Secretly Group employees unionise to address low wages, lack of work/life boundaries and more

The Secretly Group, which is made up of four independent record labels - Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar, Dead Oceans and Ghostly International - as well as Secretly Distribution, Secretly Publishing and Numero Group, have begun the process of forming their own union, after outlining their issues to the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU Local 174).

If the formation of the union is successful, Rolling Stone reports that Secretly Group Union will become one of the first independent record labels to do so.

A statement uploaded to socials from Secretly Group Union details some of the issues as to why the employees want to unionise. Those issues include "poor wages, inadequate benefits, lack of work/life boundaries, gatekeeping that obstructs professional development, and an absence of initiatives that address systemic race and gender inequality."

The statement added, "We seek Secretly Group's recognition of the union to address these issues that are unsustainable for the well-being of our stagg and thus the company at large."

We are forming Secretly Group Union because we love the work we do and the music we share with the world. We are committed to building a truly inclusive, progressive and ethical work environment to guarantee a better music industry for all.https://t.co/YtvkHobPl0 pic.twitter.com/uaS6L13mrm

— Secretly Group Union (@secretlyunion) March 23, 2021

An anonymous Secretly Group employee told Rolling Stone, "So many of us had been trying to bring up these issues and solve them individually, and they were not being heard."

Another anonymous employee also revealed they they "spend all of my time working. I work massive amounts of unpaid overtime because it is preferable to the petty micromanagement i'll experience if I can't commplete my large amount of tasks."