[snogglethorpe]

I'm a computer programmer for a Japanese semiconductor/electronics company, and I'm in the company union, as are all other employees.

Japanese unions are rather different tho; they do seem to serve some purpose as an employee-advocate, but are very strongly inclined towards compromise rather than confrontation. [When I first started working here, I was warned every year during the salary-negotiation period to be "prepared to strike!" ... eventually I thought to ask, and was told there had never been a strike... :]