I think whataretensors's point is that we should be assertive to our own needs regardless of how employees in other fields are typically treated. IOW, it's not that they must be below us or us above them, but that we should not settle for less than what we can and allow our de-facto standard conditions to worsen on the rationalization that those are the conditions other employees in other fields work in. If other fields demand better conditions and get them, good for them.

But then that isn't "programmers should be assertive", it's "workers should be assertive".

I don't even think knowledge/creative work is that special, really, or that there is even non-creative work. (You should read about carpentry in either Heidegger or Graham Harman's book about Heidegger).