# Worker organising in mainstream tech companies **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Tags:** labour-movement\ **Created:** [20 January 2020 13:50 UTC](https://community.coops.tech/t/worker-organising-in-mainstream-tech-companies/1871 "2020-01-20T13:50:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sion](https://community.coops.tech/user_avatar/community.coops.tech/sion/32/563_2.png) [@Sion](https://community.coops.tech/u/Sion)\ **Post date:** [20 January 2020 13:50 UTC](https://community.coops.tech/t/worker-organising-in-mainstream-tech-companies/1871/1 "2020-01-20T13:50:09Z")
I’m talking to a political group about worker organising in tech. Does anyone have information on current/recent worker resistance/strikes/sabotage inside investor-owned tech companies, in the UK and internationally? Links/gossip welcome. ---
**Author:** ![alex](https://community.coops.tech/letter_avatar/alex/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@alex](https://community.coops.tech/u/alex)\ **Post date:** [20 January 2020 17:23 UTC](https://community.coops.tech/t/worker-organising-in-mainstream-tech-companies/1871/2 "2020-01-20T17:23:01Z")
The quickest source for this is this database: > **[Collective Actions in tech, arts and business](https://collectiveactions.tech/)** > > Collective Actions in tech, arts and business Which has a corresponding GitHub - [GitHub - collective-action/tech: Documentation of all collective action from tech workers.](https://github.com/organizejs/collective-actions-in-tech) Happy to chat about this in general of course. Some of our members are involved with [Tech Worker Coalition in London](https://techworkerscoalition.org/london/). ---
**Author:** ![Patelo](https://community.coops.tech/user_avatar/community.coops.tech/patelo/32/936_2.png) [@Patelo](https://community.coops.tech/u/Patelo)\ **Post date:** [20 January 2020 19:00 UTC](https://community.coops.tech/t/worker-organising-in-mainstream-tech-companies/1871/3 "2020-01-20T19:00:33Z")
This is gold!, thanks for the info. ---
**Author:** ![ODSCJames](https://community.coops.tech/letter_avatar/odscjames/32/5_5575768a8748004e209b776fc1b2916d.png) [@ODSCJames](https://community.coops.tech/u/ODSCJames)\ **Post date:** [21 January 2020 16:38 UTC](https://community.coops.tech/t/worker-organising-in-mainstream-tech-companies/1871/4 "2020-01-21T16:38:40Z")
A group is starting up in Scotland - [Fairer working conditions in Edinburgh Tech Sector - Open Tech Calendar](https://opentechcalendar.co.uk/group/594-fairer-working-conditions-in-edinburgh-tech-sector) It’s Prospect staff involved, but they emphasise it doesn’t have to be Prospect people join - tho apparently STUC has recommended tech workers join Prospect. ---
**Author:** ![Sion](https://community.coops.tech/user_avatar/community.coops.tech/sion/32/563_2.png) [@Sion](https://community.coops.tech/u/Sion)\ **Post date:** [23 January 2020 12:26 UTC](https://community.coops.tech/t/worker-organising-in-mainstream-tech-companies/1871/5 "2020-01-23T12:26:17Z")
This is exactly what I was looking for, thanks all! ---
**Author:** ![bates\_oliver](https://community.coops.tech/user_avatar/community.coops.tech/bates_oliver/32/693_2.png) [@bates\_oliver](https://community.coops.tech/u/bates_oliver)\ **Post date:** [3 March 2020 13:52 UTC](https://community.coops.tech/t/worker-organising-in-mainstream-tech-companies/1871/6 "2020-03-03T13:52:51Z")
IWGB are helping gaming industry workers organise in the UK too via Game Workers Unite UK: [https://www.gwu-uk.org](https://www.gwu-uk.org) You might also want to check out GWU more broadly - [https://www.gameworkersunite.org](https://www.gameworkersunite.org) They’ve got news: [https://www.gameworkersunite.org/press](https://www.gameworkersunite.org/press) and resources for workers in the industry: [https://www.gameworkersunite.org/resources](https://www.gameworkersunite.org/resources) If games is your thing I can recommend this book, Marx at the arcade ([HaymarketBooks.org](https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1319-marx-at-the-arcade)) by Jamie Woodcock who is helping organise with games industry, couriers, and Amazon turkers. FYI - my other job, as an academic researcher in computer science, is looking at empower gig economy workers who are food and parcel couriers so I’m reading around in this area a whole bunch and going to interesting events. ---
**Author:** ![jdaviescoates](https://community.coops.tech/user_avatar/community.coops.tech/jdaviescoates/32/223_2.png) [@jdaviescoates](https://community.coops.tech/u/jdaviescoates)\ **Post date:** [5 March 2020 16:51 UTC](https://community.coops.tech/t/worker-organising-in-mainstream-tech-companies/1871/7 "2020-03-05T16:51:09Z")
Assume you’re in touch with Trebor Schloz at [https://platform.coop](https://platform.coop)? He’ll be connected to lots of people studying/ researching similar stuff ---
**Author:** ![bates\_oliver](https://community.coops.tech/user_avatar/community.coops.tech/bates_oliver/32/693_2.png) [@bates\_oliver](https://community.coops.tech/u/bates_oliver)\ **Post date:** [10 March 2020 13:54 UTC](https://community.coops.tech/t/worker-organising-in-mainstream-tech-companies/1871/8 "2020-03-10T13:54:53Z")
I was not! Thanks for the pointer 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![yasu](https://community.coops.tech/user_avatar/community.coops.tech/yasu/32/1032_2.png) [@yasu](https://community.coops.tech/u/yasu)\ **Post date:** [12 March 2020 00:34 UTC](https://community.coops.tech/t/worker-organising-in-mainstream-tech-companies/1871/10 "2020-03-12T00:34:37Z")
3 years ago, I was laid off by a big American investment bank I worked for 10 years as a computer programmer in Tokyo by means that were probably bordering on the legality. I took the “offer I could not refuse” and left the company and my story is probably very common. I think the reason why there aren’t many collective actions against such shady layoffs is that the banks are basically “cult groups” (Figuratively speaking, I say this for emphasis - their ideology is just not mine) around the management hierarchy, where the majority want to go up in the ladder by endearing themselves to the leadership. This is why I am interested in starting or joing a worker coop 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Patelo](https://community.coops.tech/user_avatar/community.coops.tech/patelo/32/936_2.png) [@Patelo](https://community.coops.tech/u/Patelo)\ **Post date:** [25 September 2020 03:41 UTC](https://community.coops.tech/t/worker-organising-in-mainstream-tech-companies/1871/11 "2020-09-25T03:41:27Z")
To add up to the question. Which are the most important tech worker unions in the world? ---
**Author:** ![bates\_oliver](https://community.coops.tech/user_avatar/community.coops.tech/bates_oliver/32/693_2.png) [@bates\_oliver](https://community.coops.tech/u/bates_oliver)\ **Post date:** [4 November 2020 15:37 UTC](https://community.coops.tech/t/worker-organising-in-mainstream-tech-companies/1871/12 "2020-11-04T15:37:28Z")
I don’t know about most important, but in the UK we recently started UTAW (United Tech & Allied Workers) [UTAW: United Tech and Allied Workers](https://utaw.tech/about) There’s Game Workers Unite (GWU) in the UK too ([https://www.gwu-uk.org](https://www.gwu-uk.org)) and is a branch of the Independent Workers of Great Britain union (IWGB). Globally I’ve not been following, but UTAW is part of the national CWU and GWU is part of IWGB. I believe some branches of IWGB has some affiliation with IWW. So there’s international solidarity if you trace up the trade unions. ---
**Author:** ![bates\_oliver](https://community.coops.tech/user_avatar/community.coops.tech/bates_oliver/32/693_2.png) [@bates\_oliver](https://community.coops.tech/u/bates_oliver)\ **Post date:** [6 November 2020 10:43 UTC](https://community.coops.tech/t/worker-organising-in-mainstream-tech-companies/1871/13 "2020-11-06T10:43:23Z")
Just found this: > **[Tech Workers Union Local 1010](https://www.techworkersunion-1010.org/)** ---
**Author:** ![decentral1se](https://community.coops.tech/user_avatar/community.coops.tech/decentral1se/32/3122_2.png) [@decentral1se](https://community.coops.tech/u/decentral1se)\ **Post date:** [23 November 2020 21:42 UTC](https://community.coops.tech/t/worker-organising-in-mainstream-tech-companies/1871/14 "2020-11-23T21:42:37Z")
There is a [https://techworkerscoalition.org](https://techworkerscoalition.org) branch brewing in Amsterdam, DM for deets. ---
**Author:** ![Sion](https://community.coops.tech/user_avatar/community.coops.tech/sion/32/563_2.png) [@Sion](https://community.coops.tech/u/Sion)\ **Post date:** [14 December 2020 15:37 UTC](https://community.coops.tech/t/worker-organising-in-mainstream-tech-companies/1871/15 "2020-12-14T15:37:29Z")
[Interesting article](https://organizing.work/2020/12/there-is-something-missing-from-tech-worker-organizing/?fbclid=IwAR3umjkDMkhT3uzIr591Az2W0e6VPc6f8v5DIx-u_sXRih6zB1IcrsxdB3Q) from Tech Worker Coalition site, critiquing ‘guilt-driven’ and ‘policy-driven’ techy organising (and by implication ‘tech for good’) - saying it’s no substitute for the real thing if you want to subvert the industry and be part of the workers movement