Re: Should Programmers Unionize?

[g0n]

It's important to recognise that unions and unionisation are regarded very differently in different parts of the world, and the local legislation about it can vary too.

In Europe as a whole, legislation concerning union recognition and collective negotiation tends to be much more pro-union than in the USA, and there is a much less negative public perception of unions in general.

I'd be surprised if a reasonable proportion (i.e. not a majority, but double figures percentage) of IT workers here in the UK weren't members of one union or another.

Update: The question was 'Should programmers unionize'. Obviously this is a matter of opinion, but in my view there are reasons for, and reasons against. What has happened in the UK in heavily unionised industries (the railways for example) is that the unions have become extremely bureaucractic, and it can be difficult for individuals to be recognised for their achievements until they've 'served their time'. On the other hand, if a large group are relatively disenfranchised, something that many feel is happening in our industry, unionisation is pretty much the only way to put things back in balance. It depends how bad you think things have got :-S