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CODE-CWA
Campaign to Organize Digital Employees
Founded2020
Key people
Emma Kinema, Wes McEnany
AffiliationsCWA
Websitehttps://www.code-cwa.org/

The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees or CODE-CWA is a project launched by the Communications Workers of America to unionize tech and video game workers in January 2020.[1] It sprung out of conversations with Game Workers Unite (GWU) and employed at least two full time staff, including GWU co-founder Emma Kinema and veteran SEIU organizer Wes McEnany.[1]

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.[2]

CODE-CWA campaigns have been launched at a range of workplaces such as major multinational tech companies, small startups, video game studios, media companies, AAA game publishers, worker co-operatives, and table-top game companies.[3]

Organizing Campaigns

CODE-CWA Campaigns by Company
Company Unit Name Founded Union Type Local Union Status Campaign Description
Glitch n/a March 2020 Contract CWA Local 1101 Ratified Bargaining Agreement Glitch staff announced intentions to unionize with the CWA Local No. 1101 as part of CODE-CWA in early 2020. The company voluntarily recognized their union. Around the same time, the company laid off a third of its staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5] Glitch signed a collective bargaining agreement in March 2021, the first in the American tech industry.[6]
Voltage Entertainment Voltage Organized Workers (VOW) August 2020 Non-contract n/a n/a In August 2020, CODE-CWA organized the first successful strike in the game industry at Voltage Entertainment.[7]
Blue State Digital n/a October 2020 Contract CWA Local 1101 In Collective Bargaining In October 2020, Blue State Digital also voted to form a union with CWA Local No. 1101.[8]
Alphabet Alphabet Workers Union January 2021 Non-contract CWA Local 1400 Active On January 4, 2021 over 400 employees of Alphabet (parent company of Google) formed the Alphabet Workers Union (CWA Local No. 1400) with a rare solidarity union model. Alphabet Workers Union is notably open to non Alphabet employees, including Temporary, Vendor, and Contract workers, who make up almost half of the workforce.[9][10]
Do Better Tech n/a January 2021 Contract CWA Local 9003 Ratified Bargaining Agreement In January 2021 Do Better Tech worker co-operative IT and tech firm was in the process of voluntarily recognizing a union with CWA Local 9003.[11] The co-ops website says it operates as a "unionized worker cooperative."[12]
Medium Medium Workers Union February 2021 Contract n/a Not Certified Medium Workers Union announced their intent to form a trade union with CODE-CWA at the company Medium in February 2021.[13] According to MWU, 70% of the eligible employees have signed union authorization cards, representing workers in editorial, engineering, design and product departments.[13] On February 11, the workers asked management for voluntary recognition of their union.[14] Medium workers held an online vote for recognition by management, which fell one vote short of the majority threshold required by their agreed terms. In March 2021, organizers stated that they would not pursue a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election in the near future.[15]
Mobilize March 2021 Contract In Collective Bargaining On March 15, 2021 it was announced that tech workers at community-organizing app company Mobilize had certified a union as a part of the CODE-CWA effort.[16]
NPR Digital Media United April 2021 Contract NABET-CWA Local 31 In Collective Bargaining On April 26, 2021 workers in NPR's Digital Media Division announced they had formed a union with NABET-CWA Local 31 as a part of the CODE-CWA organizing project and requested voluntary recognition of their union from NPR management. Digital Media United NABET-CWA, the newly formed constituent of CODE-CWA, includes a wide range of tech related disciplines including engineering, design, content operations, online support, and product management workers.[17] On April 28, 2021 Digital Media United NABET-CWA announced that NPR management chose to voluntarily recognize their union.
New York Times New York Times Tech Guild April 2021 Contract New York NewsGuild-CWA Filed For Union Election On April 13, 2021 more than 650 tech workers at the New York Times announced that they were unionizing with the NewsGuild-CWA.[18][19] In July 2021 the workers filed for union certification with the National Labor Relations Board.[20] On August 11, 2021 the New York Times Tech Guild held a half-day work stoppage in protest of alleged union-busting tactics from the New York Times management for which the Guild filed at least three unfair labor practices charges with the NLRB.[21] If the union is certified, it will be the largest union representing tech workers with collective bargaining rights in the country.[22]
Mapbox Mapbox Workers Union June 2021 Contract n/a Not Certified On June 15, 2021 workers at Mapbox announced that a super-majority of the over 200 workers for the company, both tech and non-tech, had signed union authorization cards to be represented by CODE-CWA.[23][24]
Catalist June 2021 Contract In Collective Bargaining On June 16, 2021 workers at Catalist announced that a super majority of the 30 or so workers for the company had signed authorization cards to be represented by the company and had received voluntary recognition of their union from Catalist management.[25]
Change.Org Solidarity @ Change June 2021 Contract In Collective Bargaining On June 30, 2021 it was announced that 70 workers at Change.Org had received voluntary recognition of their union and will be represented by CODE-CWA for collective bargaining.[26] To date, Change.org is the largest tech company to voluntarily recognize a union as the representative of its staff. About half the staff are based in the US and half in Canada.
EveryAction EveryAction Workers Union September 2021 Contract In Collective Bargaining On September 3, 2021 CODE-CWA announced that 240 workers at EveryAction had received voluntary recognition of their union and would be represented by CODE-CWA after a super majority of employees signed union authorization cards expressing support for unionizing.[27] EveryAction Workers Union, the newly formed constituent of CODE-CWA, became the "largest progressive tech union with majority traditional tech workers in the United States." EveryAction also surpassed Change.org in becoming the largest tech company to voluntarily recognize a union.
Activision Blizzard n/a September 2021 n/a n/a Filed ULP Charges The Communication Workers of America filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the NLRB on September 14th alleging that Activision Blizzard, a prominent videogame development company, had engaged in unlawful intimidation and interrogation of workers organizing with the union.[28] The NLRB complaint follows shortly after a lawsuit initiated by the state of California against Activision Blizzard alleged that there was a culture of unlawful sex-based harassment and discrimination against women within the company.[29]
Paizo United Paizo Workers October 2021 Contract In Collective Bargaining On October 14, 2021 workers at Paizo, the table-top game company behind Pathfinder and Starfinder, announced they had requested union voluntary recognition from management under the name "United Paizo Workers" with CODE-CWA following months of conflict where Paizo staff, freelancers, and fans protested poor working conditions at the company.[30] On October 22, 2021 following pressure on the company from workers, fans, and allegedly a strike among Paizo freelancers it was announced that Paizo management chose to voluntarily recognized the workers' union and have since moved into the process of collective bargaining, becoming the first known certified union of table-top game workers with collective bargaining rights. [31][32]
NPR Digital Media United November 2021 Contract In Collective Bargaining On November 2, 2021 workers in NPR's Communications and Audience Growth divisions announced they had requested voluntarily union recognition from NPR management and to join the Digital Media United NABET-CWA Local 31 NPR tech and digital staff unit as a part of the CODE-CWA organizing effort.[33] On November 9, 2021 the workers announced that they had been voluntarily recognized by management and would be joining the existing tech and digital staff unit at NPR as NABET-CWA members.[34]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Dean, Sam (2020-01-07). "Major union launches campaign to organize video game and tech workers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-01-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "Campaigns". Organizing Campaigns. 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  3. ^ "Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA)". Organizing Campaigns. 2019-11-25. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  4. ^ Kastrenakes, Jacob (May 22, 2020). "Glitch lays off 'substantial number of employees' to cut costs". The Verge. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  5. ^ Heater, Brian (March 13, 2020). "Online code collaboration tool Glitch votes to unionize". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 2020-12-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Schiffer, Zoe (March 2, 2021). "Glitch workers sign tech's first collective bargaining agreement". The Verge. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  7. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (2020-08-11). "These game writers made history by going on strike — and winning". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  8. ^ Miller, Sean (October 21, 2020). "Employees At Democratic Firm Blue State Unionized By CODE-CWA". Campaigns and Elections. Retrieved 2020-12-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Conger, Kate (2021-01-04). "Hundreds of Google Employees Unionize, Culminating Years of Activism". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-05.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Tiku, Nitasha. "Google workers launch unconventional union with help of Communications Workers of America". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  11. ^ "https://twitter.com/adamwebs1/status/1345027742723497984". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-11-11. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  12. ^ "Home Page | Do Better Tech". dobettertech.com. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  13. ^ a b Kerry Flynn. "Unions are becoming ubiquitous in digital media. Medium is the latest". CNN. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
  14. ^ "Medium Workers Board the Union Train". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
  15. ^ Schiffer, Zoe (March 1, 2021). "Medium union effort stalls, falling one vote short of majority". The Verge. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  16. ^ Kramer, Anna (2021-03-15). "Mobilize app workers have unionized, adding momentum to CWA's tech organizing efforts". Protocol — The people, power and politics of tech. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  17. ^ "https://twitter.com/webuildnpr/status/1386680140097363974". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-11-11. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  18. ^ Robertson, Katie (2021-04-13). "New York Times tech workers form a union". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  19. ^ "Shrugging Off Anti-Union Campaign, New York Times Tech Workers See a Chance to Make History". In These Times. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  20. ^ "600+ New York Times Tech Workers File for Union Certification!". Organizing Campaigns. 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  21. ^ "New York Times tech workers escalate union conflict with half-day walkout". Poynter. 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  22. ^ Tani, Maxwell (2021-08-12). "NYT Lawyers Accidentally Send Private Strategy Memo to Staff Union". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  23. ^ Ford, Brody (June 15, 2021). "Mapbox Faces Union Drive as Labor Organizers Extend Push in Tech". Bloomberg. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  24. ^ "U.S. workers of SoftBank-backed Mapbox form union, seek recognition". Reuters. 2021-06-15. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  25. ^ Rodrigo, Chris (June 16, 2021). "Workers at progressive data firm Catalist unionize". The Hill. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  26. ^ Allyn, Bobby (June 30, 2021). "Change.Org Workers Form A Union, Giving Labor Activists Another Win In Tech". NPR. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  27. ^ "Workers at EveryAction Become Largest Progressive Tech Union". Communication Workers of America. September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ^ Parrish, Ash (September 14, 2021). "Activision Blizzard sued again, this time for labor violations". The Verge. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  29. ^ Browning, Kellen (July 21, 2021). "Activision Blizzard Is Sued by California Over Workplace Culture". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  30. ^ Hall, Charlie (2021-10-14). "Workers at Paizo unionize, a first for the tabletop role-playing game industry". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  31. ^ "https://twitter.com/rkgwork/status/1451344696597438467". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-11-11. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  32. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (2021-10-22). "Pathfinder, Starfinder publisher voluntarily recognizes workers' union". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  33. ^ "https://twitter.com/wegrownpr/status/1455522581205954567". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-11-11. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  34. ^ "https://twitter.com/wegrownpr/status/1458163480691945475". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-11-11. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
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