Can't Make This Up: 'Left-Leaning' Bloggers Trying to Unionize

This is NOT from The Onion. It's from the Associated Press via USA Today ("Bloggers consider forming labor union"):

CHICAGO — Do bloggers need their own Norma Rae?

In a move that might make some people scratch their heads, a loosely formed coalition of left-leaning bloggers are trying to band together to form a labor union they hope will help them receive health insurance, conduct collective bargaining or even set professional standards.

The effort is an extension of the blogosphere's growing power and presence, especially within the political realm, and for many, evokes memories of the early labor organization of freelance writers in the early 1980s.

Organizers hope a bloggers' labor group will not only showcase the growing professionalism of the Web-based writers, but also the importance of their roles in candidates' campaigns.

"I think people have just gotten to the point where people outside the blogosphere understand the value of what it is that we do on the progressive side," said Susie Madrak, the author of Suburban Guerilla, who is active in the union campaign. "And I think they feel a little more entitled to ask for something now."

Maybe I'm missing something, but when you want to form a union, isn't it sort of necessary that there be a mean, oppressive employer, or a group of them?

The article cites data indicating that bloggers wanting to unionize are also going to do something about what economists call "barriers to entry":

With pages focused on everything from bird watching to celebrity footwear, more than 120,000 blogs are created every day and more than 58,000 new posts are made each hour, according to data from Technorati, which tracks more than 94 million blogs worldwide.

Which leads to this thought: Maybe the diarists at DailyKos could be the first to stage a digital walkout. After all, Markos Moulitsas has gotten quite rich, and largely from their labors.

Related post is at BizzyBlog.com.