ICYMI—I wrote a post at the end of last week about Universal Basic Income…if you’re interested in that subject, you might join this FB group, promoting labor’s involvement in that struggle.
What’s Going On in the Workforce?
Moshe Marvit’s got the story of the week in the Nation, about how Amazon’s Mechanical Turk service is creating a new kind of exploitation among online workers, who are largely uncovered by existing labor law, and get paid an estimated $2 per hour.
If a 3D printer can print a house in 24 hours, what will that mean for the construction trades?
What can a swarm of robots do that a swarm of humans can’t?
UK university lecturers are striking for a third time, after being told they’d be docked a full day’s pay for a two hour strike.
If you’re interested in precarious work for academics in the US, you might want to follow this tumblr, which features stories by folks who are stuck in the dumps of precarious work, like this one.
Organizing Theory
Are you thinking about how to use mobile as part of your online fundraising strategy, or wondering how to raise money from millennials? Are you fighting right-wing attacks that will make it harder for your union to collect dues through paycheck deduction? You might want to check out this article by TechPresident on innovation in the “frictionless donation” world.
Developing a blogger outreach program for your organization? Read these tips.
From Partners
Communicopia has done an update of their 2012 report on how non-profit organizations integrate digital into their organizing theory. Hybrid teams work best, it seems.
Geeking Out
I can’t wait until every conference is full of iPads on wheels, video streaming us all as we sit on our own couches. For a vision of that future, click here.
Teenager uses 3D printer to make a robohand for neighbor kid who was born missing fingers. Verklempt.
In the “You REALLY Can’t Make This Up” department—a new Disney video features lovable surveillance drones.
Are Twitter bots a new kind of public art, that make us question our relationship to algorithms? Maybe.
Sharing, Solidarity & Sustainability
Is the city of Chicago discriminating against traditional taxi drivers by refusing the regulate sharing-economy ride services? This lawsuit says they are.
The National Worker Cooperative Conference is being held in Chicago from May 30-June 1. More info on that here.
Workers who have taken over factories in the EU and beyond gathered in Marseille last month to talk best practices, and brainstorm ways to include their communities in their struggles for self-determination.
An excellent article about how a black-owned consumer co-op in South Carolina helped launch the voting rights movement.
Final Thoughts
“…it’s easy to get rich by getting a state asset at a deep discount.”
Joseph Stiglitz, The Price of Inequality