Tech Wobblies/Announcement 2018-11-12
To: KWNPSA Announcement Mailing List <mailto:kwnpsa-announce@kwnpsa.ca>
From: Bob Jonkman <mailto:bobjonkman@kwnpsa.ca>
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2018 04:22:27 -0500
Subject: Meetup about "Tech Wobblies", 7pm Mon 12 Nov 2018 at Conrad Grebel rm 1301
Hi fellow SysAdmins! It's been a while since I had a long-term gig as a
SysAdmin. My tech work for a couple of years has been limited to
break/fix work -- one day, two hours at a time. And at my last long-term
contract, where I helped set up a new e-mail system and then converted
tens of thousands of mailboxes, I wasn't hired to Admin the System I had
built -- instead, the full-time gig went to the lowest bidder. Not only
am I a little miffed at losing out on seniority, but the fellow who
became SysAdmin isn't really making the Big Bucks.
It seems that everywhere, tech workers are working on shorter-term,
lower paid, longer hours, less secure contracts than ever before. And,
from experience, it's worse in the Non-Profit sector than in private
business. What can be done?
Tech Workers, Unite!
But organization of labour is difficult. Most industry has separate
unions for Manufacturing (ie. the United Steelworkers Union) and
Transportation (ie. the Teamsters Union) Should there be a separate
union for Programmers and SysAdmins? Database Administrators and Web
Developers? Front-End and Back-End designers?
The Industrial Workers of the World, known as The Wobblies, had a
solution: One union for workers across all sectors. This idea was
considered so radical that the IWW was banned as a subversive
organization in Canada during the First World War!
KWNPSA organizer Steve Izma knows all about the history of the Wobblies,
and we'll be joined by special guests Sean Howard and "Wobbly Sunny",
who is organizing the local tech workers chapter!
If you have the chance before the meetup, check out some of the
resources at:
https://sobac.com/wiki/Tech_Wobblies
I think it's the longest list of articles, web pages, and information
we've ever had on a topic!
See you at the meeting!
- What: KW Non-Profit SysAdmins Meetup: Tech Wobblies
- When: Monday, 12 November 2018 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm
- Where: Room 1301, Conrad Grebel University College
- Location: 140 Westmount Road North, Waterloo, Ontario Map
--Bob.
- Bob Jonkman <mailto:bjonkman@kwnpsa.ca>
- KW Non-Profit System Administrators
- http://kwnpsa.ca http://sobac.com/kwnpsa
