To: Michael Pratt, Guitar Center CEO and Jordan Hitch, Matthew Levin, and Lew Kessel, Bain Capital Managing Directors & Vice Presidents at Guitar Center Holdings
Guitar Center and Bain Capital: Let Workers Unite for a Fair Workplace
Guitar Center Workers
We work at Guitar Center stores throughout New York City, and we love music and our jobs. But since Bain Capital bought the company, our commissions have been cut, many of us barely make more than minimum wage, and we do not receive paid sick days or vacations. That's why we've united for better conditions, and we need your help.
Why is this important?
We work at Guitar Center and we are organizing across the country to improve wages and working conditions for all Guitar Center employees.
We love our jobs and our passion is helping our customers achieve their musical dreams. But we often have trouble making ends meet, thanks to low wages and fluctuating hours. We are asked to do many non-selling tasks which hurt our commissions. Sales workers do not receive sick days, health benefits are expensive and part timers are not even offered health benefits.
It’s been an exciting year for the Guitar Center campaign: workers in New York, Chicago and Las Vegas have successfully organized a union at their workplaces, over 100 bands and artists have endorse the campaign, and tens of thousands of people have signed petitions supporting us.
However, the company has responded by refusing to give us a fair contract and has launched an aggressive campaign to bust the union. The company’s last offer is worse than non-union stores. It is meant to punish us for standing up for ourselves. Our union has been forced to file charges detailing the company’s bad faith negotiating and union busting.
We now say: Enough is Enough. We are asking the public to support us as we enter the final stages of negotiations! Sign the petition below to help us get a fair contract and a support our union.
Artist Endorsees:
Tom Morello
Kathleen Hanna
Roger Waters
Ted Leo
A Wilhelm Scream
Activator
Alan Cage (Quicksand)
Alan Bennett
Aloe Blacc
Alvvays
And We Danced
Andy Nelson (Paint it Black, Ceremony, Dark Blue)
Anoraak
Anti-Flag
¡Aparato!
Arms Aloft
The Attic Ends
B. Dolan
Beast Patrol
Beneath Acacia
The Bennies
Bent Shapes
Bevel Summers
Bigger Thomas
Billy Bragg
B*tch
Bluffing
Bones Jugs N Harmony
Bonesetters
Boots Riley (The Coup)
Born in a Cent
Brass Messengers
Breedloves
Burn Everything
Cambalache
Canasta
The Cell Phones
Chaotic Noise Marching Corps
Chicano Batman
Chris Farren (of Fake Problems)
Chris Frasco
Chumped
Chunkie Soup
Circa '95
Claudio Rivera (Motion City Soundtrack)
Computer at Sea
Cory Johnson (Impending Doom, Sleeping Giant)
Curtis McMurtry
Danbert Nobacon (Chumbawamba)
David Rovics
David Saphra
Dean Wareham
Devon Kay & The Solutions
DJ Torch
Downtown Boys
Due North
East of the Wall
Elway
Empty Lungs
Eric Ayotte
Et Tu Brute
Evan Greer & Friends
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
The Fatty Acids
The Fever Haze
Flaccid
French Horn Rebellion
F*cked Up
Gameday Regulars
The Gashers
Gay Panic
Glue Gun
GoldBoot
Gravity A
The Grim
The Grizzled Mighty
Hold Tight!
Homewreckers
The Hood Internet
Hostage Calm
The Hoteliers
I See Hawks in LA
Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi, The Evens)
Jasiri X
JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound
JD Samson (Le Tigre, MEN)
Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel)
Jesse Malin
John Darnielle (the Mountain Goats)
John Wright (Railroad Music)
Jonny Rumble
Karen and the Sorrows
Katastrophe
Krill
L Train
Las Cafeteras
Las Vegas Gangstaz
The Last Internationale
Laura Jane Grace (Against Me!)
Leftover Crack
Less Than Jake
Local 802 AFM (Associated Musicians of Greater New York)
Los Rakas
Luther Rix
Lyrically Illz
Matt Cross (Orange 9mm and ex-Guitar Center worker)
Matt Pantelis
Matt Reilly (Japanther)
Max Bernstein (Ke$ha)
Mike Golden & Friends
Mike Park (Asian Man Records)
The Molotov
Mother Falcon
The Muggs
Murdoc
My Body Sings Electric
The New Diet
Non Exotic
On Your Marx
The People's Whiskey
The Remedies
Paint it Black
Painted Saints
Paper Holland
Paul Davis
Pet Tigers
Plague of Pilgrims
Prawn
Propagandhi
P.Y.M.P.
Quetzal
Random Rab
Ray Korona
Rebel Diaz
Revolutionary Snake Ensemble
Rise Against
Robbie Alan
Robot Death Kites
Rocky Rivera
Roger Harvey & The Wildlife
Rosetta
Rude Mechanical Orchestra
RVIVR
Saintseneca
Sam Jayne (Love as Laughter)
Sean Daley (Atmosphere)
Sergio Vega (Deftones, Quicksand)
The Sights
Ski Lodge
Slavic Soul Party!
Slonk Donkerson
Small Reactions
Smalls
The Smith Street Band
So So Glos
Sons of an Illustrious Father
Sorrows
Spiritchild
Spring Heeled Jack
Starlight Girls
Stephanie Johnstone
Steve Earle
Street Dogs
STRFKR
The Taxpayers
The Thermals
Thee Oh Sees
This City Called Earth
Thollem Electric
Tommy Siegel (Jukebox the Ghost)
The Underground Railroad to Candyland
Unicorn Fukr
Vincent Cross
Violent Bullsh#t
Voodoo Visionary
Vulture Sh*t
War on Women
Water Borders
The Way Down Wanderers
We Are All Savages
We Are the Union
Who Needs You
Wilder Maker
The Wood Brothers
Worriers
Zelienople
Zuzuka Poderosa
We love our jobs and our passion is helping our customers achieve their musical dreams. But we often have trouble making ends meet, thanks to low wages and fluctuating hours. We are asked to do many non-selling tasks which hurt our commissions. Sales workers do not receive sick days, health benefits are expensive and part timers are not even offered health benefits.
It’s been an exciting year for the Guitar Center campaign: workers in New York, Chicago and Las Vegas have successfully organized a union at their workplaces, over 100 bands and artists have endorse the campaign, and tens of thousands of people have signed petitions supporting us.
However, the company has responded by refusing to give us a fair contract and has launched an aggressive campaign to bust the union. The company’s last offer is worse than non-union stores. It is meant to punish us for standing up for ourselves. Our union has been forced to file charges detailing the company’s bad faith negotiating and union busting.
We now say: Enough is Enough. We are asking the public to support us as we enter the final stages of negotiations! Sign the petition below to help us get a fair contract and a support our union.
Artist Endorsees:
Tom Morello
Kathleen Hanna
Roger Waters
Ted Leo
A Wilhelm Scream
Activator
Alan Cage (Quicksand)
Alan Bennett
Aloe Blacc
Alvvays
And We Danced
Andy Nelson (Paint it Black, Ceremony, Dark Blue)
Anoraak
Anti-Flag
¡Aparato!
Arms Aloft
The Attic Ends
B. Dolan
Beast Patrol
Beneath Acacia
The Bennies
Bent Shapes
Bevel Summers
Bigger Thomas
Billy Bragg
B*tch
Bluffing
Bones Jugs N Harmony
Bonesetters
Boots Riley (The Coup)
Born in a Cent
Brass Messengers
Breedloves
Burn Everything
Cambalache
Canasta
The Cell Phones
Chaotic Noise Marching Corps
Chicano Batman
Chris Farren (of Fake Problems)
Chris Frasco
Chumped
Chunkie Soup
Circa '95
Claudio Rivera (Motion City Soundtrack)
Computer at Sea
Cory Johnson (Impending Doom, Sleeping Giant)
Curtis McMurtry
Danbert Nobacon (Chumbawamba)
David Rovics
David Saphra
Dean Wareham
Devon Kay & The Solutions
DJ Torch
Downtown Boys
Due North
East of the Wall
Elway
Empty Lungs
Eric Ayotte
Et Tu Brute
Evan Greer & Friends
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
The Fatty Acids
The Fever Haze
Flaccid
French Horn Rebellion
F*cked Up
Gameday Regulars
The Gashers
Gay Panic
Glue Gun
GoldBoot
Gravity A
The Grim
The Grizzled Mighty
Hold Tight!
Homewreckers
The Hood Internet
Hostage Calm
The Hoteliers
I See Hawks in LA
Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi, The Evens)
Jasiri X
JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound
JD Samson (Le Tigre, MEN)
Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel)
Jesse Malin
John Darnielle (the Mountain Goats)
John Wright (Railroad Music)
Jonny Rumble
Karen and the Sorrows
Katastrophe
Krill
L Train
Las Cafeteras
Las Vegas Gangstaz
The Last Internationale
Laura Jane Grace (Against Me!)
Leftover Crack
Less Than Jake
Local 802 AFM (Associated Musicians of Greater New York)
Los Rakas
Luther Rix
Lyrically Illz
Matt Cross (Orange 9mm and ex-Guitar Center worker)
Matt Pantelis
Matt Reilly (Japanther)
Max Bernstein (Ke$ha)
Mike Golden & Friends
Mike Park (Asian Man Records)
The Molotov
Mother Falcon
The Muggs
Murdoc
My Body Sings Electric
The New Diet
Non Exotic
On Your Marx
The People's Whiskey
The Remedies
Paint it Black
Painted Saints
Paper Holland
Paul Davis
Pet Tigers
Plague of Pilgrims
Prawn
Propagandhi
P.Y.M.P.
Quetzal
Random Rab
Ray Korona
Rebel Diaz
Revolutionary Snake Ensemble
Rise Against
Robbie Alan
Robot Death Kites
Rocky Rivera
Roger Harvey & The Wildlife
Rosetta
Rude Mechanical Orchestra
RVIVR
Saintseneca
Sam Jayne (Love as Laughter)
Sean Daley (Atmosphere)
Sergio Vega (Deftones, Quicksand)
The Sights
Ski Lodge
Slavic Soul Party!
Slonk Donkerson
Small Reactions
Smalls
The Smith Street Band
So So Glos
Sons of an Illustrious Father
Sorrows
Spiritchild
Spring Heeled Jack
Starlight Girls
Stephanie Johnstone
Steve Earle
Street Dogs
STRFKR
The Taxpayers
The Thermals
Thee Oh Sees
This City Called Earth
Thollem Electric
Tommy Siegel (Jukebox the Ghost)
The Underground Railroad to Candyland
Unicorn Fukr
Vincent Cross
Violent Bullsh#t
Voodoo Visionary
Vulture Sh*t
War on Women
Water Borders
The Way Down Wanderers
We Are All Savages
We Are the Union
Who Needs You
Wilder Maker
The Wood Brothers
Worriers
Zelienople
Zuzuka Poderosa