Tuesday, March 6, 2018, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM Mail Exchange Hotel, 688 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000 http://mailexchangehotel.com.au/ Speakers: Robert Lechte, Unions - Hacking society's operating system ========================================================== Lots of people who make software want to make a better world. We're attracted to Linux and open source because we want community solidarity and because we want to build things in the interests of the common good rather than the interests of shareholders or short term profit. And we all know that in software lies power: More than any other job, software developers have the power to shape the future. And yet, we're throwing away power because we don't unionise and organise and stand up for our rights at work. Why let our bosses keep all the power? Why squander our ability to be a powerful political voice? Why let our bosses control the technology, make all the decisions, and take all the money we software workers generate through our long hours of labour? Robert will talk about the importance of unionising and organising, and how to build a movement that gives us real power against the bosses and the ruling class, helping us build better software, better communities, and a better future. Robert Lechte works on software for the union movement in Melbourne, and on a few of his own open source projects. Robert likes talking about software at length. He likes talking about politics even more. Some say his ideas cannot be truly explained, only experienced. But he'll try to explain anyway, with slides. Food and drinks will be available on premises. Linux Users of Victoria is a subcommittee of Linux Australia.