Nah, unionize and report to regulators as much as possible. Can't succeed in the worker version of the Kobayashi Maru by "starting your own Amazon." Seek leverage and engage it to maximum force.

Companies will never give a shit about you, put them in a box like you would a shark. Don't play by existing broken rules, you will just suffer.

Why don’t we fix the union we already have - our government?

My biggest gripe with unions is they’re the political version of “let’s make a new standard”. Yeah it works - for a time - but ultimately just adds complexity to temporarily address a symptom of the problem.

Representatives are a function of the electorate. If you want better representation, not only must people run, but the electorate must turn over (old ideas and their voters dying out, new voters and their ideas aging in). 1.8M voters over the age of 55 die every year, 4 million voters turn 18. Worker rights support increases as cohort age declines (and skews progressive, naturally).

Certainly, a long term fix that will take decades. Near term, gotta organize, which can be done today. And workers need help today.

>> Representatives are a function of the electorate.

Not in America. The essentials of our representative republic make it not especially representative. It's badly in need of reform to make the legislature actually representative: much larger house of representatives, 3-5 member districts, ranked choice voting, 18 year terms for supreme court justices, etc. etc.

None of what you listed will ever happen, so why bother thinking about it? Just accept that the U.S. is not democratic and never will be. That’s not even really pessimistic; plenty of people live happy, fulfilling lives under undemocratic regimes

Hence the need for unions.

Because it's not your government. Between media message management, corporate lobbying, and outright gerrymandering, the US is an oligarchy, not a democracy.

Unions, imperfect as they are, can be far more directly representative.

Useless advice for anyone who lacks the capital access to start a business, which is most people.

funny comment on forum run by a company that specifically funds startups

I have a total of 3000€ available to me in cash and some possessions like my pc (no house no car). Do you realistically think it is possible for me to start up a business?

Yes...depending on the business. My friend and I started an online retail store with $500 each during the early e-commerce days.

As the saying goes, why spend your money when you can spend an investor's money? The trick isn't starting a business, but starting a business with a viable business model.

but but but.. I need a valid excuse so I can tell myself about why I can't start a startup.

“I can’t afford to fail” is a perfectly valid reason.

> The trick isn't starting a business, but starting a business with a viable business model.

This last sentence makes me think it’s not as easy as you were suggesting to this point.

Anyway, plenty of people start businesses and lose their life savings. I’ve seen it happen.

No, not with that attitude!

You have bootstraps, right? Just give em a tug! It's easy!

As they say, the secret to being rich is having money. And the secret to success is being able to try again and again.

I wonder what would enable one to fail several times at business. And no, the answer isn't (just) a LLC.

Just ask daddy for a big loan, and you too can start an amazon!

Just a small loan of a million dollars.

That's pretty much all tech companies besides some young startups.

Are you seriously suggesting somebody working a poverty-level wage in an Amazon dystopia in Poland just... quit and start a business?

Why is that so far fetched? There are loads of private small businesses at the lower end of the economic spectrum.

"leave instead of trying to change things" - yeah how about no? I applaud everyone brave enough to stand up for their rights like this.