Timeline for Are there any unions for software developers?
Current License: CC BY-SA 2.5
13 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| May 12, 2015 at 17:40 | comment | added | FlavorScape | Easy to replace, why do you think the H1B Guest Worker Visa Exists? Surely not to drive down wages by flooding the market with tech workers. | |
| Apr 9, 2014 at 18:05 | comment | added | Giorgio | @mouviciel: "Except for rare programming gurus, a software engineer CAN be replaced by another one.": Moreover, the recent introduction of agile practices (shared code ownership, pair programming, work in small, repeatable cycles) has made the work of programmers more uniform, making each of them easily replaceable. | |
| Dec 19, 2013 at 4:23 | comment | added | Kim Jong Woo | "As an engineer, you have much more power to negotiate wages and working conditions on your own". I actually don't think they do, look at the unpaid overtime in the industry. | |
| Aug 18, 2013 at 15:18 | comment | added | user7433 | @CJohnson so you got a benefit without having a union once. Now think about how many other programmers are out there who get screwed over because they don't have legal advice on hand and aren't treated like professionals. Lawyers, doctors and engineers don't need unions because they're treated like professionals. Either programmers become professionals (which might include having to get certified as a "professional software engineer", which I know a lot of programmers will dislike) or we get a union. There's no incentive for managers and clients to treat us like professionals. | |
| May 15, 2013 at 14:40 | comment | added | Mike Graf | In addiction to what @Huperniketes said, there are additional reasons one may want collective bargaining: one may want an inclusive process to decision making (and wage setting), one may feel an injustice working next to someone who makes less/more money, one may want a formal process and arbiter to deal with interpersonal issues (especially btwn upper management and "lower" workers), one may want to have a program in place that helps guides career growth. Libertarian vs collectivism depends on your answer to the question "Are in this together or fundamentally solitary?" | |
| Dec 28, 2012 at 19:25 | comment | added | C.J. | I did this. I got a job at another company, and moved. However my former employer gave me a great counter offer and so I stayed. No Union would have benefited me there: In fact I would highly resent paying union dues for questionable services. | |
| Dec 23, 2010 at 17:59 | comment | added | David Thornley | In the US, at least, professional sports players tend to be in unions. In baseball, a second baseman and an outfielder need distinctly different skills, not to mention pitchers and catchers, but they're all represented by the MBLPA. "Drafts", in other sports, are only possible because there is a union. | |
| Dec 23, 2010 at 15:28 | comment | added | CaffGeek | @mouviciel, except that is bad practice. Yeah, he can code, but developers become part of the system they write. Nobody can fix/modify a system faster than the person who wrote it. And that saves more money than hiring a junior | |
| Oct 12, 2010 at 9:03 | comment | added | mouviciel | I bet that your boss has not the same analysis. Except for rare programming gurus, a software engineer CAN be replaced by another one. Replacing a senior with high salary and old ways of thinking by a junior fresh from school, with new ideas and low pay is not uncommon. | |
| Oct 12, 2010 at 8:50 | comment | added | Huperniketes | Also, there are plenty of white-collar professionals who are unionized. There are songwriters, actors, directors, cartoonists, television writers, etc. who bargain with employers through their trade unions to help prevent their work from being unreasonably exploited. | |
| Oct 12, 2010 at 8:29 | comment | added | Huperniketes | Just because you're in a better position to bargain with management over wages doesn't mean you're better able to negotiate working conditions, practices or prevent unfair exploitation from management. What engineer isn't routinely working overtime? So much for the power to negotiate wages. Is his working environment professional? Does the workplace encourage software piracy? Is management routinely changing priorities and goals? Is productivity measured by keyboard activity? Are equipment and tools sufficient or obsolete? | |
| Oct 7, 2010 at 13:35 | vote | accept | CommunityBot | moved from User.Id=4459 by developer User.Id=414401 | |
| Oct 5, 2010 at 0:47 | history | answered | Dean Harding | CC BY-SA 2.5 |