A tech union is a trade union for tech workers typically employed in
high tech or
information and communications technology sectors. Due to the evolving nature of technology and work, different government agencies have conflicting definitions for who is a tech worker. Most definitions include computer scientists, people working in
IT,
telecommunications, media and
video gaming.[1][2][3] Broader definitions include all workers required for a tech company to operate, including on-site
service staff,
contractors, and
platform economy workers.[4]
In 2021, UNI Global Union and
international workers of Alphabet,
Google's parent company, announced an international union coalition called Alpha Global to assist in organizing the company's global workforce.[6]
The ICT Union (
Czech: ICT Odbory) was formed in the summer of 2021. It has public campaigns with
Expedia and
Red Hat Czech. It is affiliated with the OSPPP (
Czech: Odborový svaz pracovníků peněžnictví a pojišťovnictví,
lit. 'Trade Union of Money and Insurance Workers') which in turn is affiliated with the
ČMKOS federation.[7]
France
Solidaires Informatique is a union that includes game workers and filed a lawsuit against game developer
Ubisoft in 2021.[8]
Germany
The
German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) has the principle of one trade union for each company. In practice, the two largest trade unions,
IG Metall and
ver.di[a] have been competing since the early 1990s to represent the tech industry which are part of the newer economies.[10] High-tech workers in Germany have lower
union density than other workers, and are less likely to engage in
collective bargaining and are more likely to engage in
alternative organisations, sometimes in direct competition with trade unions.[11]
The
Financial Services Union (FSU) has produced surveys, research, and legislative action around the IT, tech, and financial tech sectors as early as 2019.[17][18]
Israel
Cellular, Internet and High-Tech was founded in 2014 as an affiliate of the Israeli trade union confederation
Histadrut.[19][20] It represents 3,000 workers through the collective bargaining agreement it has with 6 high-tech firms including the Israel divisions of
SAP and
Visonic.[21] A further 200 employees of Surecomp are organized through the other Israeli federation,
Koach LaOvdim.[21]
The
All-China Federation of Trade Unions is officially the only trade union in
China and acts as an extension of the state's interests. It either co-opts or restricts independent labour organizing.[22][23] Most trade union chairs in China are company managers, party cadre members and appointed, rather than elected. The
Foxconn Trade Union was formed in November 2006. It represents 90 percent of
Foxconn's 1.4 million workers in China and is a
company union dominated by management.[24] However, since 2010, due to increased labour militancy and strikes, workers through China have been able to demand more worker representation in
union elections.[25]
In March 2019, Chinese tech workers mobilized, after an anonymous person uploaded a repository named
996.icu to
GitHub. 996 refers to 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week or 72-hour work cycle.[26] Over 230,000 tech workers, mainly in China 'starred' or '
liked' the repository, making it one of the largest tech actions in China.[27] US based Microsoft (which own GitHub) employees signed a letter in support of the 996 movement, opposing censorship.[28]
Hong Kong
In the context of the pro-democracy
2019 protests, tech workers founded the
Hong Kong Information Technology Workers' Union and developed a database of sympathetic employers who are supportive of the protests.[29] The union was later dissolved due to widespread state repression in Hong Kong following the protests.[30]
Philippines
The Business Process Outsourcing Industry Employee's Network (BIEN), historically organized
call center workers and more recently has focused on organizing tech industry contract workers. In 2021, the union's president had to move into hiding after increased government surveillance and
right-wing targeting of left and labor organizers and organizations in the country.[31] BIEN has a long history of organizing in solidarity with US and Canada tech, media, and telecommunications union
Communications Workers of America (CWA), including an incident in 2016 where BIEN and CWA organizers were held at gunpoint by an armed right-wing militia during an organizing effort.[32][33]
IT, tech, and game worker unionization is a recent trend, located primarily in the
Pangyo Techno Valley with a first wave of organization in 2018 and a second in 2021.[36]
In September 2018, over 300 workers at video-game developer
Nexon formed the country's first game worker union across the company's affiliates such as Nexon Networks Corp., Neople and Nexon Red.[37] In 2019 over 600 members took collective action around reorganizations, job security, and other issues at Nexon.[38] The union, known as Starting Point, successfully won significant pay raises for members in 2020.[39]
In 2018 workers at South Korean game company
Smilegate also formed a labor union known as SG Guild and successfully got Smilegate executives to sign an agreement with the employees. The union held a demonstration in 2019 calling for "stable work practices".[40]
In March 2021 workers at
Kakao's online-only bank firm
KakaoBank formed a union. In April 2021, workers at
Webzen, an online game developer, established a union. As of 2021 there are also unions at IT, financial tech, and game firms AhnLab, Hangul & Computer, XL Games, and
Naver.[36]
In April 2023, Google Korea and Google Cloud Korea formed a union with
Korea Finance & Service Workers Union (KFSWU) affiliated to
KCTU. KFSWU has previously organized workers at Oracle, Hewlett Packard, SAP, and Microsoft Korea.[41][42]
Recent South Korea Tech Worker Unions by Company[36]
Swedish unions
Unionen and
Saco signed a collective bargaining agreement with strategy game developer
Paradox Interactive that covers all 200 of Paradox's workers in Sweden.[44]
In October 2019 employees of Google Switzerland invited syndicom to their office while Google management attempted to shut down their talk.[46]
In February and March 2023, employees of Google Switzerland supported by syndicom walked out to protest layoffs.[47][48]
United Kingdom
Unite the Union (and its predecessor
Graphical, Paper and Media Union) represents Information and Technology sector workers. Unite has a number of collective agreements with tech companies such as
Fujitsu,
DXC &
Daisy Group. In London, a dedicated Unite branch for tech workers has been established.[49]
Since 2023 Unite has seen significant growth in sector membership within tech firms such as Google.[50]
In 2020 the first dedicated union branch for tech workers was launched by members of the London chapter of the
Tech Workers Coalition. The branch, United Tech and Allied Workers, operates as part of the
Communication Workers Union.[51]
In 2018, the British chapter of
Game Workers Unite became a legally recognized union with the
IWGB for all video game workers.[52]
In November 2021,
Prospect union launched a new tech sector, "a new home of tech workers within the union",[53] which has played a leading role in challenging treatment of staff at Twitter.[54][55]
United States
Tech unionization is historically relatively new in the United States, with the exception of
telecommunications. Workplaces are primarily organized with the
Communications Workers of America and to a lesser extent
OPEIU,
USW,
Teamsters. The overall private job sector has a historically low
union density rate of 7 percent, with the tech industry being even lower than that.[56]
From 1974 to 1983, the
United Electrical (UE) formed a Silicon Valley Electronics Organizing Committee (EOC), which was made up of 1 full time staffer and a dedicated network of rank and file from
National Semiconductor, Siltec,
Fairchild, Siliconix, Semimetals, and others.[57] They had a newsletter called "The Union Voice" in
English,
Spanish and
Tagalog languages.[58]
Between 1970 and 2016, a patchwork of
IBM worker initiatives formed including the National Black Workers Alliance, IBM Workers United and Alliance@IBM.[59]
Since 2014,[60][61] various
Amazon worker initiatives have largely unsuccessfully sought union recognition in different
Amazon warehouses.[61] In 2021, members of
Teamsters voted at a convention to form an 'Amazon division' to make it a strategic priority.[62][63]
In March 2019, 5 employees of
npm, Inc. were laid off, 4 of which were involved in organizing for a union.[64] In July, npm settled with three employees for $105,000 after they filed a complaint with the NLRB alleging retaliation.[64][65]
In February 2020, 14
Instacart part-time (<30 hours) in-store shopper employees voted to form a union with
UFCW, in the first
app based union in the nation.[66][67] One year later, in January 2021, Instacart announced it is laying off 2,000 employees including all 10 remaining unionized workers.[68]
In January 2018, 15 employees of logistics
startup company Lanetix were fired, 10 days after they petitioned to form a union with Washington-Baltimore
News Guild (CWA).[72] In November, the company agreed to pay $775,000 to the 15 former employees after the NLRB found they retaliated.[73][74]
In January 2020, the
Communications Workers of America launched the
Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) to organize tech, game, and digital workers in the US and Canada.[75] According to the CODE-CWA website "thousands of tech, game, and digital workers" have organized with over a dozen CODE-CWA organizing campaigns, including several certified unions with collective bargaining rights.[76] As of August 2022, CODE-CWA has organized over 3000 union members in various sub-industries of the tech sector across over 25 bargaining units in the last two years of organizing.[77]
On April 13, 2021, more than 650 tech workers at the
New York Times announced that they were unionizing with the
NewsGuild-CWA.[103][104] In July 2021 the workers filed for union certification with the
National Labor Relations Board.[105] On August 11, 2021, the New York Times Tech Guild held a half-day work stoppage in protest of alleged union-busting tactics from the New York Times management for which the Guild filed at least three unfair labor practices charges with the NLRB.[106] At the time the union was certified, it was the largest union representing tech workers with collective bargaining rights in the country.[107]
In January 2021,
Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) launched
Tech Workers Union Local 1010 as a result of its success unionizing Kickstarter.[113] In August, workers at
Code for America went public with their union drive with OPEIU.[114] A majority of workers at the e-commerce platform Big Cartel signed union cards with OPEIU Local 1010, calling for voluntary recognition by December 6, 2021.[115] On December 13, the company announced that they were granting voluntary recognition.[116]
^
abMarshall, Aarian (2021-01-12).
"Google's New Union Is Already Addressing Political Issues". Wired.
ISSN1059-1028. The AWU is somewhat unusual in that it is affiliated with the Communications Workers of America but won't seek recognition or collective bargaining rights through the National Labor Relations Board. "We will use our reclaimed power to control what we work on and how it is used," AWU writes in its mission statement. "We will ensure Alphabet acts ethically and in the best interests of society and the environment." The group says it now has more than 700 dues-paying members. But that's still a tiny percentage of Alphabet's 130,000 employees—and an even smaller share of the company's total workforce, including temporary workers, contractors, and vendors. The union is unusual in another respect, because it welcomes contractors and temporary workers.