Don't be a scab! Don't put your project on Kickstarter! Don't contribute to Kickstarters!
I'm not a fan of unions. I think I'll rather check out Kickstarter for some things to fund.
Kickstarter’s Year of Turmoil
121–130 of 206 posts
Re: Kickstarter’s Year of Turmoil
#122Don't be a scab! Don't put your project on Kickstarter! Don't contribute to Kickstarters!
Indeed, I've stopped buying things from amazon because of their work practices
Re: Kickstarter’s Year of Turmoil
#123Earlier quoted context omitted.
You are smuggling a connotation in with your denotation. When most people think of "crime", they think of robbery, assault, and other violent acts. They don't think of disregarding various business laws or (to use an example I think you'd agree with) possessing and using certain drugs. To give another example: By the technical definition, Martin Luther King committed crime by violating the racist laws of the south. Y…
Nestlé straight up murdered a worker for unionizing, but sure, the problem is that the flagrant lawbreaking is not representative of corporate conduct, because only unpopular laws are publically broken.
I don't understand what you're getting at. Do you think I want union organizers to be fired from their jobs or murdered? I was simply pointing out that your argument is a cheap dig that could also be applied to pot smokers and MLK. People who disagree with you will see it as such and remain unconvinced by your arguments.
If you want to convince people, you have to figure out what would change their minds, not just hector them. Otherwise you're just wasting everyone's time.
Re: Kickstarter’s Year of Turmoil
#124Slate published an article about this on Thursday that has a lot more information and background: https://slate.com/technology/2019/09/kickstarter-turmoil-uni... Was submitted to HN here, but didn't get much attention: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20962696
Definitely seems fishy. But even with this article we don't have the full story.
The conflict going on in the background seems to be average office fare; a mix of common problems compounded by the fact that there's a power struggle.
Seems like it's possible someone retaliated; but who knows? I bet even people who work there are having trouble piecing together the bits and pieces.
Re: Kickstarter’s Year of Turmoil
#125Earlier quoted context omitted.
Retaliating against someone for trying to unionize is a violation of the National Labor Relations Act, as well as New York state law (Kickstarter is headquartered in New York) – hence the need for a cover story.
Oh, interesting. There was an episode of the U.S. version of The Office where an exec said they'd all be fired if they got "even a whiff" of unionization. And really openly to dozens of people, not in any sort of wink-wink way. I figured this was a legit threat in the U.S.
I'm guessing that in some states it might be legally questionable while not federally across the board
Re: Kickstarter’s Year of Turmoil
#126Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oh, interesting. There was an episode of the U.S. version of The Office where an exec said they'd all be fired if they got "even a whiff" of unionization. And really openly to dozens of people, not in any sort of wink-wink way. I figured this was a legit threat in the U.S.
I'm guessing that in some states it might be legally questionable while not federally across the board
It's illegal anywhere in the US; the NLRA is a federal law.
Re: Kickstarter’s Year of Turmoil
#127Don't be a scab! Don't put your project on Kickstarter! Don't contribute to Kickstarters!
Even if I cared, that would depend on the union demands. Why would I care for "salary equity, diversity in hiring, and wanting a seat at the table when it comes to company decisions"? That list of goals is 2/3rds evil, 1/3rd the exact opposite of what a content creator wants of their platform. (Edit: that quote is of a Slate article)
I’m a content creator who has run three successful Kickstarters. It has generally been a great thing for me, I’ve been able to use it to make self-publishing comics a much less financially risky affair than it was before crowdfunding.
I do not think any of those goals for their employees are evil, or the exact opposite of what a content creator wants out of a fundraising platform. I am all for shrinking the gap between what the company heads and the lowest employee make; I am all for it not being nothing but straight white dudes (I’m not one myself), and I have no problem with their employees having a voice in how the place is run. Especially with KS having restructured itself as a Public Benefit Corporation rather than a pure-profit affair; there is a certain sort of “put your money where your mouth is, guys” thing going on once you’ve made that decision IMHO, and firing union organizers is really not a good look.
Re: Kickstarter’s Year of Turmoil
#128Earlier quoted context omitted.
Retaliating against someone for trying to unionize is a violation of the National Labor Relations Act, as well as New York state law (Kickstarter is headquartered in New York) – hence the need for a cover story.
Oh, interesting. There was an episode of the U.S. version of The Office where an exec said they'd all be fired if they got "even a whiff" of unionization. And really openly to dozens of people, not in any sort of wink-wink way. I figured this was a legit threat in the U.S.
IIRC, Jan didn’t threaten to fire them. She simply asserted that unionization would cause them they would lose their jobs because Dunder Mifflin would close down the branch if the workers unionized, as apparently had happened at another branch.
So not advocating that we use The Office (a sitcom) as a reference for American labor law, but I think Jan’s statements might be permissible. As long as her reasoning is that the increased cost of the workers being in a union will lead to the branch closing, not that the branch would be closed in retaliation, it would be fine.
Companies can and often do complain that if workers are in a union, the company’s operating costs will increase, which will consequently have adverse effects on the workers like layoffs, plant closings and so on.
To be clear, this is my understanding of legal issues in a sitcom. I am not necessarily advocating Jan’s point of view, our labor laws as they stand, or anything else.
Re: Kickstarter’s Year of Turmoil
#129Earlier quoted context omitted.
So's operating a taxi without a license or running a hotel in a residential area. If you can get enough investor money to ignore the consequences, laws don't stop this.
You are smuggling a connotation in with your denotation. When most people think of "crime", they think of robbery, assault, and other violent acts. They don't think of disregarding various business laws or (to use an example I think you'd agree with) possessing and using certain drugs. To give another example: By the technical definition, Martin Luther King committed crime by violating the racist laws of the south. Y…
Did you intend to equate a unionbusting corporation with MLK? He is spinning in his grave at the thought.
Re: Kickstarter’s Year of Turmoil
#130Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oh, interesting. There was an episode of the U.S. version of The Office where an exec said they'd all be fired if they got "even a whiff" of unionization. And really openly to dozens of people, not in any sort of wink-wink way. I figured this was a legit threat in the U.S.
IIRC, Jan didn’t threaten to fire them. She simply asserted that unionization would cause them they would lose their jobs because Dunder Mifflin would close down the branch if the workers unionized, as apparently had happened at another branch. So not advocating that we use The Office (a sitcom) as a reference for American labor law, but I think Jan’s statements might be permissible. As long as her reasoning is that…
That's a pretty fine line to draw:
"Due to increased costs (read: unions), we're reducing/eliminating employment."
"Due to decreased productivity (read: FMLA), we're reducing/eliminating employment."
I guess it works. I don't really understand this stuff.