TWC Canada Book Club - Recoding Power, Chap. 1-2
2026 arrives and the tech industry is more powerful than ever with many companies now openly supporting conservative or far-right measures of the Trump administration. As a tech worker, it has been horrifying to see how technology has been centralized and used to destroy our rights, support genocide and contribute to climate change. But bringing change will need mobilization and organization from tech workers to force changes in companies and push for positive use of technology.
And we need to learn and discuss how that mobilization and organization can happen. 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.
Recoding Power - Tactics for Mobilizing Tech Workers by Sidney A. Rothstein addresses precisely this question: how to mobilize and organize tech workers in a context of constant digital transformation. In this book, he studied the context of mass layoffs in tech firms in Germany and the US and identified creative tactics that workers can use to push back against management discourse and organize workers.
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!
Bring refreshments and snacks to share with the group!
Programming
6:45 - 7 - Arrival and mingling
7 - 7:15 - Intro and context setting
7:15 - 8:45 - Discussion
8:45 - 9 - Close-out
Details
We will meet at the room 5166 of the Bahen Centre for Information Technology. Someone will be at the door from 6:45 to 7pm, message @etienne.857 on Signal if you arrive later.
We understand that this book is expensive to purchase, please reach out if you need a digital copy.
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!