So, ever since I've started, me and one other person there have really clicked as a team, and that turned into the two of us basically running everything because the last manager quit/got fired depending on how you want to look at it. They recently promoted my "partner" to manager, but we secretly agreed to keep it a flat team structure, since that's what worked the best.

Ever since pandemic, we ran the place. Call outs, no shows, surprise orders, terrible other co-workers... We handled it all without complaining. Hell, neither of us wanted to lose our job during the pandemic. I got a friend of mine hired in there, and once we got him up to standard, he became a part of the flat team structure, or the "core group" as we like to call it.

Like a good commie, I've been slipping in bits of workers rights dialogue into our conversations. Stuff like "if we present a united front, we can demand change". Nobody really wanted to rock the boat that bad, and to be fair, our bosses mean well, they're just very out of touch. We tried the approach of talking to them individually about problems, and we used to see a lot more results that way. Well, recently, their attitude has been a little more shitty towards us. It's a husband and wife team that owns the place. The wife is always self diagnosing with the worst possible illnesses and going to doctors who keep telling her nothing is wrong with her, so she hasn't really been coming in a lot because she's "in pain". Maybe she is... The husband is a shell of a man who gets ordered around all day every day by his wife, so he's about ready to snap. I get that they've been having a hard go of it, but that's no reason to lash out at us and make work a living hell.

Anyway, they just got back from a THREE WEEK TRIP and had the audacity to get mad about petty things like an employee getting "too many hours" because they had to pull three different doubles in a week, to cover someone else. No "thank you for running the place the whole time we were gone, and all of the last two years when we decide to fuck off to Timbuktu"

This was the first day they came in since the trip, and we all decided today was the time to form an unofficial union and pledge to have each other's backs. Today was the day that we were going to strong arm some change.

They came in, we made our demands, and they folded instantly. They even gave up the crucial bit of information that with the current crew, this is the first time they have turned a profit every month since opening 12 years ago.

So, this is a general thanks to the "lefty internet" for keeping me on the path, and standing up for myself at a job. My whole life I've been taught to bend over backwards for a job by my bootlicking dad. Fuck that. We aren't stopping there. And, it's all for the betterment of the business, so I don't understand why the bosses wouldn't want to hear us out. Obviously we are doing something right.

    • CrimsonDynamo [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      edit-2
      3 years ago

      The thing is, she's pretty progressive for a lib. She gave us hella raises last year when the dialogue about living wages was on the national spotlight, she's trying to get us to a four day work week where we get paid like we worked five...

      She's also a Ukraine flag waving, npr listening , somehow bigoted at times card carrying :LIB:

      • Nakoichi [they/them]M
        ·
        3 years ago

        That's still pretty good for a small business tyrant in the US. Good on you guys for standing up though. With the Amazon and Starbucks stuff happening now is THE time. Porky is scared.

        • CrimsonDynamo [he/him]
          hexagon
          ·
          3 years ago

          Above all, my boss wants to look like a good person. She does the right thing for the wrong reasons, but as long as we reap the benefits, I'm willing to call it a win.

          One of our more lofty goals is to go co-op. Not sure how to get the bosses on board. We are trying so hard to just keep them away while we do the work. All they have to do is stay home and collect money, but they insist on making decisions that they don't realize are fucking the workers over. To some degree, I'm sure there's some good ol' liberal pragmatism ™ at play though

          • Nakoichi [they/them]M
            ·
            3 years ago

            One of our more lofty goals is to go co-op

            Hell yeah dude! Literally seizing the means of production.

            • CrimsonDynamo [he/him]
              hexagon
              ·
              3 years ago

              I know they're open to it at least at some point. They have been told there's no point in trying to sell ever because the profit margin is too thin and nobody will buy. They have half jokingly told us that they are going to "give us the bakery" someday. I could see setting like that happening in the next five years

    • CrimsonDynamo [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      3 years ago

      I'm pretty happy with the results. At my last job (same industry, bigger company) I tried to do the same thing. I got a handful of people on board, but not near enough. And the leadership there was uniquely evil.

    • CrimsonDynamo [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      3 years ago

      We also took the opportunity to be straight with one of the employees that the bosses were trying to starve out. We told her straight up that she was never going to get more hours, and she would be better off finding a new job, because the alternative was being strung along.

      She should have been let go, but the bosses don't have much of a stomach for that.

      I'm glad she finally left. She was not a good co-worker but she also didn't deserve to be strung along.

  • CheGueBeara [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Fuck yeah, you killed it comrade!

    Are you looking to get voluntary recognition of your union (or possibly already got it)? That would be additionally badass

    • CrimsonDynamo [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      3 years ago

      I don't know if it's worth it. There's only like ten of us and only about four of us really give a damn. I think we're just going to strong arm the bosses into a less active role and hopefully that will lead to us making more calls. I like working there, but it's not my life's passion

      • CheGueBeara [he/him]
        ·
        3 years ago

        Totes totes. You've already got the talent and resources but if you ever decide to go straight union lemme know and I can try to help.

        • CrimsonDynamo [he/him]
          hexagon
          ·
          3 years ago

          I will definitely keep that in mind! I can't see the future from where I'm standing right now, but I would love to push this thing as far as possible as long as the pieces fall into place