This is a colossally bad idea. As a Chicagoan I can tell you unions only cause more problems. They make damn sure that patronage and favor systems rule, not meritocracy. That you can't fire terrible people and that all promotions are done via just seniority. That's on top of the eventual corruption, dues, and worse outcomes and being run circles around by non-union shops.
> but I'd prefer that over arseholes like Jobs et al making wage "agreements".
Under existing law this is collusion and illegal. The real question is why the, ironically, union-friendly Obama administration didn't crack down on this with an iron fist? I think Obama's DOJ needs to be held accountable here. Its clear they let Jobs become an untouchable man and this attitude hurt a lot of people's lives, moreso than anything Gates did and he was nearly destroyed by Clinton.
Unions have their place, though they seem more suitable for situations where there isn't any potential for employees to accelerate their careers on the basis of merit.
The transportation sector is an especially good example of this. A cab driver, airline pilot, and train engineer are all expected to operate their respective vehicles safely and efficiently. The opportunity for rapid career advancement that creatives in the tech industry enjoy is simply not present.
Therefore, the meritocracy-breaking overhead often associated with unions isn't nearly as much of a concern as it would be in an industry that's heavily dependent on the meritocratic dynamic.
If unions somehow become a thing in Tech, I suspect it will have been due to their implementation being so radically different so as to resemble the traditional model in name only, if that.
Yeah sound points. I guess I'd just say it feels like we're relying on the foxes to regulate the henhouse, when its really not in their best interests.
> but I'd prefer that over arseholes like Jobs et al making wage "agreements".
Under existing law this is collusion and illegal. The real question is why the, ironically, union-friendly Obama administration didn't crack down on this with an iron fist? I think Obama's DOJ needs to be held accountable here. Its clear they let Jobs become an untouchable man and this attitude hurt a lot of people's lives, moreso than anything Gates did and he was nearly destroyed by Clinton.