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Thousands of Google’s cafeteria workers have unionized

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Re: Thousands of Google’s cafeteria workers have unionized

#141

Post by raverbashing »

reaperducer wrote: post #47

I have mixed feelings about unions, but I'm OK with this move. Cafeteria workers need unions. The maids who muck out hotel room toilets need unions. Coal miners who work in horrific conditions for little pay need unions. You know who doesn't need unions? Millionaire TV anchors. Millionaire movie studio execs and actors. Anyone who makes six figures, which includes a hell of a lot of union members. In those cases the…

> Millionaire movie studio execs and actors

The story about these is interesting. Because for every millionaire actor there are hundreds/thousands of wannabe actors. Who may or may not one day become a millionaire actor.

Not to mention all the rest of the TV/movie production chain: writers, directors, cinematographers, gaffers, production assistants, stunts professionals, etc, etc, etc

The "over-unionization" of that sector ensures fair pay and conditions (which sometimes are already grueling) for the professionals involved in this area of business. What happens without unions? Check the VFX companies for an example.

Re: Thousands of Google’s cafeteria workers have unionized

#142

Post by jjeaff »

komali2 wrote: post #102
novok wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you work in a tech company, you'll quickly realize that the food is something everyone focuses on to a disproportionate degree. This guy knows what he is talking about.

I know a QA ex Google engineer that refused to ever work for a company with a cafeteria again solely because he got tired of people complaining about food that was free. It annoyed him that much.

He should read up on the economic principle, tanstaafl (there ain't. O such thing as a free lunch), then it won't bother him so much.

Re: Thousands of Google’s cafeteria workers have unionized

#143

Post by reaperducer »

jkrems wrote: post #93
reaperducer wrote: post #47

I have mixed feelings about unions, but I'm OK with this move. Cafeteria workers need unions. The maids who muck out hotel room toilets need unions. Coal miners who work in horrific conditions for little pay need unions. You know who doesn't need unions? Millionaire TV anchors. Millionaire movie studio execs and actors. Anyone who makes six figures, which includes a hell of a lot of union members. In those cases the…

Entertainment unions handle such things like health insurance and retirement funds. Most actors aren't millionaires. Having the few millionaires in the same union is good for the non-millionaires. Because it means that studios only get the in-demand millionaires if they provide okay conditions for everybody else as well.

Most actors aren't millionaires

Which is why I specified millionaires. Let the actors who are working paycheck to paycheck or earning a middle-class wage, or working second jobs as waiters or whatever join a union. But when an actor is making $10 million for a movie, they don't need a union. They have an accountant and an agent who take care of them.

Re: Thousands of Google’s cafeteria workers have unionized

#144

Post by komali2 »

shantly wrote: post #130
komali2 wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know a QA ex Google engineer that refused to ever work for a company with a cafeteria again solely because he got tired of people complaining about food that was free. It annoyed him that much.

I see the general principle guiding this and agree with it, but "free" food from an employer is just another form of comp and complaining about it's no more ungrateful than complaining about health benefits or salary. It's not like complaining about a Christmas gift or something.

You're not wrong, it was more complaints about food he saw as objectively delicious. His go to would be him clowning around like "wah they had this cut of steak but I like filet more."

Re: Thousands of Google’s cafeteria workers have unionized

#145

Post by jjeaff »

gbronner wrote: post #42

Expect google to start "optimizing" the cafeteria soon enough.

Especially considering that the recent tax law changes are phasing out some fringe benefits that corporations could previously deduct. Regular meals provided for employees on site is one of the deductions that has been nixed.

Obviously, the kitchen salaries will be deductible. But none of the food cost and other ongoing expenditures related to providing that food.

Re: Thousands of Google’s cafeteria workers have unionized

#146

Post by tehjoker »

whatitdobooboo wrote: post #136
tehjoker wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People will think you're joking but this is essentially what that world historic text is about and it makes its argumentation clearly: https://msuweb.montclair.edu/~lebelp/MarxEngelsTheCommunistM... Start on page 14.

lolll I did think that they were joking

Unions are a hot-fix to problems with capitalism, but they are also something greater: the seed of a more democratic society that should be nourished and grown.

Re: Thousands of Google’s cafeteria workers have unionized

#147

Post by Apocryphon »

zelon88 wrote: post #137
tehjoker wrote: post #76

This was a really great Twitter thread about how capitalism isn't really about meritocracy but about bargaining power and by implication how necessary unions are for workers to be treated humanely and paid more than the bare minimum for survival: https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1210332075787608065

I agree that unions were important, at one time. However technology is at a point where large enough companies can simply engineer around the human resources problem if they want to. So bringing a company like Google's feet to the fire will only make them want to cut you out of their supply chain. Your "bargaining power" is short term. Merely until Google can find another way to subvert you with technology. In the in…

Your last line writes the whole enterprise off, because politics and bureaucracy is a very real challenge. Google can automate away service workers in the same way they can fix their product organization issues, reduce fragmentation of Android, improve their hardware offerings, stop the endless churn of their products ending up in the Google Graveyard, etc.

That is, you can say they can do anything with their resources, but it’s a paper tiger because the organization simply does not have the will nor interest to engage in such efforts, not when they have other priorities they’re focused on. So perhaps they’ll simply pay their workers.

Re: Thousands of Google’s cafeteria workers have unionized

#148

Post by shantly »

komali2 wrote: post #144
shantly wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see the general principle guiding this and agree with it, but "free" food from an employer is just another form of comp and complaining about it's no more ungrateful than complaining about health benefits or salary. It's not like complaining about a Christmas gift or something.

You're not wrong, it was more complaints about food he saw as objectively delicious. His go to would be him clowning around like "wah they had this cut of steak but I like filet more."

Heh, OK, that would grate more than a little, makes more sense now.

Re: Thousands of Google’s cafeteria workers have unionized

#149

Post by cafard »

Retric wrote: post #106
reaperducer wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah. Thanks for the clarification. All I could piece together in my mind were the medieval guilds of Belgium. But I guess this isn't that far removed.

Screen actors guild is the most famous current example. While less well known they have made a significant difference in actor safety.

The Newspaper Guild (TNG, now part of the Communications Workers of America) represents a lot of journalists. But indeed most of us have heard the names of far more members of SAG-AFTRA than of TNG.

Re: Thousands of Google’s cafeteria workers have unionized

#150

Post by dominotw »

baddox wrote: post #19
dominotw wrote: post #5

ppl also talk a lot about union for tech workers. Its not feasible in tech because a sizable majority of tech workers are on various visa's that precludes them from joining a strike, making the union essentially ineffective. This needs to be addressed first. Chicago has teachers union but filipino teachers on J1 cannot participate in a strike, it works for CTU because there are only a tiny fraction on J1 visa.

A majority of tech workers are on visas? I find that hard to believe.

Sorry I meant 'sizable' not 'sizable majority'.
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