#Collective Bargaining

Collective bargaining is the ritual in which companies and workers face off across a table to wage a psychological war over wages and conditions. Both sides chant the mantra of "compromise" while secretly trying to unnerve their opponent. The endless cycle of demands and concessions resembles a marathon that only multiplies exhaustion. The final agreement is celebrated not for its achievement but for the relief of its conclusion, as both parties know they must return to the same table tomorrow. Beneath the veneer of dialogue lies the ever-looming battlefield of the next round.

A labor union is an officially recognized circle where employees unite to hold a ‘negotiation party’ over wages and benefits. Intended to stand against capitalists, it often morphs into a coffee-and-snacks exchange at the bargaining table. While planning a strike disguised as a collective day off, resolutions are habitually postponed under the guise of budget constraints. Thus, union members perpetually pay annual dues to secure both a sense of belonging and repeated opportunities for idle chatter.