Let’s start with this: The people who refuse to support a union or dismiss this effort as unnecessary are either acting in bad faith or don’t fully understand the leverage we have as workers.
CRAs, ISRs, WPAs, and 401(k) associates, ECS, etc—you are the backbone of Fidelity. Without us, the systems don’t run, the clients don’t stay, and the profits don’t exist.
If you think about it, the truly capitalist thing to do is to form a union. Why? Because capitalism is supposed to be about fair markets and negotiation. Collective bargaining is simply workers coming together to negotiate the true market value of their labor—leveraging supply and demand dynamics to ensure fair compensation. In this sense, a union is a tool for workers to maximize their value within the free market. It’s not anti-capitalist; it’s capitalism in action.
The Value We Bring
Ask yourself: What’s the fair value of someone who ensures the safety, enjoyment, and success of Fidelity’s clients and operations? By any reasonable standard, it’s more than the average upper manager, whose decisions often depend entirely on the work we execute. Without us:
• Systems fail: We’re the ones who manage and operate proprietary fintech systems that no one else knows as well as we do. If you’re licensed you have even MORE leverage
• Clients leave: We’re the first point of contact, the problem-solvers, the experts who keep clients happy and trusting Fidelity.
• Revenue stops: 401(k) plans, financial guidance, and investment management—these things don’t run themselves.
Our value is undeniable. Yet it’s not measured fairly, and that’s by design (lol at CEI being out of 7 and 6 counts as a 0%). The system isn’t built to reward those who keep the wheels turning—it’s built to funnel profits upward. That’s why unions exist.
Think About This: H1B Visa Logic (for the MAGA folks)
Here’s an angle everyone should understand, especially those who lean conservative: Many on the right argue that H1B visas undermine American workers by deflating the value of our labor and driving wages down (Fidelity participates in this labor/wage manipulation tactic as well). They believe that flooding the labor market with cheaper alternatives puts downward pressure on wages and takes leverage away from American employees.
Now, take that logic and flip it in favor of unions. A union does the opposite—it consolidates labor power, increases collective bargaining strength, and drives wages up by preventing companies from undervaluing workers. If you’re upset about how the market undercuts labor with tools like H1B visas, you should absolutely support unions, because they’re the counterbalance. A union protects the labor market and ensures fair value for the people who are actually doing the work.
Why Collective Action is Essential
Right now, the value of our work is undervalued—not because it’s not important, but because we’re not unified. On our own, we’re individuals trying to push back against a system that is invincible to individual action. But together, we are indispensable.
The systems don’t run without us. The clients don’t stay without us. The profits don’t exist without us. If we united through collective bargaining, Fidelity would have no choice but to listen and act. We could demand:
• Better Pay: Reflective of the critical roles we play.
• Fairer Working Conditions: Respect for work-life balance and reasonable expectations. (Remote work, no removal of FLEX OPA under any circumstances, competitive wages literally no one at this company should be making less than 6 figures in todays dollars, no blackouts on PTO, etc
• A Voice in Decisions: Fidelity is constantly changing the metrics of success in each role, this is inappropriate and unacceptable. It directly affects our compensation and they change like it’s a video game that needs to be balanced every month.
^This is a super short list I made in 2 min. Surely there’s more.
This isn’t just about “me.” This is about helping your colleagues, ensuring that every one of us is treated with the respect and value we deserve. Supporting a union is the only way to make that happen.
The Bigger Picture
The broader question is simple: What’s fair value for someone who is critical to the entire operation? It’s certainly more than the average upper manager, because the security, enjoyment, and success of others depend on us. The fact that it’s not measured that way yet doesn’t mean we can’t change it. Unions exist because workers realized the system wasn’t fair and demanded better.
So if you’re tired of coming on here like it’s your diary and complaining; if someone brings up union talk be open to it - and understand that Fidelity will go to great lengths to stop this because they are smart enough to know everything I wrote is right - they don’t think we’re smart or unified enough to act on it and chances are…they are right again.
But it’s so obvious they need. They beg us not to use flex if it’s busy, black out PTO days, will remove team meetings and coaching if it’s busy. THEY COULD NOT BE ANYMORE CLEAR THEY ARE 100% DEPENDENT ON US.
The power is in our hands—it’s time you use it or just roll over. Stop being “grateful they keep us employed” and start realizing they basically beg us to work and if we fight back even in the slightest in a unified way we have all the leverage and there is nothing they could do about it besides try and scare us. They cannot replace 20k licensed reps quickly, easily or in a cost effective way.
I wrote most this with GPT so they cannot identify writing styles and compare it w teams messages