On Wednesday, the U.S. Congress gathered, with Vice President Mike Pence presiding. The Constitution of the United States says that on Jan. 6, after a presidential election, Congress shall meet to count the electoral votes cast for the president and vice president of the United States. It is a solemn ritual of democracy — conducted in the grand halls of our Capitol, with the ballots in hand-tooled leather boxes. But it is only that — a ritual.

This ceremonial custom is not how our president and vice president are chosen. They are chosen by the people — voting state by state on the first Tuesday in November. And that custom, and the people who conduct it, good people though they may be, are not our democratic republic, and they are not our country.  

This week’s announcement of the formation of the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU) was met across the tech industry, and among those organizing within it, with optimism and hope that the effort will lead to more tech workers realizing their collective power at work.

OPEIU's Tech Workers Union Local 1010 extends its congratulations to AWU, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and all tech workers who have been brave and bold enough to stand up for their rights and help pave the way for the rights of others in the industry.

With such a large industry to tackle, and so many tech workers interested in organizing, Tech Workers Union Local 1010 has been energized by the myriad ways workers like those at Google are experimenting with different, context-specific ways to build power in their workplace, within an industry that can be rightly described as a new frontier for union organizing. 

More than 3,200 students in union families, including OPEIU, have received nearly $5 million in money for college through the Union Plus Scholarship Program. Awards are based on outstanding academic achievement, personal character, financial need and commitment to the values of organized.

At a time when many families have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Union Plus is especially glad to support hardworking students as they further their educations and pave the path for future success.