Peter Waterman on Communication Internationalism for Labor and Unions
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Cyberunions podcast interview with Peter Waterman at
- Part One, http://cyberunions.org/2012/01/16/the-cyberunions-podcast-episode-31-the-tech-5th-international/
- Part Two, http://cyberunions.org/2012/01/30/the-cyberunions-talk-show-episode-33-return-of-the-5th-international/
Details
Part One
"6:50 Interview with Peter Waterman
* Where the ideas originate? * Began working with unions in 1985 ICT * International Labor Communication by Computer: The 5th International?
11:34 Working with Communication Officers
* Did not want to save computer data * Fear of the Boss * Actually fear competing trade unions
18:34 A further step
* Unionbook starts up * Broadcasting instead of engaging * Labourstart is not a dialogical site
26:23 Low level of technology
* What is the penetration of Internet Cafés * Can’t say trade unions were part of the Arab Spring
33:10 Labor gets outflanked
* Communication internationalism * Network is the way Occupy has developed. * Revolutions inside capitalism
35:44 End Part One
Part Two
8:14 Part two of the Interview
* Peter Waterman explains his background * Interest in Internationalism as communication
11:50 What can unions do
* Dedicating union staff to communication * Let loose on the Internet * Incapacity of unions to communicate effectively
15:00 Another kind of world
* Cyberspace is another kind of reality, like cinema… * It is real virtuality * New Unionism and Unionbook are attempts, but subversive to top down labor
17:40 Tension between Vertical and Horizontal
* Trade union conference is not like Occupy * Need some forms of coordination instead of top down leadership * Move from controlling to influencing things instead
20:15 Unions need to go to school
* Need to work with the new social movements * If unions need a consultant should talk to Michael Moore, He has working class background * Need a Labor site dedicated to dialog
23:20 Swarm Theory
* Light and flexible formal structure, Large long time commitment * Occupy Movement is a swarm * Worker or Collective articulation connects to swarm
28:00 The 1992 paper
* People were pissed off at me * “‘The 5th international?’ What kind of shit is that?” ~union boss
30:14 Wrap up