May 2015

“My belief is that ‘union 2.0’ will be a platform, more than an organization…”

What’s Going on in the Workforce?

“My belief is that ‘union 2.0’ will be a platform, more than an organization, and its power will derive from the data leverage it’s able to attain over the platforms that employ its workers.” Nick Grossman has some interesting ideas about how to source the sharing economy—with venture capital, or community capital? Or maybe both?

The Standing O wants to be the Spotify that pays its artists (& songwriters!) fairly. Check out their video about why they pay songwriters and artists per play, on their new music streaming service.

Can you pick up where the math leaves off? Harvard Biz Review thinks that augmentation will be the next wave of humanity’s employable future.

Organizing Theory

As a union organizer, I have known some workers with interesting workplace issues. But this one kind of takes the cake.

Reputation, reputation, reputation

“People have a really hard time articulating their feelings. And sometimes there is a subtle fleeting little emotion that people aren’t even aware is happening.” Good thing we’ve got ad companies using facial recognition software, so we can see how we really feel about their ads.

“…a computer model with 250 “likes” (to compare) is better than your own wife or husband at judging your personality.” What can a kind of algorithm I can’t even spell figure out about you from your FB profile? And who is that information useful to? Check out this new video to find out.

Geeking Out

One step beyond making campaign finance data more accessible? Getting it in the hands of journalists that can use it to make public the connections between money & legislative votes. Kick in to this Kickstarter.

Sharing, Solidarity & Sustainability

“…a bossless organization is a burden of itself.” But these Turkish textile workers wouldn’t go back to a non-coop life, after occupying their plant when the owners left them jobless.

Don’t buy face wash with little floating things in it. If you need to know why, watch this.

“I could be in control of my life.”

Original Content

Do you like the stuff that gets posted in this section? Wish there was more of it? Guess what—you can help make that happen, either by supporting us monthly through Patreon, or one time with Indegogo!

And if you haven’t heard it yet—last week, friends-o-the-blog Sarah Jaffe & Meshell Chen had me on their weekly podcast, Belabored, to talk about why the labor movement should support Universal Basic Income. BTW, hello new readers! It’s so lovely to meet all of you!

Sharing, Solidarity & Sustainability

“I could be in control of my life.” Laura Flanders from GRITtv takes a look at the success of the New Era Windows cooperative, 3 years after workers occupied their plant in Chicago.

Some urban neighbors already trade books informally through free libraries—this effort in Geneva lets neighbors share other kinds of stuff, through a neighborhood exchange box.

Santa Monica just put a dent into AirBnB’s business there, by banning short-term rentals of full units for anything less than 30 days.

From Partners

In NYC and want to learn more about UBI? Go listen to another FOB, Natalie Foster, at Civic Hall next week.

Organizing Theory

Live-streaming has been a powerful tool in the activist toolbox since at least 2011. But as live-streaming apps like Periscope and Meerkat make it even more accessible, this activist wonders how we can better use it to promote justice.

Geeking Out

This week’s new favorite tumblr…hi-tech jobs drawn as characters from a children’s book…welcome to Business Town!

What’s Going on in the Workforce?

“There are a growing number of observers who do not fear or hate technology but fear the negative effects technology can have on the individual and society if used inappropriately.” Preach, brother.

Public officials are teaming up with local unions to help driving organizing wins in Silicon Valley & the Bay Area.

If self-driving cars destroy the jobs of almost six million drivers, but save the rest of us over $1 trillion (because we no longer need to own a car), what’s the net cost or benefit to our economy? Blogger Scott Santens recently looked at this very issue, and uses it as another example of why we’re going to need Basic Income sooner, rather than later.

Can I get a robot to sell me another robot? Yes, but (so far) only in Palo Alto.

The Open Society Institute has launched a new Future of Work website, where you can see links to all their commissioned research. It includes this awesome map of 95 future of work projects.

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“Automate or perish”…or maybe there’s a third way?

Original Content

What’s Going on in the Workforce?

“Automate or perish” Perhaps there’s a third option? The job of deboning chickens does seem like it would be advantaged by machines—but surely there’s still some role for human butchers to play?

If I’d had more coffee, I could probably think of a pithier joke. But honestly, banks need to rent robot suits, because their employees can’t carry all the money? I’m not sure there’s a better use for the #firstworldproblems hashtag.

Reputation, reputation, reputation

Well OF COURSE I want the maker of my car to provide Amazon with my location, so they can deliver to me by drone. No, wait…

It’s one thing to let your boss track your movements while you’re at work—lots of workers have to put up with that. It’s a wrong thing, but it is a thing. But getting fired because you wouldn’t let them track you 24/7? That’s a #bossfail.

Organizing Theory

If you’re a social media campaigner, you probably have fought in a hashtag war, at some point. (@banditelli, I’m looking at you!) But what’s the value of a hashtag campaign? On a related note, new service Protestify aims to help citizen journalists get paid for photos they take that get picked up by the MSM, using the hashtag #protestify.

Podemos seems to have made the world’s first hologram protest. No, really.

From Partners

In NYC? Why not check out the Workers Unite Film Festival? Now through May 27th.

“We hit our goals! We lost…but we hit our goals!”

Original Content

This week’s original content was not preserved for posterity…but a big HtU thank you to all the folks who participated in last Friday’s video chat on Universal Basic Income: Meshell Chen, Alex Denny, Stephan Edel, Ryan Johnson & Joseph Phelan.

Organizing Theory

“We hit our goals! We lost… but we hit our goals!” If this sounds familiar, maybe you’re measuring the wrong things.

Reputation, reputation, reputation

Lots of people post tweets with pictures. Sometimes, those tweets get retweeted. Other times, the pictures are used in completely out-of-context ways. How can you tell the difference?

Did you post your picture to that new Microsoft site, How Old? If you did, did you mean to give them permission to use your photographs in advertising?

Sharing, Solidarity & Sustainability

Worker coop advocates in California are supporting a bill to make it easier to form coops in that state, in part to fight against income inequality.. .

Would you buy a t-shirt for $2.25, if it made you watch a video about textile factories first?

Geeking Out

You don’t know what you need to know about artificial intelligence of the future? Read this. Amazing.

The slow death of the one-hour photo processing lab.

What’s Going on in the Workforce?

As more cities and states raise their minimum wage requirements, one author wonders—how much does that wage growth impact other low-wage workers?

What ethical challenges does drone journalism spark, and who if anyone is training new journalists to think about them?