Comment by int_19h
4 days ago
That's not an intrinsic part of being in a union, just a particular way they have been implemented in US.
The fundamental point of the union is to be able to negotiate as a group. That is valuable regardless of the industry.
But what are you negotiating about? What do all tech workers have in common that wouldn't be better addressed with top level regulations like "right to disconnect"?
- maternity leave
- paternity leave
- overtime
- not having to answer a call or email outside of work hours
- workman’s comp / short/long-term disability for issues with my back or wrists or eyes or…
- about 100 more things
The outsized pay for software engineers in the US takes into account a lot of this stuff. Would you trade those 100 things for, say, a salary of $75k a year for a senior software engineer, like they have in Europe?
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All those sorts of protections seem like they make sense for every worker rather than being "tech" specific. I do understand that collective bargaining could help with carving out sector-specific deals, though.
I wonder if there is a difference in context that explains why we might disagree. I'm in Australia where I think it's politically easier to "add" broad top level protections for all workers than it would be in the US.
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tech unions should be pushing for condemnation, which is the process of getting employees seats on the corporate board
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So 105 reasons for management to move as many jobs to AI as possible, as soon as possible. Got it.
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