409
Magic: The Gathering Arena Team Unionizes At Wizards of the Coast (aftermath.site)
submitted 6 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
20 comments fedilink hide all child comments
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 7 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Why not unionize anyway? Are unions on a factory level over there?

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago (1 child)

    In most cases here unions are fairly large organizations where the larger union covers dozens or hundreds of companies. So it wouldn't be like 'Bob's maintenance shop union' it would be like 'international brotherhood of machinists union chapter #1234'.

    And when that is done, the relationship between the workers and the company changes. The union will negotiate a specific contract with the company which all workers and all jobs then are covered under. This provides a lot stronger protections for the workers, but can also be less flexible in some cases. And of course the worker has to pay dues to the union, it's usually not that much but it's not zero.

    Point is, if the workers are happy and have good relations with management then they often see no reason to go through all this.

    On the other hand when management starts turning the screws and tries to make more profit out of the worker compensation, then it's absolutely time to unionize and workers are even more seeing that.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago

    I don't really see the point to be fair. It's unlikely a union will force workers of a factory to modify the contractual situation if they're happy. However workers who are being well treated can push for better conditions for people working in other companies.

    There should could be a subscription payment, where I'm form it is something quite negligible to the salary of one worker. If it is well administered, that money can be used to pay workers if they ever decide to go on strike.

    When the company starts screwing workers, it is already quite late to be in a union, at that point you don't have a support net which has already been prepared. In general it's better to be in a union before you need it than to scramble for one.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent