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Ten Steps of an Organizing Campaign
Things don't improve until you and
your co-workers get involved on the job. Here are some ways you can
work together to get union representation. Your right to freely
choose a representative is guaranteed by the National Labor
Relations Act. Call the Teamsters Union today. You make a
difference!
Step 1:
Discuss Issues With Your
Co-Workers
First, initiate confidential discussions with your co-workers
as you embark on the road to building the union and to make things
better on the job. By having these private discussions, you can
figure out whether or not there are other workers who might be
interested in organizing.
Step 2:
Make the Call
Second, call the Teamsters Union in your area. There may be a
particular Local Union that specializes in organizing workers
within your industry. Use our online roster to help connect you to
the right local, or use your phone book find the number of a
Teamster local union in your city.
Step 3:
Set Up a Meeting
A Teamsters representative needs to meet with members of your
small group. There, you can ask questions on what it takes to
build a union. When you and your co-workers agree that the
Teamsters Union is the best union to organize with, you use this
initial meeting to develop a basic plan to organize your workplace
Step 4:
Build the Union. Create
a Strong, United Organizing Committee
Your Teamsters organizer will help you and your co-workers
craft an organizing plan. Your organizing committee needs to be
composed of key leaders from each Department, shift, site or
craft.
You will also want to make sure that your committee reflects
the diversity within your workplace. Diversity on your committee
will ensure that the effort reflects the interests of everyone on
the job, not the interests of a few.
Step 5: Draw a Picture
of the Workplace
It’s important to "map out" what the workplace looks like and
who works where. Lists and charts are developed so that your
organizing committee can assess the sentiments of the whole group
and identify work areas where the committee might concentrate its
efforts.
Step 6: Information Is
Power
As the organizing committee forms and undertakes some basic
assignments, such as identifying who works with whom, other
committee members will help the Teamsters organizer make sense of
the information including:
Workers.
Names, titles, positions, departments or sections, shifts,
status (full or part-time), addresses, extensions, pagers, e-mail
addresses or fax numbers.
Worksite.
Departments, sections, staffing requirements, other unions,
supervisory personnel, organizational chart, etc.
Employer
All pertinent information, including address, other sites,
including work sites, product lines or services, customers, labor
relations history, competitors, financial information, parent
company or subsidiaries, strategic partnerships or impending
mergers or acquisitions, corporate attorneys, consultants, vendors
or suppliers.
Community.
List of community organizations, leaders, interest groups,
employer partners, etc.
Step 7: Issue
Identification
The organizing committee begins to identify the issues that
workers care about. These might include having a voice on the job,
better wages, safer working conditions, discrimination, improved
health care or pension, etc. Once the committee identifies who
cares about which issues, it will work with the Teamsters
organizer to develop a game plan to call attention to these
issues. Usually, the organizer develops informational literature
that helps focus the organizing campaign on issues that relate to
the workers wants and needs.
Step 8: Training & Sign
Up
As the organizing committee grows and develops, the Teamsters
organizer will want to train committee members on what to expect
and how to reach out to their co-workers. One of the most
important aspects of the organizing campaign is when committee
members ask co-workers to sign Authorization Cards. The goal of
this project is to secure overwhelming support and a solid
majority of cards before proceeding on to the election phase of
the campaign.
Step 9: The Union
Election
The signed cards are used to petition the federal labor board
or authority to schedule an election. Before the date is set, the
labor board will determine which workers are eligible to vote in
the union election. During this time, the organizing committee
must maintain focus on workplace issues and continue signing up
workers.
Once an election date is set, the organizing drive heats up.
Workers continue to recruit union supporters as election day
approaches. Winning requires that the organizing committee and its
supporters stand up to the employer campaign that is always
focused on destroying confidence and unity. When the union wins,
the employer must recognize the union and bargain a contract.
Step 10: Negotiate!
The organizing campaign continues as workers press for a first
contract. The contract should address the needs and wants of the
workers, from fair wages and job security to better health care or
pension. The contract is negotiated by worker representatives and
their union representative and forms the basis for more
improvements in the years to come.
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