Letters to the Editor
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Unions for IT?
I'm an IT worker. I would love to be unionized. I'm tired of 60-80 hour work-weeks accepted as "standard" for IT workers, tired of seeing my boss going golfing while I'm doing server upgrades. I, and many of my friends, would be interested in unionizing.
The problem with IT unions is the same as with non-IT unions. Workers don't see a benefit for them.. Until unions can come up with the "killer app" of organized labor, they will continue to fall in membership.
Personally, I don't understand why this is even a problem, I can think of a dozen ways to increase union membership just off the top of my head. It's called "Added Value". Offer union 401(k)s with match, optional health insurance, etc. Show that there's a valid benefit for having a union membership from day one.
Imagine going to workers at Wal-Mart and saying "Not only can we get you more pay, but you can join our 401(k) plan and get free dental!". You'd have to fight them off with a stick.
Heck, with the right stick, you could get corporations to want to be unionized. What if, for smaller companies, unions offered health care? Get a big enough pool of people, and you can get a huge discount on medical insurance. Plus, your insurance is through the union, not the company, so it would be portable across jobs.
But, I guess that's too easy...