Economy May Spur IT Union RallyEconomy May Spur IT Union Rally

A key issue in the work stoppage that affected 29 West Coast ports has been whether new IT jobs will be covered under the existing union. But experience around the country suggests most IT workers have said "union, no."

The Pacific Maritime Association, which runs most of the West Coast ports, proposes installing technology to replace many manual processes and better compete with other ports in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union says it's not opposed to technology at port terminals and docks, but it wants new jobs covered under its collective bargaining agreement. A U.S. District Court Judge last week ordered a temporary end to the work stoppage as President Bush asks for a permanent end to the lockout under the Taft-Hartley Act.

Technology workers historically have eschewed unions because they believe they can rely on education and skills to negotiate salary and benefits, says Gary Chaison, professor of industrial relations at the Clark University graduate school of management. Generally, IT workers without advanced technical skills or opportunities to change jobs have sought representation from unions or less formal IT associations, Chaison says. In November 2000, a group of around 50 customer-service technicians at Amazon.com Inc. contacted an IT lobbying organization, the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers, to help them protest low wages. But the group eventually backed off its attempts to form a union amid an antiunion campaign by Amazon management.

The poor economy could change that historic resistance to unions. Education and skills aren't enough to secure a job in an economy where there are thousands of unemployed skilled tech workers, says Marcus Courtney, president and organizer at the Washington Alliance. Key concerns for IT workers considering a union include stagnating pay, unpaid overtime for salaried IT professionals, job security, and training. But it takes a change of mind-set for IT workers, who are used to being sought after for their skills, Courtney says. "It's a big step for IT workers to join unions."

It's one few front-line IT workers will ever take, contends Joshua Drake, a programmer and co-founder of Command Prompt Inc., a managed services and custom programming company. He says IT workers might be attracted to the concept of a union's protection, but in practice they find it stifles their innovation and independence.