{"id":2393,"date":"2021-04-06T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-06T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uniontrack.com\/blog\/?p=2393"},"modified":"2021-04-06T13:24:30","modified_gmt":"2021-04-06T13:24:30","slug":"tech-workers-unions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/tech-workers-unions","title":{"rendered":"How Unions Have Supported Tech Workers Throughout the Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ken Green
CEO & Founder
UnionTrack<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that as a country we are failing to prioritize the needs of those who form the backbone of this country: workers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe coronavirus has laid bare just how far we\u2019ve gotten from protecting our working families,\u201d laments Lonnie R. Stephenson<\/a>, international president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At precisely the moment when workers should be receiving more protections in the workplace, many have had to fight their employers for even the most basic benefits. This has been especially true for remote employees and gig workers at technology companies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the pandemic, many tech companies have promoted anti-labor policies that deny workers the most basic benefits and protections. It\u2019s a trend that has labor advocates like Janice Fine<\/a>, an associate professor of labor studies at Rutgers University, concerned for the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m really worried that we’re going to come out of this with … a lot more exploitation, people just taking what they can get,\u201d Fine told NPR in April 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workers in the technology sector and in the gig economy have had to find ways to stand up for themselves to keep that vision of the future from manifesting. Many of these workers have turned to labor unions for support because unions have long proved to be the best tools against exploitation from these powerful companies.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tech Companies Have Cut the Pay for Remote Workers Who Move to More Affordable Cities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During the pandemic, some of the biggest names in tech announced that huge portions of their workforces would switch to remote work, permanently in some cases. Some of that workforce chose to go very remote, away from high-cost-of-living ZIP codes in the Bay Area and New York. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, as CNBC reporter Karen Gilchrist<\/a> writes, their employers have seized this moment as an opportunity to cut costs. Many tech companies have begun paying workers less when they move to areas with lower costs of living. For instance:<\/p>\n\n\n\n