Anyone interested in networking with other autistic workers who are active (or want to become active) in trade unions (or labor unions as I think you call them in North america!)?

I think there is a huge untapped potential for autistic workers to organise through our unions, and for unions to provide representation and assistance in our battles with employers.

Thats true

I'm a member of Prospect, although more by inertia by anything else - the last time I worked for an employer that recognised trade unions was over three years ago.

Count me in. PCS. (will pm you)

I have just spent 25 years working as an independent contractor. As an aspie, that suited me very well. I am not so good at fitting in or being one of the herd. I am fortunate to have a set of skills that make me very useful to my clients and for them, as well as for me, my status as a contractor gave me the opportunity to get by in an otherwise uncomfortable environment.

Unions were very active in most of my workplaces and they all had the same view of me. As an independent contractor, I was the enemy. I was not welcome.

So, tell me, how do you expect that an aspie will react towards a group of organizations that tell him that he is the enemy?

Aspies are world champions at not fitting in and unions are only interested in those who fit in with their agendas.

Hi jpoc.

Thanks for your comments. A lot of workforces have had big problems with (areas of) their work being contracted-out. In many cases, it has led to fragmentation and worsening of pay, conditions and job security. But I would hope that progressive trade unionists would see that it is the contracting system and the exploitative bosses of contractor companies that are the enemy, not people who are working for a living just like they are, just as a contractor. For example, on London Underground, the main union - RMT - is campaigning for better rights for contractors, and welcoming them into the union.

There is little awareness among NT workers that aspies may prefer an atypical working arrangement. By improving trade unions' understanding of autism, we can change that. Rejecting trade unions will leave both aspie/autie and NT workers divided and vulnerable. There are plenty of aspies who are involved in unions, and who, through the representation and support of unions, have defended and improved their working conditions.

PS. May I use your comments (anonymously, of course) in training material for trade unionists about autism?

I would rather that you did not because I feel that you have already tried to misrepresent my circumstances to fit your agenda.

If I had been working for a contractor company with an exploitative boss, I would not have described myself as an independent contractor.

As for unions campaigning for my rights. I am never going to react well to a union campaign to get my pay reduced so that I am not paid more than the amount that they are able to negotiate for their members and I am even more upset about union representatives who wanted to get me thrown out of the country. I hold an EU passport and that gives me the right to work in any EU nation. I have used that right and worked in a number of different countries in the EU and I have encountered union officials who have made it quite clear that they do not think that I should be allowed to do that. "You should go back to your own country" and "We do not want your sort here" are some of the comments that I have received from union representatives.

Actually, I was making a general point about contracting, and not commenting on your circumstances at all. I explicitly argued that workers should not treat contract workers as the enemy. I campaign for trade unions to take a more enlightened attitude on these issues, including to foreign workers, and had hoped to use your negative experiences of trade unions to challenge regressive attitudes. But if you are determined to (mis)interpret my words in a hostile way, I am not sure what I can do about that.


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I would rather that you did not because I feel that you have already tried to misrepresent my circumstances to fit your agenda.

If I had been working for a contractor company with an exploitative boss, I would not have described myself as an independent contractor.

As for unions campaigning for my rights. I am never going to react well to a union campaign to get my pay reduced so that I am not paid more than the amount that they are able to negotiate for their members and I am even more upset about union representatives who wanted to get me thrown out of the country. I hold an EU passport and that gives me the right to work in any EU nation. I have used that right and worked in a number of different countries in the EU and I have encountered union officials who have made it quite clear that they do not think that I should be allowed to do that. "You should go back to your own country" and "We do not want your sort here" are some of the comments that I have received from union representatives.
[/quote]

I never said anything about workers treating me badly. I have seldom been treated badly by co-workers. The only folks who were negative to me were the union representatives.

As an example:

I worked on a project in a small town in Germany. My closest work colleague was a German. He was my team leader but I was the one in the team with the technical skills. He lead the team but deferred the technical decisions to me and I made sure that while I was there, I passed over all of the technical skills that he would need to be able to do the work when I was no longer there. We became good friends and I was invited to celebrations when his kids were born and so on. The union guys were the trouble. They were the ones who sent me emails suggesting that I should leave the country or who used to switch to German and call me an a**hole when they thought that I would not understand.

Union representatives are workers.

What if you work for a company that doesn't recognise trade unions?

No kidding. I'm told where I work, talking about unionizing is now considered grounds for firing.

Could make an interesting case with regards to the First Amendment.

Maybe. The text of the first amendment says that Congress can't make a law abridging the freedom of speech. Plus, with the Supreme Court we have right now, that only applies to large corporations anyway.

Last I knew, it was illegal to retaliate against employees trying to form a union. That might have changed since then, though.

It's also interesting that in that place, you can get written up for making fun of a coworker who's hard of hearing, and get a stern talking to for abusing an autistic coworker, but the way to get fired is to try to start a union. It's messed up.