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Uber defiant in the face of French ridesharing crackdown
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve today launched a legal action to permanently shut down UberPOP, Uber's non-professional ride service, according to Reuters. The move follows a protest against UberPOP by as many as 3,000 taxi drivers that crippled large sections of the city and both airports. Seven police officers were injured, 70 vehicles damaged and 10 people arrested during the rally. Yesterday, French authorities ordered police to ban UberPOP and seize driver's cars if necessary. However, Uber's general manager in France replied that the measures "changed nothing," and that UberPOP would continue to operate.
Mad Catz announces the S.T.R.I.K.E. 5 keyboard for pro gamers, pre-order now for $200
There are keyboards, and then there are Mad Catz keyboards... and now, the company's constructed a new pro peripheral to rest your wrists on -- the S.T.R.I.K.E. 5. Just like the other mission control center we saw a few months ago, it features a modular design allowing various layouts, high-performance keys with customized backlighting, and 21 programmable macro buttons. The main difference here is the touchscreen component of the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 has been substituted for the "E.Y.E. OLED Command Module," which is used for easy access to keyboard functions, quick-launch triggers, and can display respawn timers for coordinating those second-specific attacks. Cash-strapped pros will be pleased to hear the S.T.R.I.K.E. 5 is cheaper than its predecessor, and you can head to the source link to sacrifice $200 on a pre-order now. Mad Catz won't tell us what alien race is supplying the keyboards, nor an exact shipping date -- all we know is that they're expected "very soon."
Verizon strike to come to an end August 23rd
Verizon workers are scheduled to return to their jobs Tuesday, after more than two weeks on strike. Some 45,000 union members left their posts August 7th, after contract negotiation between the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the company came to a halt two days prior. A statement from the union said it had reached an agreement with Verizon, but that "The major issues remain to be discussed." The union's claim, among other things that Verizon demanded "cuts in compensation of $20,000 per worker per year." Full PR after the break.
Test Drive dev Eden Games goes on 'symbolic' one day strike
In response to previously unknown plans at Atari to lay off approximately 51 of Eden Games' 80 total employees, the Test Drive Unlimited developer is staging a "Symbolic Day Strike" today. A statement sent to Gamasutra from an unnamed Eden Games employee explains the act as a response to what the studio believes is "mismanagement" on the part of its parent company and publisher, Atari, and an effort to engage Atari president Jim Wilson directly. The Eden Games message claims that Wilson has "never introduced himself to his employees." The proposed cuts at Eden, said to be taking place this coming June, are supposedly the result of a change in Atari's focus, as it moves away from packaged retail goods and towards MMOs and games with online-based business models. Eden Games' latest projects -- the Test Drive Unlimited series and Alone in the Dark -- have all been retail-centric, potentially spurring the decision by Atari to cut staff at the studio. An Eden employee clarified that the strike was in direct response to stalled negotiations with Atari, and said that Eden "didn't receive at this time any information or feedback from Atari management." The representative also noted that internal projections put the studio's latest effort, Test Drive Unlimited 2, at around 900K units sold to date.
2,000 Wintek workers go on strike over bonus payments, may affect Nokia and iPhone production
As the Year of the Tiger approaches (February 14th this year), Chinese workers look forward to their week-long holiday -- a nightmarish time for foreign vendors who'll struggle to get hold of anyone in the country. Sadly, this wasn't the case for Wintek -- screen supplier for Nokia, Huawei and Apple. The Taiwanese company's East China factory ground to a halt last Friday morning, while about 2,000 of its 10,000 workers went on a five-hour protest over a rumored bonus cancellation for the second year in a row. On top of that, workers also criticized Wintek for using n-hexane -- a banned substance used for cleaning LCDs -- which they claim caused the death and paralyzation of several workers last year. Factory officials and Chinese health authorities don't deny that n-hexane was used, but they say it wasn't responsible for either the deaths or the paralyzations. Now, the good news: Wintek has promised that workers will get their bonuses, and further said that the factory hasn't used n-hexane since August -- complete with proof that current n-hexane levels are lower than safety regulations require. Let's hope things get better between management and workers from now on. One more picture and video of the protest after the break.
Violent strike racks Apple's touchscreen supplier
Workers at a Wintek Corp factory in China have gone on strike this week, some of them destroying equipment, according to China Daily. Workers are reportedly protesting poor work conditions and alleged deaths from overexposure to toxic chemicals. The chemical in question, hexane, is used for cleaning touch panels. Wintek is the world's largest supplier of touch screens for mobile phones, including Apple's iPhone. This isn't the first time labor disputes have arisen within Wintek. Last year, protesters gathered at Apple's offices in Taiwan to force Apple into pressuring Wintek to clean up alleged workplace labor and safety violations. Back then, protesters appeared to be using the popularity of Apple's brand name to get attention to their cause.This time things have unfortunately escalated to violence. There's no immediate word on how the strike will affect Apple's supply of iPhone screens. We're hoping it ends in a manner that's beneficial to everyone. [Via AppleInsider]
AT&T, Communications Workers of America reach tentative agreement, strike (currently) averted
It looks like that AT&T strike authorized by the Communications Workers of America back in early February won't be coming to fruition. The two have reached a tentative agreement for the around 20,000 unionized workers that have been in contract negotiations. For its part, AT&T's expressed satisfaction with the agreement, but it still has to be submitted for approval by ratification vote from the CWA group members. Of course, should they vote nay, we'll be back to square one. This isn't over yet, so stay tuned.
Communications Workers of America authorizes strike of 20,000 AT&T workers, could happen soon
It's been a little under the radar, but AT&T Mobility's been in contract talks with the Communications Workers of America on behalf of some 20,000 unionized workers, and things haven't been going so well -- in fact, the CWA just voted to authorize a strike if upcoming negotiations don't improve. The union's current contract actually expires tonight at midnight, but the strike won't take place until the union's executive board approves and the CWA president sets a date. For its part, AT&T says it maintains a good relationship with its unions -- it has more unionized workers than any other carrier -- and that the vote is just another part of the process, but that it's prepared for all contingencies, including a strike. We'll see what happens, stay tuned.
Strike.tv brings new, original Hollywood produced shows streaming home in HD
Dissatisfied with what primetime television is offering? Maybe short form HD in the browser window is the answer. That's the possibility posed by Strike.tv, a new site that's teamed up with BitGravity to stream high definition videos written and produced by familiar Hollywood talent. With newly inexpensive HD cameras, CEO Peter Hyoguchi envisions an opportunity for content creators to get their vision out without long expensive development processes. You can watch the first fruits of their labor right now, and recognize faces from The Office, Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show and other programs among the forty web series available.
Transport strike leaves Spain MGS4-less
Spanish citizens won't be getting Metal Gear Solid 4 this week due to the ongoing transport strike in the country. GI.biz reports Konami issued a statement saying that the strike obviously stopped shipments from getting to stores and that the company will update consumers as soon as possible.Just to give a wider picture of the situation, 90,000 Spanish truckers started striking Monday to protest soaring fuel costs, particularly diesel gasoline. The strike caused shortages of all truck-driven goods in the country (which is pretty much everything), but it appears the situation may be over soon.
Spanish launch of Metal Gear Solid 4 delayed due to transport strike
While Konami has attempted a global launch of Metal Gear Solid 4 today, players in Spain will be unable to play the game due to a "transport strike." It's unclear when the game will be made available for sale in the territory, as it depends solely on the end of the strike.[Photo Credit]
Wowhead and Thottbot on ad strike
Thottbot and Wowhead, two of the most popular WoW database sites, have been having a few problems with ads lately. There was that brief issue with the trojan in a banner last month, and also apparently some rather irritating ads with flashing and sound have been showing up lately (and I think we can all agree that ads with sound are evil). But, like much of the Internet, these sites are kept free for us because they are ad-supported, so what can they do? Well, they've gone on advertising strike.
Disney queues up "extended" boxed sets of strike-shortened TV shows
The strike is behind us and most shows are back on the air, but don't think you've felt the last of its effects, DVD and Blu-ray boxed sets for most of this season's TV shows will be a few episodes shorter than normal. Apparently the idea of charging a little less is just too outrageous, according to Video Business, Disney plans "extra" features like lengthened episodes and looks behind the scenes -- you know, exactly the kind of thing we've come to expect from our boxed sets. Still interested? Grey's Anatomy fans can look forward to the series Blu-ray debut September 9 (Lost hits December 9), part of a strategy to hit shelves closer to the upcoming seasons so fans might remember who McDreamy & McSteamy are. Mentions of possible Xbox Live debuts, or HD cases of Dirty Sexy Money and Ugly Betty were unfortunately missing.
Cinemassively: Virtual strike of IBM by employees yields real results
I came across a video today that didn't blow me away technically. The aspect ratio changes throughout, the UI is on, and it might have been edited in Windows Movie Maker. However, I couldn't take my eyes off of this video because it made a difference.In September 2007, Second Life Insider blogged that Italian IBM workers were using Second Life to protest a proposed pay cut. Little was known about the strike at the time, except that those interested should download a strike kit and carry on peacefully on their own time. In a video released yesterday in multiple languages, they explain what went on, why they did it, and what the results were.Read on for more details about the strike ...
The WGA strike is over, when are our favorite TV shows returning?
That's right, the dark period is over. The Writer's Guild has ended its strike, and now we can look forward to some of our favorite shows to watch on our HDTVs coming back sooner, later, or not at all. Thanks to our friends over at TV Squad, we've found a pretty comprehensive list at TV Guide, but here's a few of the ones we're looking forward to: Sooner (March/April/May): House, Grey's Anatomy, My Name is Earl, The Office, ER, all the CSI's, One Tree Hill, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Smallville Later (Fall '08 - 2009): 24, Chuck, Heroes, Life, Pushing Daisies Not at all: Big Shots, Bionic Woman, Journeyman, Life is Wild [Via TV Squad]
Writers Guild strike might help video game industry
Has the Writers Guild of America strike got you down? Are you despondent when watching reruns of How I Met Your Mother? Depressed about the short season of Heroes? Well turn around, bright eyes -- at least the WGA strike hasn't slowed the production of video games; in fact, the strike might be helping the industry, according to the Hollywood Reporter.The few video game writers who are members of the WGA aren't affected by the current strike (aside from possibly getting some competition from their fellow striking writers). However, the Hollywood Reporter says that the gaming industry is improving due to the lack of original television programming, which has inspired more people to play video games in their spare time. Personally, we've used our time away from our TiVos to work on our cross-stitching. Have you been playing more games due to the the deluge of reruns?
Striking writers could migrate to videogames
Thankfully for all of us missing The Daily Show, there are signs that the writer's guild strike could be coming to a close. But what if we're not so lucky? What if the strike continues for months? Sure, it'll be bad for you, but think of the writers! You'll be suffering through reruns, but they'll be digging through the trash outside your house looking for scraps. ... Well, maybe it won't be that bad. But they'll at least be bored.Variety says that some of those scribes could make a little side money on video games, if the situation is right. With around $50,000 for six month's work, games may not be for every union member forced to sit out of Hollywood work. But if a few talented writers make the leap to games, TV and film's loss could very well be our gain.
New York City taxi drivers threaten to strike... again
The New York Taxi Workers Alliance is at it again! According to reports, the group that was responsible for the September 5th walkout of cab drivers in New York City is once again planning to call for a strike, slated for October 22nd, and this time around, the striking taxi drivers say they will "get in the face" of cabbies who choose to work. If you'll recall, the initial strike was over the installation of GPS units which would monitor pickup and drop-off points of the drivers (as well as provide credit card services, entertainment, and news for passengers), but the Alliance seems to be changing its tune. The group is now lobbying for city-funded health care, a pension fund, and official recognition as a union. "They have pushed us further and further up against the wall so that it's not just about the technology and economics," Executive Director Bhairavi Desai said. "It's about something even greater." Meanwhile, NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg seemed undisturbed by the news, saying that the city is ready. Coming soon: Taxi Strike, a movie of the week.
NYC taxi drivers take GPS fight to court
The Dynasty-esque drama of the New York City taxi / GPS saga doesn't seem to be petering out. Two weeks ago, thousands of New York City cabbies went on strike (albeit not very successfully) to protest the city's insistence on adding elaborate GPS / entertainment systems to driver's cars which are capable of tracking pick-up and drop-off points. Now it appears that a group of cabbies are taking the fight to court, filing a lawsuit against the city claiming that the mandate to include the GPS units was unconstitutional, and that the devices will give away "trade secrets" by revealing their driving patterns. "Each taxi driver regards his or her own pattern as proprietary," the suit states. The New York Taxi Workers Alliance -- the group that organized the strike -- is also behind this latest move, though not all drivers are united against the GPS units, which will also add credit card services, text messaging, and television to the cars.
NYC cabbies strike over GPS units
As we reported back in July, and then in August, a large number of taxi drivers in New York City have been planning a strike over GPS systems which the city wants installed in yellow cabs. Well, the strike is officially on, with the New York Times reporting that nearly 90-percent of cabs are off the road today (at least according to a cabbie representative). If you'll recall, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, a quasi-union, has been threatening the strike over GPS / entertainment units the city demands be put into taxis. The new units have a number of functions -- not the least of which is tracking the cab's pickup and drop-off points -- and the drivers aren't having it. Currently, reports have come in concerning extended waits on airport pickups, and a new pricing scheme for cabs that are working, though from what we can tell, the strike hasn't put the hurt on commuters too badly. Of course, the litmus-test of a New York evening rush hour has yet to happen, so don't get too excited.
