Update: The Union was Recognized! Noble Knight Games employees Unionize.

[Blue Orange]

That's always the excuse used to justify not imposing safeguards to prevent the exploitation of workers. It's ultimately a fear-mongering tactic.

I've thought a lot about that--I used to be a lot more pro-union until recently, and the experience of unionization in the 1930s did give the USA one of its few periods of income compression, but the heavy stimuli of the past few years seem to have caused inflation of a sort I haven't seen in a while, and my own readings of Latin American history seem to show that worker power leads to increased inflation (though lack of it leads to very unpleasant levels of inequality). I'm not really sure what the best choice is. Ultimately it's up to everyone to decide whether they want to keep patronizing Noble Knight.

Not just European countries. We tax corporate profit too. Eisenhower had some very strong things to say about it back in the 1950s. Our rate is higher than many European countries, but we allow loopholes out the wazoo.

Yep, I've read that. I wouldn't oppose getting rid of some of those loopholes, but I don't have the hundred million on hand to buy enough congressmen to do that.

 

[MGibster]

Almost every single thing they likely want though, will decrease profits the owner(s) are taking… thus risking the viability of the business for the owner, thus risking closure - and no job. Ummm, win?

I work in HR, in practical terms this means I represent management not employees. If an employer can’t afford to pay a living wage or provide a tolerable working environment or conditions, they don’t deserve to be in business.

I am not entirely unsympathetic to the needs of management, but the histrionic cries that they’ll go out of business are a bit much to swallow.

 

[Blue Orange]

I work in HR, in practical terms this means I represent management not employees. If an employer can’t afford to pay a living wage or provide a tolerable working environment or conditions, they don’t deserve to be in business.

I am not entirely unsympathetic to the needs of management, but the histrionic cries that they’ll go out of business are a bit much to swallow.

If we're talking Exxon or Amazon or Starbucks, yeah.

Some of these games companies, I wonder...

 

[eyeheartawk]

NKG owner, probably idk:

Food $200
Data $150
Rent $800
Candles $3,600
Utility Labor $150
someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. my family is dying

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

I work in HR, in practical terms this means I represent management not employees. If an employer can’t afford to pay a living wage or provide a tolerable working environment or conditions, they don’t deserve to be in business.

Or they have too many employees and need to let a few go, so that they can pay the remaining ones better and give better benefits. But the crappy route many companies try to go is just cut everyone's hours, so that no one even qualifies for benefits. Or even worse, they do both and just put more into their own pockets. And it all contributes to the Big Lie that "no one wants to work!"

 

[Malmuria]

Types of theft:

 

[Malmuria]

Here's a scene about the play out across the US:

manager: "hey I know you took time off for christmas but we are really slammed right now and I need you to come in"
employee: "no, I'm spending time with my family, I'll be back in two days"
manager: "well clearly you don't care about this job. Maybe I'll have to find someone who is more reliable"

 

[Malmuria]

Tabletop, card game retailers join the game industry’s burgeoning union push

In Wisconsin and Washington, tabletop workers are unionizing

www.polygon.com

A second Noble Knight Games employee, who asked to speak anonymously, continued: “The tabletop industry is exciting, and it’s fun. I think employers count on that when they offer us wages that aren’t in line with the responsibilities that we’re being asked to have. We love our company. We love the industry. That’s why we’re [here]. We just think that our expertise and our talent deserves better wages, better benefits, and a better working environment.”

Workers at Noble Knight Games, an online board and tabletop game retailer located in Wisconsin, are the latest to file for a union vote with the NLRB. In addition to better pay and environment, workers told Polygon that sick days aren’t a thing at Noble Knight. “It’d be nice to get some of those,” Zebertavage said. “Our PTO is already pretty scant.”

 

[Blue Orange]

Tabletop, card game retailers join the game industry’s burgeoning union push

In Wisconsin and Washington, tabletop workers are unionizing

www.polygon.com

BTW, the issue of paying less for a job that is pleasant in other ways is well described in economics as 'compensating differentials'.

The point is that employees have very little power in most cases (except recently, and that seems to be going away).

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Here's a scene about the play out across the US:

manager: "hey I know you took time off for christmas but we are really slammed right now and I need you to come in"
employee: "no, I'm spending time with my family, I'll be back in two days"
manager: "well clearly you don't care about this job. Maybe I'll have to find someone who is more reliable"

Read the r/antiwork subReddit and you will see a lot of this has been going on for years. There are people posting about managers contacting them while on vacation or maternity leave or at a funeral, or sick with Covid, and so on, not even just asking them to come in to work, but rather ordering them to come in.