Season 1 Teaser – Transcript
[♪ “There is Power in a Union” by Joe Glazer and Bill Friedland fades in ♪]
John-Albert Moseley The staff were like the stepchild that you hid in the attic.
Shaylin Hogan Equity as it pertained to wages, treatment, and policies. I think that’s really been the pillar from day one.
John-Albert Moseley You know we got tired of being invisible and having no voice and being paid horribly low.
Illona Yukhayev I think most of us didn’t know we were supposed to be angry at this moment because we were so shocked. We’re like, “What is happening, do they really not have any money? Can they really not help us out here?”
Shaylin Hogan We saw people who were being treated as lesser either because of their race, their gender.
Anna Feder Like lots of employers, “We’re a family you know but a family that’s going to let you go without a paycheck because you have some kind of medical emergency.”
Estelle Ticktin At one point, I had two part-time jobs, freelance jobs on top of this job and I was sleeping on the couch in my apartment because I could only afford one bedroom and my son needed his own space. For people not to be able to afford to you know to work here just was so unfair.
Shaylin Hogan I grew up in a union household and so I knew about the protections and some of the benefits but until I was really part of a union drive it didn’t occur to me how much of his employment I took for granted as a kid.
Illona Yukhayev Because we had a large group of people who were as upset as we were and were willing to show up for actions, that’s how we got where we were.
Anna Feder How do we get to pay equity for women–it’s with unions.
Illona Yukhayev When you have a union what you have is a structure to work within.
Shaylin Hogan You are officially engaged in union activity and you are federally protected from recourse.
Anna Feder I see the union as we’re doing the institution a huge favor by holding them to their values.
John-Albert Moseley The union contract can make Emerson an employer of choice.
Tim Douglas Unity Unmuted is a loud, proud, production of the Emerson Staff Union. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.
[♪ Music fades out ♪]