[Discuss] Discuss - Software Engineering union

[jack at coats.org (Jack Coats)]

Union have had their place, and some times they may have use today.

Unions came about when employers were abusing employees.
More resent history have employees abusing employers.

If we all played nice like we were taught in kindergarten, none of that
and lawyers wouldn't be necessary.

Instead, we are stuck with unions, lawyers, etc ... a whole system designed
to enforce the kindergarten rules of how to treat each other.

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When I was younger a friend was an engineer for a big firm that had
union 'skilled workers' but non-professional.  The engineers formed a
union just to make sure they got the same raises the 'skilled workers' got.
Before that they got no cost of living raises.

......

If unions are happy about companies sending lower skilled (and some higher
skilled) out of the country, they are doing a good job.

In todays world, We want to be paid to make stuff in the USA, but we
just don't want to buy it (Wal-Mart had a 'made in USA program' that
failed, because USA manufacturers could not meet the cost control
needs. ... Off-shore manufacturers did. ... without that WMT couldn't sell
product in the USA at the prices that were demanded by customers).

.....

Unions and businesses are both constructive and destructive, often at
the same time.

I just find it interesting that when the ownership of GM and Chrysler
were stolen
from the rightful owners (common stock holders) the were given to the UNIONs
and government, not back to the people the assets were stolen from.