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Neal wrote:
> Has anyone ever thought about, pursued or
> discussed the creation of a technical writing
> union as a way of standardizing the technical
> writing profession?
There are lots of threads on standardization via certification.
I remember most of those threads ending with a stern ADMIN
warning. But I admit, I think the union thing is new, at least
in the context of standardization.
Is standardization really your issue? What exactly are your
labor issues you think a union could help with?
The idea of an actual union for tech writers is kind of a
non-starter. Lots of jobs are so crappy you really need a union.
But tech writing isn't one of them. Most tech writers are really
not suffering from traditional union issues (pay, overtime, work
conditions, etc.). Besides, most businesses would go without
documentation before they'd ever hire union writers.
And a lot of shops have only one or two tech writers, who are
sometimes known to disagree (--Frick: "Scab!" --Frack: "Commie
freak!")
On the other hand, I understand the impulse for better
organization. Management has plenty of lobbying groups. Look at
the NACCB, for example (naccb.org).
Regards,
Mike O.
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