If AI makes IT and tech workers unionize, it actually created something useful.
No shit! The amount of capitalist loving IT workers is staggering, a strong anarcho-libertarian bent to them. Which is why it's hard to really unionize them because they don't really believe in unionization as it gets in the way of money some how.
Unionizing is a free market solution that disrupts a crony government which only represents connected elites.
Aye but they've taught not to see it that way, they've been propagandaized that it's a driving factor in worse conditions and pay.
"You understand how monopolies work, right? Don't you want to get paid more like a monopoly does? Fuck 'em!"
Ayup, I have wanted to join a union but the people in my job either don't care, or are right wing CHUDs.
Remember they will invest billions to kill unions as they already had in the past. You will begin to hear a lot of negativity towards unions.
It saddens me people fall for those anti union videos. Theyre obvious bullshit. A lot of people arent bright at all.
Yeah, I used to have a manual labor job and I had heard there the company had fleets in other regions that were unionized. I was like "Cool, can we do that?"
The response was basically "No, because even though our hourly wage would be better, we would no longer be able to work so much overtime so our take-home pay would be smaller."
Even at the time I thought that sounded like a better deal (I'd gladly reduce my hours for a higher rate?) But everyone else just took that as facts and thought the unionized fleets were a bunch of suckers...
I guess it doesn't help that manual labor jobs tend to be filled with the less educated...
Yeah, the second half of the headline surprised me. I was expecting something along the lines of "The industry struck back hard, punishing them severely."
The union in this case is University of California workers, so probably not as big a lift as organizing a union in Corporate America. Still, a nice acheivement for those involved
So how do I, a tech worker not at any of these institutions, support the general movement toward unionization? Due to me being outspoken in general, I can't really vocally support unions in a way that companies might notice (cause they wouldn't hesitate to fire me for some other reason). But I can send money or do other things. I just need to know whatever organization I am supporting is a real deal. Not just another power monger looking for a way to gain influence.
At a minimum, speak positively of unions to those around you and, if possible, educate those that don't know. So many people think unions are a bad thing from the historical propaganda.
Unions are why we have 30 days vacation every year in Europe. Its the entire reason why we are not completely exploited like in the US.
Many people fought very hard to make that happen.
Oddly enough... I have noticed something. People in tech are sick a lot. Many tech places have unlimited sick and pto. People know the pto isn't really unlimited. So they just are "sick" a lot. In the end, a lot of people take a lot more than 30 days. So that kind of argument won't sway many of them. The layoffs though. And the way they are handled. That is what people really really don't like. And the healthcare crap. Those are the things I mention if the subject of unions ever comes up.
I used to work in tech and I think it's very draining these days, with AI and the constant pressure to deliver more and more. Could be why people are "sick", they just can't work on that level all the time, even being young.
fun thing, your workplace doesn't have to be unionized for you to be part of a union, it just helps if most of it is. i know a dental office that is represented by the teamsters.
Union Now is worth supporting
join tech workers coalition or no tech for apartheid. There's a lot of behind the scene work they do at a global level that doesn't require any exposure
Sneak a few fliers up around the office? Careful how you print them though, cause they'll probably print with tiny yellow fingerprints hiding highly identifying information
Oh... I could put up tons of flyers with no issue. But noone will see them because I am a remote worker. :)
Wouldn't you need to be law enforcement to even begin to follow that paper trail?
Unionize Everything!
seems a little too late, the time was before '23 layoffs(actually fall 22 when musk heel turned and was the first in media to immediate lay people off), they were way to comfortable with wfh and got distracted. since there has been so many layoffs since then, the employers are less likely to hire people as it is.
People don't start fighting when times are good. Whenever we "buy time to organize", we go out to brunch instead.
A movement only happens when it's needed, not when it's best for us.
Posted by someone who is bitter that ppl can wfh in tech and no one suffers (business actually flourished if looking at the numbers, gets less cars on the road and less stress) except useless middle managers who only know how to micro manage
You deserved your lay off. You don't actually produce revenue, parasite.
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
