IBM Second Life strike update
Oct 17 2007 17:27
STRIKE!* (*banana suit optional)
In a dispute over pay cuts, IBM workers took to the picket lines - of Second Life. The virtual protest echoed the real thing - bullhorns blared, IBM refused comment and no disciplinary action ensued
WENCY LEUNG
From Monday's Globe and Mail
October 15, 2007 at 8:44 AM EDT
VANCOUVER — As a national representative for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Derek Blackadder has walked many picket lines.
But until last month, he'd never encountered the problem of having a fellow protester affixed to his head.
Of course, this was unlike any picket he'd joined before.
The unseemly incident occurred during a virtual strike against IBM within the online community Second Life. Mr. Blackadder, of Cobourg, Ont., was marching to show support when an IBM Italy worker materialized on top of him.
About 1,800 people from 30 countries joined forces in the virtual demonstration. Unlike some real-life protests, participants didn't have to worry about being physically harmed.
"I speak a little bit of Italian, but we were communicating by keyboard and I don't think he or she really understood that he or she was standing on my head," Mr. Blackadder said.
The Sept. 27 demonstration, organized by IBM's Italian workers after the loss of an annual €1,000 ($1,375) performance bonus, was the first strike to take place on Second Life.
Despite the occasional mishap - like the one Mr. Blackadder experienced - organizers believe it won't be the last.
As companies increase their presence in the virtual world to bolster their branding, marketing and other business activities, unions are realizing they, too, can use the technology to recruit and mobilize.
"It certainly is a new channel for trade union protest," said Gerd Rohde of the Swiss-based Union Network International, which helped organize the IBM workers' strike.
Mr. Rohde estimated that 1,800 people from 30 countries participated in the virtual demonstration - including representatives of UNI's Canadian affiliates, such as CUPE and the Canadian Auto Workers Union, who were keen to test the new protest medium.
Users interact in Second Life by creating digital characters, or avatars, which they can alter to look and dress however they wish.
During the 12-hour online strike, avatars of all appearances turned up on IBM's "islands" - the Second Life equivalent to websites - where they raised placards and shouted demands through bullhorns.
To prepare less tech-savvy picketers, UNI created a guide on its website to instruct first-timers on how to use Second Life, and it mobilized participants through website notices, e-mails and by word of mouth.
CAW national communications representative Angelo DiCaro joined the demonstration from Mississauga. He was impressed by how the protest brought people together from across the world quickly and economically.
"Being able to do it in this alternate reality, it was fascinating," Mr. DiCaro said.
There are other benefits to the virtual strike. There's no fear of being physically harmed during a virtual protest. So, for better or worse, traditional etiquette and codes of conduct for protesters aren't necessarily followed.
"If you have [an avatar dressed as] a giant banana running around, throwing rolls of toilet paper at managers, no one's going to get hurt," Mr. Blackadder said.
The anonymity provided by avatars also offers a sense of security to workers who might not normally join union actions for fear of repercussions from their bosses or authorities.
But for CUPE, whose city workers have been on strike for weeks in Vancouver, the technology is currently of little use. Mr. Blackadder said the protest medium appears most effective when employers already have a strong presence on Second Life.
Mr. Rohde said Second Life was "a logical place" to hold the Italian workers' protest - IBM has established numerous islands throughout the virtual community.
Mr. Rohde said the picketers successfully blocked some of the company's islands, many of which have a maximum capacity of only 40 to 70 avatars.
In addition, they were able to generate an international buzz about the workers' demands.
Still, IBM has not reacted to the event, and the labour dispute remains unresolved, Mr. Rohde said.
Contacted by e-mail, IBM media relations director Fred McNeese said the company would not discuss the Second Life protest, other than to say no disciplinary action was taken against participants.
"There was no effect on IBM's business operations," he added.
Some skeptics had predicted the company's lack of response on Internet postings.
"This is just silly," one reader wrote on the blog of New York-based tech magazine InformationWeek. "They might as well just all threaten to hold their breaths until they pass out. That would be more effective."
But Mr. Rohde said the Italian IBM workers were undeterred. UNI is polling members to determine what to do next.
John Weir, director of organizing at the British Columbia Federation of Labour, said unions and activist groups have already begun using social networking technology, such as Facebook and listservs to communicate with members and the public.
He considers Second Life simply an extension of those tools. "I don't know if it's a revolution as much as it's evolution ... in terms of how people communicate and activate," he said.
But he admitted he did not attend the IBM virtual strike. "I don't even have time for my first life," he said.
Oct 17 2007 18:00
#2
newyawka wrote:
David in Atlanta wrote:
VANCOUVER — As a national representative for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Derek Blackadder has walked many picket lines.is that really his name?
That would be too cool, wouldn't it? I'd love to see a screencapture of Derek with the Italian on his head
Oct 17 2007 18:25
#3
Oct 18 2007 18:42
#4
A question just occured to me. Would something like this actually disrupt the company's ablity to use their Second Life presence to generate profit?
I mean, i've heard rumors, nothing more mind, that some naughty cyber-zapatistas took down the webserver of the Bank of Mexico with a electronic picketline of sorts. And I'm sure most of us have closed down a physical workplace with a picket or sit-in, right?
So would thousands of people logging on and visiting the virtual ibm salesroom interfer in any way or is it akin to forming up in front of a billboard? I'm not enough of a IT wiz or economist to have a real clue.
Oct 19 2007 10:50
#5
well if their online spaces have limitec capacity as the article says, then it will affect them, although I don't know how much actual business they do on there.
Oct 20 2007 12:19
#6
David in Atlanta wrote:
A question just occured to me. Would something like this actually disrupt the company's ablity to use their Second Life presence to generate profit?I mean, i've heard rumors, nothing more mind, that some naughty cyber-zapatistas took down the webserver of the Bank of Mexico with a electronic picketline of sorts. And I'm sure most of us have closed down a physical workplace with a picket or sit-in, right?
So would thousands of people logging on and visiting the virtual ibm salesroom interfer in any way or is it akin to forming up in front of a billboard? I'm not enough of a IT wiz or economist to have a real clue.
It really depends on the nature of the firm's business.
In the case of IBM, the majority of the Company's activity in Second Life isn't directly revenue generating at the moment. They are mostly using the virtual campuses to facilitate meetings between very dispersed employees. They've spent over $11 million (USD) building a dozen or so "islands" in Second Life and have at least 5,000 employees deployed there to train new employees. They have auditoriums and conference centers all over their "islands". This doesn't directly generate revenue for them and, although this activity can be disrupted, one day of picketing doesn't affect IBM's bottom line.
Where they are making money is using the expertise that they've attained to build facilities for other firms, like the stores they have built for Sears and Circuit City. It also difficult to affect the construction of these stores because the owner of each parcel of land and set limits on who can enter. Now, if a store was generating tons of foot traffic and the firm figured out a way to make Second Life translate into real sales, then a boycott or other longer-term campaign could potentially be effective.
Where the IBM strike was effective was in the international press that it generated. The RSA also struck IBM in real-life to coincide with the virtual world strke. The media attention from the virtual strike was infinitely greater at the international level than a real-world strike would have been by itself.
Oh, the virtual world strike did succeed in disrupting and ended a meeting in the "business center".
Oct 24 2007 10:18
#7
IBM Italy - some news!
Date: Today 4:21:33 am
Dear Friends,
Many thanks to all of those who have given us suggestions on how to
proceed with the IBM Italy workers’ struggle that had remained unsolved
after our historical Protest in Second Life on September 27th.
By the time we went through all of the excellent and original ideas you
gave us, some developments had taken place….indeed there are some very
positive news we had to share with you:
1. Mr Andrea Pontremoli, IBM Italy’s CEO (who personally received all of
your petitions by email) has resigned.
It seems our Virtual action had an impact on his role at IBM.
IBM Corporation made a complaint to IBM Italy for the way they’ve
managed the negotiations with the thousands of employees and how
they’ve let it lead to such a harmful image for the company.
2. IBM Italy management have accepted to return to the negotiations’
table and has already met with the Works Council.
We expect an agreement will -finally- be signed in the next week or
two.
IBM workers have now been waiting an entire year for the situation to
unblock, so this is really fantastic news.
We would like to think that all of this has a lot to do with the
incredible support all of you have given them over the last 6 weeks.
Your involvement with the protest in Second Life, your news coverage of
the events and your ideas to pursue fighting in “first” and “second
life” have really helped tremendously.
You will never be thanked enough.
Again, we’ll keep you informed of the signing of the new agreement for
IBM Italy workers!
IBM Protest organisers
is that really his name?