this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2024
137 points (97.2% liked)
Technology
59419 readers
5325 users here now
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related content.
- Be excellent to each another!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
Approved Bots
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
No thanks.
I've been a member of 3. They made for adversarial relationships between management and employees, with union leadership banking our fees. They cause other problems, like you can't fire the slacker, so people abuse it, pushing the load onto us conscientious workers.
There are places for them, they aren't good for tech.
Your relationship with management is always adversarial. They might put sugar and spice on it so you don't see it, but they are not your friend.
You sound like you've never been laid off.
Don't even have to be laid off to understand this. "You've asked for a 8% raise on the basis that you were promoted to a higher position last quarter and have been doing more work for the same pay, but we just can't swing 8% right now. But it's OK, we're all friends here. How about 4% instead?"
Unions only work when union leadership is actually working for the betterment of the entire unit, rather than personal clout. I was in a union that ran well, protected employees, and had a great working relationship with management. Issues were handled efficiently and effectively with the contract in place. Then union leadership changed because a retiree rallied to become president, and the effective president stopped trying so hard because of it. So leadership changed and that union went downhill. Current leadership handles issues so poorly, nothing gets resolved and raises are not going to be as high as they could have been negotiated too. The current leadership values the provided lunches at the negotiation meetings over discussion of the actual topics, and working together to come to an agreement for everyone.
Another union I was a part of prior to that was for a big box wholesale store. I was sexually harassed in front of customers by another union member. The meetings were facilitated by management and the union. Management had my side on the issue, but the union advocated for the harasser due to years of service and seniority. They couldn't even guarantee I wouldn't work with him again. I eventually left that job, for multiple reasons, but a big one was that experience really broke me. I never felt comfortable working around that person and knowing that my voice would always be lesser compared to anyone who had just worked there longer.
This reads like a note from a Stockholm syndrome survivor
The word is bootlicker. There are of course bad union leaders, and the cure is the same: organizing.
Hell, syndicalists saw this problem over a century ago. They came up with a different solution, not finding how many boots needed tongue polishing.
Yeah, unions are a democracy. If you don't like the leadership get off your ass.
Agreed!
Edit - This bit is sarcasm but I guess it didn't read that way: Oh the obsequious, always finding excuses and a fall guy below. Management is never the problem and always has the best intentions.
your unions are ass then if you see them that way. but you also don't bring up any of the useful things unions probably did for you behind the scenes. provide legal protection? contract negotiations? COLLECTIVE BARGAINING? hello?
You'll burn for this comment here.