Id Software devs form "wall-to-wall" union

Unionization in Tech & Game Development

• Many see game devs as especially in need of unions: chronic crunch, unpaid overtime, mass layoffs after launches, and exploitation of “passion for games.”
• Others argue software engineers are already well-paid and comfortable, so unions may be a “luxury option,” though even skeptics acknowledge conditions in game studios can be harsh.
• Some point to industry models like Hollywood (project-based work with strong unions) as a possible future for tech and games.

Power, Leverage & Replaceability

• Debate over how much leverage software workers have: unlike factory labor, software keeps running for a while without its creators, which weakens strike power.
• Counterpoints: deep domain knowledge, old stacks, on-call duties, and brittle infrastructure mean a few key engineers are hard to replace; one bad deployment can have huge impact.
• Outsourcing and IP licensing are raised as theoretical union-busting tools, but commenters note that in practice replacing entire experienced game teams is risky and difficult.

Politics & Scope of Union Agendas

• One camp wants unions “monomaniacally” focused on wages, hours, and workplace issues, warning that taking positions on Gaza, BLM, etc. is divisive and weakens organizing.
• Another argues you can’t separate worker issues from discrimination and broader politics: unions represent all workers (including marginalized groups) and must defend them.
• Historical perspective: unions have often been key political actors against oligarchy; some think avoiding politics is naive given that employers are highly political.

Economics, Company Failure & Offshoring

• Concern that aggressive bargaining in a downturn can bankrupt firms, hurting workers; critics cite Yellow Trucking and offshoring of film work to Europe/Asia.
• Others counter that mismanagement and debt usually kill companies, not unions, and that businesses whose viability depends on exploitation “shouldn’t survive.”
• Broad discussion of market power: employers colluding on wages, wage theft, and concentration vs. unions as a partial counterweight.

Legal & Organizational Context

• Id’s union is with Communications Workers of America, under the AFL-CIO; described as a “wall-to-wall” industrial unit (everyone non-management in the studio).
• Comparisons to craft vs industrial unions and Hollywood contracts, where overtime multiplies rapidly and makes endless crunch expensive.
• Some note union strength in the U.S. depends heavily on the NLRB and administration; enforcement can be undermined politically.

Immigration & Labor Supply

• CWA’s attempt to challenge the OPT program is cited as an example of unions opposing mechanisms that can weaken bargaining power via cheaper, less-protected labor.
• Discussion of how current U.S. immigration regimes (e.g., H-1B, undocumented work) are used to undercut wages and keep workers too vulnerable to organize.

Alternatives & Tools

• A number of engineers say they’d prefer strong labor-law enforcement (hours limits, notice for layoffs, real overtime rules) over unions, but others note that this is exactly what unions historically fought for.
• Suggestions for “labor tech”: apps for documenting violations, connecting gig workers, and organizing securely outside employer-controlled channels.