In the lobbying community, America’s high-tech companies have always had a reputation for timidity. They have historically tried to stay out of policy fights that could sully their above-the-fray reputation, in favor of issues that lent themselves to bipartisan coalitions. The bread and butter of the tech sector lobbyist is in areas like funding for science and math education, and visas for a few thousand skilled workers. But as Card Check moves front and center in the policy debate, that may be changing.
According to the San Francisco Business Times, organizers regard Silicon Valley as fertile ground for efforts to unionize:
The bill’s passage will lead to “significant organizing efforts in Silicon Valley,” said Garry Mathiason, a labor and employment attorney at Littler Mendelson P.C. Silicon Valley’s tech employers “are not immune merely because they are in technology or businesses where little union organizing has taken place…”
“Times are changing,” said Mark Ross, a labor and employment lawyer at Seyfarth Shaw LLP. “We’re in a troubled economy. People may be looking for other ways of protecting themselves and insuring that they are compensated appropriately…”
“A forward-thinking union could set up a web site to create a non-stop certification drive at an unlimited number of Silicon Valley companies,” said John Miano, the founder and a board member of the Programmers Guild, a professional society that advances the interests of workers in information technology fields. “This bill has the potential for having a major impact upon Silicon Valley and technology fields.”
It sounds like a reach — at least at first glance. Unions have never made a serious effort to break into Silicon Valley, and the culture of the community make it seem far-fetched. But the labor movement seems to have a newfound ‘yes we can’ mentality, and as Mr. Miano points out, it would cost very little to dip a toe into the water to check on the prospects for success.
And as labor advocates in California begin to consider how Card Check might expand their playing field, the tech lobby in D.C. is taking some initial steps to oppose the bill:
Up to now, large tech groups have been on the sidelines in what is likely to be one of the roughest fights in Congress next year. A few, however, are preparing to weigh in. That makes other tech lobbyists nervous that, by doing so, the industry could sacrifice relatively good relationships with Democrats and, therefore, jeopardize some of their other legislative priorities.
Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, is on the side of weighing in.
“The tech industry has been asleep on the switch on this one,” Shapiro told The Hill. “If you want to devastate our country economically and shut us down every week with a strike, card-check is the answer.”
Shapiro’s group represents about 2,000 tech companies, including manufacturers and retailers. He says some member companies have threatened to move their operations overseas if the bill passes…
Other tech groups don’t like the bill, either.
“Our board is very much opposed to the bill,” said John Palafoutas, senior vice president for AeA, a tech trade association with 2,500 member companies.
But the group seems sensitive to fears that being too aggressive in their opposition could damage their relationships with Democratic leaders, who support the bill.
This is the last thing Democratic leaders want. The tech community is one of the Democrats’ most faithful allies; they have no interest in seeing unions upset that. If high-tech executives engage in this fight, their objections will carry disproportionate weight — on an issue that is already challenging enough for Democrats.
reap what you sew
deepredpatriot Monday, December 22nd at 8:30PM EST (link)Silicon Valley has supported liberals for a long time, now they’ll reap what they sewed: socialism. I hope they all go near-bankrupt just like the auto companies, and are bought up by more patriotic corporations like Wal Mart or ExxonMobile (or maybe even Fox:).
Enjoy your 90% income tax Bill Gates, you deserve it.
Sorry, I can't stop myself
JustLeaveMeAlone Monday, December 22nd at 9:31PM EST (link)It’s “sow”, as in planting seed; not “sew”.
It’s “have sown”, not “sewed”.
The metaphor doesn’t work when discussing stitching something up; it is about planting seed.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Galatians 6:7-8 (KJV)
It’s “ExxonMobil”, not “ExxonMobile”. Mobile is a city in Alabama.
And since when is Cheap Chinese Imports Inc., aka WalMart (not “Wal Mart”), patriotic? I thought they abandoned all pretense of being patriotic when they stopped offering American goods first. Given that they were already well on the the path of the genocide of small town American businesses, it was no real surprise.
OK, that’s out of my system. I’ll NT myself now.
“To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.” Thomas Jefferson
You're absolutely right, at least up to the point where
mbecker908 Monday, December 22nd at 9:53PM EST (link)you take off on WalMart for selling Chinese imports.
By way of background, in a “previous life” I was an executive with a couple of firms that sourced consumer goods internationally. I built two factories in China in the ’80’s to produce products that were very labor intensive. The products were also very high end consumer goods - not “necessities” by any means - and the quality HAD to be at a very high level. Without boring you with details, I spent two years trying to source the product in the US, or at least in North America. I couldn’t get the same level of quality anywhere in NA, and the price, landed in my warehouse in PA, was nearly double my landed cost from China. Bottom line for me was that without China, we had no business.
That same situation applies to much of the low end product currently imported from China. There are exactly two options if you want to source low end stuff in the US. First, you go out of business because you can’t come anywhere near a reasonable price point. Second, you have a necessity where the price is not so much of an issue and you simply have to increase your price by what would be considered an astronomical amount. Pick one.
American business cannot compete with imports for labor intensive products. Of course, neither can the Japanese or Taiwan or Europe or most of South America or Canada.
I totally agree about our competitiveness
JustLeaveMeAlone Monday, December 22nd at 10:52PM EST (link)I have a bit of experience myself with import/export and sourcing here versus abroad.
And WalMart (or any other biz) certainly has the right to procure the goods they sell on the best possible terms. That’s the free market. But DeepRedPatriot called them “patriotic”, and I can’t agree with that.
I guess what galls me the most about WalMart is what I call the “WalMartization” of America. And the folks from Bentonville are hardly alone in this. But it used to be that you’d travel around and find lots of local “flavor” — local cuisine, arts & craftsmen, businesses that spanned generations. Not so much anymore.
I travel a lot, and sometimes when I wake up in hotel room, it’s hard to know where I am. Is this Charlotte? Or Portland?
Then I hop in the rental car to scare up some breakfast, and can’t remember if I’m in Denver or Atlanta. And if you try smaller towns, you REALLY don’t know where you are. Emporia, VA, looks much like Apple Valley, CA — businesswise. Same businesses; same goods and services; and other than natural geography, little to differentiate them.
And that’s a real shame. It seems that many people don’t even know what quality is anymore — it’s either El Cheapo Crapo from WalMart, or very high-end stuff from Europe, and not much in between.
OK, now I’m sounding and feeling old, and I don’t think politics is going to change this, so I’ll leave it here.
“To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.” Thomas Jefferson
I don't disagree on the lack of local flavor.
mbecker908 Monday, December 22nd at 11:05PM EST (link)I’ve got several million miles on the old body and I know what you mean.
In my experience, the biggest difference that still exists is food. Every locality offers “local cuisine”, but you do have to look for it. And in some places, it’s expensive as all get out. My son is a chef in SF. Great city for great eats. In his restaurant I can slide by for about $100 for dinner for two and we don’t drink. And that’s not uncommon.
Um...
Warner Todd Huston Tuesday, December 23rd at 1:03AM EST (link)Um, I think it’s actually Wal-Mart. You forgot the dash, didn’t you?
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Be sure and Visit my Home blog Publius’ Forum. It’s what’s happening NOW!
Not far-fetched.
redneck_hippie Monday, December 22nd at 8:39PM EST (link)Skilled hi-tech workers have been unhappy with outsourcing and expanded visa programs. A toe-hold is feasible.
“We must not lose our faculty to dare, especially in dark days.” - Churchill in March, 1942.
Remember NY-23; translation: RINOs Have No Base.
Good luck with that.
Diogenes314 Monday, December 22nd at 8:47PM EST (link)These Marxist twits have as much chance of unionizing Silicon Valley as I do of converting OBL to Catholicism . And I’m not Catholic.
Folks in SV have actual job shills, they don’t need or want you losers telling them whether or not they can work. And if they don’t like their working conditions or long term prospects, there’s another job down the street. I keep getting job offers from the San Jose area, and I live in San Diego.
Message brought to you by Diogenes
The Last American Liberal.
Let’s all compromise-everyone should just agree with me.
Friends Don’t Let Friends Vote Democrat.
Just what Kalifornia needs...
izoneguy Monday, December 22nd at 8:52PM EST (link)…to kill the golden goose. Silly Con valley is about
all that is left in Kalifornia - well there is still Hollywierd….
the unions run that place - but the studios still pump
a bunch of money out to keep all the addicts happy and performing
like little circus monkies.
“When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.”
Thomas Jefferson
It won't work
Orion_Blastar Monday, December 22nd at 8:56PM EST (link)US Labor unions and their workers are incompetent and corrupt.
Unionizing IT jobs will only allow the incompetent workers to avoid getting fired and not protect the talented workers and force the talented workers out of a job. It also will corrupt IT and tie it to the mob ala Jimmy Hoffa.
Many workers don’t know that they have to pay union fees, and seniority trumps their civil rights. Many civil rights cases has had people lose their civil rights because they are forced to work on their holy day because people with seniority get that day off but not junior members due to the union’s bidding contracts. What you have with bidding contracts is legalized slavery as the union owns you body and soul and you do whatever they tell you to do. Which trumps your constitutional rights.
I certainly hope the Valley gets unionized.
Tbone Monday, December 22nd at 9:10PM EST (link)They deserve it. Me, I would be organizing fast food workers.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
I'm With You
IJB Monday, December 22nd at 11:14PM EST (link)I hate Northern California and everything it stands for about as much as Art Chance hates Anchorage and its environs in his state.
Anything that destroys the Bay Area is A-OK with me. AFAIAC, they can unionize the Silicon Valley *and* sue them all for racial discrimination on top of that. I don’t care - as long as the Bay burns!!
So Full Of Hate
batjack Tuesday, December 23rd at 12:54AM EST (link)[It's troll season! – NS]
De sad thing is that aww the Wingnuts have weft is theiw hate. How can you wish the deaf of 7 miwwion peopwe so easiwy. What kind of a pewson awe you? Just because a wegion, state ow a pewson does not shawe youw wawped view of the wowwd does not mean they desewve to die. Mewwy Chwistmas you wovewy pewson, uh-hah-hah-hah. ..
Interesting comments from the SiVal folks upthread.
mbecker908 Monday, December 22nd at 9:35PM EST (link)You guys have no clue what the Silicon Valley workforce is in for with card check.
This will be an old fashioned alley fight with no holds barred. And in the late-at-night-with-baseball-bats game, in a geeks v thugs battle, the geeks don’t stand a chance.
Personally, I’d pay a labor organizer to go after Progressive Insurance.
Even with a Democrat Congress, the computer industy
Achance Monday, December 22nd at 9:55PM EST (link)had enough swack back in the late ’80s and early ’90s to thwart the unions on their desired changes in the Fair Labor Stadards Act after Garcia v. San Antonio and the 9th Circus’ “Micro-serfs” case. They are powerful, but the world is different today.
In Vino Veritas
And, with the advent of card check
mbecker908 Monday, December 22nd at 9:56PM EST (link)they don’t stand a chance.
As for me & mine
Whitehorse Monday, December 22nd at 11:30PM EST (link)Let’s do what it takes to keep card check from the US in any form or fashion.
Want...
Warner Todd Huston Tuesday, December 23rd at 1:02AM EST (link)Do ya want to end the innovation of Silicone Valley? Unionize it!
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Be sure and Visit my Home blog Publius’ Forum. It’s what’s happening NOW!
Everything should be unionized!
NC_Red_State Tuesday, December 23rd at 9:35AM EST (link)It has worked so well in every industry…most recent evidence is in Deeeetroit.
I can see how this will strangle tech companies from leveraging free-lancer workers and consulting companies….what a great idea.
Your online educated, self-taught, GED-having union programmer is on par with my degree having, company-educated programmer…so you have to pay your guy the same…
awesomeness is unions.
absurd.
Stranded in a blue section of a former red state.
You lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas ...
thirteen28 Tuesday, December 23rd at 7:44PM EST (link)… and by the same token, when capitalists like those in SV lay down with socialists, they get up with socialism.
Silicon Valley has turned their backs on those that would reduce their taxes instead of raise them and those that would keep Card Check as nothing more than a distant dream of some thug labor boss. They supported socialists like Obama because they were hip and they were cool, shunning those that support the free market ideas that are so critical to their industry.
For all the technical genius in the Valley, there sure doesn’t seem to be much political genius, as you would think it would be obvious that supporting labor-thug loving socialists would be contrary to their best interests.
Enjoy learning a hard lesson - but hey, at least you’ll be cool.
All I can see is money for me!
Achance Tuesday, December 23rd at 8:21PM EST (link)I have embraced the suck. Card Check will give my children a Trust Fund. When those groovy guys in Renton and Silicon Valley figure out how far a union can get in their knickers, old LR hacks like me can name their price. Or, in the alternative, if the price isn’t right, I can help the union get in their knickers. Nothing personal, just business.
In Vino Veritas