Has the time come for IT to Unionize?

[yuppiejr]

Union = more expensive, less productive labor which means two things if you apply it to the IT world:

1) Fewer jobs for IT people locally, and...
2) Even more incentive for companies to outsource to less expensive labor pools elsewhere.

Look what's happening at GM right now as a perfect example. Labor is a commodity and will increase or decrease in value depending on supply and demand like everything else. When you start effectively enforcing price controls on a commodity like labor you either drive companies right out of business by making them unable to compete or force them to employ fewer people and work those people harder than they should which is lose-lose for everyone involved.

Honestly, if you have such a problem with the way things work at your current job why not quit and find something that's a better fit (weren't you trying to start a massage business a while back and refused to accept tips?) or just tell your boss you think the expectations are unreasonable and see where that gets you. Unions are for no-talent assclowns who don't have the chops to compete in the real world. If you are valuable enough in the workplace you don't have to worry about this sort of pager garbage as you can either set your own terms with your employer or offer your services elsewhere and get a compensation plan that better matches your expectations. It's pretty simple actually... I'm actually impressed that you get paid for the pager time at all, most salaried positions in IT that I've seen simply consider it part of the gig.

 

[bonkers325]

you can try, but it wont work. there are far too many IT professionals for it to be effective.

edit:

also, you complain about incompetencies down the chain of command. if EVERYONE did everything perfectly, most IT jobs would be unnecessary. you are paid to adminstrate, which includes cleaning up the fallout of someone else's work.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: TheSlamma
NevAr!!!

Wages would bottom out, layoffs all over the place and the lazy good for nothings would NEVER get fired.

Yeah the IT industry is a feeding frenzy for those with decent skill sets.

Unions won't change being on call...being in help desk though is not the same as a net/system admin.

 

[TheSlamma]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: NuclearNed

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: NuclearNed
Pfft. I would join an IT union only on threat of physical torture. Unions don't make anything better for anyone; they just give a group of people the false sense that they have some power.

false sense of power?? the UAW has a lot of power and its very real.

I stand by my statement. What power the UAW has is slipping by the day. What power will UAW have when American automakers are forced out of business by UAW's greed?

No greed on the part of the Corporation of course :roll:

Here comes Dave again blaming it all on the company, when infact consumers have the power to put 95% of companies out there out of business.

 

[Marinski]

Originally posted by: yuppiejr
Unions are for no-talent assclowns who don't have the chops to compete in the real world.

Doesn't it tick you off when those no-talent assclowns make more $$ than you and get better bene's by doing less work ??

 

[arch113]

Originally posted by: PokerGuy

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: arch113
I'm in IT and I belong to a union.
I get paid hourly, and clock in/out.
I am not required to carry a pager, or even take calls after hours.

If I do get a call, and solve the problem over the phone, I get minimum of 2 hours. If I have to go on location, I get a minimum of 4 hours (even if its a simple as hitting a reset button).

I will admit, we are a little different than most work areas

Well according to most of the pudgy little nerds here you must be worthless and lazy.

Well, based on arch113's post, you could easily see how whatever company he works for is at a competitive disadvantage with other non-union companies. So someone needs to ask him a quick question after work hours - bam, company has to pay him for 2 hours worth of work. In non-union shop, that would not cost the company anything. It's not that everyone who is in a union is worthless and lazy, it's just that a union environment is the perfect environment for the worthless and lazy, so it tends to attract them and fosters them .... just like any government office. Not all government office employees are worthless and lazy, but the percentage is definitely higher than in the private sector, doubly so if it's a unionized government office! Oh, and while not 'worthless', most union workers are also overpaid for what they do or the skills they have.

Guy working factory line with no skills in competitive environment = $12 per hour. Unionized = $20 per hour. To me, that means the guy is overpaid by $8 an hour if he's part of a union. In a competitive marketplace, you are paid what you are worth, unions mess up that balance.

I work for a contractor at a Air Force Base, which takes care of everything from lawn maintenance, aircraft maintenance, building maintenance, and IT. The company isn't at a compitive disadvantage, since no matter what company has this contract, they have to follow the same rules. The Union I belong to is: International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

 

[arch113]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: arch113
I'm in IT and I belong to a union.
I get paid hourly, and clock in/out.
I am not required to carry a pager, or even take calls after hours.

If I do get a call, and solve the problem over the phone, I get minimum of 2 hours. If I have to go on location, I get a minimum of 4 hours (even if its a simple as hitting a reset button).

I will admit, we are a little different than most work areas

Well according to most of the pudgy little nerds here you must be worthless and lazy.

I would like to think otherwise

 

[arch113]

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: JEDI

Unions FTW! i'm tired of being paid low 6 figures when the client is paying 4x more for my position. i'm not greedy. i just want 1/2! and i bet the union can do this for me! (50% for me, 50% for the company seems reasonable, no?)

You were really clear in what you are talking about, but I am assuming you are billed at $200-250/hr like many yet are working for a comany.

If you add in your benefits and the like you are probably indeed getting at least 1/2.

I know a typical set a benefit are full to 1/2 of health/dental/vision paid. 100% accidental death, matching 401k contributions (50% to 100%), and automatic 401k bonuses based on W2 wages at year end (5-10%).

My hourly is really a fraction of the total compensation I recieve.

Also to the person above that replied to the 'unions give a false sense of power'. No one is disputing the union as a whole, but the average union worker is really nothing the union cares about. The union cares about itself and the best way to align itself. All this is driven by people that are directly benefited by dues.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: PokerGuy

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: arch113
I'm in IT and I belong to a union.
I get paid hourly, and clock in/out.
I am not required to carry a pager, or even take calls after hours.

If I do get a call, and solve the problem over the phone, I get minimum of 2 hours. If I have to go on location, I get a minimum of 4 hours (even if its a simple as hitting a reset button).

I will admit, we are a little different than most work areas

Well according to most of the pudgy little nerds here you must be worthless and lazy.

Well, based on arch113's post, you could easily see how whatever company he works for is at a competitive disadvantage with other non-union companies. So someone needs to ask him a quick question after work hours - bam, company has to pay him for 2 hours worth of work. In non-union shop, that would not cost the company anything. It's not that everyone who is in a union is worthless and lazy, it's just that a union environment is the perfect environment for the worthless and lazy, so it tends to attract them and fosters them .... just like any government office. Not all government office employees are worthless and lazy, but the percentage is definitely higher than in the private sector, doubly so if it's a unionized government office! Oh, and while not 'worthless', most union workers are also overpaid for what they do or the skills they have.

Guy working factory line with no skills in competitive environment = $12 per hour. Unionized = $20 per hour. To me, that means the guy is overpaid by $8 an hour if he's part of a union. In a competitive marketplace, you are paid what you are worth, unions mess up that balance.

Those making $12 an hour should organize.

 

[johnjbruin]

Do your job. If you don't like it, quit and find another one that pays more.
Paying employees is simply demand and supply. If you don't want to do it and they can find someone else to do it for the same rate, then that is the going rate for that job.
Sorry - your 'pay is not enough' argument needs more support. Two buddies at work bitching about we don't get paid enough doesn't really cut it IMO.
Become more valuable to the company and they will pay you more.