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One thing that has often confused me about American TV series is how unionisation is portrayed. The characters often do it in secret, very hush hush, like it is something shameful or naughty.
Is there some legal or cultural difference that leads to that? Here many employees are part of a #union, which are industry-specific and cross-company. I admit, having been in the tech space, it's not a topic I'm super familiar with, but as an employer I wouldn't consider #unionisation as something awful.
@Setok I’ve lived here since 2015, and I still don’t get it.
All I can say is that historically, Unions have been portrayed as all having connections to the Mafia, of being socialist (and that in turn being bad because Americans can’t tell the difference between socialism and communism), and of being anti America …
Basically, rich corporations hate them… and if you don’t, you’re not living the dream or something.
I disagree, obviously.
@Aminorjourney right, so would you describe it as a cultural difference, or is there some legal difference in how they operate there?
It's just really weird that unions have such a sinister atmosphere to them, in many series.
@Setok I’d say it’s cultural… America is weird, but it’s not like I’m safe going back to the UK so :/
At least here there’s more space between me and dangerous types because I can afford a larger plot of land…
@smitten @Aminorjourney there might be an element of that, though I'd imagine TV also reflects culture as well.
@Setok @Aminorjourney a lot of #union drives in the US start in secret because the instant the bosses know you're organizing, they are likely to start counter-organizing. So the more strength you can build in secret, the safer you will be.
It's basically a side effect of how lousy US #labor protections are. Yes, unions are a legally protected right, but, especially compared to many other countries, only barely, and the deck is stacked for the bosses.
@tim @Aminorjourney that’s just a whole setup that, as far as I can tell, simply doesn’t exist in Nordic countries. Do you not have nation or statewide industry-specific unions that a worker can simply join at their own discretion?
@Setok @Aminorjourney nope! Well, not in many industries, anyway.
@tim @Aminorjourney that’s a major and fundamental difference at least
@Setok US business doctrine states that unions are bad for business. That's what they learn in MBA classes and Econ classes.
"If you give unions power they will make the business more expensive and difficult to run."
It's so ingrained, that businesses like Starbucks will simply shut down a store. Rather than let the "union virus" spread. Businesses treat unions like cancer. So Union organizers need to be circumspect lest hey be excised.
@gatesvp but is there a difference once the union is established? Here I think most unions are cross-company. So workers from the same sector, but not necessarily same company, are in unions.
@Setok In the U.S, companies have tried to turn the public against #unions by associating them with the far left. After McCarthyism, Hollywood has generally been timid to produce films or TV with pro-union themes.Yet the industry is widely unionized! It's definitely time for shows with bold witty #union leaders. Or maybe sexy union action heroes.
@mgmarkel and maybe also a modern view of what a union is. Not this stealthy operation that is naughty, but as something that just happens and union leaders work with business leaders to get a good deal for all.
@Setok Finland and Norway unionisation levels are rooted in the Nordic Model https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_model
It's generally well accepted by employers because it gives them stability and predictability as both sides' actions are regulated.
