Posted by Sir Four at 1:42pm Oct 13 '07It's a topic I've been thinking about lately. I think the reasons there aren't any include 1) the impression that unions are a lower class thing (in other words, a stupid sense of pride and class-consciousness), 2) general laziness and thus acceptance of the status quo (in other words, white collar workers are paid enough to be "comfortable" which makes it just easier to accept what they've got). The funny thing is, though, unions are not just a blue collar phenomenon. Consider that multi-millionaire pro sports players are unionized. Consider that multi-millionaire Hollywood actors are unionized. Same for Hollywood writers. These people are smart. They know that their bosses are making a lot of money off their work, so they unionize and negotiate the best deal for them. How is it different for the average white collar worker?
Unions should be especially compelling for software writers like myself. In most cases when someone creates intellectual property (patent-holders, musicians, actors), they are entitled to royalties. Strangely, software writers are an exception. We create a product that generates a stream of income, and yet we receive no piece of the action. And why should we? We've never banded together and demanded it. I think of my own situation. Me and my coworkers are paid a regular salary for our work, yet the products add revenue streams for the company. Our software processes transactions that result in approx. $10 income per transaction. Would it be too much to ask that we receive some sort of royalty, say a couple cents per transaction? If we were unionized, I have no doubt we could negotiate such an arrangement.
Also, there is the common mistreatment of employees. Many employers abuse the law that allows salaried workers to work long hours without overtime pay. Why do so many people willingly put up with it? In another instance, at my own employer, the CEO has just canceled all vacation time through the end of the year. Could he get away with this if we were unionized? We'd go on strike!
Essentially, I see the balance of power tilted significantly in the direction of upper management and against the white collar worker. "Go find another job at an employer who is more worker-friendly" is the common refrain from anti-union types. But these practices are so widespread that finding such a job is not easy, and in fact I would argue that even the employers which are "worker-friendly" are really just doing the minimum required to keep workers pacified, rather than giving them a truely advantageous situation, such as being entitled to royalties or other meaningful benefits. "Worker-friendly" typically means an extra week of vacation than the average, a free coffee machine in the office, and a decent bonus at the end of the year. That's nice, but in my opinion these are nothing more than little bones tossed out to make employees think they are at a "worker-friendly" company. I think it actually encourages mediocrity. As soon as the best talent wises up, they are out the door and starting their own company in order to better capitalize on the fruits of their talent. Many of the employees that become cubicle creatures see no personal benefit in giving it their best effort, so their effort becomes misdirected to finding creative ways of slacking off and doing the minimum without being noticed.
Unions should be especially compelling for software writers like myself. In most cases when someone creates intellectual property (patent-holders, musicians, actors), they are entitled to royalties. Strangely, software writers are an exception. We create a product that generates a stream of income, and yet we receive no piece of the action. And why should we? We've never banded together and demanded it. I think of my own situation. Me and my coworkers are paid a regular salary for our work, yet the products add revenue streams for the company. Our software processes transactions that result in approx. $10 income per transaction. Would it be too much to ask that we receive some sort of royalty, say a couple cents per transaction? If we were unionized, I have no doubt we could negotiate such an arrangement.
Also, there is the common mistreatment of employees. Many employers abuse the law that allows salaried workers to work long hours without overtime pay. Why do so many people willingly put up with it? In another instance, at my own employer, the CEO has just canceled all vacation time through the end of the year. Could he get away with this if we were unionized? We'd go on strike!
Essentially, I see the balance of power tilted significantly in the direction of upper management and against the white collar worker. "Go find another job at an employer who is more worker-friendly" is the common refrain from anti-union types. But these practices are so widespread that finding such a job is not easy, and in fact I would argue that even the employers which are "worker-friendly" are really just doing the minimum required to keep workers pacified, rather than giving them a truely advantageous situation, such as being entitled to royalties or other meaningful benefits. "Worker-friendly" typically means an extra week of vacation than the average, a free coffee machine in the office, and a decent bonus at the end of the year. That's nice, but in my opinion these are nothing more than little bones tossed out to make employees think they are at a "worker-friendly" company. I think it actually encourages mediocrity. As soon as the best talent wises up, they are out the door and starting their own company in order to better capitalize on the fruits of their talent. Many of the employees that become cubicle creatures see no personal benefit in giving it their best effort, so their effort becomes misdirected to finding creative ways of slacking off and doing the minimum without being noticed.
Why no White Collar Unions? - Sir Four