Labor Unions Face Hard Road In Silicon Valley

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Labor unions face hard road in Silicon Valley

San Francisco, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Apr, 2018 ) :Well paid and in high demand, it would appear that engineers in Silicon Valley have scant reason to join forces in labor unions.

And yet there are signs that interest is on the rise. Engineer Bjorn Westergard and a dozen colleagues were fired early this year by Lanetix. The startup specializing in professional software cited economic reasons for the staffing cut.

But axed employees suspect their effort to create a worker union was a factor in the move. The dismissals came a few days after an application join with the Communications Workers of America was sent, Westergard told AFP.

"I think it is the first time that software engineers in a software company have filed (to unionize)," Westergard said "It's not hard to find a job, and it pays relatively good so there is the idea that if you have any problem at all you just leave and get another job.

" Some 10.7 percent of US workers are unionized, according to a January report by the Labor Department, about half the percentage from 1983.

The highest levels are in public-sector jobs, including teachers and firefighters. The report found just 1.7 percent of "professional and technical services" workers in the private sector are union members. Silicon Valley talent is notorious for flitting from one well-paying job to another, with high turnover in workplaces weakening the potential for worker solidarity.

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