I was in a union before, and they didn’t fight for us… How will a union at KCVG be any different?

We’re fighting to improve the lives of our coworkers

Some unions in recent decades have chosen to not fight nearly as hard as they should to make workers’ lives better. They instead have chosen to make unnecessary compromises to bosses and are run in a top-down fashion, without workers having a real say in the decisions of the union. Our union is going to be completely different. 

Massive, union-busting companies like Amazon are a threat to workers everywhere. They spread lies and misinformation about the union. We work hard, in dangerous conditions, and while Jeff Bezos takes off in his $500 million yacht. Amazon cares only about maximizing profits and unions are a threat to those profits. 

To be clear, having a union is always better than not having one. On average, union workers make 12% higher wages than non-union workers. Women in unionized jobs earn 23.8% more than non-union workers. Black workers earn 39.2% more.  On top of generally having higher wages, having a union gives you legal protections you don’t get in a non-union workplace.

We are a fighting, democratic union - not a “business union”

Our union is based on the traditions that built unions and the labor movement in the first place. We believe that change happens when workers organize and fight for our collective needs. We believe change happens through struggle, not mingling with the managers and bosses who exploit us.

Our union has nothing in common with the traditions of “business unionism” which happens when union leaders adapt themselves to the mentality of the bosses. Those union leaders believe they can make backroom deals with employers. Over time this causes them to identify more with what the employers' needs are rather than fight for what workers want. We are inspired by workers in unions who have taken it upon themselves to organize rank-and-file reform caucuses to transform their unions.

We are disgusted by union leaders who earn huge salaries off membership dues, while their members face low wages and brutal conditions. We are disgusted by examples of union leaders who are more comfortable in meetings with managers than they are organizing alongside workers they are supposed to represent. We find this practice abhorrent.

Special privileges have no place in our union. Dues make our union strong by giving us the resources we need to win our demands and defend us from retaliation. We vote on the amount, which will always be much lower than the raise we win in a contract. If or when we decide to hire staff or pay elected leaders, they will ALWAYS make the average wage of a worker at KCVG.

We are clear about what we are fighting for

Many business unions avoid using clear demands of the bosses, like exact wage increases, etc. Instead they stick to vague slogans like “respect and dignity” or “a seat at the table” which allows them to not be accountable or fight for what their members want. Of course, we support these general ideas, but they are so vague that Amazon can also claim they support them too. 

We have to make clear how having a union will improve our economic situation. “Respect at work” means a $30/hr starting wage, 180 hours PTO, and union representation at disciplinary meetings.

Business unions avoid using demands because their only strategy is to negotiate behind closed doors with the bosses. They are afraid if workers mobilize around clear demands, it will make it harder to cut shady deals (and they’re right). 

Some business unions might say they avoid clear demands because “they don’t want to make promises they can’t keep.” 

Demands are not promises. Demands are clear goals that we democratically decide to all fight for. They are goals that Amazon will oppose because they will hit greedy executives and shareholders where it hurts most - their profits and inflated salaries.

We do not “represent” KCVG workers - we are KCVG workers

We do not agree with the approach of business union leaders who strive to “represent” and make bad or weak deals on behalf of workers. This approach favors the boss and encourages workers to passively support the union rather than seeing themselves as essential to building the strongest possible union. It’s wrong when workers are invited to participate in the union only to vote “yes” on a bad contract every few years.

Our union is not a “third party.” Our union is the collective voice of you and your co-workers involved in this campaign. It’s Amazon who pays third-party, professional consulting firms thousands of dollars an hour to come up with misleading lies about the union. 

Management relies on gossip, rumors, and lies to divide us. We’re committed to be direct and honest about what's at stake for us as workers. We believe in internal democracy and full transparency. Workers should make decisions for themselves. That’s the kind of union we’re building, and we need your help.