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  • Sarah Peper 🏳️‍⚧️🇺🇦jay_peper@chaos.social
    Oct 22, 2026, 7:32 PM

    Regular reminder to join a union. Especially if you're in tech and you think you don't really need to.

    But also: a union is not a magic machine were you put money in on one side and a better world comes out on the other side. It's not a service provider for delivering fairness.

    Unionising and organising first and foremost mean doing things together, not individually. Supporting each other and being active for our common goals. And that means people doing stuff.

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Replies

  • Sarah Peper 🏳️‍⚧️🇺🇦jay_peper@chaos.social
    Oct 22, 2026, 7:34 PM

    When you don't need the union, you're money is used to help other people, not put somewhere for when you need it. That's solidarity.

    You're not paying someone else to fight for you. You're supporting the infrastructure so that you and me can fight this for us together. And you're supporting those that are less privileged right now. Those with horrible working conditions or abusive power structures. And believe me, they are closer to your job than you hope.

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  • Sarah Peper 🏳️‍⚧️🇺🇦jay_peper@chaos.social
    Oct 22, 2026, 7:43 PM

    And I know, I'm mostly preaching to the choir here. But those that need to hear this are also among us. They are also our friends and colleagues. Check in with them, ask if they want support or can offer solidarity.

    Just talking a bit more openly about the topic already does a lot of good work. Surprisingly much. As in: I get DMs from people thanking me basically for just using that one word. Slowly removing the taboo surrounding it. Nothing even close to agitating or risking anything.

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  • Sarah Peper 🏳️‍⚧️🇺🇦jay_peper@chaos.social
    Oct 22, 2026, 7:45 PM

    (I am privileged in my situation. I chose my employer so I don't have to agitate. My activism right now is for other people. Yet also in the hope that others will be able to fight for me in the future when I might not be so lucky)

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  • Jess👾JessTheUnstill@infosec.exchange
    Oct 22, 2026, 7:40 PM

    @jay_peper Also, union organizing doesn't start and end with signing the card and paying dues. There's a LOT of unions that turn out to be kinda worthless when push comes to shove because people haven't been putting in the work to keep the organizers on the ball. You get the union that you've chosen to build.

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  • Sarah Peper 🏳️‍⚧️🇺🇦jay_peper@chaos.social
    Oct 22, 2026, 7:51 PM

    @JessTheUnstill absolutely. Unionising is not a spectator sport. We won't win a better future by being passive.

    But also: we don't all need to be front line rebel rousers (which can be a fun activity), we can support those who do that in various ways. Sometimes just by turning up (which I need to get better at myself).

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  • Patrick Lam :tinoflag:va2lam@mastodon.nz
    Oct 23, 2026, 8:34 AM

    @jay_peper @JessTheUnstill I have been spending a lot of time recently on a governance review for our non-union union (collectively bargains, can't strike). Referendum on the new constitution closes in a few hours. Here's hoping!

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  • universeotheruniverse@fe.disroot.org
    Oct 23, 2026, 10:00 AM
    @jay_peper what is the state of unions among tech workers? (and what's the state of those unions?)
    also are you aware of any organizing efforts in the direction of reducing the harms of tech? or more hopeful, fixing some of the damage done by it?
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  • Mark Wyner Won’t Comply :vm:markwyner@mas.to
    Oct 22, 2026, 11:42 PM

    @jay_peper for a while now I’ve been very interested in joining a union. I did some research online, but it’s all very confusing.

    Do you have any advice about how to choose and join a union? I imagine there are many folks like me who are also curious.

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  • Sarah Peper 🏳️‍⚧️🇺🇦jay_peper@chaos.social
    Oct 23, 2026, 11:43 AM

    @markwyner I'm not really familiar with the situation in the US, my personal base of knowledge is the UK and Germany.
    In general, I believe that the "wrong" union is better than no union. Bigger unions bring more institutional knowledge and bargaining power, but smaller, specialised unions often know more about the issues on the ground.
    I'm personally in a specialised tech union that itself is part of a large union, so in a way that hopefully gives me the best of both.

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  • Lisalrt_writes@mstdn.party
    Oct 22, 2026, 11:58 PM

    @jay_peper The good life that my husband and were able to provide for our children (a decent home, good school, adequate health care, braces, activities, vacations, college) — ALL of it was thanks to our good union jobs! Don't begrudge your union friends their benefits, begrudge the people who refuse to help you attain the same.

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