I bartend at a corporate restaurant (in NC), and I’ve recently started talking to one of my fellow bartenders about unionizing. There’s just a few problems:
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I don’t really know where to start. We live in the dirty south, so it’s not like unions are the most widespread thing. I’m not really familiar with any organizations that help with this or anything.
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I’m scared I’ll lose my job if I start spearheading this movement. I enjoy my job, I just know there’s a few things that I’d like to change, such as hourly base pay before tips, but I know my voice alone doesn’t do much.
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I don’t hate my managers. I think they’re the most impressive group of managers I’ve worked for. They’re hands-on, knowledgeable, and professional. I have a lot of respect for them, so I really don’t want them to take this as an us-vs-them situation. It’s more of the fact that I know corporate doesn’t care about me, they care about money. They’re gonna squeeze me and my team out of every cent they can while paying us as little as they can for as long as they can.
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I’m not entirely sure my entire bar team will be on board. There’s about 8 of us, and there’s two people I’m really not sure about talking to, one is trying to become a key manager and the other has been there so long that I doubt she cares about changing anything. I know the power of unions comes from solidarity, so I’m worried that if we don’t get that completely, it’s not worthwhile.
Any perspective on these issues or insight into experiences starting a Union would be much appreciated 🙂