Moog Music employees in Asheville are seeking to unionize, and those leading the effort say an election is forthcoming.
Moog, headquartered in downtown Asheville, is well known for making electronic music synthesizers. Robert Moog invented his famed synthesizer in 1964 and moved his operations from New York to Western North Carolina in 1978.
On June 1, pro-union Moog workers announced their intentions to organize, saying in a news release they hoped to “address unlivable low wages, achieve a voice in the company, and gain just-cause employment protections.”
Starting wages for assemblers, packers, and warehouse workers is $14.10 an hour.
In 2015, Moog Music CEO Mike Adams sold 49% of the company to employees. This created an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, or ESOP, which serves as an additional retirement plan for workers. The company even refers to workers as "Employee-Owners," but some workers believe this ownership stake should offer them more influence over how the company operates.
"Workers don't have any material control over our working conditions, and that's what we're organizing for," said Nathan Hanner, 25, a product validator.
Pro-union employees hope to join International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 238, which represents 13 workforces in Asheville.
“Moog synthesizers are internationally known,” said Chris McGlashan, an organizer with IBEW Local 238. “And they advertise as being made in Asheville, North Carolina, but not everybody who works there...
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