Secretly Group, Secretly Distribution, Secretly Publishing, Numero Group and Ghostly International workers are forming a union. In a statement requesting voluntary recognition from Secretly Group partners and senior management, the Secretly Group Union set out its reasons for organizing with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU Local 174). “Our enthusiasm for the culture in which we work can lead to the exploration of forms endemic to the creative industries: low wages, inadequate benefits, lack of work / life limits, control that obstructs professional development and the absence of initiatives that address the systemic race and the gender inequality. ”Read the full statement below.
The Secretly Group includes the independent labels Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar and Dead Oceans. In an article by Kim Kelly for Rolling Stone, workers – all of whom requested anonymity for the sake of retaliation – spoke deeply about the problems facing their workplaces. “Many of us have tried to bring these problems to the surface and resolve them individually, but they were not being heard,” said a member of the organizing committee. “There was a point where you think, what are the alternatives here? What is our other option but to come together and defend ourselves collectively and make sure we have the support and the power to do so? “
In its mission statement, the union criticized the company for “performative ally”, which they wrote “is not enough when the voices of our most vulnerable employees – people of color, women and non-conforming gender workers – have become increasingly marginalized. “