Silicon Valley has a solution for everything, but who do its ideas really serve? Every Thursday, Paris Marx is joined by a new guest to critically examine the tech industry, its thought leaders, and the worldview it spreads. They challenge the notion that tech alone can drive our world forward by showing that separating tech from politics has consequences for us all, especially the most vulnerable. But if tech won't save us, what will? This podcast isn't simply about tearing tech down; it also presents radical ideas for tech designed for human flourishing instead of surveillance, acquisitions, or to boost stock prices. A better world is possible, and so is better technology.
The Amazon Union Drive Comes to Canada w/ Sara Mojtehedzadeh
Paris Marx is joined by Sara Mojtehedzadeh to discuss the Teamsters’ organizing at Amazon warehouses in Canada and the working conditions that workers face at those facilities.
Sara Mojtehedzadeh is a labour reporter at the Toronto Star and the host of Hustled, a podcast about Foodora workers’ fight for a union. Follow Sara on Twitter at @SaraMojtehedz.
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Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.
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Also mentioned in this episode:
- If you’ve ever assigned an episode of the podcast in a college or university course, let me know by Twitter DM, email, or through this form.
- In June, the Teamsters voted to put resources behind unionizing Amazon.
- The Teamsters Canada applied for a union vote in Edmonton, Alberta, and said it’s organizing at nine warehouses. Amazon is hiring 15,000 workers and raising wages.
- During the pandemic, the Canadian government signed a deal with Amazon to deliver PPE. The contract fell apart.
- After an Amazon worker died in Indiana, the governor intervened to overturn the citations.
- California is regulating productivity quotas at warehouses.
- Discussions are picking up about sectoral bargaining in Canada.
- Sara wrote about the high injury rates at Amazon’s Canadian warehouses and the temporary closure of its Brampton, Ontario warehouse after a Covid outbreak.
- Find out more about Teamsters Canada’s Amazon campaign and the Warehouse Workers Centre.