There was a lot of talk when Kickstarter unionized about how tech employees don’t need similar protection relative to the dangers workers faced during the first mass waves of unionization. I think that calculus might change in cases where workers are forced to expose themselves and their families to a pandemic because their bosses value butt-in-seats over employee safety.
This is happening right now with the nurses’ union in California, who are exposing the CDC’s stonewalling and failure in testing for COVID-19 and the danger this is posing to everyone:
https://act.nationalnursesunited.org/page/-/files/graphics/N...
While it certainly seems reasonable to prioritize those at the most risk, on the other hand, in my brief experience with a union, it almost seems like they tend to prioritize problems they can't solve and ignore what can actually be done.
Laptops are standard-issue in my agency, so it seems like if the person at the top ordered it, essentially everybody could work remotely for the next month or two.