allow "unions in limbo" to form at basically every company. Basically the votes for a union are in, the requirements are met but nobody is really running the show. When times change and companies pull this mass layoff BS... then people can immediately elect a rep to take the reigns as a point of negotiation...?
Is an organization that constantly takes something similar to an HOA fee really required all the time? We just really need to have organized negotiations and communications with management WHEN needed. Like the immune system.. activation only during emergencies.
For example Amazon is conducting multiple rounds of layoffs. If this app existed... No process is needed for workers to form a central point of negotiation as the union is already there in limbo. Software engineers seeing the mass layoffs in the industry All immediately nominate and vote for union reps in the app. The rep has the position for 1 year (as dictated by the app), and will be paid his current salary to do union stuff. He becomes the admin for the blind-esque forum for the company and runs polls and things like that to help the software engineers do coordinated negotiation with management.
Here's the other part of it. If this app existed. Amazon would be aware. They wouldn't perform a random lay off UNLESS it was absolutely required because it would reactivate the union in limbo. So this would prevent even the first round of lay offs presuming that the layoffs have to do with what the article is implying here.
After a year there will be another election for another rep. If things have calmed and nobody really cares any more the rep will be unelected by vote or lack of participation and the union will go back into limbo. If things are still bad everyone will vote for the rep (or a new rep) to stay in place for one more year...
Every company will have the same basic templated bylaws made by the app with additional stuff amended by the union rep. The idea is only emergency activation when needed only.
Good idea? Yay or nay.
Not saying I'm going to do this, but contact me at the email in my profile if you'd be potentially interested working on something like this.
(just fyi the email in my account is not my main email and the name is not my real name and the phone number used to register it is a burner, you should do the same if contacting me, this IS a touchy subject)
- jonathankoren 4y agoThere are very specific regulatory requirements for unionization as outlined by the NLRB.
- kilgnad 4y agofrom what I read (and I didn't read super extensively) my app idea fits within this structure that's outlined by the NRLB.
- jonathankoren 4y agoThen you should talk to a lawyer, or at least a union organizer. I'm sure contacting one of your local union halls could help you out.
- msmenardi 4y agoThere should be forums or something where people can contribute to discussions and create a community. How are they supposed to vote for representatives if there's no way to know who other people are?
- kilgnad 4y agoThe app itself coordinates this. It guarantees only people with company emails can join and these people can only join with a single accocunt. Blind already does this and is quite popular among tech workers. I'm just extending the concept with Unions.
- ramesh31 4y agoUnions are political entities with leadership and power structures. This would be akin to casting a random blind vote for president.
- kilgnad 4y agoYes. But does the law require this. Does the law require the union to have a leader and be operational at all times? Apologies, I'm honestly ignorant about the exact nature of the law here. But from the informal descriptions that I read this is possible. The main point of my idea is instantaneous organization and formation of a central point of negotiation. It's quite obvious that the majority of tech workers are currently interested in forming a union but the bureaucracy is making this hard to happen. With this app, the union forms a day after a layoff. A poll is kicked off on the Blind-esque unionization app and immediately submitted to the proper government sectors once a consensus is reached. There is no human in the loop as a central point. All participants are just part of the community who Agree with the automated rules of the app.