After the UAW won contracts with the Big Three, it's seeking to unionize 150,000 workers across a dozen companies including Tesla.

‘Your Turn’: United Auto Workers Launches Campaign to Unionize Tesla::After the UAW won contracts with the Big Three, it’s seeking to unionize 150,000 workers across a dozen companies including Tesla.

  • partial_accumen@lemmy.worldEnglish
    59·
    10 months ago

    You’re making good arguments why a company employing IT staff (software devs, engineers, architects), but where is the argument to the benefit of the worker themselves in this case?

    I’ve seen turnover rates of 1-2 years for some of my favorite people I’ve worked with.

    This is a benefit to the worker. They’re leaving because they got a better paying gig or less work/fewer hours for the same amount of money.

    • honey_im_meat_grinding@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      141·
      10 months ago

      This is a benefit to the worker. They’re leaving because they got a better paying gig or less work/fewer hours for the same amount of money.

      Yes, because there’s no union there to bargain for better pay, bonuses, more time off work, and so forth. Tech is a new industry where workers have more bargaining power on an individual level because expertise is so sought after. Now imagine combining that with unions and we’d probably all be doing 4 day work weeks already, like unions are currently bargaining for in various countries. We’d likely also have more time for tech debt, as unions increase certain types of innovation.

      Like, if unions can do this for McDonalds workers after a sympathy strike in Nordic countries:

      Every few months, a prominent person or publication points out that McDonalds workers in Denmark receive $22 per hour, 6 weeks of vacation, and sick pay. This compensation comes on top of the general slate of social benefits in Denmark, which includes child allowances, health care, child care, paid leave, retirement, and education through college, among other things.

      Why would we assume tech workers in a very profitable industry wouldn’t be able to get away with even more?

    • demonsword@lemmy.worldEnglish
      42·
      10 months ago

      They’re leaving because they got a better paying gig or less work/fewer hours for the same amount of money

      nah they’re just part of the last layoff

      • Dave@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        10 months ago

        This. I’m a computer programmer, never been in a union, but after twenty years of startups I cannot believe how good it is to be at a small, stable, employee owned company.

        Only looking back do I realize that the people doing the actual work were never in control, and just how damaging that is.

        To pour you life and soul into building something (time, and time again), and then have it taken away from you again, and again.

        Never going back.

      • JDubbleu@programming.devEnglish
        22·
        10 months ago

        Unions can’t really prevent layoffs unfortunately, but can guarantee severances. However most tech employees already receive generous severance packages.

        Software engineers also still sit at half the unemployment rate of the rest of the US despite the layoffs throughout this past year.

        I’m very pro-union, I just don’t think they belong in tech given how much power engineers already have, and that power being entirely dictated by the ability to jump ship yesterday.