One-on-One Union Communication
1. Introduction
“I am your name from your local.” Anything else you may want to insert here as to your purpose for talking with them. It is best to relate that you are there to hear from them, get their opinion, their concerns, etc. But it must include who you are and who you represent.
2. Get the story.
Ask about the person’s issues and concerns. This falls under 4 major areas: (a) their job- ask about how a day goes for them, what
are their responsibilities, etc.
(b) salary and benefits- is it enough?
(c) co-workers- who do they know, what it is like
working with them, etc.
(d) supervisors- who is over them, how are decisions
made? Are they empathic?
If you ask fact based questions about these topics, the issues they have will be evident. Remember when talking with a prospective member, the questions you ask related to what they have told you are very important. The follow-up questions will get you the answers you really need. Example: The person says the healthcare is okay. A follow up question could be, how could it be better?
3. Give a vision of the
Educate the person on union procedures, give them the difference in working with a
4. Inoculation
Be honest with the person about what tactics are possible with the management in the coming weeks due to the organizing campaign. Tell them what and why the administration will be doing this. Example: The principal may tell you that you don’t need a union,
he/she will take care of you or the school district already has a liability policy. The answers to this are the school district’s policy covers from the top down. If the superintendent, school board and principal are sued along with you, how much coverage is left for you? Then explain that the principal likes making all the decisions and with a union the decisions are make with the union and administration together.
5. Assess and Agitate
This stage is where you need to ask if they are ready to join. If they decline for any reason, go back to the issues (you got them in step 2) that are important to them and relate the difference it could make with a union. Ask them to join and be an active member of the union. Try to get a forum for them to actively participate with in the union. By doing this at the very beginning of signing up, the person acquires an ownership of the union and is more likely to participate.
6. Move to Action
This includes the agitate portion of the previous step, we need to move that person into taking action – go to a meeting, attend the school board meetings, serve on a committee, anything that gets them involved in this Union. All of this takes place at the same meeting with this person and should take 20-40 minutes. By getting the commitment at this time, you are building an active member as well as someone that has an ownership feeling about the
Helpful Hints
*Listen, don’t give speeches, draw the person out, let them talk. People talk about things they know about, if you get the person talking, you can have a conversation instead of a sales pitch.
* Don’t assume. You may think you know what the issues are to this person, but until they tell you, you can’t be sure.
*Don’t argue. This is not a debate, we aren’t trying to score points here. Always try to find points that you agree with and work from there. Find common ground and then politely suggest other points of view.
* Don’t make a sales pitch. We are not salespeople. The
* Always be honest. Do not promise what a union can not deliver. Never invent information, it is okay to say you don’t have that information but will get it and get back to them. (then get back to them)
These strategies came from the AFL-CIO organizing training. They are suggesting home visits with this procedure, but I adapted it to just a meeting with a prospective member.
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