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The Tech Worker Handbook

techworkerhandbook.org

41–50 of 114 posts

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a simple thing that the handbook doesn't talk much about is "when to quit", let alone when and how to engage in concerted action with other team members, and what the risks/benefits of that are. That may be because often trotted out as a convenient solution to any sort of wrongdoing by a lot of privileged people who themselves have their pick of jobs in US companies. It's a convenient null hypothesis that could be…

I can't resist this bikeshed, but you've written the Maximum Hacker News aside of the week. I have several car factory service manuals. They do not include cost benefit analyses on when to remove a vehicle from service. Instead, they are full of flow charts on how to diagnose problems. Each flow chart ends with a "If nothing failed a test, but the symptom persists, replace the entire part/assembly." The goal is to pi…

This kind of aside is what keeps me here, so I'll thank you for it :)

> Each flow chart ends with a "If nothing failed a test, but the symptom persists, replace the entire part/assembly."

I suppose this kind of does refute my point a little bit. Maybe the Tech Worker Handbook should have rules of thumb on when to quit – e.g. if the estimate for legal fees is going to be more than 1% of your salary, evaluate if makes more financial sense to quit your job and look for a new one instead.

Of course, circumstances differ wildly between individuals, so anything more than a rule of thumb is not possible.

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#42
Not sure if anyone related to the Handbook are here, or posted this, but if you are you is there a way to download material covered in the Handbook? A git repo, torrent, etc.

It's good of you to inform users

> That said, I do NOT advise accessing this from a company device. Your employer can, and will likely, track visits to a resource like this Handbook.

But something even better than that would be facilitating a way to ingest the data or consult it without having to access the site each time.

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#43
post #17
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah, so employee handbooks inform their employees of their right to unionize (or refrain from unionizing) without threatening, interrogating, spying on pro-union employees, or promising benefits if employees forget about forming a union? https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/the-law/in...

Why would anyone making salary in the 1% (top 0.001% globally) range in the US want to unionize? I don’t get this whole anti tech thing from tech.

Because wealth and morality are independent concepts.

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#44
post #37
post #20

Regulating big tech is a democratic issue. It’s not up to the individual tech worker to do so, and I’m not convinced that all these movements aren’t “soft-solutions” organised by big tech to avoid people working on real solutions. Solutions like legal intervention from the EU and whatever government you are under. Poor working conditions are solved by forming unions. In Denmark we have strong unions, and while their…

Curious what is the cost of a big mac meal with fries and a coke?

According to The Economist's Big Mac Index, the Big Mac is more expensive (at market exchange rates) than in the US in Norway and Sweden by some 10%, but cheaper in Denmark by some 16% (though much cheaper (>50%) in Hong Kong, South Africa, Indonesia, Romania, Turkey, Russia).

At GDP adjusted prices, Norway and Sweden are still more expensive, and Denmark cheaper than the US.

https://www.economist.com/big-mac-index

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#45
post #37
post #20

Regulating big tech is a democratic issue. It’s not up to the individual tech worker to do so, and I’m not convinced that all these movements aren’t “soft-solutions” organised by big tech to avoid people working on real solutions. Solutions like legal intervention from the EU and whatever government you are under. Poor working conditions are solved by forming unions. In Denmark we have strong unions, and while their…

Curious what is the cost of a big mac meal with fries and a coke?

Burgers are both more affordable by a larger slice of the population (due to great equality and better low-end wages and working conditions) and people have more time to enjoy them (due to the shorter working hours and good GDP-per-hour-worked of the Nordics).

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#46
post #20

Regulating big tech is a democratic issue. It’s not up to the individual tech worker to do so, and I’m not convinced that all these movements aren’t “soft-solutions” organised by big tech to avoid people working on real solutions. Solutions like legal intervention from the EU and whatever government you are under. Poor working conditions are solved by forming unions. In Denmark we have strong unions, and while their…

UK has the highest tech salaries in Europe and trade unions were buried in the 70s. I am fine if you guys seek protection of unions. But never, ever, ever, interfere with my relations with employers.

> UK has the highest tech salaries in Europe

Is that actually true?

I always heard that Switzerland had the highest tech compensation in Europe.

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#47
post #37
post #20

Regulating big tech is a democratic issue. It’s not up to the individual tech worker to do so, and I’m not convinced that all these movements aren’t “soft-solutions” organised by big tech to avoid people working on real solutions. Solutions like legal intervention from the EU and whatever government you are under. Poor working conditions are solved by forming unions. In Denmark we have strong unions, and while their…

Curious what is the cost of a big mac meal with fries and a coke?

Considering this is extremely unhealthy and bad for the environment, I'd say "not enough".

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes you have valid points but it does help when you have to take legal action - break your own procedure on grievance / discipline and you tend to lose in court.

Which is why it's sometimes necessary to go above the court and take the information straight to the people.

Whistleblowing and Employee hand books are two separate things

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#49
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

UK has the highest tech salaries in Europe and trade unions were buried in the 70s. I am fine if you guys seek protection of unions. But never, ever, ever, interfere with my relations with employers.

As a highly paid UK tech worker, this scab does not speak for me.

Out of curiosity, how perjoratively do you use the term 'scab'? It reads of condemnation to me, which is fine if that's intended. I was just wondering if the difference in our culture (Amerimutt here) caused an incidental tone-shift.

More to the point: I've never seen a union actually benefit anyone I'm close to. The reps have all been awful and the structural incentives were all perverse. I ask, in good faith, why do you seem to imply that unions are an unqualified good? (If this is only a seeming, a bad read on my part, then I apologize; if I'm on the money, I would love to get your perspective)

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#50
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

UK has the highest tech salaries in Europe and trade unions were buried in the 70s. I am fine if you guys seek protection of unions. But never, ever, ever, interfere with my relations with employers.

As a highly paid UK tech worker, this scab does not speak for me.

The whole peer pressure to join a union thing is a huge turn-off to the whole idea of unions, at least for me. Convince, don’t pressure.
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