I don’t know if it’s the unions as much as it is fear by the “average” techie to be able to get another job because the current one has demands that are too high. Fear that they can’t get another job makes them feel they must succumb to the demands of management, no matter how outrageous.

I’m a programmer now, but have been a web master, dba, sys admin, help desk and mail admin. Heck, there were times I’ve even done phone and network wiring to make ends meet. I generally get good reviews and don’t see the idea of unionizing as being all that necessary. That being said, if I had a more difficult time getting a tech job and felt completely powerless in my current job, I can understand the desire to try to take “back” some control.

With tech, you have to remember that a lot of times, it’s an all or nothing job. You either fix the problem, deliver the service, write the code or you don’t. There is really never a middle ground like there might be for a sales group: we only met 85% of the goal. If you only do 85% of the work in most tech fields, the problem is still there, the service isn’t delivered and the code isn’t written. For a lot of people, that can be a very hard concept to accept.

Given the number of people in tech these days and how easily it is for a small minority to make it seem like they’re the majority, this doesn’t surprise me a bit. I have a difficult time it’s any potential union stirring this up as much as it is the “whiners and complainers” that I see dragging down the name of good techs all the time.

Anyone ever read the preamble to the constitution??

You all seem to foget what type of national (union) spirit made this country what it was. The slackers are the people who would rather sacrifice a united state then to sacrifice a couple of dollars to the common good.

We are all tasked with making a “more perfect union” not the politcal parties so dont rant to me about one or the other.

A union for the general population of people that are graduating today from technology type fields would be the best thing for this country. Obviously the elite in the field can always set their own rates…AS IS IN EVERY OTHER TRADE that is unionized.

Actually if you think about it the majority of the “network engineers” around today are nothing more then plumbers who keep S**T flowing… why dont they deserve an entity that looks out for them as a whole like a union would. I know it seems to be an antiquated form of organization for todays economy, but if a management structure can be selected by employees, unions make sure everyone feels that they have been treated fairly in all negotiations.

Even to go as far as asking companies to commit to certain contract as a group rather then by the person. This will most certainly make for better aggregate wages amoung union members.

My father spent more then 25 years in a union and is now happily retired in a nice area and can enjoy the rest of his life. Why cant I have the same type of benefits for 1/4 of my life spent at a particular trade.

I really don’t see what would be wrong with techies joining a union – it just gives them some piece of mind and protects them from harsh employers and gives them the power to fight back if they’re being unfair.
In the UK there are general unions that anyone can join, including techs. Unions are a good thing and this article just seems to be negative along with the early comments.
Why SHOULDN’T techies be in a union??

What you say may apply in the US but in the UK we have a major problem with off-shoring work – particularly for low and mid range tech jobs, so joining a Union is generally a good option (YMMV) however since the companies are generally big US or Japanese owned, gettingthem to recognise the rights of Union members is another story…

I believe that most proponents of unionizing in the IT field want it for other reasons than job security and wages; they rather envision something like a trade association, a bit like doctors and engineers have.

It would do 2 things (at least in their minds):
1) Get rid of the most incompetent workers. The field is still full of self-improvised “experts”, “consultants” and “gurus”, who cause a lot of projects to fail;
2) Force employers to listen to techies, instead of hare-brained PHBs, for techincal decisions. There are rules and regulations to design a bridge, the same should apply to IT systems.

That should insure a better level of quality in IT projects.

I personally think such entities have more downsides that upsides (walled-garden mentality, hive-mind, upward-spiraling demands, etc…), but I just wanted to throw this out there.

How about a movement to remove the exemption in FLSA that allows companies to not pay us overtime? Computer Professionals (could they make that any more broad?) are the only field singled out as exempt from time and half… SO they know they can screw us

What we as techies need is more like a guild. An organization where we would have apprenticeships, journeymen status, and a final qualification exam leading to master status. This would at least insure that all techies would have a certain level of competency, and allow for collecive barganing. Te best paid tradesmen, plumbers and electricians, make more than we do on an hourly basis. Why, because they have the power of a national organization behind them. As an added plus, they also have the standardized training in place to command those rates.

Having been in ALPA(Air Line Pilot’s Association) in a previous career, it would seem that we could only benefit from collective barganing. This could also alleviate some of the unfair labor practices that are rampant throughout the IT feild.

Besides, if there were a nationwide strike of all techs, everywhere, think of the collective sh#tfit the PHB’s would have.

I live in Ohio and the only things the unions have done here is to chase Industry out. While the Tech business is different from the auto and equipment production the fact is it is even easier to move Tech work somewhere else. Unlike plumbers, doctors and other groups that have organized Tech work doesn’t require much physical presence. The only thing a Tech union would do is to increase the competition for fry cooks at McDonald’s because the Tech work will be in India, China, (take your pick) but not in the US.