Unless you are in a total news blackout or lack an internet connection entirely, there’s a good chance you knew about the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike in 2023. If you’ve forgotten, the unions authorized a four-month strike against major Hollywood studios in protest of a lack of contract. Their demands included pay increases and regulation on AI usage in media. To students, unions may not seem like they matter much, even with the United Steelworkers building right down the Boulevard of the Allies. After all, they only benefit those in the entertainment industry and steelworkers, right?

While both groups benefit from the advantages of being part of their respective unions, they are not the only people that have a place in collective bargaining. It seems that much work has been done to purposefully plant doubt in the minds of younger people, trying to make us forget that it’s possible to collectively bargain for the improvement of workplaces, or that we can voice disapproval with how people are treated in any of their respective professions. Multi-billion-dollar corporations have been pushing anti-union messages for decades: Amazon may be the most well-known example with their track record of intimidating strikers and illegal union-busting. The problem is not just with the fact that unions are purposely demonized to look unappealing to the college-aged worker, but also that it seemed as though organizing “unskilled labor jobs” – which is a nonsense term, as all work is skilled – was impossible.

Then, Starbucks Workers United happened.

What started in Buffalo in 2021 has expanded greatly, with nearly every Starbucks store successfully unionizing and now having a voice that they previously lacked. Starbucks, the company which raked in $9.4 billion in revenue for 2023 according to their Q4 and Fiscal Year press release, has illegally retaliated against union members and was forced to rehire a few union workers at a store in Bloomfield. These actions have not discouraged the union from sticking with the fight.

It shouldn’t discourage you, either. If baristas from Starbucks to Adda Coffee can vote to unionize and get unfair practices in the workplace challenged on such a massive scale, what makes it so that you have no place in the picture?

If you still feel like you don’t have a voice in your current workplace or won’t in the future, then it’s time to remove that belief from your head and throw it in the trash. Chances are, the career field you want to go into is either in the process of creating an organized labor force, or they already have one. Our adjunct and tenured faculty have union representation as well, being able to negotiate contracts with the university for better working conditions and to get paid the money they deserve – $15 an hour should be the absolute minimum, but some of our adjunct faculty don’t even make that. Be thankful for their sacrifices and support them.

Where does your current field of study and major fit in with this? Anywhere from COPA majors all the way to those in the School of Education have opportunities where union representation is within reach. And to my fellow journalists, we do have union newsrooms on our corner. But if you are further reminded about the ongoing strike with the workers of the Post-Gazette, remember that being able to organize and call out the Blocks for the abhorrent treatment of their workers is the beauty of labor organization. Sure, you can voice your frustration with your company and management even without the protection of a union, but then you risk getting fired. When you’re part of a labor union, that’s illegal. So, shop around, go somewhere that has your best interest in mind, not just the interests of their shareholders. Don’t search for an employer that seeks to further disrespect its employees by not giving them the wages they deserve. If the term “living wage” becomes stigmatized, then we will begin to live in a dystopia.. Let’s not allow that to happen, and let’s also hope that your favorite series doesn’t get delayed because everyone involved in its production is being treated poorly.