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You're talking about specific job security. He's talking about general job security (or at least seems to be based on wording). A union protects your specific

You're talking about specific job security. He's talking about general job security (or at least seems to be based on wording). A union protects your specific job for a specific employer (or set of employers or subset of industry). Networks and reputation protect your ability to get paid for the thing you do in general. The degree to which either approach is successful is going to depend on one's industry and position/skill-set therein. Edit: This shouldn't need to be said but the above should not be construed as an endorsement of either approach.

vidarh 4y ago
The latter is mostly relevant for specialist, high paid labour. I'm not in a union, but I'm also roughly in the 1%. If I was anywhere below the top 5% or so, I'd have joined a union in a heartbeat, and like commenters above I find the US resistance to unions utterly bizarre, not least because US unions were instrumental in laying the groundwork for a lot of modern labour protections, to the point of losing lives as part of those battles. Even May 1st as an international day for labour demonstrations came after a request from the AFL in part as commemoration of the Chicago Haymarket Massacre, and as a renewal of the multi-decades fight for the 8 hour working day.
jimnotgym 4y ago
If ones job at Tesla is to screw on wing mirrors, how should one go about building a network and developing their reputation? A github page? Speak at conferences maybe? I wish unions were not needed too, then I hear about shitty employers exploiting poor people and I accept that unions are needed.