UNION SELECT * FROM hackers: Why We Should Be Building InfoSec Worker Power Through the Labor Movement

Logan Arkema argues that information security workers have long relied on individual reputations and scarce skills for influence and job security, and that this approach is fragile as layoffs, AI-driven cost cutting and attacks on federal workforce protections mount. The talk opens by describing the current climate for security workers in government and the private sector, then contrasts it with the self-organizing habits the hacker community already has, from volunteer-run conferences to open source governance.

The middle section explains how unions work in the United States. Arkema walks through forming a union, bargaining a contract, and the concerted-activity rights that private-sector employees keep even without a union, and notes that federal workers face different limits. He points to examples from other tech workers, including Alphabet Workers Union actions at Google and a staff union at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, along with a nurses' union that is pursuing a ransomware clause in its contract. He also answers common objections, such as unions being ineffective, costly or hostile to high performers.

The closing segment argues that security staff hold real leverage because organizations depend on their systems, and urges listeners to build relationships, join groups such as the Tech Workers Coalition, and act collectively. Attendees leave with concrete starting points rather than a legal guide, along with a caveat that labor law varies and specialist advice is worth seeking before taking risky steps.