What did you think of the last meeting? It seems like management wants to do right by us.

No one is saying our managers are bad people, but their roles in the company come with particular responsibilities. Their duty is to make sure the business runs as efficiently as possible while maximizing profits. Sure, maybe deep down they care about our livelihoods but because of the positions they hold, they must ensure that we do the most amount of work for the least amount of pay. When our GM says, “If I thought a union would be the best thing for you guys, I’d be for it, but I don’t,” take it with a handful of salt.

That’s why when you go in to ask for a raise, an early promotion or changing your work hours, you’ll get shut down with, “Sorry, corporate policy.” But if it suits their needs, that policy is easily shrugged off. The only employees who have succeeded in soliciting a raise are those that were re-hired or came prepared with another job offer. Even then, there’s no guarantee.

There are, however, employees among us fervent on keeping the status quo, averse to rocking the boat. Seriously, the lack of compassion and empathy exhibited by a few of our co-workers, from production and front office to upstairs and management, is alarming to say the least. Just because one employee finds their position and compensation satisfactory doesn’t mean the rest of the workforce should or can. For example, the disparity in pay is as high as $20/hr within the same position in the Booklet Press department. The standard pressman make as little as $22/hr to ~$33. The compensation is completely arbitrary, even when it comes to merit increases and bonuses. My last PMD was horrendous, probably the worst one given, yet I received the same exact bonus and raise in the years I received a glowing PMD. Lastly, loyalty is being punished there. The longer you stay, the less you make. These are our co-workers, they’re actual PEOPLE! We need to start caring if they have enough to get by. There are hardships some of us are struggling with, unknown to the rest, which could be alleviated if everyone was paid more fairly.

More money for us does not mean less money for the rest of you. I don’t understand why we have an employee from upstairs going around harassing people with an “anti-union petition”. The organizing committee hasn’t even come close to pressuring anyone to make a choice. We feel our co-workers need to be as informed as possible before making a responsible decision. Either she feels that a union would impact her comfortable living and we, the lowly grunts in production, should continue suffering because she’s more important OR she feels that we truly don’t deserve the same comfortable living she experiences- the kind of lifestyle afforded to her only by the work we do and the money we make for Clintrak. Don’t even get me started on the cowardly ‘happy employee’ or the person hanging up information on required dues from unassociated third-party unions without any context. They harbor an obvious disdain and disregard for their neighbors.

I have the ability to put myself in someone else’s shoes and I really feel for my co-workers making less than me, trying to raise kids or take care of sick/disabled family members. I don’t know how they do it. Working more than 40 hrs and still have that constant worry about paying the mortgage/rent or keeping the fridge stocked, that’s not a life- especially when we’re making lots of money for other people, like executives and shareholders.

Beware of management approaching you with an 'equity adjustment,’ I think that’s what they’re calling it. It may suit your needs for a year or two but you’ll be in the same boat soon enough, 1-2% merit increases and new hires making more than you. It’s in your best interest to get the policies changed for good. A pay scale and larger raises will only come about through unionizing.