<incom> Second Life solidarity: IBM faces first virtual picket

[l.d.misek-falkoff]

*-  Letter (not literature) to Adin Falkoff of APL and family, in which
others (FYI) may be interested because it is about: communication,
coordination (cooperation?) and about computers and the precursor-to-public
days.  Occasioned upon reading the post-pended very interesting
publication. -*


How times have changed (times tend to).

(Usual disclaimer that Intended receivers-primary may differ on details -
but - ) In the 1980's/90's you and I .was lay persons in courts but computer
sci people and a newly married couple (we had email! And substantial
reputations in "IS, IT, ICT" but not in law) and had to go up (with
substantial and unavoidably sustainable tremblings) against the top outside
company lawyers  (tough, weren't they!) , after IBM (some) said to sue the
e-writer for defamation if we wanted a remedy for what may now be called *
cyberlibel*. Those closed room "meetings" and in court "dialogues and
debate" were really something weren't they, with pre and after maths, excuse
the expression.

Many of our friends turned aside,  as it was the beginning of thew great
downsizing in corporate venues, like 'the Great Vowel Shift in the history
of English' people were scared. (the vowel shift likely left less roadkill).
It was an enormous many year struggle, up through the courts who didn't talk
computer then - with lawyers when there could be for stretches, we ourselves
ultimately took every step at every level through every motion and then up
to the actual U.S. Supreme Court and I took in the papers myself. (Quite a
stack, hardly evidencing the' paperless office' then in vogue). Recently I
saw a photo of the doorway I passed through: a golden gate.  We wrote papers
on what networks were, electronic publication, relation to traditional
media, jurisdiction, repercussions, that I now think would be treatises.
Researched and typed and carried, it was amazing. And then decades later
here (and IBM now helping, thank you) and here and there in little opinions
finally vindicated but few see that, and no one sees the journey. Invited
back with our own office and colleagues... historically recovered (we said
"computational cryogenics") files through layers or other modelable
dimensions of outmoded operating system architectures; but not my poetry. I
forgot the sign on name -  (I still have remnants of those dreams with
cocoons of art deeply sunk under waters of misunderstandings unfathomed).

A lot of wear and tear, but everyone has it in life just on different
issues.  What in the world would it have been like if the Internet were live
then let along avatars in virtual worlds. or "unions!". Someone to talk to.
To meet with, in costume of little animated figures.  Are we in the end, one
to one, really different than that, hard as one tries "to be real?"

I thank you Adin, personally and professionally. Your 'papers' of all sorts
are fabulous.

Extensive congratulations to All, from All Viewpoints,
And *Respectfully Interfacing,*
With emphasis that any assertions and any implications / implicatures
 herein are my own.
LDMF.  092907.

-- 
Linda D. Misek-Falkoff, Ph.D., J.D.
For I.D. ONLY here:
Coordination of Singular Organizations on Disability (IDC Steering).
Persons With Pain International.  National Disability Party, International
Disability Caucus.
IDC-ICT Taskforce.
Respectful Interfaces* - Communications Coordination Committee For The U.N.
(Other Affiliations on Request).
Alternately:
linda at 2007ismy50thyearincomputingandIamawomanwithdisabilities.com


On 9/29/07, Soenke Zehle <s.zehle at kein.org> wrote:
>
> more on non-governmentality 2.0, Soenke
>
> Second Life solidarity: IBM faces first virtual picket
> <http://www.out-law.com/page-8500>
>
> OUT-LAW News, 27/09/2007
>
> IBM faces virtual reality's first picket line today at the company's
> offices in online community Second Life. Workers have taken their
> industrial relations dispute online and have received attention and
> backing from all over the real world.
>
> Advert: The Outsourcing Summit, London, 19th and 20th November 2007IBM
> is a major investor in its presence in Second Life and was one of the
> first companies to set up a large presence there. Reports have estimated
> that is has spent $10 million on its Second Life facilities.
>
> IBM workers in Italy have been protesting over pay. They had asked for a
> salary increase of €60, plus improvements to pension and health rights,
> according to union representatives at IBM in Italy.
>
> Union official say that the company responded by cancelling a €1,000 per
> employee 'productive work benefit'. "For a company that wants to lead in
> corporate social responsibility, this is unacceptable," said Union
> Network International (UNI), an international affiliation of skills and
> services workers' unions.
>
> UNI, an international affiliation of trades unions that is backing the
> action, said that the dispute involves 9,000 workers and that it has
> spent the past few days training protesters in how to use Second Life.
>
> "We held training sessions until today allowing people to join Second
> Life and get protest kits for their avatars," Christine Revkin of UNI
> told OUT-LAW.COM.
>
> "We started at 9am London time and it will finish today at 9pm, so we
> can cover several time zones since people from 18 countries have
> expressed interest," she said. "The idea is that people come into Second
> Life, meet us at a central platform and teleport buttons take them to
> IBM locations."
>
> "When they reach these IBM locations they will meet other protesters and
> we will put their banners up and their flying fish with slogans above
> their avatars' heads and we are inviting them, as well as people who are
> not in Second Life, to sign a petition that will be sent to IBM European
> management," said Revkin.
>
> Revkin said that Second Life had been chosen because it was a place
> where IBM had been investing significantly. "It made sense that we try
> something original, especially in Second Life where IBM invested so much
> money and is really building some business there. And unions are often
> considered to be somewhat backward in terms of technology so it's a way
> of saying well, we're not, we're also unions 2.0," said Revkin.
>
> IBM declined to comment on the action.
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