Bryan Li (10) | STAFF REPORTER
Many low-wage workers have come against the multi-million dollar corporations, averring that they deserve more than what they currently have. A common way workers try to combat this is by forming a union.
A union is a group of workers that are joined together to fight for their rights. This may be to gain better pay, more health benefits (e.g dental insurance), or to fight for better working conditions.
Some of the most controversial companies being Starbucks and Amazon, are making many headlines as their workers have been considered fighters against their companies’ movements. The main reason why many large corporations have been under controversy is that many companies are trying to delay contract negotiations.
Many of students in the STR school community may be familiar with the contract negotiations between the Provincial Government and the union in which our school’s support staff are a part of, CUPE. During these negotiations, both the Government and CUPE went to the bargaining table and worked out a deal.
However, in the case of Starbucks and Amazon, they are refusing to do so, totally forgoing the mere prospect of worker unions. This means that Starbucks and Amazon workers have not been able to negotiate for better terms, therefore eliminating the reason for having a union.
The reason why many big companies, like Starbucks and Amazon, are against unions is because it is more money coming out of their pockets. Many of these companies require a big workforce to be able to facilitate the large number of consumers they must service. To make more profit, many companies decrease their expenses and so, a common way is to hire many low-wage workers.
Though setbacks may discourage many minimum wage workers from starting unions, the advantages severely outweigh the disadvantages. In a union, workers are able to fight for rights in which they believe in. These rights may include getting better pay and health benefits; like health insurance.
Consumers may believe that worker unions have little to no effect on their spending barely, but the contrary is indeed true. Workers with unions are primarily formed in the customer service industry. Money is a big motivator for low-wage workers, especially with the rising cost of living, meaning that they are more likely to work harder with a larger paycheque.
Unions are important for any type of workforce, especially low-wage workers, as they are usually underappreciated. This means that companies give them less than what they are expecting and deserve.
This may be seen as a negative to many multi-million dollar corporations like Starbucks and Amazon. However, it gives many types of workers a voice so that they are able to fight for their rights and to make sure that companies pay them adequately, instead of paying them less to incur a larger business profit.
