Every engineer thinks they are better off without a union because they are above average and would be pulled down by joining a group of average workers.
Or by being told what they can do and how much they can make based on seniority, not skillset and talent.
Wouldn't you like to have some kind of transparent review process for iPhone apps? Or an agreement that the Twitter API will be available for 5 years? Good luck negotiating that on your own.
Why not? Unions and union members are extremely rational. Are you suggesting that developers would be less rational?
I'm reasonably anti-union but I'd vote for seniority as a union member. It elevates my salary at the expense of people who don't get a vote (new people). It lets me slack off. And, for folks in the bottom half, it's a salary increase.
> Wouldn't you like to have some kind of transparent review process for iPhone apps?
That doesn't have anything to do with unions.
In other words, a developer's union would want to be a lot less like the United Auto Workers and a lot more like the Screen Actor's Guild.
Unions are fantastic when there is no bargaining power, horrible conditions and most critically no mobility. Coal Miners in a town in the middle of Pennsylvania come to mind.
You and I have plenty of mobility. Hell I have moved across the US three times for various jobs and can find work all over the world while sitting on my butt where I am.
If you are building on someone else's platform, you should know there is more to that then technical risk. There is business risk. Did Twitter pay you to develop against their API, did you have them sign an SLA when they return an fail whale?
Once you realize that you are tying your business lively hood to a transient non-binding agreement, you might think twice. Then you will use your mobility and go another direction.
Are external developers what make these tech companies great? Balmer got that one right. (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6304687408656696643) But to suggest a union? Won't see me paying dues.