In Progress CWU² the Second, or City^2²

[Northgate]

I'd like to open the discussion for the Civil Worker's Union in this iteration. I've decided to keep the core name really just to avoid confusion, but I'll go on what'll be done and changed in this thread. Keep in mind, that for all it's worth, this iteration should hopefully be fun, that's what counts. We're all a bit busier nowadays and CWU will factor in the community growth.

Keep in mind, this isn't a megathread with set in stone information, much rather a discussion, feedback and idea thread (you may refer to is as ccc......) and a lot of passages are either WIP or simply summarized.

My intent is to keep the entire annoying paperwork to me and give you guys the greatest iteration of CWU that's ever been. Enjoy.
Special thanks to @Dallas and his ideas for Half Life: Year Zero & Jidai, Joseon for some inspirations taken in this thread as well as many more for their inspirations and ideas that led to this.

The (re)introduction of CWU​

Background​

Civil Worker's Union is just an informal way of referring to the hundreds of organizations that sprung up globally to fill the void that were once municipal services. Initially ran by former employees with backgrounds in technical and industrial work to keep society from immediate collapse, they gained legitimacy overtime and became an important cog in the Combine occupation. One such cog is our very own, which is quite distinct in its own ways.

Preface on the ideas presented ​

To put it bluntly, I would like you to forget your memories of CWU, even up to the Linntrix iteration. While I retain the lead position, the ideas will be improved and reshaped into something greater for roleplay. The number one goal? Redefine city roleplay and the token economy as a whole into something far more complex that shouldn't just lead to an end goal of 'become rebel with acquired ressources'.

I initially was hesitant to even re-use the old name but decided to keep it to keep things clear. However, I do intend to give the name justice compared to previous uses.

As part of redefining city roleplay, I would like to begin by adding the player as key component of the economy. I've failed to see how this wasn't done before, but I want to put people in positions where they are tied to the cities they live in. Again, explained later. Another aspect is that you should be rewarded for being a provider of such services (roleplay hubs) and be encouraged to be active than to be punished for having many workers.

Another aspect is conformism: I personally think this is an antiquated concept that should be overhauled for this iteration, at least in its early days. There is no reason to love the Combine especially such short time following their invasion, but to tolerate them - the goal of the Combine should be to keep us under control by practical means, not ideological. Will be explained later.


Let's actually begin, starting of with a restructure of CWU.

Services - Responsibilities of the faction (CWU)​

CWU will retain previous duties, but these will be delegated to third parties as well to keep this running and to prevent the classic "wait for CWU to flag on". CWU will also be taken on a bit more of a role as emergency civil administration, more explained soon.

PROVIDED SERVICES?

• Municipal: The classic. CWU is responsible for keeping the power on and the water running. While a lot of work may be delegated to potential contractors, Foremen will run larger public work duties and internally, small technical teams take care of other problems. They also integrate some emergency functions into its very function, firefighting and such is done by your trusty local workers.
• Logistics: Another classic, but with a twist. We don't want the city to rely on CWU to keep supplies coming in. While it keeps a permanent stock, these items may not always be the best, in quality or price. You'd be better off perhaps approaching logistics contractors and order fresh food, or maybe go to a private growing operation or manufacturing group for produce, at better prices and higher quality. The idea here is to add many sides to it to keep it running and avoid that when one is off, the entire supply chain immediately collapses.
• (Emergency) Civil Duties: The Civil Worker's Union shouldn't just be a worker with a condom suit who give you tokens for writing lines. The worker should assign your living quarters, he should be the one to assign you temporary and permanent work and provide you resources when you need them, both essentials but also financial. Inspired from Dallas' concept of welfare centres even, CWU should (and will) run operations to reward you for your thoughts into your character.

General responsibilities of the faction are of course maintaining mentioned services, but out of character, delivering the roleplay right to your doorstep. Players have a hard time taking initiative, that's where the CWU steps in. But once that void is filled, it steps back and lets the free market decide until it's needed again.

Organization?​

To the more interesting part. There are two levels to the Civil Worker's Union, the whitelisted, un-whitelisted and the independent.

FOREMEN, SUITS AND OTHER TROUBLESOME INDIVIDUALS - Whitelisted​

CWU will be ran by a small and dedicated group who have the ability to invest some of their time and effort into keeping the ball rolling.

Their focus will be on civil duties and keeping the supply chains operational. Since they have whitelisted access, they are given access to the (practically) limitless vendors and will have to follow some slightly stricter guidelines. Overall though, they have a lot more freedoms. If you're part of the whitelisted group, you will basically be a lead, without the tedious parts of it. They could be regarded as administrative personnel, but they shouldn't (always) be afraid to get their hands dirty.

Specifically Foremen I also intend to be something of a position acquired by the "average" Joe, without much of an OOC application aside from a background check. Foremen should be picked by the associates of the Worker's Union as the best and regularly re-elected. They will honourably tell you to climb down the gutter, unlike the office clerk who'll just give you a letter to do so.

ASSOCIATES, APPRENTICES AND THE WORKER - Unwhitelisted​

The arguably largest part of the faction may be the associates of the Worker's Union. You'll basically need to associate with the CWU in some capacity to even earn the right to work.

The Associate is arguably the default pick for any newcomer to the city who wants to work. Associates are the Worker's Union's responsibility and are led by their respective Foremen in many work groups. They are either in it for the long run, perhaps to become a foreman one day or to gain an apprenticeship in a company, while also retaining benefits to being part of the CWU. More senior associates are also given additional trust, and can perform technical work with their own small teams, and earn actual salaries.
To become an Associate, you will need to approach a CWU-ran Welfare Centre and argue your case. While anyone can become an associate, it should still be an active effort and a privilege to be one, not just a given right.

The Worker is pretty much anyone with a work permit. A blank slate of sorts, they pay a small fee and can join any company officially and legally. That's about it. You can already join Foremen-led public work but you're generally on your own. This approach is intended for those who want to focus on a company specifically, without being involved with the Worker's Union. It's a lot more independent, and to some, perhaps more liberating than being a literal cog in the great industrial complex.

The greatest difference between the Associate and Worker? The Associate earns gets their ration coupons, and maybe a little extra. The worker gets their money and that's it.

THE INDEPENDENT, THE CONTRACTORS AND THE PROFITEERS - Anyone​

For perhaps the most interesting part is the company worker, who's not even part of CWU itself. They usually keep a sort of contract with the CWU, or just lease the space for their little business or store, but that's about it. They are their own masters, make their own rules and offer their own goods and services. It's easy to get a work permit and companies are encouraged to hire with many, many incentives to hire a lot of workers. It's generally more profitable to be a worker for a company versus being in the CWU, but at the sacrifice of some progression perhaps, depending on your position.

The incentive in joining a company as worker is fiscal. You will earn breenbucks for your work, which you can do whatever with. Buy a meal? Go on. Invest in a business? Of course. Bribe someone to keep their eye turned away? Be my guest.

You can join a company as a CWU Associated Apprentice, although you will still be tied to certain guidelines within the CWU. You will receive greater protection and stability, but your co-worker may be able to re-invest his salary better than you.

Work(shifts) and YOU:​

The word workshift has led to many concerns in the past, but you don't need to be afraid anymore. You won't need to fill collagen shells with apple paste.

Work is done in three levels: public, internal and private.

PUBLIC?​

Public work is led by any Foreman with a cool idea for some work that can be done on a larger scale. These aren't supposed to be one time wonders (but they can be it occasionally), much rather, they should be longer worksites that are worked on by large groups of people over a solid timeframe. Anyone, with or without work permit, can join these as these cater to unskilled labour above all else. You'll earn rewards depending on your relation to the CWU. If you're just a normal worker or guy who just got here, you'll earn your tokens and nothing else. If you're a CWU associate though, enjoy your hard earned ration coupon with food and water and maybe a cold beer after work.

INTERNAL?​

Internal work is technical duties done by CWU personnel. No one, not even those with a work permit or in companies can join these since they're just maintenance work or similar to what the CWU just does. They are easy to run and ran frequently enough to be a major reason for joining up with the CWU. While the rewards aren't massive and you can't do infinite of these to prevent misuse, you can do enough to keep you afloat and even earn you a little something.

PRIVATE?​

Private work is done as a company worker for contracts or just during normal work. The work you perform here is completely dependent on whatever you work as, and wherever you work. You can also just be a store clerk or barkeep, this work is done for your company, business or whatever else. Companies can technically hire any Joe off the street for work, but your earnings (and theirs) will be somewhat limited.


General takeaway? Work is cool, we want more work. Rewards depend, but you'll be generally get a little something for your time.

Businesses, Companies, the Economy & Population Control / Conformism​

Back to companies and businesses, I would like to go a bit more in-depth over my motivations and ideas with them and how I imagine the city economy to look like.

Companies can be anything. Any goods or service you might have in mind, you will be able to do them (including furniture stores @bowering69) and you will be encouraged and incentivized for these as well, especially when you can get a lot of people for your ideas. They are fully in-character with none of the OOC and all the roleplay. The idea is that companies are contracted by the CWU for certain goods or services - for example, a metallurgy business that sells metallic parts and such to the CWU at a profit and may also sell some of its goods to individuals, stores or even other companies. The idea is that the supplies are part of a regular supply that you can "create". While there'll be systems in place to prevent abuse (no 10 boxes of metal an hour) you'll have opportunities to gain a lot of resources.

COMPANIES?​

What kind of companies can you do? As I said, anything. But to give examples...

• Manufacturing plants for industrial or consumer goods
• Contractor companies for construction and labour
• Research companies specialized in specific domains
• Logistics and supply chain groups working to deliver supplies to its many demanding customers
• Farms and similar, perhaps you plant potatoes or you run a protein farm in the outer layers...
• Excavation and mining groups

BUSINESSES?​

So much more. Same goes for businesses, which may be somewhat smaller ventures but just as important...

• Intellectual services in any domain
• Journalists and reporting services
• Clothing vendors, hairdressers...
• Private specialists, maybe even doctors...
• Barkeeper, waiter, cooks...

There's a lot of potential for all of these and I'm not here to hinder their formation. In fact, I want to make it easy to get any surface you need for your projects, from warehouses to small shacks, anything goes. You can even just run a small stall to sell noodles from if you like, I would be the last to oppose you.

WHAT ABOUT THE WORKERS?​

I also want to make sure that every company, business and store can have many workers, as many as are needed and are available. I don't want to see stores go inactive after a day because it's too expensive to hire people. Of course, this isn't an easy issue to solve, as store activity is tied to how active the owner can be, and thus, if the owner can't be there much, there's a good chance the store might not make that much and can't hire enough people, leading to inactivity - we want to resolve this, by creating a system where companies and businesses are given subsidies for hiring and are given legitimate resources to bring people on board.

CHANGES IN THE TOKEN ECONOMY​

Now, for the economy; I'd like to show and create a few changes - I wish for a wholly different city economy, where there is an implicitly tolerated grey market, and social control executed through such. While in the inner city, you may mostly encounter endorsed stores and businesses, further and further in the city you may encounter places running from abandoned apartments, inviting you to a game of Deathroll. The CWU may not provide complete coverage to the city, but companies are not limited in such means. There's even a few advantages, because if the CWU doesn't know, who's there to collect rent?

The goal with these economy changes is done to diversify the setting a bit - it won't all be about liberation and freedom anymore, but sometimes, small gangs may bicker for financial resources instead, but their people in as Foremen and control the companies. This again will also play right into the hand of the Combine, with less people concerned over saving the people and rather, people concerned over who makes the most. On another note, I also want people to re-invest their tokens into the economy, and not just grow extraordinary stacks of unused money.

NEW CIVILIAN CONCEPTS​

Another aspect I wish to introduce is that people, when they first arrive in the city have nothing to their name but their re-assignment papers. If they want to work for a company, they need a permit, but maybe they just intend to work for the large public shifts, or even in some more illicit parts. But aside from that, I also want to bring people together: I want to encourage people to stay in the cities and get together with people. Apartments should be shared between roommates, unless you can afford an expensive personal apartment. You can order storage containers to your place, and don't have to run to the sewers to store your five apples.

SO, WHAT ABOUT LOYALISTS?​

Based on all this, as one of my final points I'd like to speak on the topic of conformism: hard workers, entrepreneurs and so forth should be the ideal people the Combine wants. The regime should have hope, and that hope is in working for the occupation force. Hardcore Loyalism as a concept can still be done in smaller circles (such as seen by @Appetite Ruining Kebab and @Merlinsclaw's Ultraloyalism in C8), but in general, the Combine doesn't just want people to do nothing for weeks on end. Unemployment should be kept low and discouraged. But even if you oppose the regime, at least your life will be better if you can use your finances for something purposeful.



In general, all these changes play hand in hand - a strong economy creates a thriving city, creating an active and populated city environment, and different motivations, especially for staying in the city, joining or creating hubs of activity that are more accessible to all. When everything is underground, how can players know people are active?

A CONCLUSION​

With this thread, I hope to give you an idea of what we'll do with CWU in this iteration. As the lead, I'm glad to answer any questions that you might have, including any ideas, complaints and criticism. I plan to allow for some companies to form right on server launch, as well as some CWU workers to be present already. However, everything else will be done in-character. We'll rid rogue auths, most OOC application parts and so forth to keep everything in the game, and the game only.

I'm happy that the server gave me the trust to work on this project and that I can give my takes on all this to you.

 

[PepicWalrus]

Swoo 2

 

[Northgate]

I do want to add a few clarifications.

1. Foremen will be elected
Foremen, a section of the whitelisted members of the faction, will be elected in regular votes by the faction members (Union Associates). The amount of Foremen depends on the faction size and amount of work groups out there. Elections will take place once a month or so, and during this time, the Foremen will retain their role. There will be a brief OOC background check, but nothing else.

2. CWU can own companies, businesses, property
This is an old point that was done to prevent self-supplying and abuse. While these points may still stand, I'd like to give a refreshed take on this;

Whitelisted CWU with lead roles are authorized to run a company, business or store with no questions asked. They are still expected to prioritize CWU however, and their ventures should be a) non-intense in terms of constant time investment or b) have other management personnel in the company who can keep it running in your absence should you be busy with CWU duties.

Whitelisted CWU with temporary roles (such as Foremen) are allowed to run a company with no real restrictions, as they are seen as "temporary" members and shouldn't be expected to drop all they built towards for an elected job. Of course, they will be monitored in-character to prevent hard misuse of their rights.

Unwhitelisted CWU are completely unrestricted from running or working for any company.


The reason for this change is my trust in the faction and of course, the fact that we're more in-character focused now. Since the business menu also has prices to spawn in items, it isn't just "free" either and has a price which the worker needs to pay and which isn't always better than what they may get somewhere else (i.e. other companies). Still though, the worker is expected to log it - if they don't, that's an IC problem, not OOC.

3. Starter Companies
In the coming time, I will open applications for 3-4 companies to be given additional funding and resources at the start of the iteration. The intent is to allow these to have a headstart into their work. It won't however cancel other companies from forming, just that they'll receive less starting resources compared to the major groups out there.

The application will probably be freeform, and depend on starting member size, idea and what domain they want to focus on.



As always, I'm open for any questions any of you may have.

 

[Hunk]

The faction looks nice

 

[Northgate]

The faction looks nice

Hell yeah! It should hopefully be quite fun within the setting and should encourage actual people to go to the surface lol