> 2. Fight open office layout (my opinion, may not be shared by everyone)
This is, I believe, the biggest strike against unions. If the unions decide you don't get open offices, then that decision binds everyone, whether they wanted an open office or not.
You just have to hope that the many tradeoffs you make are worth the things you get in return.
This is, I believe, the biggest strike against management. If the management decide you get open offices, then that decision binds everyone, whether they wanted an open office or not.
That's actually not (necessarily) the case (source: I'm management)
Having management make adaptations specific to an individual's preferences is a feature available in a management-employee negotiated arrangement that might be precluded or more difficult in a union shop.
As examples, I have colleagues working from remote locations, colleagues working in co-working spaces, colleagues working non-traditional schedules (by their choice, not mine). I can't see how having a union policy on work schedules and rules would have helped any of those employees and can easily see how they'd be harmed by having standardized work rules.
The difference is that, if you have a union, you get to vote on whether you want an open office or not. Without one, you have to do whatever the boss says.
Unions need not ban all open offices from existence, but they can at least provide a more powerful voice than angry blog posts in an industry dominated by open plans.
This is, I believe, the biggest strike against unions. If the unions decide you don't get open offices, then that decision binds everyone, whether they wanted an open office or not.
You just have to hope that the many tradeoffs you make are worth the things you get in return.