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Game Workers Unite

gameworkersunite.org

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Re: Game Workers Unite

#101

Post by petee »

ugh123 wrote: post #12

Consider some of the negative affects of unions when working alongside low and high performers in technology: - Protection for under performers alongside high performers. Difficult or darn near impossible to terminate employment. Ability to enforce performance evaluation and plans could be killed by the union. Common in teacher unions. - Without being able to measure performance, pay may be solely based on tenure, no…

Its up to the union to determine rules like seniority. My union has no seniority - if you suck, you don't get hired. if you break a major job rule, you'll get fired.

Union bonus is, that when your a-hole boss has a grudge and fires you for a bogus reason, you can dispute it, and possibly get your job back too.

Our contracts also spell out specific job titles and positions, and pay rates accordingly - a guy who only sweeps gets $x, where as a special effects technician gets nearly 3 times that amount.

Re: Game Workers Unite

#102

Post by rbobby »

tvanantwerp wrote: post #91
zanny wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nobody can force you to join a union. The scenario you describe only applies if Itch or Steam agree to only take game submissions from union members, which would just prompt non-union alternatives.

Depending on your industry/employer, yes, you can be forced to join a union, or at least pay dues to it even if you're not a member.

There's a case in front the US supreme court on this now.

Basically union dues are currently split between an administrative category and a political category (my terms, can't recall what they're actually called). Administrative covers the costs arising from actual contract negotiation and enforcement. Political covers anything dealing with lobbying or advertising etc (eg. vote Bill Murray because he supports unions).

Currently the political category fee does not have to be paid by non-union members (a free speech issue). The administrative category has to be paid by everyone covered by the contract whether union member or not.

The case in front of the court is to stop making the administrative portion mandatory... somehow because of free speech.

Personally I think it's a bit nutty. Someone that receives the benefits of collective bargaining but doesn't want to pay a cent towards the costs has got a screw lose.

If the SC decides the admin fees are not mandatory then unions are going to have a tough time. If enough idiots opt out of membership the union will not be able to afford a solid contract negotiating team or even an enforcement team. This will let companies strike contracts that are much more in their favor. And presumably the employee's will blame the union and more will opt out... until the union is no longer financially viable.

Let alone what it will do to union's lobbying and political efforts.

Re: Game Workers Unite

#103

Post by petee »

ramy_d wrote: post #21
theyinwhy wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Filmmaking, especially in Hollywood, has a long tradition of strong unions. As all your statements are invalid in terms of Hollywood, I don't see why they should be valid for the game industry.

I think the way film making unions are organized is something to look into but my impression is that the problem space is more familiar when you look at what industrial worker unions deal with. That is: careers under a single employer instead of gigs where you go from employer to employer and have to basically get re-hired.

I think its important to point out that there are a wide range of union constitutions & contracts - not all film jobs are gigs; there are contracts that cover workers who work for a single employer, like a tv studio, film projectionists, or arena stagehands (all IATSE)

Re: Game Workers Unite

#104

Post by rbobby »

asfasgasg wrote: post #16
canthonytucci wrote: post #7

Why only game workers? Why not software workers/codewriters in general? I'd prefer something closer to SAG than the auto workers union personally.

Why not all employees? All humans? :) Sometimes subsets are usefully distinct and are better suited to certain purposes. In this case, it's because game workers are so poorly treated compared to the average worker of a similar tenure in other parts of the software industry.

> All humans?

In a way that's what labor laws and minimum wages are... a gov't mandated union of employees.

:)

Re: Game Workers Unite

#105

Post by rbobby »

briandear wrote: post #58
49531 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All unions have concrete ways to make people's lives better. That's why they exist. This website glosses over them but they are pretty basic. Things like open salaries, control over agile process, overtime for on-call, overtime pay for crunch times, more control over hiring / firing.

Why would I want my salary to be the same as everyone else? If I am better than the next person and I am a better negotiator, why should my salary be identical to the lazy fuck that has the same number of years of experience? The mistake of these Marxist organizations is that they assume that workers are interchangeable parts. Maybe on an assembly line that is true, but engineering software or hardware or designing t…

> If I am better than the next person and I am a better negotiator

But are you really? If you don't know what your coworkers are making then you might actually be the lowest paid.

:)

Re: Game Workers Unite

#106

Post by petee »

zanny wrote: post #87
cabaalis wrote: post #70

I see no problem with game workers unionizing, but when I want to release my indie game on itch or steam and I am stopped because I have to pay dues to the union, we'll have a very real and unfriendly discussion.

Nobody can force you to join a union. The scenario you describe only applies if Itch or Steam agree to only take game submissions from union members, which would just prompt non-union alternatives.

Its called 'right to work' and its a disgusting anti-union effort, where a worker will not pay dues, but be afforded all the protections and benefits the union gets it's members. And then assume they deserve those benefits without contributing to the organization that does the actual fighting.

It was found recently that right-to-work states have a far higher worker injury & death rate than non-RTW, and lower wages. Its a race to the bottom.

Re: Game Workers Unite

#107

Post by petee »

One of my relatives works for a large well known game developer; same employer for years. Because they decide to classify many of their devs as contract workers, they are denied rights afforded to 'full-time' employees - when she is laid off for months at a time (to prevent being called a full-time) she can't collect unemployment. No health care, no benefits whatsoever. And due to contracts, can't work for a rival either during this time. Its forced unemployment.

None of the employees are happy with this situation, but job scared that they'll simply be replaced by those who won't complain, and blacklisted.

Re: Game Workers Unite

#108

Post by petee »

petee wrote: post #107

One of my relatives works for a large well known game developer; same employer for years. Because they decide to classify many of their devs as contract workers, they are denied rights afforded to 'full-time' employees - when she is laid off for months at a time (to prevent being called a full-time) she can't collect unemployment. No health care, no benefits whatsoever. And due to contracts, can't work for a rival ei…

Another example is the collapse of 38 Studios in Rhode Island - half their workers were brought in as contract workers; After 2 weeks without pay, the company finally collapsed: only 'full-time' workers were able to attend an emergency job fair the state created.

The rest of the employees, many who had moved to the area specifically for the job, couldn't even collect unemployment - I met one girl working at Uno's Pizzeria so she wouldn't become homeless and stuck in a distant state.

Re: Game Workers Unite

#109

Post by s2g »

cabaalis wrote: post #70

I see no problem with game workers unionizing, but when I want to release my indie game on itch or steam and I am stopped because I have to pay dues to the union, we'll have a very real and unfriendly discussion.

> I see no problem with game workers unionizing

yet you immediately come up with a completely made up problem.

Re: Game Workers Unite

#110

Post by s2g »

canthonytucci wrote: post #7

Why only game workers? Why not software workers/codewriters in general? I'd prefer something closer to SAG than the auto workers union personally.

Because the super special programmers think they will negotiate a better deal on their own when facing companies that have literally engaged in wage fixing in the recent past.
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