Leadership commitment.
It first takes a commitment on the part of the leadership, a vision of what the union can and should be. Making organizing a priority requires hard choices; it means giving up other things to devote the necessary time and resources to organizing. Real leaders come from the rank and file; they are not selected by the union bureaucracy. People are not born with leadership skills; leadership skills are learned. Every worker is potentially an organizer.
Membership support.
Next, the leadership must gain the support of the membership for pursuing an aggressive organizing agenda. Illustrate how gains and industry standards can only be maintained and improved if there is a high degree of organization in the industry. Explain the historical importance of organizing the unorganized as the means of building the labor movement.
Planning.
Third, construct a plan. Analyze the resources of the local union both financial and membership-and make some decisions on the following issues:
- Resource Allocation - make available funds to pay for the materials needed to organize effectively, including (if feasible) lost time for volunteer organizers.
- Strategic Targeting - think about how to expand within your industry. Use collective bargaining. direct economic action, and political leverage to achieve better organizing conditions, with the ultimate goal of workers' self management.
- Involve all facets of the union. - Enlist the support and participation of all members on behalf of the organizing effort.
Organizing Committees must be made up primarily of (but needn't be limited to) workers from the shop(s) you seek to organize. Cliques--often based either on type of work performed or on ethnic, gender, cultural, or language backgrounds--are a common occurance in most workplaces, and employers often take advantage of differences between them. Therefore, your organizing committee must consist of workers from every such group (or at least as many as possible) or your campaign's chances of success will be minimal. You must recruit and train volunteers among your coworkers, and leadership responsibilities must be spread as evenly as possible.
Your Organizing Committee should do the following:
- Elect a chair of the Organizing Committee - someone must take responsibility for making sure everything gets done.
- Have regular meetings and give regular reports to the local union - It is essential that you check in with each other at regularly scheduled intervals.
- Making home visits to not-yet-unionized workers.
- Getting organizing leads fromfriends and relatives.
- Attending rallies.
- Doing library research on non-union employers.
- Hosting meetings of non-yet-unionized workers.
- Making phone calls.
- Handing out leaflets.
- Gathering community support.
- Making contact with community groups.
- Raising Funds.
- Producing newsletters and organizing literature.
Actively seek leads - The local union should have an ongoing active program of meeting and talking with non-union workers. Use the media and public events to raise awareness of the need for organizing in the community. When an organizing victory or collective bargaining agreement is reached, use this as an opportunity to inform people about the union. At community events, state fairs, etc., raise the issue of organizing. Invite the public to attend union educational programs or social events.
Link up with community groups - Form alliances with other labor unions as well as community, civil rights, women's, senior, church, and other groups. Use these contacts to find organizing leads, as well as to gain support for organizing efforts.
Give recognition for organizing efforts - Use union meetings, newsletters, bulletin boards, to recognize the efforts of Organizing Committees. Have special dinners or banquets to demonstrate appreciation for those who have devoted time to organizing.
A successful local union organizing program requires a serious commitment of time and resources. It requires training and an understanding of successful organizing strategies and tactics. And most of all it requires a local union to create a "culture of organizing," a spirit of dedication to the mission of carrying on the torch passed to this generation by previous generations of unionists.
