Eric Lee: Victory at Facebook

[Omaha Steve]

I didn't even get the original mail from yesterday posted yet. I got this follow up just now.


Yesterday, I wrote to all of you about the case of Derek Blackadder, the trade union organizer banned from Facebook for ... organizing.

You responded instantly and the word spread like wildfire. Within 8 hours, nearly 2,400 of you signed up to join the Facebook group protesting the ban on Derek.

Facebook has now removed the ban. We won.

Thank you!

Many of you also wrote to me expressing your views -- pro and con -- regarding Facebook.

I wanted to make clear that I was not endorsing Facebook as a tool trade unionists should use. To the contrary, I have published an article entitled "Bandwagons and Buzzwords: Facebook and the Unions" which takes an entirely critical view.

Others have different views. John Wood, who took the initiative to set up the Facebook group to protest the ban on Derek, has written a response to my article, which is worth reading in full. He too is not uncritical of Facebook.

A very large number of you wrote to me yesterday and of course that would be the moment that my email provider crashed. We're trying to recover all those emails now (and yes, I've changed providers since then). Your patience is appreciated.

So, thanks again for your help yesterday. Derek is now back online, doing what organizers do -- thanks to you.

Eric Lee