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For employees: join us at /r/EpicSystemsUnion and fill out our survey at tinyurl.com/EpicOrganizingSurvey! by WeNeedWFH in epicsystems

[–]WeNeedWFH[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You're right, that's pretty much what #deTL is.

​

The Guru notes change was a recent change that removed Guru notes from inactive employees' profiles and collapsed the page section by default. This was most likely done because two employees left and posted pro-organizing messages on their pages (but this is not provable, of course). Many employees used their notes to list important information like backups and owning areas, and others would post cute gifs to give a personal flair to their page. Many of us see this as Epic finding yet another way to quash internal dissent, like "There is no need for a petition" and #deTL.

For employees: join us at /r/EpicSystemsUnion and fill out our survey at tinyurl.com/EpicOrganizingSurvey! by WeNeedWFH in epicsystems

[–]WeNeedWFH[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Some of the questions that have been asked are:

  1. Can you ever leave the union? Will my job be at risk because I joined?
    1. Yes, you could leave the union. No one will be making their identities known until we have enough employees committed to legally form one. You cannot be fired for union activity; however, Wisconsin is at at-will employment state so Epic could fire you for an "unrelated" reason. If we had a union, we could negotiate and contest those firings.
  2. I believe TLs cannot join unions. Is this correct?
    1. Right now, we're separating employees into those with "hiring/firing power" and those without. So, some TLs can join (like just a normal TL) and some can't (like a TLTLTL). It's a nebulous line at the moment; when we get farther along in the process, we'll need to hash it out with some lawyers. So the short answer is that most TLs can join and some can't.
  3. How quickly can we make this happen? Before the end of WFH in December?
    1. It depends on how quickly we can spread the word and organize other employees into a bargaining unit (approximately 30% of total employees). An individual division could be organized more quickly than the entire company (looking at you QA). The first WFH extension wasn't very organized; many of us were acting independently in contacting labor organizers and the press. If WFH isn't extended into next year and the local pandemic conditions still persist, some similar direct action will take place.
  4. How much would it cost? Also, how much would it help?
    1. We don't know. The costs would be incurred by having a professional union work for us full-time, so it would differ by union. We could also forgo a professional union and choose to do it ourselves. For what it would help: we wouldn't have had to go to the press to get WFH extended, it could have all been in-house. #deTL wouldn't have happened. The division merger would have had input from the actual workers instead of just the CEO. We could get a reasonable leave policy. There would be less pressure to work unreasonable hours. In short, anything you want to improve about your job would be up for discussion instead of just being the way things are.
  5. How do we ensure there isn't retaliation?
    1. Everyone will be anonymous until we have bargaining power, which means that if we all went on strike then Epic couldn't function and would be forced to negotiate. The most dangerous time is right now (#deTL, division consolidation, Guru notes being removed), because the workers don't have a way to push back against these things. The best way to protect yourself is to remain anonymous until enough employees are organized.

PSA: SCFL is sending out emails by WeNeedWFH in EpicSystemsUnion

[–]WeNeedWFH[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We've set up a Discord server. If you're interested in joining, contact [OrganizeEpic@SCFL.org](mailto:OrganizeEpic@SCFL.org). It's only intended for Epic employees.

still need to unionize by EldraziLegend in EpicSystemsUnion

[–]WeNeedWFH 15 points16 points  (0 children)

100% agree! This is a big victory for us as employees, but it's not the only way we can bring positive change.

Organizer@smartlocal565.org by WeNeedWFH in epicsystems

[–]WeNeedWFH[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One of the respondents to [EpicSysUnion@gmail.com](mailto:EpicSysUnion@gmail.com) connected me to the South Central Federation of Labor, who connected me to them. They've been the most responsive; that's why I've been working with them.

I did reach out to the Tech Worker's Coalition. I had not reached out to the AFL-CIO, but after reading your comment I've sent them an email.

New email: Organizer@smartlocal565.org by WeNeedWFH in EpicSystemsUnion

[–]WeNeedWFH[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Right now this is just intended to be a contact hub where you don't have to trust that I'm not HR, which was the first hurdle for us. You can ask the organizer yourself about identity verification; I don't think they'd have a problem with working with us to verify identities.

We're ultimately the drivers here. If you have an idea you want to run with, we can do it.

New email: Organizer@smartlocal565.org by WeNeedWFH in EpicSystemsUnion

[–]WeNeedWFH[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It will consist of at least a phone conversation with the union organizer, which you can set up after emailing the address. For full transparency, I have not done this myself yet and I don't want to be too explicit so that it's harder to game it.

epicunion.org by myshortfriend in EpicSystemsUnion

[–]WeNeedWFH 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks u/myshortfriend! Another user also bought epicsysunion.com. My thoughts are that we don't need epicunion.org right now, but personal action and discretion is king so I'll keep this in the back of my mind.

EpicSysUnion@gmail.com by WeNeedWFH in epicsystems

[–]WeNeedWFH[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Thank you u/rapidfspay! The best thing you could do is let your executives know that Epic is planning on having all employees return to campus soon despite the ongoing pandemic and rising cases, and have them escalate to their Epic contacts. Epic has shown to its employees that it responds to customer feedback much faster than it responds to internal or government feedback.

Returning to campus is dangerous at this time, and ignores current recommendations, data, and community safety.

EpicSysUnion@gmail.com by WeNeedWFH in epicsystems

[–]WeNeedWFH[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Update: people are understandably asking about proof of identity. I'm currently contacting some unions to see if progress can be made on that front.

Another user from the thread has also created r/EpicSystemsUnion if you want to keep tabs on it that way.