[Discuss] [OT] Discuss - Software Engineering union

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

Mark Woodward wrote:
> If not a union, maybe a guild, or some organization. We need to take
> control, as a group, and define our role as professionals. We need to
> push back on NDAs and non-competes and take them out of the hands of
> employers and put them into the hands of a negotiating body such that
> they are fair and do not expose members of our profession to risks. I
> did take some business law in school, but few engineers I've met really
> understand how to read a contract. A "union" or some other organization,
> with enough clout, could help this.

Sounds good. What's the next step?

Have you explored whether existing organizations are attempting to meet
this need? In addition to ACM and IEEE, you can take a look at:

Software Contractors' Guild
http://www.scguild.com/

Professional and Technical Consultants Association
http://www.patca.org/
(Appears to be regional (Silicon Valley) in scope.)

Independent Computer Consultant Association
http://www.icca.org/

I'm sure there are others. These happen to be contract oriented because
that what I had in my bookmarks. None look particularly promising for
achieving the goals you stated.

Aside from ACM and IEEE, these industry associations tend to be small
and weak, and often don't last long (several I had bookmarked were defunct).

 -Tm

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