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Comment by evantbyrne | Hacker News Reader

How does joining a union prevent someone from being laid off after a merger? Unions have their place, but I'm skeptical that someone–especially a presumably high-paid employee–could collectively bargain their way out of a planned post-merger mass firing.

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It doesn't prevent someone getting laid off. It makes sure that the process is fair and legal. It ensures that at-risk individuals have a chance to apply for available internal roles. A Union can use their legal powers to enforce proper compensation for an individual who is laid off and that remaining staff are protected.

Your question is a bit like asking "how does insurance stop my house catching on fire?" - it doesn't; it makes sure you have some protection if the worst happens.

The tradeoff is that people lose their ability to bargain individually, which is why you rarely see unionization of high-paid workers in the US. I think whether it makes sense for an individual to unionize really depends on their ability to negotiate. The more highly paid that a worker is and the more unique their role is, the less they have to gain from unionization vs looking at internal job postings and hiring an attorney as needed.

It absolutely does not mean that. Unions help set minimum standards, not maximum ones.

I've worked in private companies where the maximum comp is set by management and they do not allow individual negotiations. And I've worked in heavily unionised organisations where I was able to negotiate a better deal for myself.

Do you really think your unique talents will save you from a lecherous boss or protect you from being discriminated against?

And, if you wanted to sue, how much will an attorney's retainer cost? Hint - probably a lot more than you Union dues!

I've negotiated raises without being unionized. I've paid lawyers for contract negotiations. It still stands that in this specific instance it doesn't appear that the suggestion of unionization is relevant. Notably absent from your story is your job title, salary, whether you were personally unionized, and any mention of anything the union actually did for you personally. I'm not saying unions are generally bad, but they aren't magic, and I wouldn't expect one to prevent you from being fired in a merger generally much less in a tech startup.

I'm sorry for not giving you my full CV. You can look it up on LinkedIn if you like.

Sure! Looks like you aren't an American, which explains the disconnect. According to Glassdoor, senior engineers typically earn twice as much in Seattle than London. That's not including the value of stock options that would come from being at a successful startup, which could easily be 10x a person's annual salary on IPO or acquisition, although that is more difficult to generalize. Obviously your individual situation may be totally different. Point being, Yank developers are not usually desperate to form unions.

> Do you really think your unique talents will save you from a lecherous boss or protect you from being discriminated against?

I don't understand how a union helps with this vs. an attorney. Other reasons for unions, but these items don't seem particularly persuasive to me.

My union membership is about £230 per year.

That gets me unlimited legal support.

How much does a typical employment attorney cost per hour?

You don't need a union to purchase this type of insurance for legal costs.

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