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Comment by project2501a | Hacker News Reader

It is time to talk about unionization that would throw all these bullshit inequalities out the window.

...by replacing meritocracy with seniority?

what meritocracy? are you saying that passing leetcode interviews means you know your job?

Plenty of us not in the Bay Area monoculture have never been subjected to leetcode type interviews, I know I never have.

You can also tell employers "no". I did it in the last round and of 6 companies that tried a leetcode-style interview, only 1 ended talks. I received offers from the other 5 despite not giving them a bullshit timed algo interview.

that's great, I developed multiple succesful products and have 25 years of experience and told several "no" recently and they all decided to not interview me.

just to be clear - I believe the correct response is "no". Only if we all refuse, will anything be accomplished.

This depends on the org, but an org that insists on putting me through a timed algo test isn't a place I care to work for.

I am happy to hear that. Developers have a lot more power to change things than they realise. If all developers simply refused to do leet code style interviews, employees would very quickly stop doing them.

exactly, this

It's already the case in most companies.

That's why it's good we can switch companies!

If you honestly believe that companies operate as meritocracies I have a bridge to sell you. Nepotism still runs rampant, attractive people get more job offers, promotions, and pay, networking still trounces experience and credentials when it comes to finding work, and credentials themselves are largely about wealth signaling.

Seniority is at least an objective measure, even if it is a terrible one. Besides which, no one says that's how a union has to work.

> attractive people get more job offers

Hey, I need a new webcam for interviews because this 720p can’t seem to get decent lighting really does a number ob me there.

They're not bullshit, they're secondary contradictions to the primary contradiction of bourgeoisie vs proletarians. The secondary contradictions do affect real people and are a great way to rally people together by showing solidarity to each other.

Unionization would throw so much out the window!

Window panes! What a capitalist decadence.

That is good for the economy... Broken Windows are the best... /s

Unions work well in countries like Germany. I have always wondered why unions failed so badly in the US? I assume corruption was the major problem?

why is this downvoted?

Because it would just replace one set of inequalities with a different set?

so how would it become worse than the current situation?

In a really extreme example of union membership, it relies on a lottery system. The lottery tickets are only given to current members. The current members give this to family members or sell the ticket for tens of thousands of dollars.

The union can post jobs internally and they have to evaluate internal candidates first. Some places I’ve worked even have it set up so that internal union members are sent to school for training before they will open it up to external hiring.

Credentialing. Union can enforce specific credentials that would then keep people otherwise qualified out.

I think these (which are scenarios I’ve seen) are worse than the current system where if you have the skills and can demonstrate them, then you can get a high paying job.

the current system does not guarantee a high paying job if you have the skills and can demonstrate them. it requires that you go through timed coding tests which are unrelated to what you will be doing, and which you have to study for first, despite already having done all that in college, and despite that college possibly being ivy league, and despite having years of experience and released succesful products.

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