LaborTech Conference 2006: The Digital Revolution and a Labor Media Strategy
Somone once mentioned a Communicate or Die Convention; I recommend this year's LaborTech Conference as an appropriate venue to strategize on how to employ IT towards advancing workers' rights.
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LaborTech Conference 2006:
The Digital Revolution and a Labor Media Strategy
November 17, 18 & 19th, 2006
University Of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
www.labortech.net
Join trade unionists, educators and workers from the US and around the world as they debate, discuss and learn about new communication technology and the development of a labor media movement.
LaborTech.net, which has had conferences since 1990, brings together labor video, computer, labor media activists and labor educators to advance knowledge and use of the the internet and multi-media by working people.
This year's conference also includes an international labor competition for the best labor animation and also will include an educational component of research and education papers about telecommunication and how technology is being used to further exploit and spy working people.
The following are a list of proposed workshops and plenums which we will be working to develop.
The ongoing battle of labor to survive against the onslaught and the current reorganizations within labor requires the development of a labor media strategy to defend working people and their struggles.
International Labor Animation Competition including Wal-Mart and other videos
Panels and Themes
- Labor Media Strategies
- Digital Technology and Workers
- Using Communication Technologies & Skills
Workshops
- Technology and Health and Safety
- Community Internet, Wi-Fi and Net Neutrality
- Labor Culture and Technology
- Radio and Labor Media
- Web Sites and Using Technology to Build Organizing and Information Network
- Workplace Issues Internet Access and the use of the Internet on the job
- Labor Media, Education and Labor Culture
- Globalization For Workers Using Communication Technology
- Labor And Who Controls The Internet
- Embedding Workers and Spying On The Job & Off The Job
- How To Start A Labor Community Access Show
- Micro Radio and The Labor Potential
- Labor Networking, Democracy and the Internet: Lessons For The Future
- Streaming You Labor Rally Or Conference and How To Do It
- Lessons From the establishment of WIN and Labor Radio
- Development of regional labor portals and LaborNets Internationally
- Defense of internet for high value content and for democratic control
- International labor media network
- Outsourcing, Technology and Labor & Organizing Tech Workers Here & Abroad
Papers
- The Growth and Development of Labor On The Internet
- Class Warfare In The Information Age
- Outsourcing and International Labor
To find out more information please go to our website at
www.labortech.net
- Francisco Cendejas's blog
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Thoughs on Labor Tech
I think Labor Tech should get credit for putting these gatherings together for many years when essentially nothing else was happening. I've attended a couple of these labortech conferences in 2001 in New York and 2002 in SF because they seem to be one of the only places where labor folks interested in technology gather. A few notable panels stick out in my mind, such as one on research and the web, and presentations by international labor folks on using technology. I also note a few new panel topics like Labor Culture and Technology.
However, I have to say that overall I found these conferences to be rather insular, unfocussed and backward looking which was an eye-opener in SF, a place where the personal computer revolution got going. I note some of the same topics that were addresses in 2002 are being presented in 2006. For example, people are still talking about the use of technology to spy on workers which I believe contibutes to the fear of technology in unions. I went to this panel and remember how similar the arguments were to those of people trying to stop the export of jobs after it was already a done deal. I thought there was a real lack of innovative ideas.
Perhaps it's just me, but one of the most important part of conferences is the ability to network with other people from around the country. I found that pretty difficult to do at Labor Tech because the structure really didn't enable it. The best discussions I had were with vendors trying to sell particular software products.
I had a much better experience at the Grassroots Use of Technology conference at MIT hosted by the Organizers' Collaborative in 2005. At least, they opened the panels up to non-labor people who, frankly, had many more interesting ideas even if I didn't always agree with the politics. I hope that Labor Tech has changed and these conferences are now more relevant since I believe technology is vital for unions. But after my earlier experiences I would be hard pressed to travel to SF to attend another one of these.
LaborTech Boston?
Hmm - not sure how many folks from the northeast are on this list, but perhaps we might think about organizing a scaled-down version of the conference in New England sometime? Or has something along those lines been attempted in the recent future?
Organizers' collaborative out east
I think the OC provides a nice venue for this. No, it's not primarily about labor unions and technology but we can set up our own workshops there. Wayne and I participated in it last year.
One major importance in
One major importance in labor market is the educational system. Sometimes I have the feeling that these two are not very much relates as they are not always compatible. Things should be like this and the main focus should be made on practical insights.
Nouveau Riche University