[Discuss] Discuss - Software Engineering union

[markw at mohawksoft.com (Mark Woodward)]

I wrote this on slashdot, and was wondering if you guys have an opinion.

I come from a blue-collar background, my dad was a union iron worker. 
Trust me, there is a valuable skill set there. Strong guys who can weld, 
lift heavy equipment, and aren't afraid of extreme hights is, in itself, 
a fairly self limiting market. Anyway, the union in my view was a 
positive force for his industry. It set the safety standards, it 
provided benefits and retirement planning, it provided help for when the 
iron workers were mistreated. Unlike the teamsters, the iron workers 
were fairly well run. They partnered with the local construction 
companies and, in his day, help the business environment get buildings 
built. Decent pay and benefits and a guarantee of decent workers to 
employers, why wouldn't an honest business use union workers?

I often argue that our interpretation of capitalism is incorrect. The 
word "capital" isn't just money. It is anything of value that can be 
traded. Just as businesses bargain with a capital collective, i.e. the 
business, banks, and investors join forces to create an entity greater 
than any one of them as a financial collective, workers' capital, i.e. 
the work that they do and their skils, is their capital and there is no 
conflict, in my eyes, when they bargain as a collective.

An engineering union, could be a good move for the industry. It would 
certainly provide some "push back" against abusive contracts and NDAs.