Profit and union -- two words guaranteed to get the attention of any senior manager. There hasn't been much of the former at many dot-coms; but for one brief moment, there was the possibility of the latter. Last Fall, call center customer service workers at Amazon.com and at the now defunct eTown took the first steps down the path to organizing unions.

IT managers everywhere have watched with interest as the drama plays out. As former eTown workers find other jobs and the union efforts move slowly at Amazon.com, managers are asking, "Where will this happen next? Could it be at my company?"

The union drive at Amazon.com, for example, started in mid-November with fifty customer service representatives in Seattle. According to JJ Wandler, an Amazon.com customer service representative in Seattle and a union organizer, the e-tailer's response was less than flattering. "Management has posted an internal web site which paints union membership and objectives in a very unflattering light," Wandler says. "Much of their information relies on a largely outdated picture of violent teamsters and money hungry union bosses."

Wandler's efforts have come to nought. In late January, Amazon announced the closing, set for May 4, of its McDonough, Ga., distribution center, and one customer service operation. That service center happens to be the Seattle unit where the organizers are employed.

Is it contagious?

In the corporate world, call center and help desk employees have much in common with the customer service reps at Amazon.com and eTown. Will these groups move for unionization elsewhere in the IT industry?

Bill Hallett is an independent call center and customer service consultant who has managed call centers at Tandem, Tivoli, and, most recently Wayport, a high speed internet access provider in Austin. "I don't think we are on the verge of a wave of union activity in call centers," says Hallett, "but the efforts at Amazon and eTown should be seen as a wake-up call."

This wake-up call has Hallett and his colleagues talking about the issue. "There are two extremes of opinion," he explains. "One is that, because we are in high tech, we are immune from union activity. This goes way back to IBM when Big Blue did a number of things to make employees feel more secure, more a part of the company. The other extreme is that we managers of call centers should be very worried by events like those at eTown and Amazon."

Hallett is in the middle. "The real issue is that call center employees are often viewed as second class citizens, and too many senior managers, CxOs, are not cognizant of the potential problems this can create."

If you are an IT manager, heed Hallett's advice: "Don't lose touch with the people taking the calls. And don't think it is just about compensation. It is also the work environment. An hourly call center employee who punches a clock day after day while watching the engineers come and go as they please may get ideas."

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