The Right Direction for SPFPA
THE RIGHT DIRECTION

A 5 YEAR PLAN OF ACTION
FOR ALL SPFPA LOCAL UNIONS


Its Time to Start Mobilizing
SPFPA Members in 2005
Organizing, Organization, Education, and Collective Action.

Building on our Strengths and
Strengthening our Future

Prepare for SPFPA Local Union Delegates Attending the 2005 Convention                Las Vegas, Nevada May 9th –May 11th

Its Time to Mobilize Our SPFPA Members

Mobilization is a continuous process of organizing, organization, education, and collective action.

Member involvement is essential to our growth, our strength, and our success. 

Successful organizing, problem solving at the worksite, political action, and contract negotiations rest on our ability to mobilize our membership.
What is Mobilization?

Mobilization is a continuous process of Organizing Organization, Education, and Collective Action.

Mobilizing - How to do it

Mobilize Fact Sheet 1:

Organizing to Mobilize Setting Up Your Structure
Member involvement is essential to our growth, our strength, and our success.  Successful organizing, problem solving at the worksite, political action, and contract negotiations rest on our ability to mobilize our membership.
 
What is Mobilization?

Mobilization is a continuous process of organization, education, and collective action.

·Organization: Setting in place the internal local network to effectively  
        communicate with each other, face-to-face, one-on-one.

·Education: Learning about issues that confront us and what we can do
       about them as a union.

Collective Action: Doing something together to win changes 

The Workplace Structure
The foundation of mobilization is the workplace structure, which allows the union to communicate one-on-one with every single member in a short period of time.   Without a good structure, you won't be able to do one-on-one communication effectively.  Without one-on-one, you won't get high participation in collective        actions to win changes.

Putting together the structure is the part everyone wants to skip, but it is critical. You can't skip building this foundation.

A very simple structure requires forming a mobilization organizing committee.This committee is responsible for guiding and implementing the local's mobilization program.  Ideally, the committee will consist of members from each work area and   will reflect the workforce in age, sex, race, job title, shift, and work unit.  In many cases, stewards will make up the nucleus of the committee.  In other cases, however, reach out to members who are not active in the union but who are good unionists.  Find rank-and-file members who would be willing to pass out flyers and talk one-on-one about the issues and actions.

Your mobilization committee will probably need some training on the issues,    the local's history, and how to communicate effectively with co-workers. At this stage, goals should be determined and a plan of action developed.  Specific goals could include strengthening the union's negotiating muscle by involving more members in union activities, or educating the members about contract issues.

Once broad goals are decided, specify the activities the committee will undertake to reach its goals.  These could include writing and distributing fact sheets on the  issues, using solidarity stickers, conducting a rally, or making contacts and  educating community members.  Develop a calendar for when the activities should occur.At each stage of activity, evaluate your involvement level and success.

An alternative structure is discussed below. This structure puts more emphasis on breaking responsibility down and getting more members involved.  Anything local  union leaders can do to involve more members is important, so try to build your structure using this format.

First, appoint a Local Union Mobilization Coordinator who will coordinate, train, and keep track of the mobilization effort.  This person is key to the success of your effort and should be well organized and able to communicate effectively.   He or she is responsible for setting up the mobilization structure in the local including recruiting Building Coordinators, establishing a calendar of mobilization activities, and coordinating follow-up on all mobilization, education, and collective actions.

Second, compile a list of all work locations where the local has members. One Building Coordinator must be recruited for each work location.  Bring together all the Building Coordinators.  The meeting should include a review of what mobilization is, why it is important, their roles and responsibilities, and the importance of the mobilization structure.

Third, Building Coordinators recruit the Canvassers, one for every 10 members.      Each Building Coordinator should bring together all their Canvassers to review mobilization goals, why it is important, and their roles and responsibilities.  The Canvassers must follow up to make sure every workplace and every member is reached.  The Canvassers need to have good rapport with co-workers.  They are involved in two-way discussions with members on the issues.  Canvassers must  keep track of their one-on-one contacts and report members' comments and        feedback to the Building Coordinator.

Our goal is to have enough Canvassers so that 10 members are the responsibility of one Canvasser.

A SUCCESSFUL MOBILIZATION STRUCTURE ALLOWS:
 
1.Every member to be contacted one-on-one in a relatively short period of time.

2.Written materials to be distributed and collected in every work location in a  
         short period of time.

3.Meaningful one-on-one discussion of issues.

4.A high level of participation in collective actions.

LOCAL MOBILIZATION COORDINATOR:(one per local)coordinates, trains, tracks effort recruits

BUILDING COORDINATORS:(one per worksite location) recruit

explain mobilization
distribute materials
canvassers
contact and involve 10 members in their work group

Mobilization is a continuous process of organizing, organization, education, and collective action.

Member involvement is essential to our growth, our strength, and our success.

Mobilize Fact Sheet 2:

Educating Your Membership; Developing Flyers; Communicating One-on-One
Education and communication are vital components of an effective mobilization.      The reason is simple: if workers don't understand the issue or how it affects them, they will be less willing to get involved in collective actions.

The best way to educate is through one-on-one discussion of the issues. And the best way to prepare yourself and the other members of your mobilization committee  to do one-on-one education is through development of two education pieces:

1. an "Issue Flyer" which provides substantial information and insight on a particular subject and which may lead to collective action (see Mobilize Fact Sheet 3)

2.  a list of "Yeah...buts" which are possible worker objections and possible  responses to them.

Issue Flyers

Here is a method to follow when developing an issue flyer.  Ask yourself these two questions: What are the three most important things about this issue my co-workers need to know?

How can I say the information so it will have meaning for my co-workers? The mobilization committee members will be giving the issue flyer to their co-workers to help explain and discuss the issue.

In addition, the flyer provides an easy opening for one-on-one contacts. Try to         stick to no more than three ideas concerning one issue.

1. State your case plain and simple.

2. Present the problem in a manner that helps members see that it affects them.

3. Make it real by using concrete examples. "Yeah .  .  .  but"

The purpose of the "Yeah...but" piece is to prepare you to better deal with possible objections which your co-workers might offer when contacted one-on-one.  For example, if your issue is organizing neutrality as a bargaining item and you are    trying to generate interest and support for it, a possible "yeah...  but" you may        hear is: yeah, but why should I care if the company gives us organizing neutrality-    that doesn't affect what goes in my pocket.  Your possible responses could include:

1. It actually does affect what goes in your pocket.  Organizing neutrality is an important concept because if we're not growing, our ability to make gains is weakened. Or…..

2. Well, the company tells us how valuable we are and how they want to get along with us and with the union.  This is just a way for them to show respect for our institution.

The best way to develop the appropriate responses is to ask a few other members what objections or questions members might have about the issue or union position. Then use these opinions to answer the possible objections.  This piece is designed to help the mobilization committee members.  It will make their one-on-one educational efforts easier by providing them with answers to potential questions.
Communicating.

Once you and your other mobilizes are thoroughly prepared to start the member outreach, review these tips on how to do ONE-ON-ONE CONTACTS.
       
Introduce yourself. Make eye contact.

Contact at an appropriate time.  Do not contact an employee during normal  working  hours - catch them during break, lunch, or before or after work when they don't seem rushed.

Be yourself.  Smile, relax, use the kind of language you use every day.
Have some piece of information (the education flyer) to give to the worker to break the ice.

Be polite. If a worker refuses to talk to you, don't get into an argument; tell the person you'll catch them another time (do follow up).

Be frank.  If you get a question that you can't answer, don't try to bluff.  Tell the person you will try to get the answer for him or her.

Don't preach.  You should talk about the issue to help lead the person to his or her own conclusion.  This is a much more effective approach than a hard sell.
Listen.  This is the most important thing you can do.  Ask lots of questions and listen to what the worker says - it will give you insight into their particular concerns and objections.  Meaningful discussion of key issues at the worksite is as important as any other result.

Keep track of one-on-one contacts by developing a form similar to the one to the left.  Record each one-on-one contact.  The forms should be collected by the Building Coordinator for reporting back to the full mobilization committee and the negotiating committee on how many people were contacted and what their feelings or opinions are.  Keeping such records is a good way to continuously evaluate your program.

Use Your Local Union Newsletter
Members look to their local newsletter for information about local issues and  activities.  Although the newsletter is no substitute for one-on-one contact, it can be used to complement and reinforce mobilization, especially the education component.  The best way to get someone concerned about something is to explain the issue and show them why it's important to them.  People care about what affects them and their lives.  Personalize the issue.  Give specific examples of how the issue has affected their co-workers who are just like them.

Use the newsletter as often as you can to educate your members.  Try to do it in various ways - photos, interviews with members, survey results, questions and answers column, etc.

Consider distributing the newsletter through the one-on-one mobilization structure a couple of times a year.

One-on-One Contact Report Form

Activity: (What the mobilizer is going to do (for example, make house calls)         and what is going to be discussed.)

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________
 
Mobilizer: _____________________________________________________

Mobilization Coordinator or Steward: ________________________________

Please Complete Contacts By: _____________________ (date) ___________

Name _____________________________________________________________     

Member? __________________________________________________________    

Date of Contact_____________________________________________________ 

Response__________________________________________________________
     
Follow Up__________________________________________________________
        
1.________________________________________________________________

2.________________________________________________________________

3.________________________________________________________________

What is Mobilization?
Mobilization is a continuous process of organizing, organization, education, and collective action.

Organization: Setting in place the internal local network to effectively communicate with each other, face-to-face, one-on-one.

Education: Learning about issues that confront us and what we can do about them   as a union.

Collective Action: Doing something together to win changes.

Mobilize Fact Sheet 3:


Collective Action
Collective actions are the fun and creative part of mobilization.  They build on your  one-on-one education (see Mobilize Fact Sheet 2) and give members a chance to do something around the issue they've just learned about.

Collective actions should be planned to incrementally escalate pressure on the employer; that is, the longer the issue is not resolved, the more confrontational the collective actions become.  Generally, you will want to begin with a less confrontational action and increase it if there is no positive response from management.

Planning Activities
Not all activities apply to every circumstance.  The keys are to:
Understand what your members are willing to do. Use the one-on-one structure to let members know the when, where, how and why of the collective action.

Be well organized.  Build and utilize your mobilization structure.

Pay attention to details.  It takes a lot of little things to put together a collective     action how many buttons should be ordered?  What should they say?  Who will  deliver them to the Canvassers?  Etc.

Build the amount of pressure, support, and level of commitment with each action. Don't play your best card first.

Ideas for Organizing Rank-and-File Pressure on the Employer
In the Workplace:

Wearing Single Colors or a Ribbon: On certain days everybody wears the same color or an armband.  Use stickers or ribbons printed up with a slogan; workers wear the ribbons or stickers every day until the issue (or contract) is resolved.
Tapping: At a specific time, all members at a workplace tap their pencils on their desks (or cough or sneeze or whatever else your imagination comes up with).


Health Care Action Days: Everyone wears Band-Aids, canes, crutches, bandages, eye patches, and the like to work.  Slogans for t-shirts or signs include "Cutting Our Health Benefits is a Sick Idea" or "We're Sick Over (employer's name) Attempt to Cut Our Benefits."

Postcard/Petition/Pledge Card Campaign: Every worker signs one at the workplace.  Plan a moment of consciousness when everyone stops work and signs a card.  Raise the stakes and produce a petition/postcard pledge card that can be used in the community or with allied groups.  Then every worker agrees to sign up 5-10-20 supporters per week.

Holiday Activities: Bring a Cornish hen to your employer for Thanksgiving: "We Couldn't Afford a Turkey." Dress someone as Santa and symbolically give your employer coal for Christmas.  Organize an Easter Parade with everyone dressed in rags - "No Bonnets This Year: We Can't Afford Them." Think about activities for Labor Day or May Day or any other holiday.

Mass Starts: Everyone waits outside the workplace door and walks in together at the beginning of a shift/work day.  You may want to serve refreshments and sing union songs while the group gathers.

In the community:
  Children's March: Bring out your members' kids and grandkids.  Give them union hats, balloons and small picket signs (cut your usual signs in half).

Candlelight Marches and Vigils/Mock Funerals: Workers gathered at dusk with candles at a state house, county building, or other place of employment makes dramatic pictures for the evening news.  Bring a coffin to your employer: "R.I.P.  Decent Jobs in __________ County" or "Here Lie the Thousands of Workers Who Have Lost Their Lives Because of Job Hazards," or whatever other issue may be appropriate to your battle.

Multi-Employer March: Join with other unions in your community that is involved in a struggle with an employer.  Organize a march from one employer to the next.  With just 100 people, you can take over the streets and create quite a stir.  You can also consider a car caravan.

Phone Jamming: Organize members to ask friends and supporters to flood the employer with calls about the issue.

Media: Write letters to local newspapers about the issue, grievance, or contract dispute.  Call in to talk radio to discuss the situation.

Other Ideas: Sit-downs in public places; human billboards at major intersections; community "trial" of public officials or employers.

Remember: collective actions allow members to participate directly which increases feelings of solidarity and camaraderie, and they send a visible message that workers are united and serious about the issue.

Checklist for Choosing an Issue and Evaluating Your Tactics

A good issue is one that matches most of these criteria.  Use this checklist to compare issues.

It builds members' confidence and commitment.

It keeps the blame for increased confrontation on management, where it belongs.

It gives management incentive to settle.

It costs the employer money through reducing productivity, increasing costs, creating bad publicity; affects relationships with customers, clients, investors, lenders or government officials.

Makes life difficult for management by distracting them from other work they need to do or embarrasses them in front of their superiors, associates, families, neighbors, etc.

Builds solidarity among workers or between your members and potential allies.
Is fun for members to carry out.

Surprises management.

Targets the people in management who control decisions.

Teaches members new skills and builds leadership.

Is affordable in terms of money, staff time, and volunteer efforts.

Will not backfire or expose workers to unnecessary risk of job loss or legal liability.

Strike
Inside Tactics
Phone Call-Ins
Picket Executives' Homes
Mock Picketing ("Just Practicing")
Non-Ratification Votes
March Into Work Together
Lunchtime Rally
Parking Lot Shift Meetings
Leafleting
Petition Signing
Buttons, Balloons, Stickers
Postcards to Employer
Same Color T-Shirt
Pressure on the employer should escalate with each action.

Mobilize Fact Sheet 4:
Mobilizing at Contract Expiration

True or False?

For the union, the most crucial aspect of negotiations is the skill of the negotiator.

The best union strategy for winning a contract is, and always has been, "no contract, no work."

Both of these statements are false but represent very commonly held beliefs about contract negotiations.  While some of your members may think there is a magic wand that a shrewd and skilled negotiator uses to get management to agree to wage increases and improved benefits, the truth is that there isn't any magic wand and management gives up only as much as it thinks it has to.  Collective bargaining is a power relationship and the unity of our membership is the most important source of power we have as a union.  Thus, an organized and educated membership taking action can help convince management to give up more than they had planned to.

Good contracts are won in the workplace, not merely at the bargaining table.  While the bargaining committee is in negotiations with the company, it is essential that the message the company hears from the workplace backs up the positions taken by the negotiating committee.

Through one-on-one contacts and collective actions, mobilization informs and involves every member in negotiations.  In addition to building the power of the local union, this can help to minimize anxiety and frustration members may feel as the contract expiration date approaches.


As the chart below shows, mobilization and bargaining move along parallel timelines.  Mobilization activities are aimed to complement and support what is going on at the bargaining table.

Developing Your Contract Mobilization Plan

The mobilization team should sit down several months prior to the first day of bargaining to lay out a mobilization plan.  You can't plan everything early but there   are several steps to take to ensure a successful contract mobilization.  First, is your mobilization committee representative of the work force?  Second, do you need to  beef up your internal organizing efforts so you have a united and supportive membership?  Third, who's on the bargaining committee and what can they add to your mobilization discussions and ideas?  You might want to work with the  negotiating committee to develop a brief bargaining survey which your one-on-one network distributes and collects.  Your survey could be as simple as this:

What issues do you think are most important?  (Pick the top five.)

___ pay
___ sick leave
___ promotions
___ improved working conditions
___ fairer treatment
___ health insurance
___ annual leave
___ job security
___ retirement
___ parental leave
___ health & safety
___ to have a say in what happens at work
___ other: ________________



If you have any indications about issues, you can start the educational process for yourself and the committee, and you can develop draft one-on-one education pieces for use later.  The committee can discuss various collective actions for the opening day of bargaining.  What about a slogan for this round of negotiations?  Does the membership know about the options at contract expiration?

Working Together

Once bargaining begins, it is critical that the mobilization committee and the bargaining committee stay in close communication.  Each should know what the other is doing.  The bargaining committee should view mobilization as a resource and part of the overall strategy to get a good contract.

Remember these pointers to help facilitate communication between mobilizers and bargainers, and help prepare everyone for success.

1.      Meet with the bargaining chairperson and committee early on to discuss mobilization and its role.  Do not assume the bargaining committee understands the role and goals of mobilization.

2.      Discuss and plan how you will stay in touch during negotiations; for example, daily meetings, phone


For More information on how the SPFPA International can
help assist you please contact us at: 1-800-228-7492 or
your Regional Vice President or SPFPA Representative.

Regional Vice Pesidents
Contact Information


David L. Hickey
International President