Benjamin Exley wrote: > > > Unions have no place in the IT/IS field. > I would have to disagree. Unfortunatly, I've been in a position where > I've felt it nessecary to use collective bargaining to get what we > wanted. What was it? We wanted to be treated fairly, and not have > to leave our jobs. This isn't to say that we couldn't get better paying > jobs elsewhere, it's just that we like the place we work so much > that we didn't WANT to leave. We felt the only way we could get > people to listen to our concerns was to threaten to leave as a > whole. It is amazing how quickly people start listening when the > entire IS department threatens to walk off the job. They wouldn't > have listened if only a few people made that descision. Maybe we > didn't technically have a union, but we were a union in spirit. > > For another example of a white colar union, take a look at Boeing. > In the mid-90s, many of the engineers there felt that the company > was headed in the wrong direction, and felt that their concerns > were not being addressed. They loved working there so much that > they couldn't stand to see the company suffer due to the acts of a > few people in upper management. They decided to unionize, and > did in fact go on strike. That brought on changes very quickly, and > the people I've talked to about it generally regard it as a positive > experience. > > Unionizing is sometimes the only way to be effectively heard and > respected. Sad but true. > > ok i'm done. > > I think most of us who object to unions are thinking of the national or international unions. I think small unions are sometimes a necessary thing. I'm lucky - I'm the only IT worker here, so I'm a union unto myself... The older I get, the more I think smaller is better. Think Qwest, Microsoft, AFL/CIO, Democrats, Republicans, etc... Any group that can't be completely taken out with a small tactical nuke should be abolished...