What is Preventing Reddit Mods From Unionizing?
1 2018-10-13 by WeAreTheResistance
Just thinking about how the Mods here on Reddit do the majority of the work, while the corporation rakes in millions of dollars, and how we can mitigate this abuse, and it occurred to me, why can't the mods on Reddit create a union to directly negotiate with corporate?
Regardless of whether or not labor laws are being broken by Reddit, there's no disputing the fact that mods here are essential to the day to day operations of the site and should be able to have a strong voice in the executive decisions being made.
35 comments
1 Junkbear 2018-10-13
Mods are just people who want to run a community and made a subreddit, they're not employees of reddit...
Admins are, but I think you did in fact mean mods so i'm confused.
1 WeAreTheResistance 2018-10-13
The mods here do much more work then the admins in running the site day to day. It's hard to believe that any legal authority would not view mods as employees, regardless of whether they're paid or not paid.
1 TheCrawlerFL 2018-10-13
Besides that they're willing and informed volunteers? I would think a legal authority would be the exact authority that would not view mods as employees, by pure definition of what they do
1 WeAreTheResistance 2018-10-13
So mods are not essential in the day to day operations here? Regardless of whether they're technically considered employees or volunteers, it doesn't really matter if they're essential to the day to day operations.
1 Rockran 2018-10-13
Define 'employee' and you'll likely find the mods are not employees.
1 WeAreTheResistance 2018-10-13
They certainly have a huge amount of control on the site whether or not they are technically considered "employed" or not. They absolutely do work for Reddit regardless of whether they're paid or not.
1 Rockran 2018-10-13
I get the argument you're putting forth, but it falls apart when you try to bring anything remotely involving 'legal' stuff about it.
Yes mods 'job' is to do stuff - But it's not a 'real' job. It's an unofficial, voluntary position that will never be recognised by any authority as any form of employment.
Payment or not, there is no contract, no hand shake with the admins, nothing. Not employees, not contractors, nothing that you're proposing can or will ever be done.
1 ImmediateBeautiful 2018-10-13
Probably not, but it's not completely certain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOL_Community_Leader_Program
1 found_the_american 2018-10-13
They are making money for Reddit. Where's the incentive Bob?
1 WeAreTheResistance 2018-10-13
They're making money for Reddit while having almost no say and putting in countless hours of their lives without any pay whatsoever. Seems to me a union could take care of this pretty easily.
1 found_the_american 2018-10-13
I'm in complete agreement with you. In reality..The "progressive" overlords of Reddit would purge anybody that don't see their mod position as free intern work.
1 invictus_excelsis 2018-10-13
Um, they're not employees?
1 FartfullyYours 2018-10-13
Some of them are employees. For example, the mods of /r/politics and /r/worldnews, and /r/TMOR are on the ShareBlue/SPLC payroll.
1 devils_advocaat 2018-10-13
I believe you, but would still like to see proof of this.
1 Drgntrnr 2018-10-13
Got any links about it?
1 Squirrelboy85 2018-10-13
Quite a few mods work for reddit.
1 WeAreTheResistance 2018-10-13
Seems to me after reading this tutorial on how to start a Union it actually wouldn't be that difficult at all for the mods on Reddit to unionize.
1 Rockran 2018-10-13
Moderation is a voluntary - Unpaid position.
If they were to negotiate with the admins, what would they negotiate over?
1 WeAreTheResistance 2018-10-13
Being paid would be the first order of business I would think.
1 Rockran 2018-10-13
Jesus could you imagine if /r/conspiracy mods were paid to do what they do?
That would be a shitshow.
1 RMFN 2018-10-13
Lol are people actually arguing for getting paid shills to be our mods...
1 RMFN 2018-10-13
Lol right? Now this one I don't get, Rocky..
1 hamburgerstake 2018-10-13
They're not employees, so none of this makes sense, but suppose you create a mod union. Then what? You go on strike until you get a paycheck? I guarantee for every mod who joins there will be 100 other people ready to volunteer for free.
1 ogcani 2018-10-13
What's preventing a bunch of chickens from unionizing? More cohesion there than amongst reddit mods.
1 ReasonableLadder 2018-10-13
High supply of people willing to do the job for free
1 Putin_loves_cats 2018-10-13
Unions are cancer. Change my mind...
Moderators are volunteers who bear little to no responsibility/risk, unlike employees. Do you really want paid employees running subs? Do you want the responsibility and accountability that comes with it, if you're a mod?
1 _______puff-ery-day 2018-10-13
Mods do have responsibilities tho, if they abuse their position the admins can step in so there is some responsibility.
1 Putin_loves_cats 2018-10-13
I know they do, I'm a mod. I don't want to be paid, nor do I want the risk/responsibility that comes with it, if I was contractually obliged to Reddit.
I mod subs that I want to. I do it, because I want to, and care for them. It's a trade off. They take most of the responsibility and I have a platform. It's voluntary.
There is little to no risk for me, as a mod who mods a legit/legal community.
This whole thread is nonsense, IMO.
1 Abe_Vigoda 2018-10-13
I'll try.
People think unions are really bad but they're the major reason why the US developed a healthy middle class.
Back during the great recession, employers were taking advantage of workers who had no rights, so workers organized, formed unions, and went on strike to fight for their rights.
By the time the 50s rolled around, the US was in a great economic position, people were living that American Dream lifestyle purely because workers united.
The upper class wasn't as wealthy. CEOs only made 20-50 times what workers made. Nowadays, CEOs can make 200-500 times what they pay regular workers.
Unions are great for the working class. It's what makes sure you et paid fairly for your work.
1 Putin_loves_cats 2018-10-13
Ford would like a word with you ;)
1 Stalin_dindu_nuffin 2018-10-13
The rules of every sub are arbitrary. With no mods you can make a millions posts calling Trump the supreme most excellent glorious leader and no one could stop you.
Reddit already has paid mods. Admins.
Their job is to remove child porn and things Reddit don't want on Reddit. Meanwhile the rules of every sub are just written down.
We could delete rule 10 from the sidebar and what? We'd have freedom? Fuck that!
1 skyderper13 2018-10-13
because lots of schmucks will do it for free
1 blaaaahhhhh 2018-10-13
Anyone that was around during the Pao/FPH/blackout phases will know that Reddit has gone to shit since giving the mods more powers.
Most of them are jumped up idiots, nuking mass amounts comments and threads for the sake of it. ‘Modding for the sake of modding’.
It’s gone to their heads even with the simpler things now. These days it’s almost impossible to make a post in a lot of subreddits because of the ever growing slot of rules these morons add to their territory. Rule after rule after rule and, even if you get through, it will be heavily moderated by all their fab new tools.
1 SolidPossibility 2018-10-13
Because you are volunteering. If you stop doing the work, someone else who thinks the work needs to be done will do it. This is a community-based site, no?
1 _______puff-ery-day 2018-10-13
Mods do have responsibilities tho, if they abuse their position the admins can step in so there is some responsibility.
1 Putin_loves_cats 2018-10-13
I know they do, I'm a mod. I don't want to be paid, nor do I want the risk/responsibility that comes with it, if I was contractually obliged to Reddit.
I mod subs that I want to. I do it, because I want to, and care for them. It's a trade off. They take most of the responsibility and I have a platform. It's voluntary.
There is little to no risk for me, as a mod who mods a legit/legal community.
This whole thread is nonsense, IMO.
1 Abe_Vigoda 2018-10-13
I'll try.
People think unions are really bad but they're the major reason why the US developed a healthy middle class.
Back during the great recession, employers were taking advantage of workers who had no rights, so workers organized, formed unions, and went on strike to fight for their rights.
By the time the 50s rolled around, the US was in a great economic position, people were living that American Dream lifestyle purely because workers united.
The upper class wasn't as wealthy. CEOs only made 20-50 times what workers made. Nowadays, CEOs can make 200-500 times what they pay regular workers.
Unions are great for the working class. It's what makes sure you et paid fairly for your work.