Things like this would be much easier to accomplish if tech workers unionized. We don't necessarily need it for compensation, although many could benefit, but having a say in what we build is incredibly important.
Tech workers don't own the code they write for their employer, or the infrastructure they maintain for ops. Tech workers don't receive a share of profits that result from the value they create for the company. Tech workers don't have complete control of their schedules.
I'll grant that working in tech often means more control and flexibility than other professions, and the pay is usually decent. But at the end of the day, tech workers are creating value for their bosses, and the bosses are the ones who benefit and tell the workers what to do. A unionized workforce would tip the balance a little more in favor of workers (and a worker-owned cooperative would flip the script entirely). A strong union ran by the rank-and-file would be awesome for tech workers.
I'm not a big fans of unions as they currently exist, but this is a good example of why tech people should organize into some sort of collective structure so as to equalize their bargaining power. At the end of the day, you're just disposable labor that will be disadvantaged at any opportunity for the sake of profit.
I know it's an unpopular opinion around here, but it's worth considering if forming tech unions could help. Tech companies are making huge profits per employee but holding wages down.
We can build unions based on our democratic interests - what do we care about? Salary, benefits, paid oncall, IP restrictions, open source, etc.
We don't have to sign up with one of the giant calcified corrupt US unions, there are plenty of shops out there that are more modern and give local groups much more autonomy.
This is one of the real reasons that tech workers need something like a union. If we want to take responsibility for our work, and hold the corporations we work for the those values, then we'll need the power of collective bargaining.
Personal anecdata: every company I've worked at would have been worse off (and worse to work at) if the developers had been unionized.
I've also avoided working anywhere that thinks you can only be professional if you're wearing a button down shirt and / or a tie, so I don't doubt that some places might benefit.
Edit: to be clear, I've never advocated for a union, and I doubt I ever will so long as I am fortunate enough to choose my employer, rather than the other way around. This is why, I am guessing, so many tech workers don't bother attempting to unionize.
Maybe tech workers need to unionize. I hope that would help protect the share of profits going to employees (avoiding or reducing cost-cutting moves like this).
I've often thought there should be a union in tech, similar to the way the directors guild and screen actors guild operate. Not to set maximums on compensation, but to set humane minimums and provide continuity and health insurance in a pooled way, perhaps.
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