Want to see a hint of what internal union democracy could look like, if union officials embraced the internet and used it promote internal discussion and debate? Check out www.SEIUVoice.org and its coverage of the SEIU International Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (See too the SEIU International's convention site -- the old seiufactchecker.org address now resolves to it -- www.seiu2008.org )

Recently, CorD has seen a low level of activity, much of it consisting of hostile exchanges between two or three people.

Trade unionists from around the globe will be descending on Union Island today to celebrate the May Day. If you want to attend, don't bother leaving your house, the gathering is coming to you via Second Life, software that lets you navigate a three dimensional, virtual world using a digital representation of yourself. Read on to learn more.

Last week, I posted about two unions taking their war against each other to the Internet.

Well, I just got done watching a video that popped into my mail box (thanks to Chuck Lezette) which demonstrates how internal union politics is going online as well. The video chronicles an apparent revolt against Doug McCarron, the head of the Carpenters union, by some carpenters in British Colombia, Canada.

Now, whether or not you are for or against McCarron, the video raises a lot of questions about the future conduct of union business and debate in a more connected, transparent world.

Twitter is yet another free Internet service that could open up new possibilities for union communication. Read on for more.

As the person who runs the website at the Association for Union Democracy, I try to maintain a pretty liberal links policy when it comes to rank-and-file and independent union websites. AUD is non-partisan, so I link to many sites whose views I don't share personally. My criteria are simple: a) is the site a bona fide, independent, union member site, b) does it aim to make unions stronger? No anti-union sites.

"Anti-union" is a slippery concept, because autocrats call critics anti-union all the time, but there are a few sites that help us define the term: the website of the National Legal Rights and Accountability Project (NLPC) is one.

California's hospital executives have a lot to chortle over these days. First, the United Healthcare Workers West launched a site to take on the SEIU with their site, SEIU Voice, and now we have the SEIU going after the California Nurses Association.

You’d think she would have a little decency, or at least a little modesty. After all, Elaine Chao is the U.S. Secretary of Labor. But no, claims a new website, ShameonElaine.org.

My point in the last post was that what is internal and what is external has changed: so-called internal union affairs are now largely external and forums and media outside the union are increasingly part of the union's internal culture and politics.