They Just Formed the Biggest Tech Worker Union in the US. They Plan to Rein in AI and Curb Layoffs
Thousands of IT staff across the University of California system have voted to join the University and Professional Technical Employees (UPTE) union, expanding its tech bargaining unit to 8,400 workers and creating the nation’s largest tech worker union. The contract secures wage raises, enhanced benefits, and layoff protections that require the UC to offer displaced employees the first qualified vacancy. Crucially, the agreement grants workers collective bargaining rights over the deployment of new AI tools, giving them a direct voice in AI governance. The move arrives as tech layoffs surge and AI adoption accelerates, positioning the union as a potential model for democratic tech oversight.
Monterey Park Becomes the First City in California to Ban "All Data Centers Within City Limits"
Monterey Park, a 60,000‑resident city east of Los Angeles, became the first California municipality to permanently ban data center construction. The city council unanimously approved three ordinances that label data centers a public nuisance and prohibit them citywide. The ban...
A Brief History of Techno-Negativity
The blog spotlights Thomas Dekeyser’s new book “Techno‑Negative,” which chronicles centuries of resistance to technology—from ancient Greek machine‑breakers and medieval bans to the Luddite loom riots, anti‑tech communes, and 1980s computer arsonists. Dekeyser argues that techno‑negativity is a recurring political...