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

Rockstar employee shares account of the company's union-busting efforts

gtaforums.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

241–250 of 383 posts

Re: Rockstar employee shares account of the company's union-busting efforts

#241

Post by blasphemers »

dymk wrote: post #214
blasphemers wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing holding back unions in the U.S is the unions themselves and the laws around them. Once a union forms, they have entirely too much power.

What power do they have too much of?

Besides a complete stranglehold on labor markets in a number of industries where the government is required to use union labor for infrastructure projects and they limit the number of laborers to drive up price. Or how about the Plumbers union that forced the city of Chicago to continue installing lead pipes until the federal government had to force them to stop. Beyond that, the power to promote good workers or make necessary changes across the org. For example, why doesn't Chicago have any driver-less trains and a conductor shortage? The unions are preventing both.

Re: Rockstar employee shares account of the company's union-busting efforts

#242

Post by [deleted] »

annexrichmond wrote: post #238
ElevenLathe wrote: post #186

I would encourage anyone in tech that is interested in forming a union at their workplace to sign up for CWA's CODE (Campaign to Organize Digital Employees) training: https://code-cwa.org/ CWA is a big, traditional, national union (think phone company employees, health care workers, flight attendants) that has voted to set aside a portion of their dues to help organize us, their fellow workers in the tech sector, whi…

Are you aware of any resources for how to combat colleagues aiming to start a union? I am personally opposed to being part of a union.

[deleted]

Re: Rockstar employee shares account of the company's union-busting efforts

#243

Post by vkou »

annexrichmond wrote: post #238
ElevenLathe wrote: post #186

I would encourage anyone in tech that is interested in forming a union at their workplace to sign up for CWA's CODE (Campaign to Organize Digital Employees) training: https://code-cwa.org/ CWA is a big, traditional, national union (think phone company employees, health care workers, flight attendants) that has voted to set aside a portion of their dues to help organize us, their fellow workers in the tech sector, whi…

Are you aware of any resources for how to combat colleagues aiming to start a union? I am personally opposed to being part of a union.

If you don't like the people you're working with, you could quit.

You could also vote no on a unionization vote, or just not join. I'm sure your loyalty will get a special consideration when the next round of arbitrary layoffs (coupled with record-breaking profits) happens.

Re: Rockstar employee shares account of the company's union-busting efforts

#244

Post by t-writescode »

castwide wrote: post #195
lotsofpulp wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Costco might not be your intended example. It has amazing revenue growth: https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/COST/costco/revenu... While simultaneously growing profit margin: https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/COST/costco/profit... Hence growing annual net income from $2.3B to $8B in the last 10 years.

I imagine the GP was referring to the fact that Costco experiences that kind of growth while giving their employees excellent pay and benefits. Even low-level store employees typically make $20-30 an hour.

Correct

Re: Rockstar employee shares account of the company's union-busting efforts

#245

Post by mrkpdl »

rburhum wrote: post #221
exabrial wrote: post #99

Every union I've been a part of has been more of a pain than its worth, or has tried to keep individuals from become any more successful that others. I don't understand the obsession with them on HN.

Try to work at a place that has a union and decide to not be part of it... then you can see the true face of injustice. Don't want to be extorted out of union fees? Good luck, you are better off working somewhere else.

This is not representative of all unions, and the union fees are generally small compared to the higher wages that wouldn’t exist were there not a union in place. Mathematically you give a little to get a lot.

Re: Rockstar employee shares account of the company's union-busting efforts

#246

Post by nevon »

annexrichmond wrote: post #238
ElevenLathe wrote: post #186

I would encourage anyone in tech that is interested in forming a union at their workplace to sign up for CWA's CODE (Campaign to Organize Digital Employees) training: https://code-cwa.org/ CWA is a big, traditional, national union (think phone company employees, health care workers, flight attendants) that has voted to set aside a portion of their dues to help organize us, their fellow workers in the tech sector, whi…

Are you aware of any resources for how to combat colleagues aiming to start a union? I am personally opposed to being part of a union.

I have a simple solution for you: don't join a union if you don't want to be part of one.

Re: Rockstar employee shares account of the company's union-busting efforts

#247

Post by [deleted] »

annexrichmond wrote: post #238
ElevenLathe wrote: post #186

I would encourage anyone in tech that is interested in forming a union at their workplace to sign up for CWA's CODE (Campaign to Organize Digital Employees) training: https://code-cwa.org/ CWA is a big, traditional, national union (think phone company employees, health care workers, flight attendants) that has voted to set aside a portion of their dues to help organize us, their fellow workers in the tech sector, whi…

Are you aware of any resources for how to combat colleagues aiming to start a union? I am personally opposed to being part of a union.

[deleted]

Re: Rockstar employee shares account of the company's union-busting efforts

#248

Post by koakuma-chan »

zer00eyz wrote: post #19
immibis wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gabe is the Apple of PC gaming, taking a 30% tax on all transactions. It's not this particular kind of evil, but it is a different kind of evil.

Uhhh.... 11 percent. That is the charge back rate in gaming. The "overall" stat for all transactions is something like 3 percent. Card processing isnt free. There are fees, and supporting card processing still has more humans in the loop than one needs. Never mind all the technology that comes with running the dam platform. Is 30 percent a lot. It sure is. Valve isnt a charity, this is how they chose to make money. M…

Is AWS not being forced on CTO's? I don't see what AWS does that you can't self-host in an OVH container.

Re: Rockstar employee shares account of the company's union-busting efforts

#249

Post by kwanbix »

throwuxiytayq wrote: post #212
kwanbix wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference is that the company had to risk manufacturing cartridges, distributing them, etc. If the game didn't sell, you ended up with lots of money lost. Steam is much much easier for Valve. I am not saying it has a value, but 30% seems a lot. Of course, in the end that 30% we end up paying it ourselves.

It clearly isn’t easy, given that nobody else is doing it their way. Maintaining the company culture might be the toughest challenge of them all. The other game storefronts simply can’t resist muddying the water for the consumer, making the shopping experience hostile for some stupid ass monetization reasons. Shopping on Steam is a breeze, and it always feels like the store is on your side trying to help, instead of…

I shop on Epic Store and GOG and it is a breeze also.

I never had issues with GOG or Epic (where I buy less to be honest), but that might be me.

But Steam has the network effect. They launched first. Of were the first that successfully did it.

Re: Rockstar employee shares account of the company's union-busting efforts

#250

Post by ElevenLathe »

annexrichmond wrote: post #238
ElevenLathe wrote: post #186

I would encourage anyone in tech that is interested in forming a union at their workplace to sign up for CWA's CODE (Campaign to Organize Digital Employees) training: https://code-cwa.org/ CWA is a big, traditional, national union (think phone company employees, health care workers, flight attendants) that has voted to set aside a portion of their dues to help organize us, their fellow workers in the tech sector, whi…

Are you aware of any resources for how to combat colleagues aiming to start a union? I am personally opposed to being part of a union.

Just don't join. Closed shops are already illegal in the US so nobody can make you.
Post reply on HN