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In a blog entry by Micheal O. Church [1], he argues that in the companies that most need unionization, the downsides like wage normalization and seniority rules

In a blog entry by Micheal O. Church [1], he argues that in the companies that most need unionization, the downsides like wage normalization and seniority rules are already in place, and adding unionization to the mix almost can't make things worse. He also provides examples of unionized industries where "star performers" have no wage limits -- that the only limit is in the minimum pay for a position. And he points out the many ways a union could support programmer rights (for instance, the right to own personal projects), and kill damaging practices like stack ranking. We need something. That much is clear. Whether it's a professional guild or a union, I'm not sure. But the status quo is awful for most of us. [2] [1] https://michaelochurch.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/it-might-be-time-for-software-engineers-especially-in-silicon-valley-to-unionize/ https://michaelochurch.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/it-might-be-... [2] I'm actually one of the "1%" who is quite well compensated, but I think more of us should be compensated based on our abilities. And I do want to get rid of the "we own your free time projects" rules everywhere; I consider those to be morally reprehensible. Edit: Added "unionized" to the second paragraph to make it clear what I meant.

refurb 12y ago
But the status quo is awful for most of us. No offense, but I think that statement is ridiculous. You admit you're in the top 1% of income earners in the US and you choose to use the word "awful" for your predicament?
- edwinnathaniel 12y ago
  He's the 1% and the "awful for most of us" is for the 99%.
- Igglyboo 12y ago
  Just because he's rich doesn't mean he can't sympathise with or understand the plight of the middle class, just like most people understand and sympathize with the plight of the poor.
  - refurb 12y ago
    Unless I'm reading the post wrong, he's saying it's "awful for us". That would include him, someone in the 1%. My point is, the "plight of programmers" comes nowhere close to "awful" when you actually look at what some workers have to put up with.
- SomeCallMeTim 12y ago
  As others have mentioned, I wasn't complaining on behalf of my own situation, which is exceptional. Practices like "stack ranking" hurt all of us when they result in good people being fired or reprimanded, though.
Animats 12y ago
If you want to see how a professional guild works as a union, see The Animation Guild.[1] TAG represents the animators at several major studios - Warner, Disney, Sony, Pixar, etc. Their contracts set minimum wages, but not maximums. Most importantly, they have serious overtime provisions - 1.5x after 8 hours a day or 40 hours in a week, 2x after 6 consecutive days of work or 14 hours in 1 day. Hollywood has "crunches", but they're rare, because of that. (This is also why film scheduling is a serious discipline while game production scheduling is not.) [1] https://animationguild.org/ https://animationguild.org/ [2] https://animationguild.org/about-the-guild/organizing/ https://animationguild.org/about-the-guild/organizing/

refurb 12y ago

But the status quo is awful for most of us. No offense, but I think that statement is ridiculous. You admit you're in the top 1% of income earners in the US and you choose to use the word "awful" for your predicament?

edwinnathaniel 12y ago
He's the 1% and the "awful for most of us" is for the 99%.
Igglyboo 12y ago
Just because he's rich doesn't mean he can't sympathise with or understand the plight of the middle class, just like most people understand and sympathize with the plight of the poor.
- refurb 12y ago
  Unless I'm reading the post wrong, he's saying it's "awful for us". That would include him, someone in the 1%. My point is, the "plight of programmers" comes nowhere close to "awful" when you actually look at what some workers have to put up with.
SomeCallMeTim 12y ago
As others have mentioned, I wasn't complaining on behalf of my own situation, which is exceptional. Practices like "stack ranking" hurt all of us when they result in good people being fired or reprimanded, though.

Animats 12y ago

If you want to see how a professional guild works as a union, see The Animation Guild.[1] TAG represents the animators at several major studios - Warner, Disney, Sony, Pixar, etc. Their contracts set minimum wages, but not maximums. Most importantly, they have serious overtime provisions - 1.5x after 8 hours a day or 40 hours in a week, 2x after 6 consecutive days of work or 14 hours in 1 day. Hollywood has "crunches", but they're rare, because of that. (This is also why film scheduling is a serious discipline while game production scheduling is not.) [1] https://animationguild.org/ https://animationguild.org/ [2] https://animationguild.org/about-the-guild/organizing/ https://animationguild.org/about-the-guild/organizing/