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Kickstarter employees vote to unionize

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Re: Kickstarter employees vote to unionize

#141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you are fine with the majority forcing the minority to support something they don't want to support? Never going to get behind that notion myself.

"forcing" != "we voted on something"

I'd imagine the 37 people who voted nay didn't even want to take a vote on the matter.

If me and a friend come up to you and say "let's all take a vote to see if I can take your wallet", and you vote "no", it doesn't mean you aren't getting your wallet taken anyway.

Re: Kickstarter employees vote to unionize

#142
post #35

What's the benefit of being in a union for highly specialized tech workers that are very in demand?

The top earning actors and athletes in the country all have strong union representation, but for some reason it's software engineers who think "nah we are too well paid".

> for some reason it's software engineers

Well, at the risk of getting all tinfoil hat conspiracy theory, I can’t help but wonder if the people posting these “you guys are too well paid to have any other concerns” types are really practicing software developers and not “startup founders”.

Re: Kickstarter employees vote to unionize

#143
post #68

I worked in a union shop once, as a summer intern. Every day, we were told to be in the break room at 7:59am to begin promptly at the 8am bell. By 4:30 or 4:45pm, everyone was back in there, waiting for the clock to hit 5pm. One day, I needed to connect two PCs together, which was approved by boss as they would be isolated from the network. So, being the diligent type, I went off and found some network cards and a ca…

This is a very strangely specific comment. I am not saying if I agree or disagree, it just seems that you had a rather specific instance. Unions don't mean anything you said above, all a union does is have a strong-arm against the "company". And gives the company a way of communicating with everyone. Unions don't make rules like what you experienced, a large amount of unneeded employees with nothing to do convince un…

This is an extremely common pattern with union practices in the US.

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22that%27s+not+your+job%22+...

Re: Kickstarter employees vote to unionize

#144
post #64
post #3

I really don't understand this. A career in software is one of the most pampered and lucrative ones I can think of. Due to the shortage of software engineers, we can go anywhere and get a job instantly. The only downside I can think of is ageism, but then again, I have colleagues in their 50s and 60s where I work. But I suppose this isn't universal. (I'm in Atlanta and we have a lot of older workers. Age doesn't seem…

Why do people on HN constantly claim that companies are right to consider “a false negative is better than a false positive”, act like insane interview gauntlets are normal and desired, AND claim that people can easily change jobs? It’s not true. I live in the SF Bay Area, have worked as a SWE for 10+ years including at top companies like Google, and changing jobs is NOT easy and I’m sick of the implication it is. Th…

You sound spoiled, but go off

Re: Kickstarter employees vote to unionize

#145
post #68

I worked in a union shop once, as a summer intern. Every day, we were told to be in the break room at 7:59am to begin promptly at the 8am bell. By 4:30 or 4:45pm, everyone was back in there, waiting for the clock to hit 5pm. One day, I needed to connect two PCs together, which was approved by boss as they would be isolated from the network. So, being the diligent type, I went off and found some network cards and a ca…

This is a very strangely specific comment. I am not saying if I agree or disagree, it just seems that you had a rather specific instance. Unions don't mean anything you said above, all a union does is have a strong-arm against the "company". And gives the company a way of communicating with everyone. Unions don't make rules like what you experienced, a large amount of unneeded employees with nothing to do convince un…

"Unions don't make rules like what you experienced,"

They negotiate them with the employer. What comes out of those negotiations like all compromises sometimes gets really wonky.

Re: Kickstarter employees vote to unionize

#146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thankfully, New York is not a right-to-work state.

So you are fine with the majority forcing the minority to support something they don't want to support? Never going to get behind that notion myself.

By your anti-union tone, one can assume you're American. As we all know, in America, the norm is that the minority forces the majority to support something they don't want to support. Lucky you, not having to deal with horrible things like "democracy"!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_ele...

Re: Kickstarter employees vote to unionize

#147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How are extremely in-demand tech workers not "maintaining fair pay & benefits"? Surely if they were not being paid "fairly" (not sure what that means anyways, if not market price) they could just leave, as there are plenty of tech jobs in NYC where Kickstarter is based.

You're misquoting. I was explaining a union's purpose, I didn't claim tech workers were underpaid. Plus "fairness" could also refer to inter-employee compensation at the same company (e.g. men and women). Additionally if the union expands beyond highly compensated tech' workers (e.g. Customer Service, QA, janitorial, etc) it could help them negotiate better pay and benefits.

Re: enforcing fairness, that argument is still asinine, if women were underpaid relative to men at the same company surely they could find many other companies willing to pay them a fair wage (and hopefully they would sue their former employer as well)

Re: Kickstarter employees vote to unionize

#148
post #55

Anyone else think the phrasing in the title is a bit weird? Were there other people voting in this election who were not Kickstarter employees? How can a group which makes up 100% of the electorate not "win" an election? The outcome reflects the majority opinion, by definition.

Only 46 employees voted for the union, 37 against.

That's kinda my point. A significant percentage of employees were against unionization, so it seems rather odd to treat "Kickerstarter Employees" as a monolithic group who "won" the election. It'd be like announcing the results of a political election with the headline: "U.S. Voters Win Historic Presidential Election."

Re: Kickstarter employees vote to unionize

#149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you are fine with the majority forcing the minority to support something they don't want to support? Never going to get behind that notion myself.

This is literally how democracies work.

And yet you rarely hear about businesses being described as a democracy, except for many coops.

Re: Kickstarter employees vote to unionize

#150
post #32
post #7

“ I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for one man who does absolutely nothing that is useful to amass a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of men and women who work all the days of their lives secure barely enough for a wretched existence.” -Eugene Debs

I'm sure this phrase inspired many, but it's talking about an extreme. What if the disadvantaged are not having a "wretched existence"? Is immense inequality ok then? That's the big question.

Your definition of "wretched existence" might be very different from the folks seeking union representation.
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