this post was submitted on 26 Nov 2023
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[–] [email protected] 46 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It was easier because Microsoft had a budget and were willing to guarantee that those employees would get paid no matter what. If Unions were better funded they could guarantee the same.

[–] BB69 8 points 11 months ago (3 children)

How do you better fund unions besides raising dues?

[–] ChrisMcMillan 23 points 11 months ago

By getting the dues matched by the government. Go march for that✊

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Percentage-based dues would naturally go up with wage increases. In some countries unions receive government subsidies though

[–] cosmicrookie 3 points 11 months ago

In my country I can sunstract union dues from my taxes

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Dues would go alot farther too if union employees had a cap based on average member salaries. There is zero reason for union executives to be living a different lifestyle from the people they represent.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Get the employees higher salary, and take a cut out of that

[–] [email protected] 35 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

So much fucking this. I’ve said it else where, but I think the media and online talk about openAI and Altman was a great tiny little crucible for seeing the corporate and CEO cultism that dominates mainstream culture.

Joining together for the CEO!! Whom everyone all of a sudden has some sympathy for. But laying off thousands of employees half a year earlier … business as usual!

CEOs are just employees. Their value is as questionable as anyone else’s. It was just another layoff. Instead everyone revealed that we’re all closer to serfs.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 11 months ago

Back in the day, joining a Union didn't just mean the chance of getting fired; it meant a good chance of being thrown out of the house, arrested, or even shot.

Join the Union, and if you don't have one, start organizing.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I am very skeptical that's even what happened, but I can't find any articles frankly explaining what happened. For one thing, three board members were replaced. How? I mean that very literally. If the three who left simply resigned, some mechanism must have been employed to select and empower the replacements. And yet the article I just linked doesn't explain the machanism in any way.

The article I linked makes it clear at least one of the three, Sutskever, didn't sinply resign. He was removed. How was he removed? It is a mystery.

All I want is for someone to lay out what happened. I doubt I will get what I want.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Board members are selected by the shareholders. In this case Microsoft owns 49% of the company, so they probably had something to do with it.

[–] cybersandwich 1 points 11 months ago

They aren't. Not for open AI.

[–] kurap1ka 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The board governs the open Ai ngo not the for profit, which allows investment, though the ngo owns the for profit.

So any investment in the for profits doesn't necessarily impact the board.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

An article from before the CEO returned:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/21/business/dealbook/openai-corporate-governance-altman-board.html

Reports suggest that, despite the prospect of investors suing over the board’s actions, the resolve of the remaining three directors has hardened — and if OpenAI fails, so be it.