Read on Twitter
I love this from @BethAPatch & Joshua Barnes. I have SO MANY thoughts and feelings in response, going to have to thread. https://twitter.com/jacobinmag/status/1293687458111119366
TRUER WORDS NEVER SPOKEN: "...one of the steepest barriers to organizing is the myth of “doing it for the love of books,” which employers perpetuate to create the illusion that publishing workers are somehow exempt from the inherent exploitation of wage labor."
"Add to this the exclusivity of jobs in publishing and bookselling, and you’ve got yourself a submissive workforce that is largely averse to rocking the boat." The level of education required in Aus to get a publishing job adds an extra layer - time, effort, expense, guilt.
"...it’s incredibly difficult to build a movement, even one with modest strategic aims, in an industry where union culture is either non-existent or not talked about." This is one of the toughest things we came up against. Trying to learn and then educate about unions, plus
convince people that unionising was not only beneficial for staff but was in and of itself not a negative thing was incredibly tough. We had people join up and drop out because they were so terrified. Companies wield the lack of knowledge and precedent against staff.
“There is a sense among well-meaning, book-loving publishing workers that to ask for more, collectively, would be to imperil literary culture itself.” (Isolating this quote because I feel like it hits at the very heart of the issue.)
"Hardie Grant likewise refused workers’ demands for negotiations and set up a “suggestion box” instead — which members flooded with suggestions that management come to the table." After we did this the boxes were removed, and later it was heavily insinuated that I had acted alone
in writing 20+ notes, photographing them and putting them into the suggestion box. Laughable, especially in hindsight, but that's the level things had reached.
"It was also crucial to remain positive and calm when discussing workplace issues... despite how tense discussions with management became along the way." I should also highlight here the toll that maintaining this takes on organisers and delegates. I don't regret any steps I took
in unionising my workplace, but I also acknowledge the toll it took on my mental health and ultimately, due to the extreme resistance we encountered, my work. People at the forefront of this battle take so much on and the cost to them is dear.
"Perhaps the most persistent canard in the book trade... is the idea that the work itself is pleasurable enough to justify low wages and precarity." Work is work is work is work. It's a bonus if you love your job, but love does not pay bills, rent, put food on your table.
"Employers exploit the highly competitive nature of the publishing job market... Wages are rarely advertised during recruitment. Salary negotiation requests in interviews are treated as a red flag." This was a huge element I wanted addressed during negotiations – required pay
to be included in job ads. It's transparency that employers don't want, which indicates that it should be a priority. If platforms like @BplusPNews & @ArtsHub required salary listing this could ensure award rates are at least met in an industry that is so abysmal at doing so.
"The result is an industry that routinely excludes anyone not from a white, middle-class background (also apparent in the lack of support for diverse authors and content)." WE WILL NOT GET DIVERSE BOOKS AND STORIES PUBLISHED WITH THE WORKFORCE AS IT CURRENTLY STANDS.
"A stronger union base would help book publishing become a more progressive and inclusive industry for staff, authors and readers — one that truly nurtures new ideas and promotes marginalized voices." THIS DEAR GOD THIS 
I've clearly devolved to screeching and emoji use so to end this thread, this article is excellent and thank you to @BethAPatch for her tireless, unending work in this area. Publishing in Australia was/is so lucky to have you fighting for it.
AND JOIN YOUR UNION @withMEAA!!
