union
Latest
Seattle court strikes blow to Uber driver unionization efforts
A landmark decision by Seattle's city council, which would allow drivers for ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft to unionize despite being classified as independent contractors, has hit a snag according to a report from the Associated Press.
Elon Musk thinks unions are bad for Tesla
Last night, tunneling fan CEO Elon Musk sent an email to Tesla employees firing back against allegations of poor working conditions and low pay. He rebutted claims made by Jose Moran, a production worker at the company's Fremont factory, that mandatory overtime pushed the workforce there to suffer preventable injuries. Musk's message to the Tesla troops alleged that an internal investigation disproved the conditions claim and criticized the United Auto Workers (UAW) for inciting Tesla workers to unionize.
Video game voice actors push for standardized contracts
In the midst of a protracted squabble, the union representing voice actors has come up with a contract for low-budget indie game developers. SAG-AFTRA is promoting a new agreement for titles under $250,000 that would limit difficult vocal sessions (presumably involving yelling or other vocal gymnastics) to two hours. Actors would also be paid double for such work, and collect residuals above the normal rate ($825.50 for four hours) for games that sell 500,000 units or more.
Uber drivers partner with the Teamsters Union in California
Just because Uber has settled two big disputes with drivers doesn't mean that its rank-and-file is happy. Uber drivers in California have partnered with the Teamsters Union to create a new group, the App-Based Drivers Association, to represent ridesharing workers in the state. Much like the (currently embattled) union in Seattle, this organization will push for better benefits and conditions among drivers that normally don't get much say.
US Chamber of Commerce suing Seattle over ridesharing unions
When Seattle approved Uber and Lyft drivers organizing in December, the city did it knowing that the practice was illegal. Independent contractors aren't allowed to do so under federal law because it basically amounts to price fixing. And now the inevitable has happened: The United States Chamber of Commerce is suing Seattle because the city allowed the on-demand workers to unionize, Reuters reports. It doesn't sound like Emerald City is going down without a fight, though. Councilman Mike O'Brien says that there are "millions of dollars" in place for what could be a lengthy legal battle.
Bernie Sanders joins Verizon union workers' picket in NYC
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders put his campaign where his mouth is on Monday when he spoke at a picket line with Verizon union workers in New York City. Communication Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers organized the picket, which aims to bolster support for 40,000 Verizon employees nationwide as they continue a months-long contract battle with the communication giant. In June, Verizon proposed a new union contract, but CWA takes issue with some of its key points, including suggested pay increases, the structure of pension benefits, health care contributions, whether Verizon can contract out or offshore union jobs, and employees' vacation time. The union also criticizes Verizon for failing to implement its FiOS service in promised regions.
Video game voice actors vote a resounding 'yes' to strike
Last month the Screen Actor's Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists started the process to strike in an effort to be better compensated. Now, the union members have voted and over 96 percent feel that a strike is in order to protect themselves. As a refresher, the organized voice actors are asking for royalties on games they performed in that sell over two million copies, stunt pay for particularly stressful roles (those sustained screams and yells can do damage) and stunt coordinators for certain situations, among other things. Where do the actors like the cast of The Last of Us up above go from here? Back to the collective bargaining table. This vote doesn't mean that the union will strike, but it gives them the option to do so if negotiations fall apart. [Image credit: Imeh Akpanudosen via Getty Images]
UK lawsuit may force Uber to treat drivers as employees
Should Uber drivers be classified as employees or independent contractors? The ride-hailing company has always leaned towards the latter, because it means it can avoid paying potentially expensive staff benefits, insurance and expenses. However, a California Labor commission ruled last month that an Uber driver was, in fact, a company employee -- and now a union is pushing for a similar decision in the UK. GMB, which represents professional drivers, argues that Uber is breaching its legal duty to provide drivers with basic rights concerning their pay, holiday, health and ability to file complaints. It's now instructed the law firm Leigh Day to take legal action on behalf of Uber drivers.
T-Mobile found guilty of blocking employees from organizing
The CWA (Communications Workers of America) is celebrating today after a judge found T-Mobile guilty of violating federal labor laws. The company was found to have illegally restricted employees from organizing or even discussing work issues with each other. Judge Christine Dibble cited the company's policies that barred workers from discussing their wages and working conditions, and their repeated efforts to discourage them from reaching out outside organizations for help. As an example, she highlighted the procedure for filing a wage and hour complaint, which requires the notification of management first, and threatens discipline if the rule is broken. That would prevent employees from banding together to address issues collectively. Of the 13 policies brought before the court, 11 of them were found to be illegal and they must be reversed immediately. All employees must also be notified that these policies violated the law.
Journey composer Austin Wintory nears expulsion from AFM
Seven months after the American Federation of Musicians threatened Grammy Award-winning composer Austin Wintory with a $50,000 fine for recording the soundtrack to The Banner Saga against regulations, the music union has issued an official fine of $2,500. Despite a looming January 19 deadline, Wintory refuses to pay. "Doing so would be to agree that their failed policies, selective tactics and threats work," the composer told Variety. Instead, Wintory claims his lawyers are examining the options available to him should the AFM make good on its threat to boot him from the union. As a further snub, Wintory claims he will write a check to the Education Through Music - Los Angeles charity "where the money can be used toward building on dreams instead of destroying them." When the AFM first notified Wintory of the potential $50,000 fine he faced for not following proper union regulations in recording music for a game, the composer was defiant. "Ultimately I don't think this is about me," Wintory stated. "This is about what's right. This is about composers and musicians being able to work in a medium that we love without fear of threat and intimidation, and it's about the next wave of musicians and composers who want to get into this business and dream of working in games, who shouldn't have to fear being attacked." [Image: AFM]
Daily App: Union is a powerful image blending tool for iOS
Union (U.S. $1.99) is a very well thought out tool that brings Photoshop-type power to your iPad or iPhone. It's the most impressive image blending app I've used, and it works wonders to help you create unique and compelling images. When using the app, you first load in a background image, for example a landscape photo. Then, you add a foreground image that you want to transplant on top of the background. In the next step, you enter the mask layer by choosing the Magic Wand tool, which allows you to easily remove everything but the person. The tool removes parts of the image based on similarity in backgrounds and luminance, so it is a lot easier if the background behind the person is more solid in color rather than patterned. If the Magic Wand tool doesn't do the trick, you can manually draw out the parts that don't automatically go away. Union allows you to let your imagination run wild as you are not limited to only superimposing images. You can make the layers transparent, create double exposures, and more. The app also has extensive undo-redo commands, so you can just step backwards if you don't like what you've created. The app contains tutorial videos, which are much nicer than static help pages. Photos can be exported to your camera roll, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or via email. While excellent, the app suffers from a problem that is common among this type of app -- when removing the background, your finger covers the drawing tool, making it tricky to accurately remove an element. Some apps offset the tool from where your finger meets the screen, making the job a lot easier. Despite this limitation, I was able to manage with the removal tool and created some great shots with little effort. Union is a universal app. It requires iOS 7 or later, and it is optimized for the iPhone 5. Give it a try if you want to create some unique and eye-catching compositions.
Unity getting official 2D support, ad functionality, Unity Games label created
Good news for aspiring game developers, the Unity engine will officially support 2D development starting this fall with Unity 4.3. Of course, there are already lots of 2D games made with Unity (as the company's own website will attest), but the new update will add lots of tools specifically aimed at 2D development. Among those tools are a drag-and-drop sprite importing, a sprite animation editor and a dedicated 2D renderer. Also coming in the 4.3 update will be support for developer-controlled in-game advertisements. Developers will be able to create points within their games that will trigger an advertisement. The ad system will allow developers to enable, disable or change ads using a web interface, which sounds pretty handy for self-promotion. Finally, Unity's publishing arm, formerly known as Union, has been re-branded as Unity Games. The label will seek out promising Unity games, helping developers create and distribute the game, as well as offering QA support. The first two games to be published under the label will be Freeride SkiCross and Archangel (pictured). Interested developers can find more info on the Unity Games website.
Foxconn to allow union elections
For the first time ever, Foxconn is reportedly allowing its workers to elect union representatives. A Telegraph UK report says Foxconn will hold elections for a union chairman and 20 members of the Federation of Labour Unions Committee. Elections will take place every five years. Both Foxconn and Apple have been criticized for poor working conditions, excessive overtime and low pay in the Chinese manufacturer's factories. In response, Apple has started releasing regular Supplier Responsibility Progress Reports and has worked with the Fair Labor Association to improve Foxconn's work environment.
Apple training retail managers on union awareness
CNET has obtained an internal document which details training Apple has given its retail managers on how to respond if employees unionize. Said training has likely already taken place by the time of this publication, and it's mandatory for all new Apple Store managers. According to the training description, "This course is intended to provide managers with a practical understanding of how unions affect the workplace, how and why employees organize, and the legal do's and don'ts of dealing with unions. This is a mandatory class for all new managers, and is required biannually for all managers." This training comes about six months after Apple Retail workers in the Pacific Northwest made an attempt at unionizing. "We work in one of the most demanding retail environments while suffering through unfair treatment and compensation among many other various issues," the group claims, and CNET has cited many other practices the group considers unfair. Unionizing would allow retail employees the opportunity to negotiate these grievances, but CNET notes that an expert on unions told them that Apple's gargantuan retail success makes it unlikely that any such negotiations would go very far.
Some Apple Store employees unhappy with work conditions
Pleasant decor and friendly employees make most Apple stores seem bright and cheery. Behind the scenes, though, some stores are not as congenial as they seem, according to a report from In These Times. Three Apple employees have come forward with a not-so-happy tale of what it is like to work at an Apple retail store. One worker complains about disparate pay with newly hired workers making more than experienced workers. When a few employees approached management about this issue, they were told "money shouldn't be an issue when you're employed at Apple" and their time at Apple "should be looked at as an experience." Other workers describe Apple's tactic to keep health care costs low by defining full-time employees as those who work 40 hours per week and have open availability to work any day needed. If you have a restricted schedule, you are not considered full-time even if you put in a full 40 hours each week. Part-Timers are offered health benefits but the workers claim these plans are more costly than their full-time counterparts. Work schedules are inflexible and stores are often understaffed during prime hours. The word union was mentioned, but the three employees avoided the word like the plague. The mere mention of it could cost them their job. Even if the workers are unhappy, they are reluctant to band together against Apple. The one exception is Cory Moll, who is working to unionize Apple's 30,000-strong work force starting with the store in which he works. When reading this, keep in mind that these are the experiences of three employees. It is by no means a reflection of every Apple store across the world. There are 29,997 employees whose voices have yet to be heard.
Apple Store employee moves to create a union
The employee who formed the Apple Retail Workers Union in May has revealed himself to be Cory Moll, a part-time employee at a San Francisco Apple store. Moll told Reuters that he decided to go public with his union stance in order to encourage other like-minded employees to come forward. In order to unionize, a majority of workers need to support the idea before a union can be formed. Moll says there's currently less than 50 percent interest in most of Apple's stores, "...but as people talk about it, we could get close in a couple of stores." Apple confirmed to Reuters that Moll has been an employee for four years. He makes US$14 an hour at the San Francisco store where he works. The San Francisco minimum wage is $9.92 per hour. In addition to a website, Moll has set up a Twitter account and Facebook page to rally others to his cause.
Poll: What will you watch if there's no NFL this season?
Now that negotiations between the player's union and owners have reached the decertification/lockout stage, it's time to consider an ugly possibility. What do we do if professional football isn't ready to go on time this fall? The NFL has been noted as our favorite sports league to keep pumping on our HDTVs, so as terrible as the thought is, let's go through a few possible replacements: %Poll-61650%
Disgruntled Android developer sounds battle cry, rallies troops, demands Market tweaks from Google (updated)
A dude making a living writing Android apps -- who, by all appearances, is an upstanding guy with actual quality software in the Android Market -- is taking Google to task this week for what he calls "unacceptable" treatment. His beef seems to originate from the unexplained pulling of one of his titles -- Rapid Download -- a fact that he discovered not through any sort of communication from Google, it seems, but by the fact that he noticed was no longer making any coin from it. He goes on to say that he was unable to get anyone in Mountain View to explain the situation until his third attempt, at which point he received some unhelpful "generic information" plus a threat tacked on that if he violated the rules again, he'd have all of his titles pulled. For someone whose Market apps are breadwinners, we can imagine that would be a little scary. Long story short, this particular developer decided he wasn't going to take it -- not after paying "over $14,000 in 'service fees'" -- and started a site to get his story public and enlist fellow devs unhappy with the way Google's been treating them. Now, we can't vouch for the accuracy of the guy's story, but if this movement and ones like it gather enough steam, it puts Google in a precarious position; the Market, after all, is the crown jewel in the company's strategy of allowing only approved devices to be the most relevant to consumers. Take away the absolute importance of the Market -- like, say, Amazon is trying to do -- and the power structure starts to shift. Update: If you look at the legacy Market posting for Rapid Download on AndroLib, we can immediately spot at least one thing that's wrong here -- the guy is encouraging users to infringe copyrights right in the product description. Whoops! Sure, Google should be more proactive in letting developers know where they went wrong... but if you don't see the problem in this, you probably have no business being a professional developer -- at least, not one that's claiming ethics on their side. Thanks, everyone!
AFTRA, SAG negotiate new contracts for video game voice actors
It's fairly unlikely that you, dear reader, have done voice acting in video games, or are a card-carrying member of the Screen Actors Guild or the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. While this news might not directly apply to you, we thought we'd take a moment to celebrate the contracts these two unions recently negotiated with video game publishers to get better wages for their respective voice-acting members. The contracts will bump SAG members' wages up 3 percent upon ratification, bringing SAG wage hikes into parity of those offered by the AFTRA. On April 1, both groups will receive another 2.5 percent wage increase. Publishers are also now required to inform voice actors as to when they'll be doing "vocally stressful work." We're not exactly sure what that means, but we think it applies to any gravel-throated protagonist ever featured in a first-person shooter. All that gruffness is rough on the ol' pipes, dontchaknow? [Via Big Download]
Battlefield 1943 players upset over lack of Irish identification [Update]
Update: According to an update on SeenIt.co.uk, the gamer who argued for Irish distinction in his Battlefield 1943 profile has been contacted by EA support and was told, "It looks as though the issue you have submitted is more complex than it seemed initially." Irish history, complex? Understatement! Hopefully this means all Irish gamers will be able to fly the colors they desire someday soon. Original Story: Battlefield 1943 players out of Northern Ireland are surprised -- and angry -- that the game's official site fails to display the country's flag on their profile pages. Profiles for gamers in the North are stamped with the good ol' Union Jack, the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and labels North Irish players as located in Great Britain. Some of you may cry, "So what?" Well, it's a pride thing -- and it's a law. "If you live in Northern Ireland EA won't allow you to identify yourself as 'Irish' despite the 1998 Belfast agreement saying otherwise," writes the UK entertainment blog, SeenIt.co.uk. According to our history books, the Belfast Agreement allows citizens of Northern Ireland to identify themselves as Irish or British, or both. After attempting to change the country associated with the account, EA tech support told SeenIt changing the region was impossible because Ireland is "not listed distinctively" and is included under Great Britain. Seems like a silly thing for Electronic Arts to put its foot down on, unless it's the first step to easily categorizing the world. Step two? All Canadians listed as hailing from "America's Hat." [Thanks, Martin]
