• @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    1081 month ago

    Engineering is a skilled trade. We need our own union like every other skilled labor group.

    • Lexam
      link
      fedilink
      English
      221 month ago

      And they are smart enough to put us at the very bottom of the management ladder, even though we’re not actually management. That way we can’t legally unionize. In the U.S. at least.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        91 month ago

        That way we can’t legally unionize. In the U.S. at least.

        This must vary state-by-state, or have exceptions, because I could name examples of them (but I would rather not dox myself).

        • Lexam
          link
          fedilink
          English
          111 month ago

          It’s not every company, but that is what mine did. We’re “management” but we don’t manage anyone.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            91 month ago

            Given how “business-friendly” the US has become, I imagine there are all sorts of loopholes that only work in favor of the corporation.

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              English
              51 month ago

              There doesn’t need to be loopholes anymore. The SC will just blatantly rule in favor of companies.

              In case anyone has missed it, they’re done with loopholes, done with being sly and coy. They are saying the quiet parts, they are marching proudly, they are confident and unafraid. We need to make them afraid again.

              The right wing and its corporate masters are done hiding in shadow. Loopholes and subterfuge are for chumps when you can just change the rules without consequence.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            51 month ago

            Classifying employees as management without having actual management duties is a violation of federal labor law. You might be owed back wages/overtime. Could be worth looking into. A class action lawsuit against a previous employer I had led to hundreds of employees getting checks for thousands of dollars, even after lawyers took their fee.

            Some technical jobs can be legally classified exempt from overtime. That is different than being classified as management.

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              English
              21 month ago

              They just give us the PM title and call it a day. No court is going to take that seriously and allow a massive lawsuit.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      121 month ago

      I agree. I’m in pre-sales working at an AWS partner and honestly our whole team is treated as dispensable.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        15
        edit-2
        1 month ago

        I have been laid off from every job (5 in total) since the pandemic. We are a subhuman commodity. Companies that are hiring now are exploiting the market by offering lower salaries.

        Meta and Amazon are in their hiring season and they’ll start their layoffs again next spring or summer. And somehow, everyone forgets this fucked up cycle keeps happening in perpetuum.

        We need to stop being afraid of mentioning the U word. We need better protection and rights as employees.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        14
        edit-2
        1 month ago

        At Amazon literally every employee is dispensable. They have a firing quota.

        Edit: to be clear I’m talking about the Amazon divisions outside the warehouse. They make managers fire a certain percentage of people on a regular basis.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      111 month ago

      Depending on your country, that is the norm. Engineers here have at least 2 national unions to choose from, finance have a couple of unions, same with teachers, admin staff, etc. etc.

      As usual, this is probably just US being victim of 'merican exceptionlism.