[P2P-F] Unions for Immaterial Production?

Fri Feb 25 18:39:20 CET 2011

The effectiveness of collective bargaining has always been threatened
by independent peers who are willing to accept lower wages and endure
poor working conditions.

For traditional manufacturing jobs, these 'alternate' workers can
usually be kept from accessing the Means of Production by forming a
physical barrier around the worksite or through various threats that
can be carried out because it is easy to monitor who is actually
entering the establishment.

Yet these valuable techniques of intimidation and coercion so vital to
protecting Worker Rights are unlikely to be applicable in the realm of
"immaterial production".

When it comes to something like Free Software, how can we, the
International Programmers of the World, unionize effectively to *stop*
independent programmers from creating the solutions that consumers
need?

This is a catastrophic issue, as many of these independents are
willing to work not just for a low Wage, but for Free!  They often fix
bugs and add features without any pay at all!

How can workers in the 'immaterial' sphere possibly "make a living"
with such anarchy and disrespect for organized labor, and with no
ability to stop that production?