3 ms·
You don't need to join a union to push back against unethical feature requests.
by theodorejb 4mo ago
You don't need to join a union to push back against unethical feature requests.
- jakubadamw 4mo agoThe collective leverage of a union gives you significantly more power to do something like this.
- theodorejb 4mo agoOnly if the union is against the unethical request. In some cases the union may be for it, which makes it even harder to push back.
- jackb4040 4mo agoFellow software engineers aren't incentivized to destroy their company's reputation in the same way that boards of directors have proven to be time and time again.
- chrncirurp 4mo ago> You don't need to join a union to push back against unethical feature requests. If you push back against unethical feature requests: No union: you get fired Union: you still get fired
- jeffgreco 4mo agoStill a better outcome than tossing your ethics overboard.
- garciasn 4mo agoWhy bother to join a union, pay dues, potentially have your career limited, and have another layer to deal with? Just leave or be fired without the song and dance.
- Henchman21 4mo agoBecause you’re a person who cares about your fellow citizens and realize that collectively bargaining helps to lift all boats, not just yours
- josefritzishere 4mo agounion strong, bro.
- HWR_14 4mo agoHow would your career be limited?
- woodrowbarlow 4mo agomaybe, but the union could provide a lot of services to someone who loses their job this way (like income insurance and legal services) and could leverage collective power over companies that demonstrate a pattern of behavior.
- dylan604 4mo agoThis is something that has just never sat well with me. How exactly will the union provide this insurance? That insurance isn't free, so paid for by member dues? How many members are required to be able to afford the payout for just one member? How about the other services unions are touted as being able to provide? They all come from the same dues? I know that unions will put money into investment funds to attempt to grow the coffers, but that just means the money isn't liquid. Unions are always touted as a panacea, but logically, it doesn't compute for me. They feel more like ponzi schemes than anything else.
- woodrowbarlow 4mo agothat's definitely a big question and i don't pretend to have enough expertise to answer fully; however, i will point to the Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan which is (per Wikipedia[1]) "one of the world's largest institutional investors [...] over $266 billion in net assets, with a one-year total-fund net return of 9.4%, and a 7.4% 10-year total-fund net return". the union runs their own investment fund; it's an extension of collective power into the financial realm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_Teachers%27_Pension_Plan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_Teachers%27_Pension_Pl...
- hluska 4mo agoThat is only a pension plan. It provides no insurance to teachers who are still employed.
- woodrowbarlow 4mo agoit's an example of how a union can use collective financial power to fund the services they offer to their members. a software engineer's union could prioritize income insurance over retirement.
- grayhatter 4mo agoI didn't get fired.
- dzikimarian 4mo agoMaybe don't apply to Meta in the first place? With their track record it's pretty obvious that you'll be part of building something morally dubious.