TWC Canada Book Club - No Shortcuts, Chap. 1-2
Fellow tech workers: Are you burned out? Worried about layoffs? Horrified at the ways that technology is being used to cause harm around the world? You are not alone.
The tech industry has never been more powerful, nor so unaccountable. The power to change this lies with us workers who actually create value for companies, but only if we can actually work together to harness our collective power.
Many of us are new to collective action, but luckily there is a long history of labour organizing that we can learn from. Join your fellow workers in the Tech Workers Coalition in reading more about how successes have been won in the past and what mistakes to avoid, so we can better strategize how to meet this moment.
No Shortcuts by Jane McAlevey is a seminal text on labour organizing from a seasoned organizer with decades of experience and many successful campaigns under her belt. McAlevey provides a sharp critique of the weaknesses of the modern labour movement and provides valuable insight about how to build real structural power by re-centering the worker.
We'll be reading this book in chunks to make it easier to follow along. For this meeting, we will be discussing Chapters 1 and 2. Please read these chapters prior to attending the meeting!
Light refreshments and snacks will be provided.
Programming
6:30 - 7 - Arrival and mingling
7 - 7:15 - Intro and context setting
7:15 - 8:45 - Discussion
8:45 - 9 - Close-out
This event is open to everyone who's interested in learning more about labour organizing! You do not have to be a tech worker or be part of TWC Canada to participate.
What is TWC?
Tech Workers Coalition a chapter-based, all-volunteer, and worker-led organization for tech workers around the world. We believe that a tech worker is anyone who is involved in the production and maintenance of digital technology, whether you are a bike courier working at a food delivery app service, a designer, a software engineer, a product owner, a data labeller or a content moderator.
Guided by a vision for an inclusive & equitable tech industry, TWC builds worker power through rank & file self-organization and education.
The Canadian chapter of TWC is clustered in and around Toronto, but we also host virtual events and we want to reach tech workers around the country. If you are interested in joining the book club remotely, register for a ticket and let us know in the comments so we can make arrangements!