Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

A group of Google workers have announced plans to unionize

theverge.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 1001 posts

Re: A group of Google workers have announced plans to unionize

#41

Post by viraptor »

apexalpha wrote: post #28

Good for them. I work for a large company and am a member of the union. While they're not perfect they're very constructive and provide a lot of benefits to all employees, and also to the company itself. Compensation has become very complex over the years. While most people understand their pay the rest is usually where employers cheap out, things like insurance, sick pay, long-term provider care, pension contributio…

> I understand that in the US unions are often seen as a burden

Some are, some the opposite. Often people discuss unions like something very homogenous. They're like companies - there will be both loan sharks and non-profit activists (and lots in between).

I hope it all turns out well for googlers.

Re: A group of Google workers have announced plans to unionize

#42

Post by jononor »

mensetmanusman wrote: post #16
amelius wrote: post #13

Perhaps App store publishers can unionize too. For example, instead of having small companies publishing apps themselves, they can have an organization do it for them, so it's big organization versus BigCorp, instead of little guy versus BigCorp. Also, it could provide some more transparency of the App Store sales.

Is there precedent for a group of unrelated individuals who happen to be in the same industry ‘unionizing’ ? Edit: answer of course is guilds, thanks commenters :) The word union threw me off. One could totally imagine an ‘app developers guild’ to help defend against the big guys. Go start one!

Practically all unions in Norway work that way. Benefit of not having the union tied to the employers:

- Large and resourceful union even for employees in small companies.

- Not too tight with any particular company, helps keep the workers rights in focus

- Continuity when switching employeers

Re: A group of Google workers have announced plans to unionize

#43

Post by geraltofrivia »

booleandilemma wrote: post #11
ceejayoz wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part of that abusiveness likely extends to union busting efforts.

Amazon anti-union video: https://youtu.be/AQeGBHxIyHw

Wow, what the fuck!

“We’re not anti union, but we are not neutral either”

Re: A group of Google workers have announced plans to unionize

#44

Post by pydry »

sneak wrote: post #2

I don't disagree with this effort, but I'm a little surprised it wasn't one of the slightly more abusive/hardline of the FAANGM (that is, specifically Apple or Amazon, or perhaps Microsoft) staff first.

Their hands are somewhat tied in terms of how much they can retaliate legally.

They likely won't take this sitting down, though.

Re: A group of Google workers have announced plans to unionize

#45

Post by maeln »

docdeek wrote: post #4

> If the union effort at Google is successful, members say they will commit one percent of their annual compensation to the union. Is that a standard rate for union dues? I’ve never joined a union myself in the past and have no reference point for a 1% figure.

In France 1% is a common union fee.

Re: A group of Google workers have announced plans to unionize

#47

Post by [deleted] »

viraptor wrote: post #41
apexalpha wrote: post #28

Good for them. I work for a large company and am a member of the union. While they're not perfect they're very constructive and provide a lot of benefits to all employees, and also to the company itself. Compensation has become very complex over the years. While most people understand their pay the rest is usually where employers cheap out, things like insurance, sick pay, long-term provider care, pension contributio…

> I understand that in the US unions are often seen as a burden Some are, some the opposite. Often people discuss unions like something very homogenous. They're like companies - there will be both loan sharks and non-profit activists (and lots in between). I hope it all turns out well for googlers.

[deleted]

Re: A group of Google workers have announced plans to unionize

#48

Post by ATsch »

viraptor wrote: post #41
apexalpha wrote: post #28

Good for them. I work for a large company and am a member of the union. While they're not perfect they're very constructive and provide a lot of benefits to all employees, and also to the company itself. Compensation has become very complex over the years. While most people understand their pay the rest is usually where employers cheap out, things like insurance, sick pay, long-term provider care, pension contributio…

> I understand that in the US unions are often seen as a burden Some are, some the opposite. Often people discuss unions like something very homogenous. They're like companies - there will be both loan sharks and non-profit activists (and lots in between). I hope it all turns out well for googlers.

Of course, there is a difference, in that there's a strong financial interest in painting all unions as the loan shark type.

Re: A group of Google workers have announced plans to unionize

#50

Post by filmgirlcw »

mensetmanusman wrote: post #16
amelius wrote: post #13

Perhaps App store publishers can unionize too. For example, instead of having small companies publishing apps themselves, they can have an organization do it for them, so it's big organization versus BigCorp, instead of little guy versus BigCorp. Also, it could provide some more transparency of the App Store sales.

Is there precedent for a group of unrelated individuals who happen to be in the same industry ‘unionizing’ ? Edit: answer of course is guilds, thanks commenters :) The word union threw me off. One could totally imagine an ‘app developers guild’ to help defend against the big guys. Go start one!

As other have noted, guilds, especially around movie and television production. The WGA, SAG-AFTRA, DGA, PGA, are some examples. There are some newspaper specific guilds, though some of them are part of the CWA or other affiliate unions.

And of course, some of those guilds have a choice in contract types, staff or freelance. The WGAE, where I was a member and part of the negotiating committee for my then-employer, had its own CBA for our “shop” — but the WGA and WGAE also have MBAs (minimum bargaining agreements) for freelancers, which is the more traditional model for entertainment guilds (though WGAE in particular has shifted a lot of its attentions to staff contracts).

Post reply on HN