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Google’s fires four organizers after hiring union-busting firm

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Re: Google’s fires four organizers after hiring union-busting firm

#71

Post by friendlybus »

me_me_me wrote: post #6
sunstone wrote: post #2

So Google really has hit the nadir of the wall that Microsoft hit when Gates testified before the Justice department. It's a tough day for all of us Google fan boys but it's time to look in the mirror and carefully consider the current reality.

What always baffles me is the term fanboy, how in this day and age do we still have people believing/having faith in a company. They all did something abhorrent or yet to be caught doing it. And yet we have people who would seemingly jump into fire for a brand (even in face of damning facts). Is this a form of ancient tribalism still at play?

The brand alone is just a symbol for a company doing something valuable. People pay ridiculous fees to see cars go around in circles that they'll never drive themselves. For better or worse google is doing something valuable to some people, they are fans of that.

Re: Google’s fires four organizers after hiring union-busting firm

#72

Post by iofiiiiiiiii »

hu3 wrote: post #51
yoelo wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Care to tell us which articles?

Have you even searched for them? Took me 30 seconds to find this on a mobile phone while commuting to work: Four Google Employees fired for violating co-worker's data privacy https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21635286 Top-level comment has a link with a list of articles.

The article in the linked post says nothing beyond repeating an obvious corporate soundbite and there is no list of articles in the comments. What list are you referring to?

Re: Google’s fires four organizers after hiring union-busting firm

#73

Post by brown9-2 »

rocqua wrote: post #12

What has made google look at the facts and think this is the right way to proceed? Do they think this won't blow up? Do they fear unions so much that this is worth the bad PR? Or is this just a corporate process that no-one took a big picture view on? Because from where I am standing, this just seems like a dumb move.

I think it’s obvious they’ve concluded they have little to fear from the government or the NLRB with the current administration.

Re: Google’s fires four organizers after hiring union-busting firm

#74

Post by brown9-2 »

close04 wrote: post #4

> Around the same time Google redrafted its policies, making it a fireable offense to even look at certain documents. And let’s be clear, looking at such documents is a big part of Google culture; the company describes it as a benefit in recruiting, and even encourages new hires to read docs from projects all across the company. Which documents were off limits after this policy change? The policy was unclear, even ex…

With at-will employment, almost any reason is justifiable.

Re: Google’s fires four organizers after hiring union-busting firm

#75

Post by toopok4k3 »

throwawaylolx wrote: post #26

This article is ranked 16th on HN first page right now, and it has 80 points, was posted 4 hours ago, and has 16 comments. A different article [1] is ranked 8th on HN right now, and it has 31 points, was also posted 4 hours ago and it has 18 comments. They were both posted about the same time, they have the same number of comments, but the article that has significantly more points is ranked significantly lower. If I…

Are you suggesting anti-union actions from a US corporation on a news site run by venture capitalist?

I mean... I hope this is not a new revelation to anyone.

Re: Google’s fires four organizers after hiring union-busting firm

#76

Post by CryptoPunk »

9HZZRfNlpR wrote: post #34
throwawaylolx wrote: post #26

This article is ranked 16th on HN first page right now, and it has 80 points, was posted 4 hours ago, and has 16 comments. A different article [1] is ranked 8th on HN right now, and it has 31 points, was also posted 4 hours ago and it has 18 comments. They were both posted about the same time, they have the same number of comments, but the article that has significantly more points is ranked significantly lower. If I…

Well before going full conspiracy, I believe a lot of tech people are anti union themselves compared to some other fields. I'm not one of them but as long as there is demand like right now for programmers, the conditions and pay is good.

From what I remember, the percentage of programmers/tech-workers who have libertarian/free-market views is much higher than percentage found in the general population.

Re: Google’s fires four organizers after hiring union-busting firm

#77

Post by tomrod »

nova22033 wrote: post #38
LeonB wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google is a company based on surveillance. It crawls the entire world‘s data. It makes money by delivering messages to people you’ve never met based on the intelligence they’ve gathered about the people. They give you free tools for instrumenting websites to gather more intel about people, which is then stored on their servers. And the calendar notification claim relates to using a google product in the exact way it…

Google is a company based on surveillance. It crawls the entire world‘s data You make it sound more nefarious that it is. If you don't want your data to be crawled, there's an easy solution. Even Rupert Murdoch, who complains about google all the time, won't take the simple step necessary to stop google from crawling the WSJ website.

It is nefarious. Just because the elephant in the room hasn't stepped in you yet doesn't mean it isn't there.

Re: Google’s fires four organizers after hiring union-busting firm

#78

Post by CryptoPunk »

goatinaboat wrote: post #54
9HZZRfNlpR wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well before going full conspiracy, I believe a lot of tech people are anti union themselves compared to some other fields. I'm not one of them but as long as there is demand like right now for programmers, the conditions and pay is good.

as long as there is demand like right now for programmers, the conditions and pay is good. The time to assert your rights is when you have leverage, if you wait until you need those rights because you have no leverage it’s too late.

Unionization could very plausibly weaken the US tech sector. It's happened before (US Steel, the US passenger rail service, high-volume manufacturing, the Big Three auto makers).

Re: Google’s fires four organizers after hiring union-busting firm

#79

Post by jbc1 »

throwawaylolx wrote: post #26

This article is ranked 16th on HN first page right now, and it has 80 points, was posted 4 hours ago, and has 16 comments. A different article [1] is ranked 8th on HN right now, and it has 31 points, was also posted 4 hours ago and it has 18 comments. They were both posted about the same time, they have the same number of comments, but the article that has significantly more points is ranked significantly lower. If I…

HN weights stories by novelty to avoid having the front page just being round #4643 of never ending social arguments.

If something appears to be just a minor amendment to an event that's already been represented on HN, it gets penalised. Dang has a comment about it somewhere.

I've already seen posts on here about both Google firing organizers and hiring the union busting firm. It doesn't appear novel and deserves the penalty.

Re: Google’s fires four organizers after hiring union-busting firm

#80

Post by netcan »

goatinaboat wrote: post #61
netcan wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just to put some practical meat on it... salaries. Iirc, unions typically insist on a strict payscale/structure combining legible factors like seniority, position, etc. Would they want this.

Iirc, unions typically insist on a strict payscale/structure combining legible factors like seniority, position, etc. Would they want this. People keep saying this but it doesn’t have to be true e.g. Hollywood unions cover everyone from extras to stars.

Agreed, that's why I ask. Industrial and administrative unions do usually seek legibility in payscales. What would the h unions demand?

I'm trying to see past the nonspecific of "unions" to a specific union movement and what it could want (other than the union itself).

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