If the myth of tech over the past decade has been one of constant innovation, algorithmic scale, and new products and devices that “simply work,” the truth is that all of those illusions were made possible by the obfuscation of labor: the contract content moderators who sanitize the feeds of Facebook and YouTube from violence and extremist content; the warehouse workers at Amazon fulfillment centers trying to meet the guarantees of same-day shipping; the gig workers of all kinds — Uber drivers, food delivery cyclists, Instacart shoppers, among them — all of whom are at the whims of increasingly efficient platforms and wayward legislation.
And that’s not even to speak of the white-collar tech workforce that, while better compensated, is still being taken advantage of by NDAs and mandatory arbitration clauses that keep hidden the realities of discrimination and harassment in the office. But now, some workers across tech companies are organizing for better treatment and pay. Others are making efforts to unionize. Most importantly, the movement will reach everyone who works in tech — and anyone who uses those platforms. The story of the tech industry over the next decade will be the reckoning brought on by its workforce.
US District Court Judge Diane Gujarati issued the cease and desist order against Amazon on November 18th, which prevents the company from terminating employees over their unionization efforts.
This comes after Amazon made ‘some management changes’ at a Staten Island warehouse in May. These changes reportedly involved firing over half a dozen managers that were tasked with handling the company’s response to unionization.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union has withdrawn its petition to hold a union election at an Apple store in St. Louis. It says the decision is due to Apple’s “anti-union practices and increased hostility towards workers,” according to Bloomberg.
The accusation is similar to one from the Communications Workers of America union, which called off its own Apple store election earlier this year. Both the CWA and IAM have successfully unionized other Apple stores.
HP, one of the world’s largest PC vendors, according to data from Gartner, announced in an earnings report that it’ll lay off 4,000 to 6,000 employees by the end of 2025. According to numbers cited by CNBC, that’s between seven and 11 percent of its workforce.
This is just the latest in a series of large tech layoffs, not to mention that the PC market has also had an especially rough year following a pandemic boom.
Internal documents obtained by Insider indicate that Amazon’s Alexa division made up the “vast majority” of the over $3 billion that the company lost across its “Worldwide Digital” department, which includes Alexa, Echo devices, Prime Video, and other products.
Amazon confirmed layoffs affecting thousands of employees on its hardware and services teams last week, and the company’s CEO says to expect even more job cuts next year.
[Business Insider]
A disabled employee who was allegedly fired for not coming into Twitter offices to work has filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming that its new rules about remote work are discriminatory (via Reuters).
CEO Elon Musk has previously said that workers who “can show up in an office” and don’t are basically resigning, and while he’s said exceptions will be made, managers may be risking their own jobs by nominating employees for remote work.
Workers at an Apple Store in St. Louis could vote on whether to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union soon. The union says it’s filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to represent 82 workers at the location.
That’s the same union that won at an Apple store in Maryland. The NLRB will have to verify the petition before an election is scheduled (unless Apple agrees to let the union happen — unlikely, given its history).
After reports that Amazon plans to lay off 10,000 workers this week, CNBC and The Washington Post are reporting that some workers there are being informed they will need to find another job with the company soon or accept a severance payment. Neither outlet mentioned how many people were affected today, and so far there haven’t been any companywide notifications.
From the Post:
Amazon employees were called into meetings with their managers across the country Tuesday, and many were told they had two months to find another job internally or accept severance payment.
[Washington Post]
After writing a letter to Tim Cook asking for cooperation in bargaining for benefits, organizers at the company’s first unionzed retail store in the US have filed an unfair labor complaint with the NLRB.
The IAM isn’t the first union to file a complaint against Apple, but it seems like it could be a long road to a finished contract
According to Bloomberg, Apple has told workers at its only unionized store in the US that they’ll have to bargain for new education and health benefits while its other workers automatically get them.
It’s not an uncommon tactic used by employers, but with a union election coming up tomorrow in Oklahoma, the message Apple is trying to send is crystal clear.
When news about Elon Musk offering to buy Twitter, again, broke, the company’s employees were reportedly in a meeting about the company’s plans for 2023. They saw the news on their timelines first, before receiving a curt email from the company.
According to Platformer’s Zoe Schiffer, workers’ morale is at an all-time low. It’s tough not knowing what will become of your company.
Average starting pay is going up from $18 per hour to “more than” $19 per hour starting next month. The company is raising pay ahead of another union election; warehouse workers in Albany recently filed to unionize, and the union vote will be held in October.
Rolling Stone interviewed five women involved in the several sexual harassment lawsuits against the automaker.
Hearing them describe how they were treated, and how Tesla failed to defend them (and sometimes actively punished them) is difficult.
[Rolling Stone]
On October 12th, workers at the ALB1 warehouse in Albany, New York will start voting on whether to unionize with the Amazon Labor Union — the same group that successfully organized the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island. Votes will be counted on October 18th, according to the National Labor Relations Board.
