#techlabor — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #techlabor, aggregated by home.social.
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The history of the Mapbox Workers Union is an *incredibly* important tech labor story; I’m so glad Clarissa Redwine is working to tell it.
If you haven’t already backed the campaign, check it out! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/clarissaredwine/mapbox-workers-union-podcast
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For anyone attending Take Back Tech 3 in Atlanta this weekend, a colleague just let me know they’re running a session about building worker power in the semiconductor industry.
Conference: https://www.takebacktech.com/
Session info: https://chipscommunitiesunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Take-Back-Tech-CCU-Panel-Adv4-1.pdf
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The workers at Kickstarter United, one of the tech industry’s first unions, are in a tough contract fight, and they’re holding a virtual rally TOMORROW. Here’s the RSVP link: https://bit.ly/ksru-rally
Show up if you can! If they win a strong contract with AI protections and a 32-hour work week, that only helps the rest of us 💖
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A must-read piece from a tech worker at Google, arguing for a worker-led “AI arms embargo”: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/google-employee-speaks-out-war-contracting/
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🦊
I am downright delighted to announce that my latest book, YOU DESERVE A TECH UNION, has a brand new look. I really love it, and I hope you do too.
Here’s a look at what’s changed and—maybe more importantly—what’s stayed the same:
https://ethanmarcotte.com/wrote/refresh-a-new-look-for-you-deserve-a-tech-union/
#YDATUbook #books #bookstodon #blogging #labor #TechLabor #unions #TechUnions #1u
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“Today, Alphabet Workers Union-CWA members on the Google Help team secured a first collective contract with Google vendor Accenture, becoming the first group of AWU-CWA represented workers to bargain a collective contract and only the second group of Google office workers ever to do so.”
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Always remember that advances in “artificial intelligence” are driven directly by exploited human labor: specifically, by underpaid contractors working under tremendous precarity, often while reviewing horribly traumatizing content:
(cw: descriptions of having viewed violent, extreme content; discussion of resulting trauma by those who viewed it)
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The New York Times Tech Guild is officially on strike: washingtonpost.com/style/media... #unions #TechUnions #TechLabor #1u@[email protected]
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The New York Times Tech Guild is officially on strike: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/11/04/new-york-times-tech-strike-walkout/
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“The Tech Guild says Times management bargained for only seven hours in September, what they considered insufficient to reaching a deal.”
Some good coverage from @washingtonpost on the @NYTGuildTech’s strike threat: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/10/23/new-york-times-tech-guild-strike/
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BABY’S FIRST RADIO INTERVIEW! I had a wonderful time on KKFI’s Heartland Labor Forum, getting interviewed about tech unions, who gets to be a “tech worker,” and — you guessed it — YOU DESERVE A TECH UNION:
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Last year, I wrote a book called YOU DESERVE A TECH UNION; several months later, my publisher decided to close its doors.
This is a post about what happens next: https://ethanmarcotte.com/wrote/reacquired/
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ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL NEWS: https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/economy/bethesda-game-studios-union-ZDA3AQGAPVDD3EEPAGBC5V6XJA/
“Workers at Maryland-based Bethesda Game Studios, the company behind blockbuster games such as ‘Starfield,’ the ‘Elder Scrolls’ series and the ‘Fallout’ series, have formed a union, according to the Communications Workers of America.”
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”In [management’s] view, the mere act of attending the meeting was enough to demonstrate their good faith. Instead, they inadvertently made the union’s case clear: that if we do not push, we will not receive; that if we choose not to speak, we will never be heard.”
A wonderful essay from @jalcine, with background on how CfA Workers United fought for — and together, how they *won* — their first contract. https://www.kernelmag.io/4/labor-luck
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New from me over at WBUR: I wrote about the workers’ letter that likely saved Sam Altman’s job at OpenAI, and my complicated feelings about it. https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2023/12/06/artificial-intelligence-tech-workers-collective-action-sam-altman-ethan-marcotte
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Funny how Sam Altman is available to do interviews about unrelated topics like #remote work and how it's not possible.
“A spokesperson for OpenAI said no one was available to answer questions about its use of AI contractors.”
well, yes https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/openai-chatgpt-ai-jobs-contractors-talk-shadow-workforce-powers-rcna81892
#labor #TechLabor #InvisibleWorkers -
“A spokesperson for OpenAI said no one was available to answer questions about its use of AI contractors.”
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Some great May Day news.
Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and ChatGPT Kenyan content moderators formed a union.
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Code for America’s leadership is engaging in some pretty heinous union busting. Here’s @cfaworkers on what’s happening, and how you can support their workers: https://union.place/@cfaworkers/110260332098409793
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Sounds like the leadership at Bandcamp is gearing up to fight @bandcampunited’s union campaign. If you’d like to show up to support the workers, here’s how: https://union.place/@bandcampunited/110136308462128979
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“Alphabet Inc.’s Google is legally the boss of YouTube contract staff and must collectively bargain with the workers if they vote to unionize, a US labor board official ruled.” — https://fortune.com/2023/03/04/labor-board-ruling-google-legally-employer-youtube-contract-workers-implications-beyond-tech-industry/
YOU TRULY LOVE TO SEE IT