labor
The essential labor of data work, like moderation and annotation, is systematically hidden from those who benefit from the fruits of that labor. A new project puts the lived experiences…
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The creator economy is ready for a workers’ movement
Erin McGoff has 3 million followers on social media, but with the money she gets from Instagram and TikTok, she wouldn’t be able to pay for the plate of mozzarella sticks we’re sharing in a Baltimore bar. “On Instagram, I’ll have a video hit 900,000 views and make six dollars,”…
The labor shortage in construction isn’t a problem that’s unique to the U.S.; it’s very much a global issue.
As its workers strike, Kaiser Permanente strikes a deal for physicians to use an AI copilot from Nabla
Yesterday, 75,000 workers at healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente embarked on a three-day strike to protest understaffing, burnout and low wages — setting a record for the biggest healthcare strike to…
SAG-AFTRA members voted overwhelmingly on Monday to authorize a strike against the video game industry. The union — which includes video game performers like voice, motion capture and stunt actors…
Will the American Climate Corps program be enough to meet the wave of jobs coming up in climate tech?
The White House is launching a training program that promises to prepare 20,000 people for a range of jobs across climate tech and ecosystem restoration.
Content moderators suing Meta and its former content review partner in Africa, Sama, for alleged unlawful dismissal, have agreed to settle the case out of court. The 184 moderators have…
AI companies are using online labor to outsource the large amounts of hidden manual work needed to build their applications.
Building a durable growth funnel doesn’t just scale your business: it also signals to investors that a team can move directionally, which is a major confidence builder.
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SignalFire’s State of Talent report 2023
Tech has seen nonstop layoffs that hit 166,044 workers in Q1 2023 alone. That’s more than all of 2022’s then-record 161,411 tech layoffs.
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Apple retail still has a diversity problem, union says
The higher you climb up the corporate ladder at Apple, the whiter it gets. That’s according to data analyzed by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the union that’s helping retail workers at Apple stores organize. As some Apple retail workers fight for union recognition and a seat at the…
YouTube Music contractors have officially unionized with the Alphabet Workers Union-CWA after winning a historic vote through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Forty-one workers voted yes out of a…
A group of 144 workers are forming a union at SEGA’s American headquarters in Irvine, California. SEGA follows in the footsteps of workers at other gaming companies like Microsoft-owned ZeniMax…
U.S. employees at Bandcamp, an online audio distributor, have announced their formation of a union. Last year, the platform was acquired by Epic Games, the multibillion-dollar company behind games like…
Uber drivers in New Zealand will be pushing for better pay and working conditions through their first-ever collective agreement with the company. Earlier this week, national trade union First Union…
A group of Tesla workers in Buffalo, New York, emailed CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday to announce their intent to unionize. Collectively named Tesla Workers United, the group hopes to…
A group of 40 YouTube Music workers went on strike Friday. Employed by Alphabet subcontractor Cognizant, the striking workers allege that both companies’ management have leveraged unfair labor practices to…
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found merit to complaints that high-level executives at Apple violated national labor law. This finding comes after the NLRB also found that Apple illegally…
Federal regulators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that three Amazon warehouse facilities had violated legislation designed to require employers to provide safe working environments. Investigations found…
The Federal Trade Commission proposed a rule on Thursday that would block employers from using noncompete agreements to restrict workers from pursuing employment with competitors. In its push to throw…
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Burned by layoffs, tech workers are rethinking risk
Tech isn’t as collegial as it used to be. Rocket ships are being unveiled as sputtering messes, mission-driven startups don’t feel so mission oriented when responding to investor pressure, and widespread layoffs offer a loud reminder that jobs are breakable contracts not sacrosanct vows. Over the past few months, thousands…
At ZeniMax, a Microsoft-owned gaming studio, 300 quality assurance (QA) testers have voted to unionize. This marks Microsoft’s first official union in the U.S., as well as the biggest gaming…
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Reflecting on a roller coaster year for robotics
Big thanks to Joyce Sidopoulos, Peter Barrett and Ken Goldberg for filling in the last few weeks. I’m excited by the boost this newsletter has been getting in recent months and wanted to keep the light on while I was out. Three weeks is the longest break I’ve taken for…
Last year, an Amazon delivery driver said that the high volume of orders during holiday season “makes life hell.” This year, these contracted workers can get a $5 tip if…
In April, an Apple Store in Atlanta became the first of the company’s American retail locations to file for a union election. Yet about a month later, the Communications Workers…
A group of about 300 quality assurance (QA) testers at video game company ZeniMax Media are seeking to form the first ever union at Microsoft, the parent company to their…
Activision Blizzard QA testers who work on Diablo in Albany, New York have formed the gaming giant’s second union in a unanimous 14-0 vote. Just seven months ago, QA testers…
Leisure and hospitality workers are quitting at the highest rates of any industry. About 1 million left the workforce in November 2021 alone, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor…
A group of Uber drivers in New Zealand won a landmark case Tuesday against the ride-hail company which will force Uber to treat them as employees, rather than independent contractors.…
A majority of retail workers at the Apple Store at Penn Square in Oklahoma City have voted to unionize. The second Apple Store to win union representation in the U.S.,…
