TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
"David Tinsley" <dtinsley -at- ndigital -dot- com>, after
describing his surprise at working as a unionised
techwriter when he first came to Canada asked:
> Has anyone else ever worked in a unionised position?
Yes. At York University (in Toronto, ON, Canada) most
positions belong to one or another union. This
includes technical writers and software developers. I
have been told that the labour laws here are such that
if a company has a union (for example, for the
maintenance staff) and there are also people who are
not represented by a union (maybe they did not feel
they needed one), the union can insist that they
represent that group as well.
Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>, in response to a
comment that hourly-wage tech writers are only paid
for hours worked responded:
> That's also why contractors normally receive a
> higher rate of pay.
I understand that part of the higher rate of pay is
because contractors typically don't get paid vacations
or paid sick time, but I thought that the higher rate
was also because contractors typically don't get
benefits (such as medical) or a bonus.
- Michele Marques
writermsm-tech -at- yahoo -dot- ca
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