Ccarlsson at 05:39, 6 April 2024

2024-04-06T05:39:10Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:39, 5 April 2024
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	Although much of Tandem's stock was owned by employees, the power relations in production were not affected. For one thing, the amount of stock that people own is not the same. Factory workers cannot afford to buy much stock whereas huge blocks of stock are owned by the top brass.		Although much of Tandem's stock was owned by employees, the power relations in production were not affected. For one thing, the amount of stock that people own is not the same. Factory workers cannot afford to buy much stock whereas huge blocks of stock are owned by the top brass.

	~~'''~~Mail Wars~~'''~~		<font size=4>Mail Wars</font size>

	After the top management of Tandem announced their wage and hiring freeze in November, 1982, I arrived at work the next day to find an electronic mail message that had been sent to all employees by a gutsy technician in one of the company's far-flung offices. The message protested that the freeze was shameful and unfair. This electronic mail system permits immediate contact between most employees, even when separated by thousands of miles of geography.		After the top management of Tandem announced their wage and hiring freeze in November, 1982, I arrived at work the next day to find an electronic mail message that had been sent to all employees by a gutsy technician in one of the company's far-flung offices. The message protested that the freeze was shameful and unfair. This electronic mail system permits immediate contact between most employees, even when separated by thousands of miles of geography.
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	More recently a new version of the mail program was put into place which automatically displays the sender's full name on any message. The purpose is to eliminate the sending of anonymous messages. But it's not clear this will work. Clever employees have at times "logged on" under mail IDs other than their own to send out messages.		More recently a new version of the mail program was put into place which automatically displays the sender's full name on any message. The purpose is to eliminate the sending of anonymous messages. But it's not clear this will work. Clever employees have at times "logged on" under mail IDs other than their own to send out messages.

	~~'''~~Overthrowing the bosses: a true story~~'''~~		<font size=4>Overthrowing the bosses: a true story</font size>

	A co-worker had been suggesting to me that we were being spied upon. The only hard evidence he pointed to, however, was an incident where Al, my rather weird and anti-social supervisor, had stood behind him for a long time watching what he was typing on his VDT, saying nothing. Nonetheless, I did take the precaution of burying anything I didn't want my supervisors to see in the middle of work-related computer files. I had occasionally spent some of my employer's time writing articles on political subjects, and I didn't want these to be discovered.		A co-worker had been suggesting to me that we were being spied upon. The only hard evidence he pointed to, however, was an incident where Al, my rather weird and anti-social supervisor, had stood behind him for a long time watching what he was typing on his VDT, saying nothing. Nonetheless, I did take the precaution of burying anything I didn't want my supervisors to see in the middle of work-related computer files. I had occasionally spent some of my employer's time writing articles on political subjects, and I didn't want these to be discovered.
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	While "participatory management" may be used by employees to their benefit in situations like the above, we should keep in mind that this is not simply a "gift" from the bosses. The less authoritarian management style exists because some companies see it as a more effective means of gaining cooperation from the workforce in achieving management goals. But it has been seen as "more effective" '''only in light''' of the resistance, both passive and active, of workers against more overtly authoritarian management methods. Participatory management does not—and cannot—eliminate the very real conflict of interests between workers and employers. The fact remains that workers don't run the plant or control the funds. This makes conflict inevitable.		While "participatory management" may be used by employees to their benefit in situations like the above, we should keep in mind that this is not simply a "gift" from the bosses. The less authoritarian management style exists because some companies see it as a more effective means of gaining cooperation from the workforce in achieving management goals. But it has been seen as "more effective" '''only in light''' of the resistance, both passive and active, of workers against more overtly authoritarian management methods. Participatory management does not—and cannot—eliminate the very real conflict of interests between workers and employers. The fact remains that workers don't run the plant or control the funds. This makes conflict inevitable.

	~~'''~~Unionism~~'''~~		<font size=4>Unionism</font size>

	The direct human solidarity that develops among people who are thrown together in the same workplace is a kind of embryonic unionism. This solidarity of the immediate work group is played out in Silicon Valley in incidents like the one I described above. But in order to have a serious effect on what companies do or contribute to social change, this practice of people being "in union" with each other has to develop into an actual movement, conscious of itself and its purposes, and organized on a mass scale, not just limited to the personal and informal ties of departmental solidarity.		The direct human solidarity that develops among people who are thrown together in the same workplace is a kind of embryonic unionism. This solidarity of the immediate work group is played out in Silicon Valley in incidents like the one I described above. But in order to have a serious effect on what companies do or contribute to social change, this practice of people being "in union" with each other has to develop into an actual movement, conscious of itself and its purposes, and organized on a mass scale, not just limited to the personal and informal ties of departmental solidarity.
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	The development of revolutionary, self-managed unionism is needed not only be cause a more militant solidarity is necessary to gain whatever we can within the present social system, but also to pose the possibility of electronics workers taking over the industry and putting its technological prowess to uses that will be more beneficial to human beings.		The development of revolutionary, self-managed unionism is needed not only be cause a more militant solidarity is necessary to gain whatever we can within the present social system, but also to pose the possibility of electronics workers taking over the industry and putting its technological prowess to uses that will be more beneficial to human beings.

	[[category:Labor]] [[category:Tales of Toil]] [[category:1980s]] [[category:South Bay and Peninsula]] [[category:Technology]]		[[category:Labor]] [[category:Tales of Toil]] [[category:1980s]] [[category:South Bay and Peninsula]] [[category:Technology]] [[category:LGBTQI]]

Ccarlsson: Created page with "''' "I was there..." ''' :''"Foundsf.org is republishing a series of "Tales of Toil" that appeared in ''Processed World magazine'' between 1981 and 2004. As first-hand accounts of what it was like working at various jobs during those years, these accounts provide a unique view into an aspect of labor history rarely archived, or shared.'' ''by Tom Wetz..."

2024-04-06T05:36:25Z

Created page with "''' "I was there..." ''' :''"Foundsf.org is republishing a series of "Tales of Toil" that appeared in ''Processed World magazine'' between 1981 and 2004. As first-hand accounts of what it was like working at various jobs during those years, these accounts provide a unique view into an aspect of labor history rarely archived, or shared.'' ''by Tom Wetz..."

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Down in the Valley - Revision history

Ccarlsson at 05:39, 6 April 2024