[hiram112]

>if software engineers want to get into the "doctors and lawyers" category we need to start doing doctory and lawyery things like "professional societies with teeth" and "board/bar certifications" and "codes of ethics" (good luck on that last one).

Not sure why you're down-voted. You're 100% right. Honestly, I really am flabbergasted by a good 50%-75% of the HN community's responses to organizing. This is probably the most intellectual group of people I participate with on the internet.

But the cognitive dissonance when it comes to 'free-market', unions, etc. for our profession is almost sad.

[logfromblammo]

That 50-75% will come around when they stop getting job offers due mainly to a dearth of pileous vigor--also known as "poor cultural fit" or "hiring discrimination"--rather than insufficient experience with technology X.

Honestly, though, if the torches and pitchforks didn't come out after the news broke about the non-poaching agreement between the CEOs of the major tech companies, I doubt they ever will.

The need for a worker cartel is directly proportional to the relative power a typical employer has over a typical employee. If the only way you can improve your work situation is by changing jobs, you could benefit from a union.