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    benjaminalloverHamilton Nolan
    8/17/15 10:25am

    This is extremely simple.

    It really, really is. The argument for unions are quite straightforward. The arguments against are complicated and murky. The more tapdancing people like Peretti do, the more clear the bullshit.

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      NewYorkCynicbenjaminallover
      8/17/15 10:57am

      Actually the (real) argument against unions is pretty simple. They gives power to workers. Higher-ups don’t like that, for obvious reasons.

      What I have a hard time understanding is how conservatives have been able to convince working and middle class people that being in a union somehow runs against the interest of workers. I’m a unionized public school teacher, and the amount of teachers that I know that complain about being a part of a union is insane to me. A few of us were hanging out shortly after the new contract for NYC teachers was negotiated earlier this year (18% raise over 6 years, retroactive pay for raises not received in the previous several years, no changes to our already solid health insurance). These same people who were elated about the new contract several weeks prior were complaining about how the union doesn’t do shit for them and how it’s not worth the $100/month dues. Who the fuck do you think negotiated that contract?!

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      logophobe's pointless patrolbenjaminallover
      8/17/15 11:02am

      The arguments against are quite simple too - it’s making them seem ethical or in the workers’ interest that is torturously complex. Unions make labor more expensive and cut into a business’ bottom line. (To be clear, I in no way see this as a bad thing.)

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    SplatworthyHamilton Nolan
    8/17/15 10:28am

    The English language really needs a word or term for the cringing reluctance to part with one’s money to facilitate the fulfillment of one’s ideals. I have experienced that sensation. (But....but...it’s MY money!!)

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      logophobe's pointless patrolSplatworthy
      8/17/15 11:03am

      NOMOP? (Not Outta My Own Pocket)

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      burningsensationSplatworthy
      8/17/15 11:27am

      parsimonious

      [ ˌpärsəˈmōnēəs ]


      ADJECTIVE

      1. unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy or frugal:
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    AFSHamilton Nolan
    8/17/15 10:21am

    “Right now I see you as “tech” employees and so I pay you well. If I saw you as “journalists” I would pay you less. I am free to change my opinion of what kind of employees you are at whim.”

    Sounds like a solid reason to unionize tbh.

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      TBGBoodlerHamilton Nolan
      8/17/15 10:19am

      A lot of the best new-economy companies are environments where there’s an alliance between managers and employees. — Jonah Peretti

      Yeah, an alliance that holds as long as it works well for the employer.

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        ReburnsABurningReturnsHamilton Nolan
        8/17/15 10:46am

        His original words were very friendly. Their actual meaning is the language of abusers.

        That’s a bit over the top. He’s management. Management is going to do everything it can to make life better for management. That’s what they should do. Ultimately, if the Buzzfeed writers are the genius journalists you seem to be implying they are, they’ll find a way to organize effectively.

        One thing I do think he has right is that an effective union in the environment of Buzzfeed, Gawker and other websites probably looks very different than a traditional old media union. My guess is that it can work, but to do so, you won’t want to stick to all of the traditional sticking points for labor.

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          opiumsmabytchHamilton Nolan
          8/17/15 10:27am

          We are all replaceable.

          Simplest truth there is.

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            DennyCraneHamilton Nolan
            8/17/15 10:55am

            Though unions, he said “have had a positive impact” on blue collar workplaces where labor is more “replaceable,” the opposite is true at Buzzfeed—because Buzzfeed, he said, competes for talent with tech companies like Google, and must therefore offer great pay and benefits, and a union would introduce an “adversarial” element into the worker-management relationship that is now, he implies, so favorable to Buzzfeed workers.

            Right, but the workers who would unionize - those on the editorial side - would not be the workers Google and other tech companies would compete for. Or am I missing something here?

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              PopChipsHamilton Nolan
              8/17/15 11:17am

              I really don’t understand the obsession with Buzzfeed. My only beef with my Tumblr dash is that people on Tumblr seem to reblog anything posted to Buzzfeed. As soon as I see that a reblog is something from Buzzfeed I scroll right past it.

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                OctoberSurpriseHamilton Nolan
                8/17/15 3:12pm

                I like his sister. She is also in a union.

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                  Alice RiddleHamilton Nolan
                  8/17/15 10:14am

                  Start working at home with Google! It’s by-far the best job I’ve had. Last Wednesday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6474 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 8-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $77 per hour. I work through this link, go to tech tab for work detail.

                  +_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+ http://www.online-jobs9.com

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                    tornadoslackssAlice Riddle
                    8/17/15 10:16am

                    You must be in a union.

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