Unions primarily benefit the weakest workers, and in places like SV, usually the top workers already are getting fat plates and others are pushing hard to get there.

Think of it like a football club holding a vote to flatten player pay. The benchwarmers will be falling over themselves to unionize, and the top players will be looking where to move too.

This is why union efforts fail, which many find perplexing. The most valuable players get better deals negotiating without a union.

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smackmybishop 19 hours ago | parent | next [-]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_Players_Association

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Basketball_Players_As...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_Players_...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_Actors_Guild

Aren't all of these industries where the top workers get fat plates and others are pushing hard to get there?

	▲	WarmWash 19 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I'll take the L, it was a poor example. Generally when workplaces unionize, jobs are clearly delineated, and everyone in that role has a defined pay.

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ralph84 19 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

There is no reason pay has to be flat with a union. The highest paid members of MLBPA or SAG-AFTRA are paid 1,000x what the lowest paid members are.

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poslathian 18 hours ago | parent [-]

Interesting point. I think there might be something special about sag given the way Hollywood does business. Everyone switches employers constantly as projects spin up and wind down. Having a mostly permanent role in an organization is super unusual - and I wonder if these roles (like a 20 year soaps gig or the simpson’s) have different stats on working on/off the card.

	▲	throw0101d 17 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> Interesting point. I think there might be something special about sag given the way Hollywood does business. Everyone switches employers constantly as projects spin up and wind down. Having a mostly permanent role in an organization is super unusual […] And yet all the major US sports have player associations/unions with minimum salaries. The players are hardly constantly switching, and when they do switch it's often not their own choice but rather their employer/team trading them.

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adfgionatin 19 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

What are you talking about? Unions don't mandate equal pay for all members.