Because the need for unions arises when there is a severe power imbalance between employer and employee. If I'm ever put in a position where I feel as though I am simply unable to negotiate a wage that is aligned with how I value my labor, and I feel as though this is through an exploitative advantage that the entire industry has over me, then I would start seeking other individuals in a similar situation in order to collectively gain leverage. I have not found that the software engineering industry remotely resembles this scenario, and that it is actually us engineers that hold most of the leverage advantage.
So while I recognize that there is a potential value to unionizing, short of a need for it, you're just introducing a middle-man into the relationships you establish, and unions eventually begin to take on all sorts of self-serving interests of their own. Many industries have developed to the point that the power imbalance doesn't exist between the employer and the employee, but rather the competent individual and the union.
Because the need for unions arises when there is a severe power imbalance between employer and employee. If I'm ever put in a position where I feel as though I am simply unable to negotiate a wage that is aligned with how I value my labor, and I feel as though this is through an exploitative advantage that the entire industry has over me, then I would start seeking other individuals in a similar situation in order to collectively gain leverage. I have not found that the software engineering industry remotely resembles this scenario, and that it is actually us engineers that hold most of the leverage advantage.
So while I recognize that there is a potential value to unionizing, short of a need for it, you're just introducing a middle-man into the relationships you establish, and unions eventually begin to take on all sorts of self-serving interests of their own. Many industries have developed to the point that the power imbalance doesn't exist between the employer and the employee, but rather the competent individual and the union.