#pro-worker

[tomorrowusa]

« [I]f Donald Trump and his Catholic convert Veep, JD Vance, are ready to cheer, then they should think again. Cardinal Robert Prevost has chosen the name Leo XIV – and if you’re a papal Leo, you tend to be a reformer at the progressive end of Catholicism. That Prevost has decided to become Leo XIV will make Catholics think immediately of the last Leo – Leo XIII – and his 1891 encyclical or teaching document, Rerum Novarum, which outlined workers’ rights to a fair wage, safe working conditions and the rights of workers to belong to trade unions. If Pope Francis was the People’s Pope, then Leo XIV is all set to be the Workers’ Pope. »

— Catholic journalist Catherine Pepinster writing at The Guardian.

Going back 250 years, of the (now) 18 popes since the start of the American Revolution, the three most what we would now call "progressive" would be...

John XXIII (1958-1963)

Francis (2013-2025)

Leo XIII (1878-1903)

Leo XIII issued an encyclical called Rerum Novarum which in modern terms called for collective bargaining and fair working conditions for workers – with emphasis on the working poor. Though the encyclical also rejected violence and forced confiscation of property as advocated by militant socialists of that era, Rerum Novarum was regarded as radical by powerful conservative elements inside the church hierarchy. So when Leo XIII died, the cardinals elected Pius X who was a blatant reactionary.

So if papal names set the tone for papal reigns, Chicagoan Leo XIV might be seen as pro-labor and against the more rapacious aspects of capitalism. Trump and his broligarch buddies can't be terribly pleased about that. While Leo XIV won't be wildly "woke", he's not the pope that MAGA was hoping for.

[tirsynni]

Job Related Stuff under cut.

Earlier this year I was promoted to the program director of a new department. It sounds very fancy and I did get a raise, but as it's for a non-profit, and as it was a sudden promotion so I wasn't prepared to negotiate my pay, the raise wasn't as much as one would hope. But anyway.

I'm currently in charge of five employees. I'm officially in a "boss" situation. Let me tell ya, it's very weird having a strong pro-worker philosophy and being in a boss position. So far, I have not had to do anything which goes against my pro-worker philosophy. I'm doing everything I can to ensure that day doesn't come, either.

I have encountered some very frustrating things, though. If nothing else, I sincerely hope that my employees know how much I'm advocating for them.

I work for a Catholic non-profit, so obviously, we are pretty good when it comes to getting Christian holidays off. Unfortunately, not all of my employees are Christian. I have a good success rate so far at advocating for my non-Christian employees to have paid time off to enjoy their important non-Christian holidays without needing to use any of their PTO days. One of my big goals is to find out how to incorporate it into our actual program instead of me needing to fight for every holiday. I believe that should be built into programs, dammit, especially non-profits which focus on immigration and human rights.

Also... for fuck's sake, if you are doing something for work, it needs to be on the clock. Apparently, there were multiple instances of someone asking one of my employees to do something off the clock because they didn't consider it work and it was on my employee's way home. Are you kidding me? Hell no. I've successfully ensured that would never happen again and my employees never feel compelled to work off the clock. If you are doing a work activity, you are getting paid for it. Period.

It remains an ongoing concern of mine, though. I've never been in this particular position where I'm the boss and in charge of hiring/firing people in my department. We'll see how all of this plays out, especially as I have plans to eventually continue advancing in the organization.

But seriously. Everyone should know their rights and everyone should feel respected at work. All employees are needed. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been hired.

[gigakoops]

I'm seeing articles talking about Bobby Kotick talking about reviving Guitar Hero using AI, and everything about this upsets my rhythm-game-loving ass. For one I don't want to be tempted to buy another Activision game ever again. But then, if they start using AI to do stuff like note charts, it's not going to go very well and it's going to be awful to play.

So if you've seen my username anywhere else, it's likely been in the Clone Hero/Rock Band communities. I make custom note charts, and have been charting since 2011, when I worked on the Rock Band Network. So I know the in's and out's of what goes into a note chart. There's a lot of nuance that goes into these things, and when making a chart I always notice new details, even with songs I've heard hundreds of times. I don't trust an algorithm to notice such things.

I'm also left thinking about CAT, a program used at C3 (a big ol' hub for Rock Band customs that I've pretty much cut ties with at this point) to generate lower difficulties and such. And let me tell you, the results there are subpar at best. You can instantly tell how mechanical it all feels, as if there was no thought put into the note orders, or even the actual rules to how these lower difficulties work. And that's an algorithm that uses existing Expert charts as a basis!

AI-generated Expert charts would be a fucking nightmare. Instead of charts that flow well with the music, and account for all the little details in actual instrument lines, you'll get some clunky thing that technically works, but doesn't feel "right" with the music. Like, imagine playing a song, and while the notes are technically on-beat, it feels like the chords are charted in a way that feels unnatural, and there's a lack of polish when it comes to little licks and such. That's how I imagine an AI chart feeling, and it'd be downright dreadful.

There's also the thought of "What if they use existing charts to train the AI," which leaves two possible outcomes, neither of which are great. The lesser-bad one would be them using old Guitar Hero charts to train the AI. The GH series in general is pretty all over the place with chart quality, leaning oftentimes towards "overcharted" due to charting power chords as three-note chords, and sometimes just charting notes that aren't there for the sake of challenge. That's also the style of the series post-Harmonix, is to be really challenging. But also, I don't see that as being a good basis to train an AI to make charts by today's standards.

Which leads to my biggest fear: using custom charts (mostly Clone Hero charts most likely) to train this AI. And let me tell you right now, I don't consent to this. No way in Hell do I think it's an ethical thing to do to train an AI using potentially hundreds of other peoples' charts. Charting itself is an artform, and I think it'd be horrendous to just steal other peoples' styles so that you can save time on your cash-in revival.

This was originally going to be just the first paragraph, but then I decided to elaborate further until it became, well, all this. Still, I really hope that if they decide to revive Guitar Hero, that they actually hire people to make charts, because the idea of an AI seeing a Skrillex overchart, then ripping off that style for an Alter Bridge song or some shit is going to keep me up at night.

[greatprinceofabraham]

.@LeeCamp

"[W]hat have I done to find myself so #censored?...I’ve been...anti-war & #pro_peace. I’ve been...anti-capitalist & #pro_worker. I’ve been furiously anti-manipulation & #pro_honesty. I’ve been radically anti-imperial exploitation & #pro_equality"

https://open.substack.com/pub/realleecamp/p/why-im-the-most-censored-person-you?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=b8n6e

[you-are-not-your-job]

Council Post: The Importance Of Implementing A Strong Company Culture: 5 Core Values To Consider

Here are a few examples of the type of company culture and core values I recommend.

"When it comes down to the culture within your company, you really have to ask yourself a few things.

Would you work for you?

Would you buy from you?

Would you refer you?"

1. Prioritize employee satisfaction.

A company culture that prioritizes high employee satisfaction sets itself up for payoff in the form of higher employee motivation, lower turnover rates and increased productivity.

2. Attract quality employees.

Companies that focus on attracting high-quality employees can make themselves more attractive to job-seekers and capable of attracting top talent. And the high quality of a team itself can lead to an even more aligned and motivated workforce.

3. Champion customer satisfaction and loyalty.

A company culture that prioritizes customer service and satisfaction sets itself up for better chances of repeat business and a reputation for high customer loyalty.

4. Practice meaningful decision making.

A well-defined culture can also help to guide more meaningful decision making, ensuring that all a company's actions are aligned with the company's core values and goals.

5. Build a quality brand reputation.

Finally, a focus on building and maintaining a quality brand reputation can be essential when it comes to ensuring your company remains a desirable party to associate with in the eyes of partners, customers and investors.