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If you’ve ever worked in a high-tech position in the Seattle area, as a software programmer, tester, technical writer or editor, chances are you have worked on a contract basis at some point in your career. Chances are you’ve also been frustrated by the strictures placed on these occupations by industry mainstays like Microsoft, as well. It seems the concerns of the more-or-less temporary workers in the Silicon Forest are unheard and unappreciated by the major companies who employ them.
Enter WashTech [ http://www.washtech.org ], or the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers. Founded just over a year ago, this nascent union has been a prime force behind the scenes in the recent news stories concerning Microsoft’s agency contract negotiations and other high-tech worker’s rights issues. WashTech is affiliated with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), as Local 37083 of the Newspaper Guild, which is in turn part of the larger union network, and the AFL-CIO.
In the best union tradition, WashTech started last January with a group of people concerned about the working climate for employees of local high-tech companies, precipitated by the decision of the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries to eliminate mandatory time and a half overtime pay for software workers. Membership includes people in … [Continue reading...]
