Labor’s day.

Today’s Labor Day in the United States, and I want to mention some tech unions who could use our support.

First, I want to mention the workers at Grindr United, who announced their intention to unionize on July 20. Two weeks later, Grindr’s CEO announced a company-wide “return to office” policy. Workers were given two weeks to choose: relocate to distant cities, or be forced to leave the company.

Grindr engineers must report to the company’s Chicago office, marketing must report to Los Angeles, and product management and design must report to either L.A. or Bay Area offices. […]

“This is a very, very difficult time in the country right now for trans people. This is hard for anybody, but particularly for trans people,” [product manager Quinn] McGee added. “That they have to uproot themselves from where they have found safety and security and family is appallingly cruel. Telling us to move to cities where we don’t have medical providers. It’s appalling. I’m lost for words.”

Grindr’s union is asking people to fill out this petition to Grindr’s CEO, and demand he recognize the union.

Next, there’s the workers at CfA Workers United. On August 31, Code for America’s leadership announced they’d be laying off 35 employees, with immediate effect. Financial reasons were cited as a main driver for the layoffs, but CfA’s leadership admitted they’re eliminating jobs at the same time they’re expanding the company’s C-suite. What’s more, according to one of the affected workers, the company announced the layoffs during a bargaining session with the union. This after literal years of management delays during contract negotiations, no less.

In other words, rather than meaningfully engage with their workers in collective bargaining, Code for America’s leadership laid off 35 workers immediately before the long Labor Day weekend — the day before workers’ rents would come due.¹

The union has set up a mutual aid fund to support the affected workers, if you’re in a position to lend financial support to workers who lost their jobs.

Just from where I sit, every single one of these workers deserved better: they deserved to be treated with respect by their company’s leadership; they deserved a strong contract. And they deserved a union.

Here��s the thing, though: you deserve these things too. We all do.

Today is Labor Day in the United States, after all.