All over the world, people like ourselves are fighting against the use of surveillance cameras at the places we work, and not only because these cameras are all-too-often used to spy on us when we are vulnerable and least expect it, when we are in bathrooms and changing rooms. Surveillance cameras are also used to intimidate, discipline and gather information about workers who try to form unions, who hold positions that are unpopular with management or who act as "whistleblowers" when there is wrong-doing. Surveillance cameras can even be used to replace workers.
But note well:
-- on 23 September 2002 in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia (Canada), workers at a rail-car plant went on a wildcat strike after it was revealed that, without consulting the union (Local 1231 of the United Steelworkers of America), management had installed surveillance cameras in the plant's main production area. On 9 October 2002, management agreed to remove all of the cameras they'd installed.
-- on 26 September 2002 in Washington, DC, writers at The Washington Post staged a by-line strike (they refused to sign their articles) because, during contract negotiations, management proposed installing surveillance cameras throughout the newspaper's main building.
-- on 7 October 2002 in Perth Amboy, Australia, construction workers walked off the job after being told that they were under heavy surveillance (both microphones and spy cameras). On 10 October 2002, management announced that all of its spy equipment would be removed.
-- on 9 October 2002 in Sydney, Australia, bus drivers walked off the job to protest the firing of a fellow worker who was videotaped stealing money.
-- on 8 November 2002 in the Fiji Islands, customs officers walked off their jobs because it came out that, without consulting the union, the owners of the airport (Nadi International) installed surveillance cameras in the baggage hall.
Workers all over the world are becoming more and more aware of the alarming prevalence of work-place surveillance devices, and they are also having success in their efforts to have the most intrusive of these devices (the secret surveillance cameras) removed. This is very important, because the "war on terrorism" -- a war that, not coincidentally, involves an unprecedented degree of surveillance and spying -- is increasingly being used as justification for preventing workers from striking, and penalizing them severely if they do go out on strike (especially if they work in shipping, transportation or other "strategically sensitive" areas of the economy).
We cannot come to your work-places and "sweep" for secret cameras: this you must do yourself. You must educate yourself on what to look for, how to spot such cameras, and what to do if you find one. But you are welcome to come to our free weekly walking tours of heavily surveilled neighborhoods in Manhattan (Chelsea, Greenwich Village, Harlem, Lower East Side, Midtown, New York University, and Times Square) and find out what we've learned about the cameras operating in public places. Call (212) 561-0106.
-- the New York Surveillance Camera Players, 16 December 2002