Organizing Campaign Basics
David Williams
Last month in this column we looked at some of the basics of filing Unfair Labor
Practice (ULP) charges and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). This month
we'll begin a series of articles examining some organizing campaign basics and
the multi-billion dollar industry of union busting. To kick this off, we'll look
at two basic organizing campaign components: campaign research and the internal
organizing committee.
Beginning the Campaign with Research
1. As much as possible, obtain information on company or industry
• physical nature of the plant or job site
• the primary product or service of the company
• sales, profits, return on investment
• suppliers and vendors
• nature of ownership
• personal data about company executives
• methods of distributing product
• labor history of the company and industry
• identity of the major competitors
• existence of company sponsored social events
• benefits package company offers to employees
2. As much as possible, obtain information on the work force
• ratio of male to female
• workplace issues
• wage rates
• ethnic composition
• problem supervisors
• list of employees and their addresses
Research and the collection of information on the company is a never-ending
process. Complete files should be kept and updated as new information becomes
available. After the organizing campaign, these files can be used during the
bargaining process as well.
The Internal Organizing Committee
A strong and active internal organizing committee can be one of the most
important elements in a successful organizing campaign. It is the cornerstone of
strong union.
The internal organizing committee provides the leadership and inspiration to win
and sustain majority support among the workforce. These are the people who are
in the workplace every day, combating management lies and rumors, teaching
people what a union really is, showing people that they don't have to be afraid
to stand up to management.
Except in very small units, the organizer cannot talk to every worker on a daily basis. But the
organizer can be in daily contact with the committee. And the committee can be
in daily contact with the rest of the workforce. So with a committee, the
face-to-face communications so necessary to win is possible.
About the Internal Organizing Committee:
• The organizer plans and directs the union's campaign, but the actual work of
organizing is done by the workers. Remember, the union is a facilitator for the
committee
• Take advantage of opportunities to develop leadership. Don’t focus only on the
most pro-union workers. Early in the campaign the organizer should look for
workplace leaders. These may be formal or informal leaders. An example of a
formal leader may be the head of a safety committee, working foreman, or team
leader. An example of an informal leader may be a worker with a lots of years at
the company and who is highly respected by other workers. These leaders should
be developed within the Organizing Committee.
• Workers need ownership in the organizing process. The organizer should try to
involve a cross-section of the entire work force. Attempts should be made to
have all of the various workplace groups represented on the committee. These
might include the following:
• Females/Males
• Race and Ethnic Groups
• Social Groups
• Departments
• Shifts
• Crafts/Trades
• Classifications/Pay Scales/Wage Rates
• Age Groups
• Work Site Locations
• Every individual on the committee must be a key individual or a leader. An
organizer might sacrifice complete representation when he is unable to secure
leaders from a particular workplace group. Care should be exercised when
selecting committee members, they will be the day-to-day face of the union to
their fellow workers.
• The organizing committee should be the internal eyes and ears of the organizer
and the strongest supporters of the union.
• The committee should participate in tasks such as distributing literature,
making home visits, attending meetings, educating fellow workers on the union, reporting back to the organizer, document the
employer’s anti-union activities, etc. Also, greater numbers helps distribute
tasks.
• During the campaign, the committee should be in the forefront and the
organizer in the background providing the committee with materials, ideas,
support, and education. To reach all workers, the committee should build on its
existing social relationships. The workplace culture determines the most
effective tactics for outreach. Because its members understand the culture, the
Organizing Committee is ideally suited to influence workers’ beliefs.
• How do we get a union?
• What will be in the contract?
• Who runs the union?
• How much are union dues?
• What unions dues used for?
• How does bargaining work?
• What is a grievance procedure?
• Can I be fired?
• Even though the Organizing Committee should be doing the majority of the work,
it is important that the Organizer run the meetings and maintain the overall
campaign strategy and agenda. The Organizer should:
• Maintain a regular meeting schedule to plan the campaign work
• Provide enough structure to support good record keeping, clear assignment of
the various tasks and periodic evaluation of results
There some basic principles the Organizer should follow when recruiting
supporters and committee members or when asking for help with organizing tasks.
Explain:
• What we’re asking them to do
• Why we’re doing the activity
• When and where it will be
• How long it will take
• Who will be participating
• What are the potential risks
• Why we need their help
• Why this is important to building the Union