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>even though I understand this is absolutely not the goal of creating one. Not necessarily. All a union is is a way of collectively negotiating. Whether those

>even though I understand this is absolutely not the goal of creating one. Not necessarily. All a union is is a way of collectively negotiating. Whether those terms include stipulations about the way creators are treated is up to the union's members.

elicash 4y ago
To give folks a term to search for, also known as "bargaining for the common good."
culi 4y ago
Right, but in practice unions often confer a lot of benefits to creators. See the other major tech company to unionize: Kickstarter. They basically unionized in response to management bending to the whims of Brietbart who threatened to sue. Stronger worker voices means more backbone to stand up to external influences like that
FractalParadigm 4y ago
Bingo. A company can run their stuff however they please. The union can ask for, or demand anything they please. Neither side has to 'give-in' to the other. You would be hard-pressed to find a company that allows its union to dictate how it operates or does business, the union is there to ensure the employees are all treated and paid equally, and well. If my company decided tomorrow to pivot to manure production instead of steel production, the union can protest all they like, but has no power to affect the direction of the business, just like if the union wanted the business to pivot to copper instead of steel they would be laughed at. They can absolutely try to negotiate in whatever they want, but the company is equally free to say "non-negotiable" and that's the end of it. On that note, it would be really interesting to see a union committee attempting to bargain on behalf of the customer.
- arlcode 4y ago
  Regarding your last sentence: that would be a consumer protection agency. There is a private non profit entity (with a "it's complicated" relationship to the government) for consumer protection in my country to which you can go for little money and ask them to help when you suspect a company is acting illegally. They'll advise you, help you write letter, link you up with a lawyer or sue on your behalf. Sometimes they go after companies for things like "creative" TOS or to have courts clear up grey area of the law. Recently they became one of the few entities who can start the entities who can start the local "equivalent" of a class action suit. As a whole it's working pretty great.
- elicash 4y ago
  After a union is certified or recognized, the employer "will be required to bargain with the union about all mandatory subjects, e.g., wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. "You are required to bargain over mandatory subjects in good faith, which includes the duty to provide relevant information to the union upon request and to refrain from unilaterally changing any of those terms and conditions without first notifying the union and bargaining with the union to lawful impasse. The duty to bargain in good faith does not mean, however, that you must reach agreement with the union on any proposals; rather, it merely requires you to approach bargaining with an open mind and desire to reach agreement, and that, if you reach an agreement, to sign the resulting written document. "You may also choose to bargain with the union about permissive subjects, which is anything that is not mandatory or unlawful."

elicash 4y ago

To give folks a term to search for, also known as "bargaining for the common good."

culi 4y ago

Right, but in practice unions often confer a lot of benefits to creators. See the other major tech company to unionize: Kickstarter. They basically unionized in response to management bending to the whims of Brietbart who threatened to sue. Stronger worker voices means more backbone to stand up to external influences like that

FractalParadigm 4y ago

Bingo. A company can run their stuff however they please. The union can ask for, or demand anything they please. Neither side has to 'give-in' to the other. You would be hard-pressed to find a company that allows its union to dictate how it operates or does business, the union is there to ensure the employees are all treated and paid equally, and well. If my company decided tomorrow to pivot to manure production instead of steel production, the union can protest all they like, but has no power to affect the direction of the business, just like if the union wanted the business to pivot to copper instead of steel they would be laughed at. They can absolutely try to negotiate in whatever they want, but the company is equally free to say "non-negotiable" and that's the end of it. On that note, it would be really interesting to see a union committee attempting to bargain on behalf of the customer.

arlcode 4y ago
Regarding your last sentence: that would be a consumer protection agency. There is a private non profit entity (with a "it's complicated" relationship to the government) for consumer protection in my country to which you can go for little money and ask them to help when you suspect a company is acting illegally. They'll advise you, help you write letter, link you up with a lawyer or sue on your behalf. Sometimes they go after companies for things like "creative" TOS or to have courts clear up grey area of the law. Recently they became one of the few entities who can start the entities who can start the local "equivalent" of a class action suit. As a whole it's working pretty great.
elicash 4y ago
After a union is certified or recognized, the employer "will be required to bargain with the union about all mandatory subjects, e.g., wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. "You are required to bargain over mandatory subjects in good faith, which includes the duty to provide relevant information to the union upon request and to refrain from unilaterally changing any of those terms and conditions without first notifying the union and bargaining with the union to lawful impasse. The duty to bargain in good faith does not mean, however, that you must reach agreement with the union on any proposals; rather, it merely requires you to approach bargaining with an open mind and desire to reach agreement, and that, if you reach an agreement, to sign the resulting written document. "You may also choose to bargain with the union about permissive subjects, which is anything that is not mandatory or unlawful."