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Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by throw9304040 on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @01:01PM (#43414542)
I would be careful with assuming that.

In some countries/industries you have to be a member of an union by the law. Just by working in industry, union is forced upon you by law, and you have to pay their fees. The only way out, is to form your own union, with all paperwork. It really sucks for self employed folks.

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by Retric on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @01:45PM (#43415118)
The word is extremely overloaded. China has a lot of “unions” that exist to protect companies, avoid strikes, and stifle complaints not represent workers.

That doesn’t have any relevance for American unions, but people seems to think any issue they ever had with a union applies to every union.

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by skyyler on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @03:32PM (#43416361)
America has unions like this, too. Ask anyone that works for an Albertson's.
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by Retric on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @04:18PM (#43416800)
You might think they are overly cozy with Albertson’s but it’s a categorically different situation.

I’d suggest you read up on “fake unions” it’s 1984 level double talk shit.

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by skyyler on Thursday March 20, 2025 @11:10AM (#43424487)
No, really, it's a very similar thing.

There are also fake unions in the United States in the cannabis industry. Pretty grim situation.

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by Retric on Thursday March 20, 2025 @11:51AM (#43424921)
I can see why you might think they are similar on the surface.

However those are paperwork exercises without any leverage that run into legal issues inside the US. “Anyone who signed a labor peace agreement with ProTech Local 33 has 90 days from the ruling to sign a new pact with a legitimate union or risk losing their license”

The Chinese version is stable as they are being actively propped up by the state.

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by skyyler on Thursday March 20, 2025 @12:20PM (#43425264)
Can you provide some concrete information about this? It's less that I don't believe you and more that I would like to learn more.
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by Retric on Thursday March 20, 2025 @12:30PM (#43425401)
This is old (2012) but gives some of the background.

The Lack of Genuine Worker Representation

The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is China's only legal trade union, and it is required by the Trade Union Law to "uphold the leadership of the Communist Party." Because one of the ACFTU's priorities is to organize and mobilize "vast numbers of workers to make contributions to the sound and rapid development of the economy," and to foster "harmony in labour relations" so that such development may take place, the vast majority of "trade unions" in enterprises effectively remain under the de facto control of management.

https://www.cecc.gov/publications/commission-analysis/recent...

The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is still the only legally recognized trade union.

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by Yeul on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @04:28PM (#43416936)
"that exist to protect companies, avoid strikes, and stifle complaints not represent workers"

That sounds like the Republican Party.

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by drakonka on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @01:44PM (#43415110)
Could you please point me to which countries/industries those are? Just a link is fine. Googling isn't helping :(
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by jcranmer on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @03:48PM (#43416512)
The terms you want to look for are "closed shop" and "union shop" (the difference between the two is that a union shop allows non-union members to be hired, but they have to join the union after being hired).
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by Animats on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @04:17PM (#43416795)
Basic labor terms:

- Closed shop - must be member of union to be hired.

- Union shop - must join union when hired.

- Agency shop - don't have to join union, but have to pay a fee to it.

- Open shop - don't have to join union, but can.

- Yellow-dog contract - not allowed to join union.[1]

The two extremes are mostly illegal in the US.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-dog_contract

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by drakonka on Thursday March 20, 2025 @02:50AM (#43420371)
I was specifically looking for examples of the original commenter's referenced law-mandated unions: "In some countries/industries you have to be a member of an union by the law. Just by working in industry, union is forced upon you by law, and you have to pay their fees."

Closed shops and union shops just seem like an arrangement between employers and unions, not something forced upon you "by law"?

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by butshouldyou on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @03:16PM (#43416195)
We have a similar thing in Switzerland for the gastronomy (food and drinks) industry. The industry is pretty abusive - here and abroad - so the "union" makes sure there's protections for workers.

Because of this, there's free management training, free skilled training, and holiday and pay minimums. Plus, free advice and legal support for workers.

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by bena on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @02:29PM (#43415645)
Just in the US

Screen Actors Guild

Writers Guild of America

Directors Guild of America

NFL Players Association

Now, I'll give you, SAG, WGA, and DGA don't control all film and television production and there are plenty of non-union jobs available. But most of the film and television you consume is union work.

Every player in the NFL is required to be a member of the NFLPA.

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by banannaise on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @02:54PM (#43415961)
The NFLPA functionally only deals with one company (the NFL) so it's not really a great example. Most professional sports leagues have a players' union specific to that league.

The others, though, yes.

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by dragonwriter on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @03:50PM (#43416536)
The NFL does jot employ players, and is a separate company from the teams, which do, and which are also separate companies from each other.
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by bena on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @03:33PM (#43416371)
Coaches and other front office personnel aren't required to enter a union to work for a club.

There is a union for coaches and it's entirely voluntary. Which is why you won't see Belichick in most Madden games as his contract has to be negotiated separately.

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by dylan604 on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @03:26PM (#43416305)
> Now, I'll give you, SAG, WGA, and DGA don't control all film and television production and there are plenty of non-union jobs available.

The thing about the "hollywood" unions is that they are very supportive of the others. So when the recent writer's strike was taking place, the actors also supported them as well as the directors by not working without their writers.

If the auto union workers strike, the steel workers aren't stopping work in solidarity. If the stevedores go on strike, the truck drivers don't go on strike in solidarity.

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by Animats on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @04:27PM (#43416919)
Not any more. That's called a "secondary boycott", and has been illegal in the US since 1959. Before that, it was common for union truckers to refuse to cross a picket line. When a company's workers went on strike, deliveries by Teamsters stopped.

American labor law was written when unions were much stronger. It assumes strong unions and strong employers in conflict, with the NLRB as referee. That hasn't been true in the US for decades now.

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by drakonka on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @03:48PM (#43416509)
And just to be clear - there is an actual law forcing you to join these unions and pay their membership fees? (Not in the US, maybe this law is actually common knowledge that went completely over my head so far!)
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by jcranmer on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @03:50PM (#43416532)
My understanding is that it's not so much a law as it is a contract between the union and the employer that prohibits the employer from hiring people who don't join the union.
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by drakonka on Thursday March 20, 2025 @02:48AM (#43420362)
Ah ok, but that seems very different from the comment I was replying to, which said "In some countries/industries you have to be a member of an union by the law. Just by working in industry, union is forced upon you by law, and you have to pay their fees." - that seems pretty drastic, so I was specifically curious about examples of law-mandated union membership/fee payment.
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by rascul on Thursday March 20, 2025 @08:22AM (#43422143)
> Every player in the NFL is required to be a member of the NFLPA.

No they're not. It's optional.

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by philistine on Thursday March 20, 2025 @12:16AM (#43419859)
If you want to work construction in Québec.
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by bsimpson on Thursday March 20, 2025 @01:51AM (#43420187)
In Nevada (and I'm sure others), unions get to set the "prevailing wage," which is the legal minimum wage for work they bid on.

So if your shop is more efficient than the union shop, you don't get to compete on that price savings. It tilts the market towards the unions.

[dead]
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by ty6853 on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @01:51PM (#43415214)
There's a great video of a longshoreman union rep bragging about crushing America so 'his guys' could get by, all the while with totaly lost irony he said this on TV while wearing a gold chain, Rolex, and living in an absolutely lavish mansion.

https://youtu.be/hr-isyMV1y8?si=6cHZ9Ey8hzJtSoFQ

Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by therouwboat on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @02:06PM (#43415408)
So what? If workers don't get the money, it goes to company owners. I wonder what kinda mansions they have.
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by jibe on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @02:15PM (#43415490)
By company owners, did you mean my 401k? Or is it more that it causes higher prices, and everyday consumers pay for it?
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by ty6853 on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @02:18PM (#43415519)
Given that particular strike was against in part automation it was that they wanted their port to become less competitive and eventually be destroyed by ports employing automation and not even jobs left for their kids to fix or engineer the machines.
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by banannaise on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @02:58PM (#43416003)
A small amount of it does go to your 401(k), yes. A much larger amount goes to executives, largely through stock-based compensation, and much wealthier investors.
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by ThrowawayR2 on Wednesday March 19, 2025 @03:45PM (#43416488)
You are on a site for venture capitalists (i.e. company owners), tech startup founders (i.e. company owners), and tech startup / FAANG employees whose TC has a large component of stock (i.e. company owners). Just a wild guess but they probably don't see a problem with money going to the company owners.
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by julienEar on Thursday March 20, 2025 @06:59AM (#43421621)
It’s crazy how the definition of a union varies so much across contexts, contries/indus. Some prioritize bargaining power, while others focus more on advocacy and awareness.
Re:Video game workers in North America now have an industry-... by gamblor956 on Thursday March 20, 2025 @03:51PM (#43428054)
Just by working in industry, union is forced upon you by law, and you have to pay their fees. The only way out, is to form your own union, with all paperwork. It really sucks for self employed folks.

The first statement is true in a few industries, but the second statements are false in any industry in which the first statement applies. If union membership is mandated, you don't get a choice in the union you join.

And for the last bit about self-employed folks: the only industries which mandate union membership in which it is also possible to be self-employed are the Hollywood guilds, which set compensation minimums. Hollywood union members are free to negotiate higher compensation, and many do.

The worst thing about all the anti-union FUD that gets spread on HN is that they assume that tech workers would be in the same kind of union as janitors, when the most similar structure would be the Hollywood guilds.