Most organizations are only as strong as the sum of their parts. The same is true for unions.
A union’s workplace influence and bargaining power is only made possible through the commitment of its members and the ability for leadership to activate them when the time is right. We’ve got 7 articles that will help you go through the motions.
- How to run a union meeting - Whether in-person or virtual, it’s important to know how to facilitate effective meetings so that you can keep your organizing campaign moving forward. Get ready with “How to run a union meeting”.
- Organizing to solve a workplace issue - You’re not the only person dealing with an issue between the hours of 9 to 5. It’s likely that your coworkers might be dealing with the same or similar issue, and even if they’re not, they may be willing to throw their support behind a fellow coworker (like you). Read how to go about it in “Organizing to solve a workplace issue”.
- Issue campaigns: turning a problem into a movement - If your employer is acting shady or there’s a policy you want to fix, it might be time to launch an issue campaign. As the name suggests, an issue campaign is when a workforce comes together to pressure the employer into change. Read more in “Issue campaigns: turning a problem into a movement”.
- Strategic escalation: strong campaigns require strong unions - Winning is a function of power and leverage. You can have all of the moral and rational arguments, but when your goals come in direct conflict to that of the other side of the negotiating table, trying to reason with management will only get you so far. Read all about it in “Strategic escalation: strong campaigns require strong unions”.
- Tools and tactics: using petitions in organizing campaigns - Whether or not workers are in a formally recognized union, they have a number of tools to build collective power and hold institutions accountable. Petitions are a powerful tool that can both move a target by demonstrating popular support and are also used internally to assess support for a specific action or campaign. We interviewed petition experts Kendra Ijeoma and Laila N. of Coworker.org in “Tools and Tactics: using petitions in organizing campaigns”.
- What is a strike? - The concept of strikes is pretty straightforward: Stop working until certain demands are met, typically during the contract negotiation process. But there’s a lot more to work stoppages and slowdowns than meets the eye. Read about them in “What is a strike?”.
- How do you go on strike? - The mere mention of the word can strike terror into the hearts of employers and workers alike. But with careful planning and preparation, strikes don’t have to be so intimidating. After all, what good is the best tool workers have if they’re never able to use it? Read what you need to know to plan a successful strike in “How do you go on strike?”.
