Tech 1010 Newsletter - Issue 50
We often talk about forming a union as a way to put on our seatbelts before things crash and burn(out) at work. When workers have the structure of organization to rely on, we are better equipped to build guardrails in our workplaces and respond when something inevitably goes wrong. We are seeing this play out in real time, as workers who have already formed their unions and won their contracts are more able to push back and keep each other safe even as conditions within civic tech are changing daily in reaction to the federal administration.
This commitment to proactive and longterm-minded organizing is the key to protecting ourselves against authoritarianism. By building the muscles of cooperation, strategic decision making, and collective action, we are able to hold the line within our workplaces, neighborhoods, and beyond.
Labor plays an essential role in sustaining this organization, and union leaders across the country are in daily conversation about how to leverage the power of Labor to protect democracy. Moving through this moment will require a diversity of tactics and disciplined militancy across our labor movement. If you’re waiting to see what might happen, may we suggest something a little more proactive: put your seatbelt on.
With love and solidarity,
Mary, Danielle, and RV (your OPEIU union staffers)
