System Error: Labour Precarity and Collective Organizing at Microsoft

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
Beteiligte: Brophy, Enda
In: Canadian Journal of Communication, 31, 2006, 3, S. 619-638
veröffentlicht:
University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress)
Medientyp: Artikel, E-Artikel

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Umfang: 619-638
ISSN: 0705-3657
1499-6642
DOI: 10.22230/cjc.2006v31n3a1767
veröffentlicht in: Canadian Journal of Communication
Sprache: Englisch
Schlagwörter:
Kollektion: University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) (CrossRef)
Inhaltsangabe

<jats:p> This article challenges the notion—proposed by liberal-democratic theories of the “knowledge worker" and industry accounts of “friction-free” capitalism—that labour conflict is no longer relevant within digital capitalism via an in-depth examination of a case of collective organizing by temporary workers at Microsoft. The paper suggests the formation and activities of their union, WashTech, prefigures 21st century collective organizing. Two concepts are proposed as guides to these struggles. “Immaterial labour" refers to a set of increasingly important forms of labour within post-Fordism, ranging from call-centre work to software development. “Precarity" denotes the material and existential insecurity suffered by workers as a result of flexible employment arrangements. These concepts are examined by drawing on archival material and interviews with WashTech members. </jats:p>