[Discuss] [OT]Discuss - Software Engineering union

[tmetro-blu at vl.com (Tom Metro)]

Mark Woodward wrote:
> An engineering union, could be a good move for the industry. It would
> certainly provide some "push back" against abusive contracts and NDAs.

Lets put aside the question of whether a software engineering union is a
good idea, or whether it is practical for it to be widely adopted, and
instead discuss some of the symptoms you want addressed.

Why is it that you don't feel you have the power to "push back" against
abusive contracts?

With jobs generally being plentiful in the technology field, most
workers probably have little incentive to join a union in order to
increase their negotiating leverage.

Have you considered creating or joining a consulting company, which
could increase your negotiation leverage, and cover the cost of a lawyer
to improve contracts.

Another factor mitigating the benefits of a union for technology fields
is that there is pretty good communication among workers on the
Internet. Bad employers get publicized. Prevailing salaries and benefits
become widely known.

Consider the recent change Twitter made in their employment agreements
to put limits on how patents granted to their employees can be used.
This is a pro-employee change, and the industry has reacted positively,
with a VC adopting the policy for the companies they fund:
http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2012/04/the-twitter-patent-hack.html
and it'll likely spread to other software companies.

I think a lot of what you want to get from a union could be accomplished
with other mechanisms. National associations like ACM and IEEE could
help establish minimum standards for tech workers, and not only educate
their members but also non members that it is in everyone's best
interest to meet or exceed those standards. Sure, this will never have
the power of a union that can unilaterally strike, but as long as many
of the tech job markets remain at least slightly tilted in favor of the
employee, knowledge of what to ask of your employer can be power.

 -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/