IBM worker organization
IBM worker organizations have not historically been recognized by IBM. Since the company's foundation in 1911, it has not recognized any trade unions in the United States, despite the efforts by workers to establish them from 1970 onwards. In Europe and Australia there are several trade unions recognized by IBM, with limited recognition. In 1999, employees of IBM Europe formed a European Works Council. In 2011 global union federations UNI Global Union and International Metalworker's Federation formed the "IBM Global Union Alliance" to coordinate IBM-labor activities across the globe among its affiliate unions. Australia . In 2002, after IBM Global Services Australia and Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) failed to negotiate a common enterprise agreement for all 3,500 employees working on the Telstra contract (about half were original Telstra staff covered by a different agreement), CPSU organized two 48 hour strike actions. In April 2010 the Fair Work Australia tribunal ordered IBM Australia to bargain with the Australian Service Union representing employees in Baulkham Hills, Sydney. IBM in response, unsuccessfully appealed. About 80 employees accepted collectively negotiated contracts that addressed severance packages and sick leave. China. Over 1000 workers of an IBM factory in  Shenzhen went on a wildcat strike in March 2014, after management announced the sale of the factory to Lenevo. The strike is part of a larger trend of labour militancy in the Guangdong province. Workers demanded higher severance packages if they left or higher salaries if they transferred to Lenevo. United States. In 1970 the National Black Workers Alliance of IBM (BWA) was formed, the first high-tech movement for under represented minorities, to protest lack of equal pay and promote opportunities for young, poor communities. Between 1978 and 1980 its membership grew fivefold to 1700 people. IBM responded by  firing 4 of the top 8 BWA officers. In the 1970s Lee Conrad founded the IBM Workers United (IBMWU) which was an independent grassroots union. It had an underground newsletter called "Resistor" which highlighted a number of issues, including IBM's sale of computers during South African Apartheid, comparing them to IBM's sale of computers to the Nazis. In the 1970s members of IBMWU distributed fliers at a shareholder meeting titled "Would IBM have Sold Computers to Hitler?" protesting IBM's trade deals with apartheid South Africa. In 1999, IBMWU affiliated with the Communications Workers of America, rebranding as  Alliance@IBM, CWA Local 1701, with Conrad as its lead coordinator. In 2016, Alliance@IBM shut down, citing low membership, outsourcing and union busting.