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Frustrations and Rewards of Online Organizing
Stalled Election at Etown, Website Battle at Amazon and a Multimillion-Dollar Settlement for Microsoft Permatemps
Because of extreme management intimidation of workers at Etown.com in San Francisco, CWA Local 39521 has filed new unfair labor practice charges against the company, postponing for up to six months a National Labor Relations Board election that was set for Jan. 12.
Last fall, the Etown.com customer service representatives became the first dot-com workers in the nation to petition for a union representation election.
“They’ve poisoned the bargaining unit thoroughly by holding captive audience meetings, sometimes twice daily, and threatening to fine workers for union activity,” said Erin Tyson Poh, staff representative for the local, known as the Northern California Media Guild/Typographical Union. “They’ve told people initiation fees could be as much as $1,800.”
The new charges are in addition to charges the local filed in December over firings that have taken place since the organizing campaign began in October. By Thanksgiving more than 70 percent of 36 customer service representatives had signed union authorization cards.
“They’ve done no hiring, people say they’ve been working short-handed, and they’re down to 13 people in the bargaining unit,” Poh said.
The charges assert that Etown management and its agents from a major anti-union law firm have committed gross violations of labor law since the Media Guild filed to represent the workers, and that they threatened to close the company if employees voted for the union.
“These actions by management make it impossible to have a fair election at Etown at this time,” said Carl Hall, local president and San Francisco Chronicle reporter. “It’s ultimately up to the employees to decide how they will proceed, but we remain hopeful that the atmosphere will improve in time. As long as the workers want a union, we will not give up.”
Meanwhile, customer service reps at Amazon.com in Seattle continue to gather signatures on a petition seeking representation by WashTech/CWA Local 37083. Leaders in the campaign to organize the more than 400 service reps have rallied under the moniker “Day2@Amazon.com.”
Frustrated with low pay, excessive overtime and near-worthless stock options, the workers began their campaign in mid-November.
Their website, www.washtech.org, is packed with facts about unions and workers’ right to organize. Management, meanwhile, has launched an anti-union website.
“Once again, what management is trying to do is create more fear and intimidation,” WashTech Organizer Marcus Courtney said. “They’re trying to make the issue the union, not the reasons why people are organizing, such as job security and wages.”
In another Seattle-area development, temporary workers at Microsoft learned the company has agreed to pay $96.9 million to settle a class action lawsuit brought by “permatemps,” workers hired through temporary agencies for long periods, allowing Microsoft to avoid paying benefits.
The suit, Vizcaino v. Microsoft, has been making its way through the courts for eight years and gathered steam as WashTech spread the word through articles published on its website.
The plaintiffs’ law firm, Bendich, Stobaugh, and Strong, P.C., anticipates that 8,000 to 12,000 class members could receive payment from the settlement.
“As a former permatemp technical editor, I am glad that Microsoft has finally done the right thing and settled this case,” said WashTech President Mike Blain. “This is some vindication for all the contract employees that were unfairly and illegally denied benefits due to the company’s long-running permatemp scam.”
Blain said the case most likely will end Microsoft’s widespread permatemp practices, but does not end the company’s use of thousands of contract employees. While Microsoft has converted more than 3,000 contract workers to employee status, with benefits, attorneys say the company continues to use an estimated 5,000 contractors.
Because of extreme management intimidation of workers at Etown.com in San Francisco, CWA Local 39521 has filed new unfair labor practice charges against the company, postponing for up to six months a National Labor Relations Board election that was set for Jan. 12.
Last fall, the Etown.com customer service representatives became the first dot-com workers in the nation to petition for a union representation election.
“They’ve poisoned the bargaining unit thoroughly by holding captive audience meetings, sometimes twice daily, and threatening to fine workers for union activity,” said Erin Tyson Poh, staff representative for the local, known as the Northern California Media Guild/Typographical Union. “They’ve told people initiation fees could be as much as $1,800.”
The new charges are in addition to charges the local filed in December over firings that have taken place since the organizing campaign began in October. By Thanksgiving more than 70 percent of 36 customer service representatives had signed union authorization cards.
“They’ve done no hiring, people say they’ve been working short-handed, and they’re down to 13 people in the bargaining unit,” Poh said.
The charges assert that Etown management and its agents from a major anti-union law firm have committed gross violations of labor law since the Media Guild filed to represent the workers, and that they threatened to close the company if employees voted for the union.
“These actions by management make it impossible to have a fair election at Etown at this time,” said Carl Hall, local president and San Francisco Chronicle reporter. “It’s ultimately up to the employees to decide how they will proceed, but we remain hopeful that the atmosphere will improve in time. As long as the workers want a union, we will not give up.”
Meanwhile, customer service reps at Amazon.com in Seattle continue to gather signatures on a petition seeking representation by WashTech/CWA Local 37083. Leaders in the campaign to organize the more than 400 service reps have rallied under the moniker “Day2@Amazon.com.”
Frustrated with low pay, excessive overtime and near-worthless stock options, the workers began their campaign in mid-November.
Their website, www.washtech.org, is packed with facts about unions and workers’ right to organize. Management, meanwhile, has launched an anti-union website.
“Once again, what management is trying to do is create more fear and intimidation,” WashTech Organizer Marcus Courtney said. “They’re trying to make the issue the union, not the reasons why people are organizing, such as job security and wages.”
In another Seattle-area development, temporary workers at Microsoft learned the company has agreed to pay $96.9 million to settle a class action lawsuit brought by “permatemps,” workers hired through temporary agencies for long periods, allowing Microsoft to avoid paying benefits.
The suit, Vizcaino v. Microsoft, has been making its way through the courts for eight years and gathered steam as WashTech spread the word through articles published on its website.
The plaintiffs’ law firm, Bendich, Stobaugh, and Strong, P.C., anticipates that 8,000 to 12,000 class members could receive payment from the settlement.
“As a former permatemp technical editor, I am glad that Microsoft has finally done the right thing and settled this case,” said WashTech President Mike Blain. “This is some vindication for all the contract employees that were unfairly and illegally denied benefits due to the company’s long-running permatemp scam.”
Blain said the case most likely will end Microsoft’s widespread permatemp practices, but does not end the company’s use of thousands of contract employees. While Microsoft has converted more than 3,000 contract workers to employee status, with benefits, attorneys say the company continues to use an estimated 5,000 contractors.