Tech 1010 Newsletter - Issue 28
With May Day just around the corner, it’s as good a moment as any to remember that every unionization effort is about power. When workers set out to form a union, we are inherently changing the power dynamic in our workplaces, where, now, our employer has to practice more transparency and bargain with the union as an equal. Worker solidarity and unionization tends to yield more accountability than employers are used to, and so they get nervous and do everything they can to cling to their power.
Even the most progressive companies like Code for America end up trying to bust their unions because worker democracy requires employers give up the control they are used to. To dig in on the example of CFA, leadership at Code for America has unilaterally stripped workers of union protections and canceled negotiations. They are so intent on undermining the union to keep their power, but CFA Workers United is standing up and demanding an immediate return to the negotiating table.
Help remind Code for America that every worker deserves the power of a union by signing this petition. It isn’t up to CFA (or any employer) to unilaterally decide who gets protections and who doesn’t. It’s on us, as workers, to use our power wisely.
When we take action, we win.
Kaarthika, RV, and Toy