
Kickstarter’s Year of Turmoil - danso
https://slate.com/technology/2019/09/kickstarter-turmoil-union-drive-historic-tech-industry.html
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xrd
This article seems to point out that there are toxic internal communication
problems at Kickstarter. All companies have that, of course. Does anyone know
of examples where unionization created a better forum for communication? I
know unions are powerful forces for rectifying inequality especially around
pay disparity. But, is there evidence that they improve communication between
management and individual contributors? I would assume adding an extra layer
would worsen things.

And, I'm also laughing at the suggestion by Kickstarter that they offer
mediation for employees looking to improve; that's a joke that a mediator paid
by Kickstarter would ever fully be an advocate for the employee and not the
company. That's an idea only a lawyer could love.

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bwestergard
"Does anyone know of examples where unionization created a better forum for
communication?"

If you're looking for a white-collar example, I think newsrooms and film sets
fit the bill. Read any account of working in newsrooms or on film sets before
unions contrast it with conditions today.

Without collective bargaining, line managers face pressures to get more effort
for less pay out of workers. As the employee, you are _bargaining all the
time_ and you _bargaining alone_. This can be extremely stressful,
particularly when market conditions for the firm are in flux.

With a collective bargaining agreement, you are not alone in your bargaining
and when a collective bargaining agreement is in force, you get a break from
haggling over the issues it covers. Managers are largely unable to exert
downward pressure on working conditions, so they face less pressure to do so
from superiors. This leaves managers to focus on those issues employees
generally want managers to focus on: obstacles to getting the work done,
smoothing over interpersonal differences, ensuring efforts cohere.

"I know unions are powerful forces for rectifying inequality especially around
pay disparity. But, is there evidence that they improve communication between
management and individual contributors? I would assume adding an extra layer
would worsen things."

Unions don't add a hierarchical layer, though American employers often try
depict them this way.

The typical arrangement would be for one of your peers in the workplace to be
elected steward for a fixed term, during which time they ensure the terms of
the contract (collective bargaining agreement) is enforced and advocate for
employees that management have accused of failing to hold up their end of the
bargaining (a counterweight to HR/labor departments which represent the
employer perspective before arbitrators or the labor board). You of course get
a collective bargaining agreement by electing a bargaining committee.

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xrd
This is terrific. Thanks, I leaned a lot.

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nyxxie
Does anyone find Kickstarter’s conflating of corporate ethics and adherence to
far left political positions disturbing? Diversity hiring, “salary equity”,
and other such policies are extremely hot issues; nearly every time they are
discussed here the threads have hundreds of replies and give the mods a run
for their money to manage. Chief among these recent issues is the recent
controversy around deplatforming of political speech. This appears to have bit
the louder left wing folks at Kickstarter (banning of the nazi punching comic
book), to which at least one such employee cried foul at since it violated
their dogmatic political worldview.

If you’re going to allow your employee’s controversial political opinions to
guide corporate policy, I’d argue it’s unethical to build a culture in which
disagreement is not permitted. A substantial number of people disagree with
these policies and want to debate them, you can’t just dismiss those people as
having wrong ideas and push forward patting yourself on the back for being the
ethical good guy.

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lacker
It seems like when you build your corporate culture around being anti-
corporate, you are asking for trouble down the line.

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henrygrew
it's difficult to manage the interests of the company vs the interests of the
staff, it's clear here that both are not in line.You can't make everyone
happy.

