RE: Unionizing?

["Mike Bradley" <mbradley -at- techpubs -dot- com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: bounce-techwr-l-106538 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com 
> [mailto:bounce-techwr-l-106538 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com] On Behalf 
> Of Jim Doria
> Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2002 3:42 PM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: Re: Unionizing?
> 
> 
> 
> The idea of a Technical Writer's union does seem pretty 
> far-fetched, given that white-collar workers have tended to 
> be difficult to unionize. And I don't think the general 
> perception of unions is that they ensure a "better quality 
> worker". Actually, the opposite usually seems to be true in practice.

Gee, the general perception of unions is so far removed from the reality
of union history and day-to-day working conditions, let alone
union-management relations, that it's hardly worth discussing. Union
craftsworkers, such as carpenters and electricians, have as much as a
4-year training apprenticeship, and in their specialties, they're
unequalled in quality. Few carpenters can frame up a house as quickly or
competently as a union carpenter. 


> But the idea of a guild - now that has merit. Whereas a union 
> is a "you're in or you're out" proposition, a guild has 
> various levels of achievment, and could consequently provide 
> for varying levels of compensation for it's workers. A 
> properly-run guild can insure the quality of its members in a 
> way that a union can't (or won't). Employers can choose to 
> use guild members or not, but if all goes well, they should 
> choose to do so, just to ensure the quality of the work.

It's been said that the National Writers Union is really a guild, not a
union, but there's no legal distinction in the US that I know of, nor is
there necessarily one in practice. For instance, I don't think the guild
contracts in the entertainment industry allow employers to use non-guild
workers except in special circumstances.


> Or maybe it's that modern knowledge work just isn't that hard 
> to learn and do. 

I don't think that's the case. I think it's more a matter of there being
so many training opportunities outside the guild/labor movement, such as
tech writing programs at colleges and adult ed programs, and extremely
limiting labor laws. The US labor laws are the most conservative in the
developed world. I was shocked to learn that even S Africa under
apartheid had more liberal labor laws than the US, for instance, and in
some Scandinavian countries, whole industries are unionized by law. The
strength of the unions in other countries is one of the major reasons we
work longer weeks, have worse benefits and more expensive health care,
if we have health care at all, and so forth. 

Why unionize? Because only unions fight for this kind of thing day in
and day out. Who else is going to do it? The Democrats who voted for
Bush's tax cut?


= Mike Bradley
  Tech Pubs
  (Yup, a union member: National Writers Union)



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