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Unionization in the tech sector

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A tech union is a trade union for tech workers typically employed in high tech or information, community, technology services sectors. Due to the evolving nature of technology and work, different government agencies have conflicting definitions for who is a tech worker. Most definitions include computer scientists, people working in IT, telecommunications, media and video gaming.[1][2][3] Broader definitions include all workers required for a tech company to operate, including on-site service staff, contractors, and platform economy workers.[4]

Israel

Cellular, Internet and High-Tech was founded in 2014 as an affiliate of the Israeli trade union confederation Histadrut.[5][6] It represents 3,000 workers through the collective bargaining agreement it has with 6 high-tech firms including the Israel divisions of SAP and Visonic.[7] A further 200 employees of Surecomp are organized through the other Israeli federation, Koach LaOvdim.[7]

People's Republic of China

See also: 2010 Chinese labour unrest and 996.icu

Mainland China

The All-China Federation of Trade Unions is officially the only trade union in the PRC and acts as an extension of the state's interests. It either co-opts or restricts independent labour organising.[8][9] Most trade union chairs in China are company managers, party cadre members and appointed, rather than elected. However, since 2010, due to increased labour militancy and strikes, workers have been able to demand more worker representation in union elections.[10]

In 2018 Jasic Technology retaliated against a worker led union drive. Over 100 students and workers were arrested including members of Jasic Workers Solidarity Group in what became known as the Jasic incident.[11]

In March 2019, Chinese tech workers mobilized, after an anonymous person uploaded a repository named 996.icu to GitHub. 996 refers to 9AM to 9PM, 6 days a week or 72 hour work cycle.[11] Over 230,000 tech workers, mainly in China 'starred' the repository, making it one of the largest tech actions in China.[12] US based Microsoft (which own GitHub) employees signed a letter in support of the 996 movement, opposing censorship.[13]

Hong Kong

In the context of the pro-democracy 2019 protests, tech workers founded the Hong Kong Information Technology Workers' Union and developed a database of sympathetic employers who are supportive of the protests.[14] The union was later dissolved due to widespread state repression in Hong Kong following the protests.[15]

Romania

Sindicatul IT Timișoara (Romanian IT Union) represents 3,000 IT and outsourcing workers at Alcatel-Lucent, Wipro, Accenture and Alto since 2009.[16]

Serbia

The Association of Internet Workers is a trade union of internet-based platform workers in Serbia.[17]

United Kingdom

The first dedicated union branch for tech workers was launched by members of London chapter of Tech Workers Coalition. The branch is called United Tech and Allied Workers and is affiliated with Communication Workers Union.[18] In 2018, the British chapter of Game Workers Unite became a legally recognised union with the IWGB for all video game workers.[19]

United States

Tech unionization is relatively new in the United States, with the exception of telecommunications, primarily with the Communications Workers of America. The overall private job sector has a historically low union density rate of 7 percent, with the tech industry being even lower than that.[20] Since 2019, several unions have successfully launched initiatives to organize tech workers and won collective bargaining agreements.[21]

From 1974 to 1983, the United Electrical (UE) formed a Silicon Valley Electronics Organizing Committee (EOC), which was made up of 1 full time staffer and a dedicated network of rank and file from National Semiconductor, Siltec, Fairchild, Siliconix, Semimetals, and others.[22] They had a newsletter called "The Union Voice" in three languages English, Spanish and Tagalog.[23]

Between 1970 and 2016, a patchwork of IBM worker initiatives formed including the National Black Workers Alliance, IBM Workers United and Alliance@IBM.[24]

From 2014 to 2020,[25][26] various Amazon worker initiatives have unsuccessfully sought union recognition in different Amazon warehouses, most recently in Bessemer, Alabama.[26] In 2021, members of Teamsters members voted at a convention to form an 'Amazon division' to make it a strategic priority.[27][28]

In January 2018, 15 employees of logistics company Lanetix were fired, 10 days after they petitioned to form a union with Washington-Baltimore News Guild (CWA).[29] In November, the company agreed to pay $775,000 to the 15 former employees after the NLRB found they retaliated.[30][31]

In March 2019, 5 employees of npm, Inc. were laid off, in retaliation for organizing a union.[32] In July, npm settled with three employees after they filed a complaint with the NLRB.[33]

In 2019, 80 vendor contractors of Google at the outsourcing company HCL Technologies voted to form a union with Pittsburgh United Steel Workers, making it the first successful tech union for office based workers.[21] Two years later, HCL and 65 workers ratified a three-year collective bargaining agreement.[34]

In February 2020, Kickstarter employees voted to unionize with Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 153.[35] Workers of HCL and Kickstarter organized the first two office based tech unions in 2019 and 2020 respectively.[4]

In January 2020, Communication Workers of America launched Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA)[36] and unionized workers at Glitch,[37] Blue State Digital[38], Alphabet Workers Union at Alphabet, and game studio Voltage Entertainment[39] within its first year.[40] In 2021, workers at Do Better Tech,[41][42] Mobilize,[43] Medium,[44], NPR,[45][46][47] Mapbox,[48] Catalist,[49] Change.org,[50] EveryAction,[51] and New York Times Tech staff launched public unionization drives,[52] with civic tech companies Mobilize, Catalist and Change.org receiving voluntary recognition from their employers.[49][50] CODE-CWA has also supported workers at Activision Blizzard by filing Unfair Labor Practice charge with the NLRB.[53] CODE-CWA has organized the first first successful strike in the game industry at Voltage Entertainment[39], the first table-top game company at Pathfinder and Starfinder developer Paizo,[54][55][56] the first voluntary union recognition in the US tech industry at Glitch, the first collective bargaining agreement ratification at Glitch,[57] and the first membership union at a major tech company at Alphabet.[58] According to the CODE-CWA website "thousands of tech, game, and digital workers" have organized with over a dozen CODE-CWA organizing campaigns, including several certified unions with collective bargaining rights.[59]

In January 2021, Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) launched Tech Workers Union Local 1010 as a result of its success unionizing Kickstarter.[60] In August, workers of Code for America went public with their union drive with OPEIU.[61]

14 Instacart employees voted to form a union with UFCW, in the first app based union in the nation in February 2020.[62][63] One year later, in January 2021, Instacart announced it is laying off 2,000 employees including all 10 remaining unionized workers.[64]

See also

References

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  2. ^ "The Supply of Information Technology Workers in the United States - Computing Research Association (CRA)". Computing Research Association. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  3. ^ Braslow, Samuel (2020-01-09). "Video Game and Tech Company Workers Are Turning to Unions for Labor Protection". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  4. ^ a b Tarnoff, Ben. "The Making of the Tech Worker Movement". Logic Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
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  6. ^ Fisher, Ben. Unlikely unionists : organised labour in the Israeli ICT sector (PDF). Berlin: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Referat Globale Politik und Entwicklung. ISBN 978-3-96250-653-7. OCLC 1220920741.
  7. ^ a b Gamss, Netanel (February 24, 2021). "High-tech unions get a cool reception in Israel. Could U.S. example change that?". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2021-08-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "Workers' rights and labour relations in China". China Labour Bulletin. 2021-06-30. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
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  10. ^ Hui, Elaine Sio-ieng; Chan, Chris King-chi (September 2015). "Beyond the Union-Centred Approach: A Critical Evaluation of Recent Trade Union Elections in China: Trade Union Elections in China". British Journal of Industrial Relations. 53 (3): 601–627. doi:10.1111/bjir.12111.
  11. ^ a b Lin, Kevin (May 14, 2020). "Tech Worker Organizing in China: A New Model for Workers Battling a Repressive State". New Labor Forum. 29 (2): 52–59. doi:10.1177/1095796020916201. ISSN 1095-7960.
  12. ^ Tan, JS. "Tech Workers Are Workers, Too". Jacobin Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
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  14. ^ Wu, Sarah (2020-01-10). "Hong Kong workers flock to labor unions as new protest tactic". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
  15. ^ "感謝各位支持　HKITWU決定解散" (Press release). 2021-09-18.
  16. ^ Donna, Baines; Ian, Cunningham (2020-11-09). Working in the Context of Austerity: Challenges and Struggles. Policy Press. ISBN 978-1-5292-0869-6.
  17. ^ "Serbian freelancers protest new taxation law that threatens to push thousands into poverty". Global Voices. 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
  18. ^ Mellino, Emiliano (2020-09-22). "Google and Microsoft staff set to join the UK's first tech trade union". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  19. ^ Fogel, Stefanie (2018-12-14). "Game Workers Unite UK Is That Country's First Games Industry Union". Variety. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  20. ^ "Union Members Summary". Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2020-12-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ a b "US HCL Tech Employees: HCL Tech employees at Google US join Union". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  22. ^ Early, Steve; Wilson, Rand (1986-04-01). "Organizing High Tech: Unions & Their Future". Labor Research Review. 1 (8).
  23. ^ Bacon, David. "Up Against the Open Shop - the Hidden Story of Silicon Valley's High-Tech Workers". Truthout. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  24. ^ Wright, Andy (2020-02-17). "Don't Call It a Trend: A Brief History of Organizing in Tech". OneZero. Retrieved 2021-04-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ Luhby, Tami (2014-01-15). "Amazon warehouse workers in Delaware have voted against forming a union". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  26. ^ a b "Amazon Warehouse Workers In Alabama May Get To Vote Again On Union". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  27. ^ "The Teamsters Want To Unionize Amazon Workers. Here's What That Means". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
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  29. ^ Evangelista, Benny (2018-02-01). "SF tech company fired software engineers seeking to organize, union claims". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
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  31. ^ "Software Engineers Settle NLRB Case for $775,000". Management Report for Nonunion Organizations. 42 (4): 1–2. 2019. doi:10.1002/mare.30479. ISSN 1530-8286.
  32. ^ Conger, Kate; Scheiber, Noam (2019-07-08). "Employee Activism Is Alive in Tech. It Stops Short of Organizing Unions". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  33. ^ Francisco, Thomas Claburn in San. "NPM Inc settles union-busting complaints on third try – after CEO trolled for ordering internal mole hunt". www.theregister.com. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  34. ^ Heater, Brian. "Pittsburgh Google contractors ratify deal with HCL". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2021-08-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  35. ^ Carman, Ashley (2020-02-18). "Kickstarter employees vote to unionize". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  36. ^ "Major union launches campaign to organize video game and tech workers". Los Angeles Times. 2020-01-07. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  37. ^ "Online code collaboration tool Glitch votes to unionize". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  38. ^ Miller, Sean (October 21, 2020). "Employees At Democratic Firm Blue State Unionized By CODE-CWA". Campaigns and Elections. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  39. ^ a b Carpenter, Nicole (2020-08-11). "These game writers made history by going on strike — and winning". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  40. ^ Schiffer, Zoe (2021-01-05). "Here's what we know about the Google union so far". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  41. ^ "https://twitter.com/adamwebs1/status/1345027742723497984". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-11-11. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  42. ^ "Home Page | Do Better Tech". dobettertech.com. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  43. ^ Kramer, Anna (2021-03-15). "Mobilize app workers have unionized, adding momentum to CWA's tech organizing efforts". Protocol. Retrieved 2021-08-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  44. ^ Schiffer, Zoe (2021-03-01). "Medium union effort stalls, falling one vote short of majority". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  45. ^ "https://twitter.com/webuildnpr/status/1386680140097363974". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-11-11. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  46. ^ "https://twitter.com/wegrownpr/status/1455522581205954567". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-11-11. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  47. ^ "https://twitter.com/wegrownpr/status/1458163480691945475". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-11-11. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  48. ^ "Silicon Valley workers vote down union at SoftBank-backed Mapbox". Reuters. 2021-08-05. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  49. ^ a b Rowland, Geoffrey (2021-06-16). "Workers at progressive data firm Catalist unionize". TheHill. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  50. ^ a b "Change.Org Workers Form A Union, Giving Labor Activists Another Win In Tech". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  51. ^ "Workers at EveryAction Become Largest Progressive Tech Union". Communications Workers of America. 2021-09-03. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  52. ^ Eidelson, Josh. "New York Times Tech Staff to Walk Out in Growing Union Fight". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2021-08-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  53. ^ Parrish, Ash (2021-09-14). "Activision Blizzard sued again, this time for labor violations". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  54. ^ Hall, Charlie (2021-10-14). "Workers at Paizo unionize, a first for the tabletop role-playing game industry". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  55. ^ "https://twitter.com/rkgwork/status/1451344696597438467". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-11-11. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  56. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (2021-10-22). "Pathfinder, Starfinder publisher voluntarily recognizes workers' union". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  57. ^ Schiffer, Zoe (2021-03-02). "Glitch workers sign tech's first collective bargaining agreement". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  58. ^ Conger, Kate (2021-01-04). "Hundreds of Google Employees Unionize, Culminating Years of Activism". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  59. ^ "Campaigns". Organizing Campaigns. 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  60. ^ "OPEIU Launches Tech Workers Union Local 1010 to Raise Standards for Tech Industry Employees". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2021-08-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  61. ^ Schiffer, Zoe (2021-08-04). "Code for America employees are unionizing". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  62. ^ Gurley, Lauren Kaori (February 2, 2020). "Instacart Workers Win Historic Union Election". Vice Media. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  63. ^ Statt, Nick (2020-02-04). "Instacart workers voted to unionize this past weekend for better working conditions". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  64. ^ Schiffer, Zoe (2021-01-21). "Instacart is firing every employee who voted to unionize". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
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