Powering Up Manual

Randi Weingarten, President

Antonia Cortese, Secretary-Treasurer

Lorretta Johnson, Executive Vice President

Copyright © American Federation of Teachers, afl-cio (AFT) 2009. Permission is hereby granted to AFT state and local affiliates to reproduce and distribute copies of this work for nonprofit educational purposes, provided that copies are distributed at or below cost, and that the author, source and copyright notice are included on each copy. Any distribution of such materials by third parties who are outside of the AFT or its affiliates is prohibited without first receiving the express written permission of the AFT.

Letter from the president 3

How to use this model 4

I. Why an AFT organizing and union-building model 5Successful union building is both a science and an art 6Guiding principles 7The campaign director 8

II. Building a winning strategy 10The comprehensive organizing campaign 11Developing the campaign goal 12Rationale 13Affiliate readiness 14Leverage 15Research for organizing and union building 18Legal issues in organizing 23External calendar considerations 25Campaign phases and chronology 26Milestones, benchmarks and activities 27Collective bargaining recognition campaigns 28Majority sign-up (card check) campaigns 30Organizing for recognition in noncollective bargaining jurisdictions 32Electoral politics campaigns 36Contract mobilization campaigns 38Issues-based campaigns 40

Campaign outreach 42

III. Essential organizing tools and skills 44List building and verification 45Mapping 46Charting 47Data management 48The organizing conversation 49 Assessments 50Debriefing 52Momentum 53Identifying work-site leaders 54Building the organizing committee 55Campaign communications 56

IV. The approved written plan 60The goal 61The viability assessment 61Thinking through the organizing plan 62Strategic narrative and calendar 63Staffing plan 64Volunteer organizers 65Training 66Budget 66Justifying exceptions 67

Glossary 68

Table of contents

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AFT POWERING UP | 3

Dear AFT Organizing Leader,

The AFT is a union driven by ideas and powered through organizing.

From the start, the AFT has been an organizing union. Against difficult odds, we have achieved professional voice and workplace rights where none existed before, advanced social and economic justice at home and abroad, and built enduring com-munity coalitions in support of quality education, universal healthcare and respon-sive public services.

Unfortunately, we still face challenges. Economic turmoil threatens basic funding for the services our members provide and our communities depend on. Calls for restructuring and reform of public education, healthcare and government services all too often take the form of top-down directives that exclude the involvement and professional voice of those who do the actual work. In half the states, public employ-ees are still denied full collective bargaining rights.

Fortunately, we in the AFT have always benefited from the determination, courage and insights of visionary leaders and activists at every level of our union. As new generations of leaders emerge, it is important that the organizing strategies and skills that helped build this union at the grass roots be made available for use in building the power necessary to meet whatever challenges lie ahead.

Powering Up: AFT’s Organizing and Union-Building Model provides a strategic and tactical framework for transforming our vision of social and economic justice into reality. Drawing on the expertise of veteran organizers from every sector and jurisdiction of the union, Powering Up is a source book of best practices, strategies, standards and skills for advancing AFT’s high-involvement, member-centered and data-driven approach to organizing. It is intended for use as a planning and evalua-tion tool, a reference and as the basis for training organizers throughout the AFT. It is a living document that recognizes and seeks to advance both the art and the sci-ence of organizing and build power for those we represent.

Powering Up is a project of the AFT’s national organizing committee, whose mem-bers saw the work through from inception to completion. I want to thank former AFT secretary-treasurer Nat La Cour and current organizing committee co-chairs Ann Twomey and David Hecker for their leadership and hard work in undertaking this very important assignment.

I know that you will find this source book a valuable tool for building power across the union. I trust that you’ll put it to good use.

In solidarity,

Randi Weingarten AFT President

Letter from the president

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Powering Up is AFT’s guide to running organizing campaigns of every kind. It is intended for use by campaign directors, organizers and affiliate leaders as:

A strategic and tactical framework.• Powering Up provides a conceptual framework and approach for internal and external organizing throughout the AFT. Rooted in the AFT’s values of social and economic justice, responsiveness to professional standards and the communities we serve, self-determination and democracy, this model provides an intellectual rationale and practical approach for establishing a union that is of, rather than simply for, members. It is a guide for establishing, building and improving effective, responsive and democratic unions.

A guide to best organizing practices• . The AFT organizing and union-building model articulates the essential skills, tools and practices for conducting internal and external organizing campaigns. It serves as the basis for organizing training within the AFT and includes quantitative and qualitative standards for setting strategic and tactical targets and measuring accomplishment.

A reference guide for organizers• . The model is intended for use by orga-nizers in formulating goals, strategies and tactics and in mentoring and supervis-ing other organizers. It is structured so that organizers can review entire sec-tions or zero in on specific terms, definitions, standards or skills. It can be used as an aid in decision-making or to assist in providing a common vocabulary and framework for strategic discussions among leadership and staff.Icons used in this guide:

Icon used in this guide:Download part or all of this model and additional resources by going to leadernet.aft.org.

How to use this model

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Why an AFT organizing and union-building model?

Organizing is how working people build power to bring fairness and voice to our jobs, strengthen the institutions where we work, raise the quality and adequacy of the services provided to the people we serve, and advance social and economic jus-tice in our communities, nation and throughout the world.

Powering Up, AFT’s organizing and union-building model, is designed to enhance new and internal organizing effectiveness throughout the union by:

Advancing a common set of strategic approaches, skills, methods and campaign ■practices for organizing;Establishing unambiguous standards and a common organizing vocabulary ■among organizers and affiliate leaders throughout the union;Promoting clear responsibilities and expectations; ■Assuring accountability at all levels; ■Maximizing the effective and strategic deployment of union resources; and ■Incorporating and advancing the AFT’s values in practice. ■

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The science of organizing is rooted in a set of strategic and procedural fundamentals and standards derived from independent research and the accumulated experience and best practices of successful organizers. These fundamentals take the form of sequential activities, timelines, milestones and benchmarks.

The art of organizing is the practical application of these fundamentals based on the skills, strategic thinking and judgment of the individual organizer and the unique circumstances of each campaign.

As a successful organizing union, the AFT conducts campaigns in a variety of sectors and jurisdictions, ranging from preK-12 teachers and support personnel in states without a statutory basis for collective bargaining to private sector hospitals and charter schools, from state workers and graduate employees to adjunct faculty and early childhood educators and child care providers. While each constituency and sector differs with respect to organizing issues, legal frameworks and strategies for representation, all share a common set of building blocks and standards for success-ful organizing. This model is intended to guide specific campaigns, such as repre-sentation elections, union building/membership recruitment drives and political elections.

Successful union building is both a science and an art

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The AFT’s organizing model comes to life through the maximum involvement, participation and mobilization of members in a strategic, coordinated and disciplined campaign.

Organizing in the AFT generally is conducted through partnerships comprised of the national union and participating affiliates. Organizing policy and priorities are determined by the partners and carried out by volunteers, members and staff. AFT members have the right to expect that resources devoted to organizing are spent wisely, efficiently and effectively and result not only in numerical growth but in a stronger union.

Member democracy, self-determination and social justice are enduring AFT values. This is a union established to give voice to our members and advance their occu-pational, professional and workplace interests as well as values rooted in economic fairness, political democracy, civil rights and individual freedom at home and abroad.

Organizing advances local, state, national and international objectives and priori-ties as established through the appropriate AFT representative political and policy bodies.

Traditionally, organizing has involved recruiting members or winning campaign elections, but organizing also means building a union of activists. The AFT’s orga-nizing model comes to life through the maximum involvement, participation and mobilization of members in a strategic, coordinated and disciplined campaign.

Guiding principles

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The campaign director is responsible and answerable for what happens on the ground.

The campaign director

“Campaign director,” as used here, is not necessarily a job title on an organizational ladder but the functional designation of the individual with the strategic and opera-tional responsibility and authority for devising, planning and executing the organiz-ing campaign. The campaign director is responsible and answerable for what hap-pens on the ground. This individual may be an AFT national representative, affiliate organizer, elected leader or other qualified individual designated by the partnership. Affiliates may designate an individual to serve as a permanent campaign director or may rotate these responsibilities among qualified individuals on a campaign-by-campaign basis. The individual filling this role will be identified and agreed upon in advance by the organizing partnership.

The campaign director’s responsibilities include probing and evaluating the condi-tions needed to achieve the preliminary campaign objective, proposing changes in the objective if necessary and recommending if—or under what conditions—a full-fledged campaign should be initiated. Final decisions on campaign viability, ob-jectives, resources, overall strategy and apportionment of responsibilities are made through the partnership and incorporated into an approved written plan.

The campaign director, through the campaign partnership, develops and conducts the campaign in accordance with the approved written plan and the organizing model; develops and articulates the campaign vision and message; formulates the campaign timeline, milestones and benchmarks; orients, trains, mentors, leads and debriefs organizing staff and volunteers; applies resources effectively and efficiently; and makes strategic and tactical decisions on the full range of campaign activi-ties needed to achieve the organizing objective. While the campaign director may delegate certain responsibilities to other individuals, he or she ultimately remains accountable for the planning, execution and management of every aspect of the campaign.

Characteristics of the campaign director include:

Leader ■ —the campaign director motivates, guides by example and instruction, oversees and holds accountable campaign staff and volunteers for the successful execution of the campaign.

Strategist and tactician ■ —in conjunction with affiliate leadership and the AFT regional director as appropriate, develops the approved written plan, includ-ing the overall strategic statement, campaign chronology, benchmarks and mile-stones, deployment of staff and other resources, and identifies potential obstacles and adjusts tactics as necessary.

Union builder ■ —enlists, motivates and mobilizes a continually expanding cadre of campaign activists committed to active participation in all aspects of the life of the union. Identifies and develops volunteer leaders.

Mentor ■ —models AFT values of solidarity and democratic participation, good judgment, solid work ethic, effective listening and communication skills, deci-siveness, self-discipline and creativity. Holds self and others accountable for the

AFT POWERING UP | 9

effective execution of the approved written plan, adherence to standards of the or-ganizing model, accuracy of assessments, effective management of resources and quality of work. Exercises sound judgment and provides instruction and counsel-ing to staff and volunteers in groups or individually as needed.

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II. Building a winning strategy

An organizing campaign is a systematic course of coordinated, disciplined action for achieving a defined common goal.

AFT organizing campaigns are not limited to winning collective bargaining repre-sentation elections and first contracts. They include increasing membership density and building political power to win representation and exclusive consultation where collective bargaining is not yet permitted by law.

Organizing campaigns are also how we enact sensible professional issues policies, ensure quality services on behalf of the communities we serve, elect responsive pub-lic officials, pass necessary legislation, adopt fair budget and tax policies, and win fair collective bargaining agreements.

AFT organizing campaigns build power by striving to involve an ever-increasing ma-jority of members to act in concert in exerting the leverage necessary for achieving a shared purpose and common goal.

AFT organizing cam-paigns build power by striving to involve an ever-increasing majority of members to act in concert in exerting the leverage necessary for achieving a shared purpose and common goal.

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A winning strategy requires taking a comprehensive look at every internal and external source of leverage with the potential to affect the outcome of the campaign.

The comprehensive organizing campaign

While individual organizing campaigns may serve different purposes—such as winning union recognition and representation rights, increasing union density by enlisting new members, electing pro-union candidates to political office, establishing fair and effective accountability and performance standards, or achieving a decent contract—all organiz-ing campaigns:

Start with a powerful idea that resonates with members and the individuals and ■communities we are trying to reach;Follow a written plan that clearly states the immediate objective, its rationale and ■relationship to achieving a larger long-term goal, how it will be accomplished and the leverage that will be used, a timeline with milestones and benchmarks, what members will be asked to do, and a work plan that specifies who will do what and when;Are conducted through a cohesive work-site structure characterized by a ratio ap- ■proaching one trained work-site activist for every 10 unit members;Involve members by asking them in person and making participation easy; ■Record, update and employ data for documenting member participation, measur- ■ing progress and determining next steps;Draw from a common set of skills that includes list building, research, the orga- ■nizing conversation, assessments, charting, mapping, leadership identification and development and committee building; and Employ strategies of escalating tactics for applying steadily increasing internal and ■external leverage to counteract oppositional intransigence.

A winning strategy requires taking a comprehensive look at every internal and external source of leverage with the potential to affect the outcome of the campaign. Every poten-tial campaign should be viewed through a set of strategic considerations, such as member and community demographics, employer finances and governance, legal and regulatory environment, community and political power analysis, potential allies and opponents, affiliate readiness, and the role and likely impact of the media. It is an approach that requires research, education and agitation for organizing and mobilizing our members, potential members and allies.

Articulating powerful ideas or demonstrating proficiency in the basic organizing skills alone no longer guarantee successful outcomes. Employers, “right-to-work” front groups and political adversaries run comprehensive campaigns that employ sophisticated research, targeted messaging, community outreach, judicial and political intervention, community pressure and the media to defeat worker power. We should not be any less equipped to carry the fight to them.


Developing the campaign goal

The first step is to develop a campaign goal. Formulating the goal answers the basic question, What does victory look like?

There are a variety of campaigns for which goals should be set, including:

Contract negotiations; ■Internal organizing/building density; ■Organizing new units; ■Politics (recruiting and electing pro-union candidates); and ■Enacting legislation. ■

In all cases, campaign goals are specific, fact-based, measurable, deadline-driven and achievable.

There are differences between short-term and long-term goals; long-term goals are your ultimate victories, while short-terms goals are what you set to help achieve the long-term goal.

The long-term goal in most cases is immediately apparent (negotiate and ratify a good contract, for example, or get exclusive representation/meet and confer). The short-term goals may be harder to determine and are based largely on the research findings that lead to your strategic comprehensive campaign plan. For example, if your long-term goal is to negotiate and ratify a good contract, your short-term goal might be to organize the nonunion workers and establish a local union. If you already have a recognized local, a short-term goal might be to establish a contract action team.

If your long-term goal is to get exclusive representation, an intermediate goal might be to build membership to become the dominant employee organization. Subse-quent intermediate goals might be to elect school board members who will enact a policy framework for exclusive recognition and representation, then to win recogni-tion through majority support.

Defining the long-term and short-term goals needs the participation, collaboration and agreement of the partnership. The campaign director is responsible for refining the campaign goal so that it is specific, fact-based, deadline-driven and measurable.

In all cases, campaign goals are specific, fact-based, measurable, deadline-driven and achievable.


Rationale

The ultimate responsibility for devoting the effort and resources necessary for wag-ing an external or internal organizing campaign remains a policy decision but is the result of a collaborative process in which the campaign director plays a key role in answering the following questions:

Does the campaign fit in with or advance the overall national or regional strategic ■objectives and organizing priorities of the AFT?Is the unit large enough to maintain independently—or with the help of a willing ■and able state or local affiliate—its own resources and personnel necessary for ongoing advocacy and representational functions?Does the unit add critical mass toward achieving employer, occupational or geo- ■graphic leverage to advance or protect employment standards?In the case of a collective bargaining representation campaign, can we get a con- ■tract if we win?Does the unit create a new political or legislative influence or a new strategic ■organizing potential?In a membership recruitment drive in a noncollective bargaining jurisdiction, ■how does the campaign advance the prospects for winning a statutory or admin-istrative basis for collective bargaining in this unit? In a professional issues, political, legislative or contract mobilization campaign, ■to what extent are the goals defined and achieved by building the union, member involvement, and community outreach?

The answers to these questions establish the rationale for deciding whether to go forward, determining what additional conditions need to be achieved for moving ahead, and the strategy and tactics that will need to be employed.


Does the union program involve repeated out-reach to nonmembers on the basis of work-site, professional and community issues?

Affiliate readiness

A realistic assessment of the affiliate’s capacity to communicate with and mobilize members, reach out to nonmembers, connect with the community, and exert lever-age is crucial in deciding if and how the campaign can be won and what strategy and tactics should be employed. The specific criteria for assessing affiliate readiness will vary, depending on the specific goal and the type of campaign. Considerations should include:

Affiliate dynamics. Is the affiliate leadership unified and committed in support of conducting the campaign and entering into a partnership with the national union? Are the leadership and governing board supportive of committing the necessary local resources? To what extent have officers, building leaders and staff understood and supported the key principles and elements of the AFT organizing and union building model? Are there internal factors that could jeopardize campaign efforts?

Structure. Are all officer slots filled? Is there a full complement of building and work-site representatives? Is there an active committee structure (including a build-ing rep committee) working in the relevant areas of union program and administra-tion? Is there ongoing training for staff and activists?

Membership density and activism. Are the stewards or work-site represen-tatives effective and well respected by their membership? Do the stewards see them-selves as organizers or merely contacts? Is the affiliate having challenges in recruit-ing leaders who will be the face of the organization, and if so, why? Are rank-and-file leaders empowered and trained to be fully effective on the frontlines? What percent-age of the eligible unit belongs to the union? Is the specific goal such that it can be achieved at current levels of membership density, or must the plan include strategies for recruitment and outreach? Is the membership representative of the unit in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, race, department or building, job title or other work-related or demographic factors? Do the members associate the affiliate as “their union” or “the union”? Does the affiliate keep track of current member and nonmember as-sessments and rosters?

Work-site representation. What is the affiliate’s record and current effective-ness in conducting grievance representation within the limits of existing regulations and law? Are the grievances, issues or conflicts being resolved at the lowest level of supervision, and do they involve as many members or potential members as pos-sible? Has the affiliate conducted other forms of work-site issues-based advocacy? Are there staff or volunteers assigned to carry out these responsibilities, and is staff committed to empowering members? Has the affiliate conducted training for work-site representation with follow-up “coaching methods”? What significant or recent victories did the affiliate score, and are they being celebrated?

Internal communications. Does the affiliate publish and disseminate regu-larly scheduled newsletters, bulletins or other forms of printed or electronic internal communications? Is there a communications calendar? Does the affiliate solicit member and nonmember participation in surveys and questionnaires regarding


relevant work-site, union and professional issues? Is there a tested structure in place for disseminating issues-based alerts and petitions?

Public communications. Is there someone responsible for establishing and nurturing relationships with the working press? Is there a competent designated public spokesperson? Is there demonstrated competency and activity in writing press releases and conducting news conferences?

Community outreach. Does top leadership participate in local labor council activities? Is the affiliate involved in ongoing relationships with, and represented at meetings and functions of, relevant community organizations?

Mobilization and politics. What is the affiliate’s capacity and readiness to identify significant professional and public issues and mobilize members, nonmem-bers, and the community in support of workplace, professional, public policy, legis-lative, or political objectives? Is there a structure in place for doing so? Are specific individuals trained and assigned to carry out these responsibilities?

Membership recruitment. Is recruitment of and outreach to nonmembers an explicit responsibility of all officers, activists and staff? Does the union program in-volve repeated outreach to nonmembers on the basis of work-site, professional and community issues? Are activists and staff trained in recruitment, communication, list building, mapping, assessments and charting?

The relevance or weight of these or other elements in determining affiliate readiness will depend on the objective and nature of each campaign. The buy-in and consen-sus building from our affiliates and stakeholders is critical to the campaign’s success and long-term sustainability.

Where an existing affiliate serves as the platform for conducting a campaign, the written plan should include an agreement of the partnership on the necessary steps to strengthen affiliate capacity, as well as a specific understanding about goals, strat-egy, chronology, milestones and benchmarks, the exercise of campaign authority and supervision, and commitment and assignment of affiliate resources and staff.

Note: Sometimes an unavoid-able challenge or immediate opportunity, irrespective of an affiliate’s condition of readi-ness, presents itself. Because an affiliate may fall short on one or more of the readiness criteria does not mean that it should give up or not attempt to run a membership involve-ment campaign. Instead, the campaign itself may serve as a vehicle for building the union and preparing it to wage a more effective fight next time. In any event, a periodic readi-ness assessment is valuable for determining a local or state federation’s strengths and weaknesses in their ability to cope with or take advantage of changes in the political, eco-nomic or organizing environ-ment.

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Changing an employer’s unfair behavior or deflating the opposition’s influence may require looking outside the customary labor relations framework for external leverage.

Organizing leverage is gained by identifying and matching potential vulnerabilities in the opposition with potential sources of pressure from within the union and the labor movement or from external sources, then applying such pressure—alone, or in combination—at the right moment.

The source of union power is primarily the solidarity and activism of members work-ing together in a disciplined way to achieve common objectives. This strength is built through identifying and developing trained and dependable leadership, estab-lishing credible trusting relationships through frequent one-on-one conversations, and creating deep and frequent member involvement through an active work-site structure.

Focusing exclusively on internal dynamics, however, may not always be sufficient to overcome obstacles posed by intransigent employers, competing anti-union organi-zations and front groups, or obstinate public officials. Changing an employer’s unfair behavior or deflating the opposition’s influence may require looking outside the customary labor relations framework for external leverage.

Such additional leverage may include calling into question the employer’s reputation among key political or business associates; reaching out to important community and consumer constituencies to expose conflicts of interest and cronyism among key administrators or public officials; pointing out service quality or access deficiencies while proposing positive alternative approaches; uncovering financial malfeasance; or mobilizing opposition to pending expansion plans, permit applications, zoning waivers, construction bonds, enabling legislation or government funding.

Exerting leverage often involves the use of external—or “borrowed”—power for amplifying the power of member mobilization. Sources of borrowed power may include the press, regulatory or elected officials, parents and client groups, religious leaders and congregations, neighborhood and merchant organizations, community groups, and other labor unions. Tactics may include soliciting letters of support from political, business and religious allies; publishing supportive newspaper ads signed by community leaders; conducting public accountability hearings featuring the tes-timony of community leaders and residents; and initiating regulatory complaints or legal proceedings as appropriate.

The ability to take advantage of such leverage requires establishing strong and mu-tually supportive relationships with potential allies—including the press—well in advance of the need for their help in a particular campaign.

Similarly, the worst time to begin research on an employer, opponent or the fi-nancial, regulatory or legal environment is in the middle of a crisis. Timing means knowing precisely when the most appropriate leverage can be applied to achieve the maximum pressure on an employer or opponent. It means being aware of applicable regulatory, legislative, financial and political deadlines, and it means having accom-plished the planning, research, communications, politics, legal and regulatory analy-

Leverage


sis, relationship building, and community and political outreach needed to mount a credible threat at the most advantageous moment.

Most frequently, pertinent elements of an external leverage campaign will be identi-fied and integrated into an organizing strategy that builds first on the solidarity and strength of the unit members themselves, then reaches out from there.

A note of caution: External leverage campaigns require a significant investment of time and money and will not build strong unions in the absence of sustained work-site organizing. An employer may decide to dig in and be willing to endure some short-term embarrassment as the price of defeating an organizing effort, for example, and the union must be clear about the likely endgame and make a sober assessment of the strength and effectiveness of other sources of leverage. If there is to be a protracted struggle, what are the plans for sustaining and intensifying the involvement and morale of unit members? What are the likely costs of an extended external campaign, and how long will it last? What will victory look like, and how do we know we are get-ting there? Campaigns built primarily on external leverage will be rare and should be en-tered into with great caution.

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Our decisions about organizing priorities, targets and campaign strategy and tactics are informed by strategic research and analysis. We need to know as much as we can about all of the relevant factors that could influence the outcome of our efforts. Our knowledge of the unit and its members, the employer, the political, economic, social and business environment, and potential allies and adversaries enables us to analyze our potential power relative to the opposition’s. Research enables us to identify union weaknesses that must be remedied and vulnerabilities in the opposi-tion that are susceptible to pressure. Research produces the answers for making sound strategic and tactical choices. While research includes digging into financial and legal documents, public records and the Internet, it also means speaking with unit members themselves. They are a prime source of strategic information about the workplace, the employer and community.

Strategic research takes place on the following fronts:

EMPLoyER ANALySIS & fINANCES

CoMMUNITy oPINIoN

LEADERS & ISSUES

UNIT MEMbER ISSUESoThER

UNIT MEMbER ChARACTERISTICS

LEGISLATIvE/ PoLITICAL

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CAMPAIGN STRATEGy

Employer analysis. If the assignment requires addressing the employees’ direct relationship with their employer (i.e., winning recognition, increasing membership and activism, launching a professional development initiative, protesting working conditions), the research should include information and observations about the employer (or, in the case of contracting out, the proposed privatizers), such as size of

Research for organizing and union building

Research produces the answers for making sound strategic and tactical choices.


the enterprise; number of employees by occupational and demographic categories; key management and policy personnel (and behavioral or personality characteris-tics, where appropriate); key governance information; number and identification of work sites; any issues of access to employees and work sites; budgetary and financial data; relevant political and business relationships; relevant personnel policies or the employee handbook; and a thorough analysis of the employer’s power and influ-ence, if appropriate.

Employer’s governance board. ■ Many times sympathetic board members can help to influence a campaign. Pressuring the board by identifying its inter-nal/external weaknesses can be useful for your tactical arsenal.

Economics/finances. ■ Data on the financial condition of the employer may demonstrate to both internal and external audiences that the employer is well able to afford a living salary/wage for employees. Further, organizing around issues of pay inequity between individual employees or in general can build a stronger campaign. Compensation, compensation packages and employment contracts of the president/top executives can also highlight pay inequities.

other key individuals. ■ Identify the “customers” or associates of the em-ployer and how they could be persuaded to leverage pressure on the employer to settle election issues, recognize the union or obtain a first contract. In a higher education setting, for example, gathering information about possible supportive campus student groups or sympathetic suppliers can be used to put added pres-sure on the administration and/or the college president. Data on where the top executive’s social relationships (clubs, etc.) can also be helpful in applying tactical pressure.

other data. ■ Information on past organizing campaigns with the same employer, industry or geographic area is important to know in advance of your campaign. Why did that campaign fail or succeed? Was there a particularly ugly fight that may elicit negative feelings about your current campaign? How can you address those in advance? What other contracts exist in the industry? How do those contracts com-pare to what your target group has? What issues are particular to that industry?

If the assignment involves organizational competition, the research should include an analysis of the competing organizations.

Unit member characteristics. Know and understand the workforce you are helping to organize when planning your campaign. We would not organize around precisely the same issues or necessarily use the same strategies for college professors as for school bus drivers. Some considerations to note:

Professional characteristics. ■ Are the workers employed full time or part time? Is employment contingent? Is there high turnover or do employees have long careers? Does the job require professional certification to get hired? To what extent do employees identify with their profession?

Know and understand the workforce you are helping to organize when planning your campaign.


Demographics of the workforce. ■ Do we notice groupings, cliques or trends when it comes to employees’ sex, age, race, national origin, citizen status or other characteristics?

Knowledge of and attitude toward unions. ■ Do the workers identify with other union members? Do they work in a profession that they understand to be commonly unionized? If so, what do they think of unions’ ability to represent people like them? Are there other unions at the work site or in the community, and what kind of example do they set for what a worker can expect from a union? On the flip side, to what extent do the workers identify with their employer’s mission or goals? Do they feel they have appropriate input into the employer’s decision-making? Do they feel respected by the employer?

Be careful not to generalize about the workforce and keep an eye out for differences or “splits” that could divide workers. While no grievance is too small and no gripe should be dismissed, the campaign message should be focused on broader issues of respect, fairness, job security, quality of work and quality of life. These are issues that, by their nature, don’t have a “quick fix” by the employer and can only truly be addressed by a union voice at work.

Strive for a campaign message that is inclusive of the entire workforce and be particularly sensitive to any “splits” in the membership. Full-time and part-time employees often feel pitted against one another, for example, while members with more seniority often have different bargaining interests from newer and younger members. The strongest campaigns are built on identifying issues that build solidarity and bring together workers irrespective of age, gender, time on the job, shift, full-time or part-time status, or ethnic or social groupings.

Unit member issues. The organizing campaign is based on and fueled by is-sues important to the employees. Conversations with workers serve to identify those issues and determine how deeply they are felt. Surveys may also be used as a means to test issues.

Issues for unit members include significant concerns or events at the workplace, terms and conditions of employment and job security or satisfaction. The best orga-nizing issues are unifying, easily articulated and capable of being brought to an ac-ceptable conclusion through worker action. Plus, the best organizing issues are those that have the potential to involve as many workers in as many activities as possible. These activities form the basis of “asks” and tests of worker support for the union during the campaign.

Correctly identifying and framing key issues are critical to the campaign’s legitimacy and success. Campaigns based on a single issue are dangerous, since resolution of a single issue either by worker or employer action can drain desire of many work-ers to engage in a struggle beyond that single issue. Therefore, the campaign should be based on a handful of issues known to be widely and deeply felt and that have at their heart important worker values like respect, dignity and voice.

The strongest campaigns are built on identifying issues that build solidarity and bring together workers irrespective of age, gender, time on the job, shift, full-time or part-time status, or ethnic or social groupings.


As the campaign progresses, issues will continue to be tested for resonance and sup-port within the unit. These issues undergird the ultimate message of the campaign and are used in every kind of communication both to and from the workers.

Mobilizing around issues provides opportunities to reach out to and involve com-munity, religious, labor and political allies. Potential campaign issues should be identified through organizing conversations and agreement with the organizing committee and affiliate leadership, and then tested for relevance and resonance with unit members going forward.

Political and legislative research. Before launching any campaign, know the political and legislative landscape of your target, including the potential land mines or gold mines. This can save you considerable time, energy and resources; thus, political and legislative research should be given the utmost importance.

Consider the following questions as part of your political and legislative research:

Who are the political power brokers (local, state, school board, etc.) that have ■an interest in the organizing target? Who supports these politicians, and who may have an interest in hindering their progress? Who are the elected politicians that have jurisdiction in the area of your specific target? Who provides campaign contributions or support to these politicians? Are there organizations, such as PACs, that have influence on these politicians? What are the local, state affiliate, labor, religious and community organizations’ relationships with these elected politicians? What elections (including primaries) are coming up? What are the procedures for recruiting and nominating candidates?

What legislation is pending or has recently been proposed that may have an ■impact on your target’s overall mission and purpose? What are recent legislative successes and/or failures? Were there alliances in support or against such legisla-tion? Who sponsored the legislation? Are these potential allegiances friendly or hostile to our cause? What additional legislation may be helpful or harmful to your target?

After answering these questions, determine if there are key relationships, or lack of relationships, that affect your objectives. For example, are there allies in labor or the community we can mobilize to fill a void in a case where more support is needed? This analysis can help you prepare your tactics and overall strategy.

As you embark on this research, remember that borrowing political and legislative power for leverage is a two-way street. The extent to which you can demonstrate the union’s membership, resources and reach as sources of leverage for helping potential allies achieve their particular political and legislative goals can go a long way toward cementing relationships with influential interest groups. The best time to develop such reciprocal relationships is when the union is in the position to lend, rather than borrow, power for leverage.

Mobilizing around issues provides opportunities to reach out to and involve community, religious, labor and political allies.


Community opinion leaders and issues. Influential players in the com-munity may be able to apply pressure on the employer to recognize the union or to maintain neutrality during an organizing drive. Alliances with community groups, clergy, residents and other stakeholders are also critical to building positive public perceptions both about the campaign and the union. Establishing early and con-tinuing communications with community leaders helps align organizing issues with community concerns in forging mutually reinforcing relationships.

Knowing when and how to use research strategically can make the difference in the outcome of your campaign. Remember that just having the data and letting the other side know that you have it may alter an employer’s behavior. The use of data in crafting tactics that build both internal capacity and external leverage will increase significantly the chance of success in any organizing or contract campaign.

Remember that borrowing political and legislative power for leverage is a two-way street.

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Legal issues in organizing

There often can be multiple legal routes to accomplish your goal. Consider different possibilities and describe in writing why you have chosen a particular strategy. Be able to articulate why you did not choose other ways to achieve your goal.

Legal framework. Perhaps the most basic area to ascertain is that of governing authority. What body can grant recognition or has legal authority over labor relations in general, and how does this inform your legal strategy?

Private sector. In almost all cases, private sector organizing conducted by the AFT and its affiliates is governed by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRA is administered by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which has regional offices around the country. Even if you are attempting to achieve voluntary recognition through the use of a neutrality and card-check agreement, it will be nec-essary to make certain filings with the NLRB.

Public sector collective bargaining states. In public sector collective bargaining states, there is a state labor relations authority (often, although not al-ways, called Public Employee Relations Board, or PERB) that administers a state stat-ute granting public employees the right to bargain collectively with their employer.

Public sector “employer-of-record” strategies. Home care, child care and similar workers have been denied organizing and representation rights because either such workers have been deemed independent contractors or their employ-ers depend almost exclusively on public funds and have little control over funding for adequate wage scales and career ladders, healthcare coverage and pensions. In recent years, the AFT and other unions have secured state legislation that designates a specific public agency or department as the “employer of record” for purposes of collective bargaining for child care or home healthcare providers. The AFT legal department can provide guidance on these situations.

Public sector noncollective bargaining states. An important strate-gic consideration in a public sector noncollective bargaining campaign is whether the goal is to achieve collective bargaining at the local level or to secure a “meet-and-confer” agreement. Generally, achieving full collective bargaining rights at the local level requires changes in state law. On the other hand, winning lesser forms of representation and consultation rights at the school board or local government level may be more immediately achievable than waiting for comprehensive public sector bargaining legislation to work its way through the state legislature and governor’s desk. In either instance, the relationship between winning a framework for repre-sentation rights and conducting a robust grass-roots political program for electing worker-friendly public officials is clear.

Unit definition. One basic legal question that needs to be addressed is what groups of workers will be in the unit. Multiple legal considerations inform this issue, and it is not simply a matter of which workers are likely to be “yes” votes and which are likely to be “no.” The relevant labor relations authority often will have issued de-


cisions that have an impact on who can or cannot be in the unit. This is particularly true when it comes to so-called supervisory issues. The law on whether supervisors can be in a unit differs, depending on the jurisdiction in which you are organizing. Be prepared to explain why you have included each job classification in your unit and whether there will be more than one unit. If you have only one unit, you should determine whether it will be “wall-to-wall” or include only certain job classifications.

Strategically, your choice of which workers to include in the unit may affect the future or contemporaneous organizing of workers employed by the same employer. Take special care to ensure that groups of workers are not inadvertently left out of the unit. Your plan should seek to build power in the local or in the unit; the best outcome is one in which recognition is achieved for the workers you are organizing while improving the future organizing prospects for the remaining workers.

After recognition is achieved, additional legal problems can arise. A common em-ployer strategy is to avoid reaching a first agreement through delaying tactics and then make an attempt at decertification as soon as the law allows it. That is why the organizing plan and mobilizing activities continue past recognition through ratifica-tion of the first contract. While your plan should address the possibility of bad-faith bargaining by the employer and incorporate the use of procedural tactics such as unfair labor practices for dealing with these post-recognition legal challenges, the union’s strongest weapon will be the solidarity, cohesion, and militancy of the mem-bers.

If there are specific potential developments that could occur and dramatically alter your legal strategy, they should be discussed at this point as well. Leave enough flex-ibility in your written plan to deal with unexpected problems that may arise during the campaign.

Additional legal considerations. Political campaigns are governed by rules for the appropriation and use of union resources. For guidance, contact the AFT political department. Also, corporate campaigns may require legal guidance with respect to shareholder rights, fiduciary responsibilities and steering clear of defama-tion, libel and slander. Aggressive employers have used RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act lawsuits to disrupt organizing campaigns, so legal guidance should be sought early in the planning stages.

A common employer strategy is to avoid reaching a first agreement through delaying tactics and then make an attempt at decertification as soon as the law allows it.


External calendar considerations

In establishing a campaign timeline and scheduling organizing activities, consider all relevant calendars, including employee and employer calendars; religious, com-munity and government holidays, events and celebrations; and local and national athletic competitions, such as high school basketball nights or Super Bowl Sunday. It might be ill-advised to plan a rally on a Friday before a long weekend, for example, call a critical organizing committee meeting on the evening before the start of the hunting season, or set a professional development seminar for Passover week.

Consider the employer’s calendar as well. What is the typical work schedule for these workers? Does their main work year take place over nine, 10 or 12 months? Are there in-service days/job fairs/evaluation days? Are there regularly scheduled profession-al “recognition” days or events (National Nurses Week, Administrative Profession-als Day)? When are grades due? When is testing? Are there mandatory professional development days? When are the employer’s governance meetings? In the case of a public employer, what is the cycle and process for developing a budget, and when must it be approved?

Also consider when workers will not be at work. When do workers have breaks? Do they have time off only for government holidays? Do they have a spring break? Do most people take off work on the Friday before a long weekend? In Chicago, schools are closed for Pulaski Day. In Pennsylvania, workers are allowed to take time off for the opening day of hunting season. In New Orleans, things shut down for Mardi Gras. It is important to know if work-ers will not be easily reached during these times. Consider relevant local cultural, commu-nity and sporting events and their potential to affect turnout and participation in organizing activities.

Finally, look at the national calendar. When are the Jewish holy days? When is Super Bowl Sunday? What are people going to be focused on leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas? Be aware of the larger social context in which campaigns are conducted.

Consider relevant local cultural, community and sporting events and their potential to affect turnout and participation in organizing activities.


The campaign chronology is a graphic depiction—subject to ongoing review and revision—of the sequential phases of campaign development.

Campaign phases and chronology

Campaigns move through phases that range from preliminary probing and research, to determining and strengthening organizational readiness, to measuring support by internal activity and demonstrated commitment, to meeting external deadlines for achieving the targeted goal.

Phases are sequential; once the prerequisite targets of one phase are hit, the cam-paign can move on to the next.

The specific nature of these phases will differ according to the campaign’s purpose.

In a collective bargaining recognition campaign, phases are defined by demonstrat-ed unit support that needs to be attained to move forward, as well as by procedural or election requirements and deadlines set by regulation and law.

In a long-term campaign to win exclusive representation where there is no statu-tory basis for collective bargaining, phases reflect membership strength relative to competing organizations; success in electing pro-union public officials and enacting exclusive representation policies; and achieving sufficient unit membership support to win a representation election.

In a campaign to influence safety conditions or professional stan-dards, phases may be determined by levels of membership involve-ment as well as community and political support needed to achieve the desired policy objectives.

In a campaign to elect responsive and union-friendly public offi-cials, phases are determined by the election calendar (registration deadlines, election date); percentage of members and families reg-istered to vote; targeted percentage of unit and family members who say they will vote for union-endorsed candidates; and the targeted percentage of unit and family members who cast ballots.

In a contract campaign, phases should dovetail with the negotia-tions calendar and contract deadlines and include targeted levels of membership and community support and stages of escalating mobilization.

In all cases, the campaign chronology is a graphic depiction—subject to ongoing review and revision—of the sequential phases of campaign development. Each phase involves the completion of a number of prerequisite benchmark standards of accomplishment necessary for moving the campaign to the next stage of develop-ment. These standards are accomplished through various organiz-ing activities. Once the activities have been accomplished and the benchmark standards met, a major decision point, or milestone, has been reached, and the campaign moves from one phase to the next.m

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Milestones, benchmarks and activities

Milestones are key decision points that mark the end of one campaign phase and the beginning of another. They are points for determining if sufficient progress has been made to move the campaign forward to the next phase. Depending on the type of campaign, milestones might include completing the first round of organiz-ing conversations by a given date; deciding—based on measures of support and the compilation of information and data—that a representation campaign is viable and should continue; or determining that there is sufficient structure and unit support to file cards and demand recognition.

Benchmarks are the objective, quantitative standards for determining if the require-ments for completing a campaign phase and reaching a milestone have been met. Benchmarks are always measurable and expressed in exact numbers, absolute dates and specific accomplishments. Is there a 100 percent accurate unit list? Has the entire workplace been mapped and charted? Have one-on-one organizing conversa-tions occurred with 75 percent of all new hires within the first month? Is the organiz-ing committee broadly representative and composed of 10 percent of the unit? Have 100 percent of all “2s” and “3s” (see “Assessments” in Section III) been asked to join in a second round of one-on-one conversations? Have 100 percent of the executive board members and 75 percent of work-site representatives been asked in one-on-one conversations to contribute to COPE? Has 55 percent of the unit signed a public “vote yes” petition within 10 days of the election?

Activities are the tasks and assignments, otherwise known as “the work,” for hitting benchmarks and reaching milestones. Organizing activities include, but are not limited to, conducting organizing conversations; mapping and charting; building lists; identifying and developing leaders; training and mentoring the organizing committee and activists; message preparation and inoculation; literature develop-ment; preparing for and participating in labor board hearings; devising and conducting union-building tests and assessments; debriefing, preparing and evaluating surveys; identifying is-sues and leading issue-oriented cam-paigns; and conducting and analyzing research.

When defining specific campaign phases, milestones, benchmarks, activities and chronologies, the orga-nizer always asks: What is the goal, where are we in relation to achiev-ing the goal, what targets of support or achievement need to be hit—by when—to accomplish the goal, and what is the plan for getting there?

Milestones are key decision points that mark the end of one campaign phase and the beginning of another.

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Collective bargaining recognition campaigns

The key strategy to winning recognition under a collective bargaining framework is to build an increasing and unshakable majority of unit members who will vote for the union regardless of a tough employer or competitor campaign. The phases of a recognition campaign are determined partly by the union’s internal criteria for enlist-ing and measuring support within the unit and partly by the legal and administrative timeliness and requirements of applicable labor law.

Typically, the first phase in a collective bargaining recognition campaign is conducted beneath the employer’s radar and involves a viability determination to ascertain the

scope and scale of the proposed campaign, what will be needed to prevail, and the extent to which our initial contacts provide a sufficiently

committed and reliable base for moving to the public phase of the campaign, which frequently involves the circulation of a mission statement among unit members. Signing the mission statement puts union members on record as supporting the union and tips off management that a serious effort is under way. Achieving signatures of 50 percent or more of the unit within two weeks moves the campaign to its next mile-stone, the circulation of authorization cards; failure to achieve 50 percent on the mission statement calls into question whether sufficient structure and support exists for winning recognition.

The demand for recognition is triggered with a showing of signatures representing 65 percent of the unit within a

specified time frame. Throughout the election phase, the structure is continually tested through periodic behavioral assessments, including a signed public “yes” petition of no less than 55 percent of the unit heading into the week of the vote. The election phase also includes enlisting and training observers and establishing and conducting an effective get-out-the-vote program. Once the election is won, the campaign structure turns toward enlisting new members, support and participation for winning a first contract.

A typical collective bargaining representation chronology of milestones, benchmarks and activities is presented in the chart adjacent.

Dropping authorization cards

The length of time cards will be circulated should be clearly stated, in advance, as part of the chronology. In competitive situations,


FIRST CONTACTDROP MISSION STATEMENT

RELEASE MISSION STATEMENT

DROP CARDS

FILE/ DEMAND

ELECTION/ RECOGNITION

80% of Unit charted

50% of Unit contacted

Activists in all Units

OC in all Major Depart-ments

Over 50% of Contracts Pro-Union

Work sites Mapped

Organizing Issues Identified

Majority signed on mission statement

10% representa-tive organizing committee

65% of unit signed on petition/cards

Majority on Vote Yes petition

Representative bargaining committee

Housecalls, meetings

Research

ID Leaders

ID social groups

Build community contacts

Recruit activists

ID unfair labor practices

ID organizing issues

List building, charting

Mapping

Inoculation

Train activists/OC

Assessments 1–4

Write Mission Statement with Committee

Gather signatures on mission statement

Set up/test communications network

Training on legal right to leaflet

Recruit activists to leaflet

Leaflet mission statement

Large meeting turnout

Launch community campaign

Issue-based actions

Gather signatures on cards/petition

Demand recognition

Gather quotes from supporters

Start newsletter

Button day benefits comparison

Press conference

Train election observers

Review excelsior list

Prepare challenges

Gather voting yes signatures/photos

Distribute voting yes literature

Get out the vote

Recruit/Train bargaining team

Continue with outreach and issue-based actions

MILESTONES

BENCHMARKS

ACTIVITIES

NLRb/PERb ELECTIoN CAMPAIGN ChRoNoLoGy

the longer the cards are out, the less likely the union will prevail. The amount of time allowed for circulation of cards should be determined by the size of the unit (and, correspondingly, the numbers of staff, active committee members and rank-and-file volunteers committed to the task); quality of leadership; intensity of opposition from employer or competing union or anti-union organizations; quality of lists and workplace maps; and access to workers, including the number of work sites, geographic spread, and sector- or constituency-specific variables. Assuming prerequisite tests have been passed before the decision is made to drop cards, and optimal staffing ratios per this model are in place (see Section IV), use the following as a rule of thumb for the length of time required to obtain 65 percent support:

500-member private hospital unit—two weeks•1,000-member private hospital unit—three weeks•K-12 teacher or PSRP units (no opposition)—up to eight weeks•Higher education—six to 10 weeks•Adjuncts (assuming complete list with classroom locations, home addresses, front-loading of staff and volunteers)—•eight to 10 weeks.Large statewide public sector agencies—up to six weeks (with competition), up to 10 without•

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Rule # 1 in majority sign-up campaigns is: Never assume employer neutrality.

Rule # 2 is: Build the union first.

The important work in a majority sign-up campaign is not simply getting 50 percent +1 cards signed but in building a committed and ever-expanding majority of unit members working together to establish a strong, democratic, responsive and effec-tive union. The strategy here is to hit all the benchmarks necessary to complete the “covert” phase of a traditional recognition election campaign. Special attention needs to be paid to precisely defining the unit and its composition through careful research, then building a representative and active organizing committee and work-site structure capable of conducting one-on-one organizing conversations with the entire unit prior to the release of cards. These conversations should serve to educate unit members about organizing a union, inoculate, assess support and enlist more activists.

The tests and assessments should be devised carefully, especially during the early phases of a covert majority sign-up campaign. The assessments should be structured to effectively test member commitment and readiness to sign while still keeping the campaign beneath the employer’s radar.

Once more than 50 percent of the unit has been assessed as a 1 or a 2 (see “Assess-ments,” Section III), the campaign moves from the covert phase to card release. This second phase should resemble a blitz in terms of intensity and duration, with cards out for the minimum time possible, 48 to 96 hours. The organizing committee may want to release a signed mission statement when cards are dropped as a way of building excitement and momentum, but the emphasis must be on employing the organizing committee and work-site structure to obtain as many signed cards in as short a time possible to demonstrate strength and support and to neutralize the em-ployer’s counter-campaign. The target minimum number of signed cards in a major-ity sign-up campaign should be the same as for a traditional bargaining election—65 percent.

In rare instances it may be necessary to win the unit first, then build the union (see “Justifying Exceptions,” Section IV). Such a strategy first should be discussed thor-oughly, agreed upon and justified before final approval.

The essential elements of a majority sign-up (card-check) campaign, once the employ-er and unit research has been accomplished, can be summed up as:

Stealth: Operating beneath the employer’s radar for however long it takes to build a solid committee structure and to educate and inoculate leadership sufficient for building a strong majority in advance of circulating cards.

Speed: Limiting the amount of time required for signing workers up, inoculating them and filing with the labor board. The less time available to the employer to run a union-busting intimidation and revocation campaign, the greater the likelihood of obtaining prompt certification.

Majority sign-up (card-check) campaigns


Continuous union building and leadership development: Strengthening and expanding the leadership and membership base does not take a hiatus after the request for certification. The workers must be prepared to negotiate and run an ef-fective contract campaign immediately upon certification.

Tough, quick and smart negotiations: Wherever possible, winning a good first contract should be the result of having built a strong, solid union rather than the product of an arbitrator’s award. First contract arbitration provisions are likely to accelerate the bargaining time line and provide for mediation if no agreement is reached after 90 days, with mandatory arbitration required after 120 days. Such a compressed timetable means that the economic, fiscal and sector research—as well as the contract campaign planning—should be substantially completed before certi-fication. While the possibility of an arbitrated settlement may force the parties to accelerate their activities at the table, the union should not go into arbitration lightly or necessarily expect a better settlement than can be won at the table and through mobilization. Arbitrators are conservative by nature, and experience in Canada demonstrates that the union decertification rates are higher where the first contract is achieved through arbitration rather than through agreement. That’s because em-ployers, no longer armed with the power to deny a first contract following a success-ful organizing effort, simply postpone their bare-knuckles union-busting campaign until negotiations for the second.

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fIRST CoNTACT

fIRST CoNTRACT

oRGANIZING CoMMITTEE

LoCAL ChARTERED

MAJoRITy SUPPoRT

EXCLUSIvE REPRESENTATIoN

EXCLUSIvE CoNSULTATIoN

LAW/PoLICy ENACTED

DoMINANT MEMbERShIP

oRGANIZATIoN

SAMPLE MULTI-yEAR NoN-Cb CAMPAIGN MILESToNES

Organizing campaigns in noncollective bargaining jurisdictions are fundamentally different from jurisdictions where collective bargaining is permitted under law.

In a collective bargaining election, the applicable law establishes thresholds, time-lines, deadlines, rules and procedures for arriving at an election that is either won or lost. Similarly, in a majority sign-up situation, rules establish a clear-cut procedure for winning exclusive recognition once a threshold level of support has been achieved and a unit determination has been completed.

The chronology, milestones and benchmarks in collective bargaining jurisdictions are established as tests that build and assess union support. If the campaign fails to gen-erate sufficient commitment and support and benchmarks and milestones are not hit, the campaign director either adjusts the strategy or terminates the campaign.

Campaigns for increasing membership and support in noncollective bargaining jurisdictions are open-ended. Since there is no established recognized process for winning exclusive recognition and a contract, milestones, benchmarks and timelines do not exist unless the union creates them. And, since demonstrating majority sup-port through an election or majority sign-up does not necessarily result in exclusive recognition, winning collective bargaining and a first contract may take years, even decades, to achieve. Success often involves waging consecutive, and sometimes simultaneous, campaigns on a number of fronts, including membership recruitment, structure-building, politics and legislation.

The ultimate goal of an AFT affiliate in a noncollective bargaining jurisdiction is to enact a statutory or administrative basis for collective bargaining and to win exclusive recognition. Long-term campaigns to win exclusive representation involve identify-ing membership density milestones (i.e., achieving more members than competing

Organizing for recognition in noncollective bargaining jurisdictions


organizations or attaining majority status); political accomplishment (i.e., electing a pro-union legislative majority or chief executive or enacting a representation policy); and representation election victories. These campaigns may unfold over an unpre-dictable period of time, with individual phases lasting as long as several years.

Typical campaign phases in a long-term strategy to win recognition and representa-tion rights might include chartering a local; achieving dominant membership organi-zation status; enacting an exclusive representation policy; winning a representation election; and ratifying a first agreement.

Accomplishing a long-term multi-year campaign for exclusive representation in a noncollective bargaining jurisdiction usually requires waging a series of shorter, in-termediate campaigns for moving the local from one milestone to the next. Each of these intermediate campaigns requires milestones and benchmarks of its own, with an emphasis on measurable units of effort rather than projected outcomes. No one can guarantee an outcome of 50 new members by the end of the first month, but completion of 150 face-to-face organizing conversations with potential members is a hard number that is within our power to control.

The keys to establishing milestones and benchmarks in such intermediate campaigns are:

Identifying the most powerful issues and messages that resonate with •unit members;

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Projecting the level of effort necessary to yield the desired outcome (i.e., how •many contacts it takes to produce a single new member); andIdentifying priority prospects on the basis of mapping, charting, density, geogra-•phy and assessments.

In the example of an intermediate campaign aimed at moving a local from “sec-ond place” membership to first, the preliminary phase involves determining targets for research, structure, lists of current and potential members, new employee lists, workplace maps and charts. How many work-site leaders and activists will it take to hold organizing conversations with all new employees and nonmembers within the first month of school? What is the plan and timeline for recruiting and training new work-site leaders and activists? What is the strategy for following up with additional organizing conversations—through a dragnet of all nonmembers; by focusing primar-ily on new employees or concentrating on all 2s; by targeting high-density buildings; or by breaking into low-density areas? Organizing priorities and strategies will be informed by assessments, charting and mapping and will be reflected in the chronol-ogy and its milestones, benchmarks and activities.

A sample intermediate chronology is presented in the chart shown.

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POWERING UP | 35

2ND PLACE ORG.

1ST ROUND 2ND ROUND 3RD ROUND DOMINANT ORG.

Back-to-school recruitment

Documented organizing conversations with 100% new hires

Documented organizing conversations with 100% targeted nonmembership

Complete follow-up organizing converstations with 100% new hire potential members

Complete organizing conversations with targeted potential members

Complete follow-up organizing conversations with all potential members 2s and 3s

Conduct mobilization event including mem-bers and potential mem-bers

Complete follow-up organizing conversations with 100% of targeted 2s and 3s with hard membership ask

Public announcement of membership gain

New member in-duction event

Develop new emploee orientation 30-second message

Develop written materials

Develop theme and message

Daily defrief of staff, work-site reps and volunteers

Develop asks, tests, assessment values

Chart assessments based on conversa-tions and tests

Continue filling in lists, charts, maps

Identify and pri-oritize potential follow-ups based on assessments, is-sues density, length of employment or other factors

Daily debriefs

Chart member-ship

Chart assess-ments

Chart issues

Identify and develop mobilization/ involvement/ issue acivity for follow-up conversations

Prioritize 2s and 3s for follow home visits

Enlist work-site leaders to accompany staff to home visits

Daily debriefs

Chart and revised assessments

Chart membership

Identify and enlist potential new activists

Invite potential members to participate in mo-bilization or event

Chart participation

Identify targeted strategic follow-up list of remaining 2s and 3s

Assess results

Identify readiness & capacity issues

Analyze lists, charts, maps for strategic changes

Begin work on identifying goals for next year’s plan

SAMPLE INTERMEDIATE CAMPAIGN MILESToNES AND bENChMARKS IN NoNCoLLECTIvE bARGAINING JURISDICTIoN

(From second place to dominant membership organization)

MILESTONES

BENCHMARKS

ACTIVITIES


Where the goal is to elect a state or federal legislator, mayor, school board member or other public official, the job of the campaign is to turn out the highest possible number of union members and families to vote for the endorsed candidates. (Turn-ing out 75 percent of the membership to vote for the union-endorsed candidate or position is not an unreasonable standard.) Increasing the number of members and number of registered voters among the membership—as well as the number of COPE contributors—also should be an essential part of every union political campaign. All essential organizing tools (organizing conversations, research, mapping, data com-pilation and charting, committee building and tests and assessments) that apply to organizing drives apply to political campaigns.

Preparation for electoral campaigns starts months in advance of the election and continues until the polls close on Election Day. Typical campaign phases might include establishing baseline readiness; capacity building; candidate endorsement; persua-sion; voter identification; and GOTV (get out the vote). Many activities are ongoing and span all phases of the campaign (increasing the number of COPE contributors, registering voters, mapping/assessing/charting), whereas other activities are more narrowly confined, depending on the specific campaign phase (candidate outreach, persuasion contacts and asks, getting “yes” votes to the polls).

Applying organizing principles to electoral campaigns enables the union to build accountable involvement, participation and turnout, thereby infusing endorsements with the ”ability to deliver” that allies and opponents alike recognize as political leverage.

Electoral politics campaigns

All essential organizing tools (organizing conver-sations, research, map-ping, data compilation and charting, committee building and tests and assessments) that apply to organizing drives apply to political cam-paigns.

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ACHIEVING READINESS

VOTER IDENTIFICATION

ENDORSE-MENT

PERSUASION AND VOTER ID

GET OUT THE VOTE

Complete member, voter registration lists

100% work-site rep coverage

COPE committee full strength and procedures established

Communications and literature capacity in place

Key endorsement issues identified

Campaign strategy, plan, time line adopted

Identify likely voters

Identify resonant issues

Identify initial candidate preferences

Identify and enlist volunteers

Endorse candidate according to procedure

10% of mem-bership enlisted to work the campaign

3 persuasion contacts with every registered member

GOTV list established

Turn out 100% of GOTV list

Create unit, membership, COPE contributor & voter registration lists

Match member/ registration lists

Recruit and train building reps

Map/chart workplace

Map member walk lists

Candidate research

Outreach to political/community leaders

Adopt campaign plan (including raising COPE $)

Adopt literature schedule

Establish data-tracking system

Organizing conversations

Phone banks

Work-site meetings

Assessments

Debriefs

Mapping/charting

Recruit primary candidates if applicable

Continue voter registration

Produce and dis-tribute literature

Target 1s & 2s for volunteer asks/COPE check-off

Send out candidate survey

Interview candidates

Endorse as per proce-dure

Public announce-ment

Phone banks

Literature distribution

Register vot-ers


Phone banks

Hard candidate preference ask of 100% of as-sessed 1s, 2s, 3s

Hard assess-ments of 100% of declared 1s & 2s (wear a but-ton, volunteer, place a lawn sign, etc.)

Debriefs

Target persuad-able 3s through social networks, colleagues

Literature distribution as per plan

Compile GOTV list

Labor walks

Phone banks

Work-site visits

Rides to polls

Child care

Precinct walks

Confirm turnout

Victory Party

SAMPLE ELECToRAL CAMPAIGN MILESToNES AND bENChMARKS

MILESTONES

BENCHMARKS

ACTIVITIES


The goal of a contract mobilization campaign is to win the most satisfactory at-tainable collective bargaining agreement. Building and demonstrating member solidarity and union credibility is crucial in running a coordinated campaign to win a fair agreement, and the primary job of any contract campaign is to enlist an ever-increasing solid majority of unit members willing to demonstrate their support of the union’s negotiating team. This can include participation in disciplined actions aimed at influencing the employer—or those individuals and institutions that exercise power and influence over the employer—to do the right thing. As in all organizing campaigns, the first campaign phase is reaching readiness. The usual benchmarks apply: What is the percentage and distribution of member density? What is the condition of lists, charts and maps? Is there a sufficient number of work-site represen-tatives (1 for every 10 unit members) who can serve as the contract action team? Is there an effective communications program that includes one-on-one conversations, newsletters and bulletins, fax blasts, telephone trees, Web sites, e-mail lists, public outreach and media relations?

The major responsibility of the negotiating committee is to prepare for and conduct bargaining. The major responsibility of the contract action team is to build sustained visible support and participation among union members, opinion leaders and the com-munity for a fair contract. The contract action team provides the leverage and backing to enable the negotiating committee to hammer out the best achievable contract.

Such leverage includes building—through regular one-on-one conversations and assessments—the active support and involvement of 75 percent or more of the unit to participate as needed in the communications campaign; enlisting the active sup-port of community groups and political leaders; identifying and exposing potential conflicts of interest or questionable financial practices by decision-makers; conduct-ing public accountability hearings; involving members and the community in a series of escalating pressure tactics coinciding with signals from the negotiating committee;

preparing for and conducting job actions as necessary (including a strike vote and strike); and mobi-lizing for maximum participation in the contract ratification vote.

A supportive, informed, unified and involved membership is the most significant source of lever-age for negotiations. Mobilizing and involving members requires a strong work-site structure that is composed of active building representatives and leadership teams. Affiliates heading into contract talks must pay atten-tion to developing a trained and active work-site structure well in advance of negotiations.

Contract mobilization campaigns

The contract action team provides the leverage and backing to enable the negotiating commit-tee to hammer out the best achievable contract.

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REACHING READINESS

PRE- NEGOTIATIONS NEGOTIATIONS CALLING THE

QUESTION RATIFICATION

100% work-site rep coverage

Complete member and work-site data

Data-tracking sys-tem in place

Internal and external communications capacity in place

Negotiations committee named

Contract mobiliza-tion committee named

Demands adopted

Table strategy adopted

Internal/External messages crafted

Mobilization plan adopted

Begin negotia-tions

Begin escalating coordinated internal mobilization

Begin escalating coordinated community campaign

Identify bottom-line terms

Apply maximum leverage

Reach contract agreement

Contract ratified

Recruit worksite reps @ 1:10 ratio

List building/ mapping/charting

Train work-site reps

Recruit and train negotiating committee and mobilization team

Establish coordination procedures

Begin contract and economic research

Complete economic and con-tract research

Survey members

Craft language

Community outreach

Identify leverage

Organizing conversations/edu-cate members on process

Assessments/ debriefs

Work-site meetings

Literature/ communications

Kickoff rally

Work-site meetings/Web site/hotline

Scheduled internal communications

Button days, petitions, informational pickets

Speakers’ bureau, commu-nity events, press conferences, editorial meetings


Prepare for job actions

Apply political leverage

Accelerate negotiations

Daily member communications

Daily outreach to community/ political allies

Mediation

Fact finding/ arbitration

Conduct job action(s) if warranted

Community/ political intervention

Brief work-site leaders

Press statement

Written materials

Mass meetings

Work-site meetings

Contract vote

SAMPLE CoNTRACT MobILIZATIoN MILESToNES AND bENChMARKS

MILESTONES

BENCHMARKS

ACTIVITIES


An issues-based campaign mobilizes unit members and the community to support initiatives for improving the effectiveness of the programs and institutions that employ our members or defeat schemes that would weaken accountability, cut services or threaten the quality of services. Typically, the campaign’s chronology and milestones:

Start with identifying a problem that resonates with members and the •community, developing a solution and an action plan, and determining the union’s structural and resource capacity to take on the fight (reaching readiness);Mobilize members to take action in support of the union solution (inter-•nal education);Enlist community, political leaders, and other potential allies with the •power to decision-makers (external outreach); andBuild pressure on decision-makers through escalating tactics timed to •build/exert maximum leverage at the most strategic time (calling the question).

Benchmarks of measurable activity both build and measure the capacity and support necessary for reaching each milestone in achieving the campaign’s goal. Figuring out how to build upon and strengthen the union’s mobilizing structure should be integral to planning and conducting every professional issues campaign and not viewed as an add-on.

Issues-based campaigns

Figuring out how to build upon and strengthen the union’s mobilizing structure should be integral to planning and conducting every professional issues campaign and not viewed as an add-on.

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REACHING READINESS

INTERNAL EDUCATION GOING PUBLIC CALLING

THE QUESTION

Define issue and goal

Establish campaign committee

Work-site leader coverage in all locations

Message developed

Communications capacity up to speed

Campaign plan adopted

Educate/involve members

Exert internal leverage

Allies organized to action

Achieve public issue status

External leverage applied

Escalated pressure

Bring the issue to resolution

Complete unit lists

Chart and map work sites

Train committee and reps

Conduct appro-priate strategic research

Conduct power analysis

Identify potential allies/opponents

Develop message

Create literature / survey unit

Adopt campaign plan

3 organizing conversations with 100% of unit, escalating asks

Assess and debrief

Survey unit

Conduct work-site group meetings

Distribute literature

Assess resonance of message and solution

Membership mobilizations (petitions, button days, education seminars, rallies)

Speakers’ bureau

Public accountability hearings/Opinion leader press conferences

Paid media

Editorial board meet-ings

Regulatory filings

Expert endorsements

Community/ professional forums

Best practices tours

Political leaders engaged

Present decision makers with formal proposal and process

Set deadline for decision

Daily one on one’s with members

Hotline

Daily debriefs and assessments

Exert maximum leverage from multiple sources

Culminating mass public action

Cooperative agreement/ implementation plan

Win/Win public announcement

SAMPLE ISSUES-bASED CAMPAIGN MILESToNES AND bENChMARKS

MILESTONES

BENCHMARKS

ACTIVITIES


Campaign outreach

Establishing good working relations with other potential allies and forging close ties with the broader community enables the union to “borrow” power from other sources and may be essential to victory. How and when the campaign enters the public arena is based on strategic and well-researched action plans. Some of the fol-lowing should be considered in developing those action plans.

The community campaign. It should be organized and established with as broad a base as possible, aided by alliances and coalitions to disseminate accurate and compelling information to the public. Examples of possible themes include safe patient care, quality education and public service; all are meant to connect work-place issues with community concerns, generating greater public awareness and pressure for change.

The community campaign can take the form of public hearings, demands for public officials to conduct special investigations, coordinated publicity with allies, joint lobbying and general public education on the issues. In some cases, “workers’ rights boards” can be formed from representatives of prominent local religious, political and civic organizations, emphasizing the importance of the campaign within the community.

Religious outreach. Building alliances with leaders of the faith community helps to create a strong moral framework for the campaign. A greater weight is added to the campaign’s discussions on the conduct and actions of the institution toward its employees. The establishment of religious “monitoring boards,” made up of representatives of the various denominations, for example, can challenge the institution (corporation, school board, state institution, etc.) over issues of social re-sponsibility, conduct toward employees, fairness and employer behavior in general. Regularly scheduled press conferences, public hearings, “messages from the pulpit” and direct communication with CEOs can bring pressure as a result of potential adverse publicity.

Judicial and regulatory approaches. Pressure can be applied through in-tervention in the zoning and regulatory process, business licensing and civil lawsuits built around discovery. Questions about public financing, revenue bonds, and the role of banks and insurance companies raise transparency issues. “White papers” and other reports can be issued concerning the corporate role in the social, econom-ic, health and safety, and environmental aspects of decision-making. The enforce-ment of workplace health and safety laws in conjunction with environmental impact reports can bring additional scrutiny.

Labor outreach and support. The labor community, through central and state labor bodies, can bring additional support and mobilization to the campaign. Union members as citizens, consumers, taxpayers and potential community activists bring considerable creative energy to the campaign. Whether the activity is a rally, a picket line, a neighborhood walk, door-knocking, phone banking or lobbying in general, a significant recruitment of volunteers to the campaign increases its profile.


Local business outreach. Establishing connections with local business lead-ers or associations of small businesses will help build support for the campaign and also help to put pressure on the employer. Themes could include fair competition, quality services, enforcement of zoning regulations, the closing of tax loopholes and other concerns of citizens, consumers and taxpayers.

Support from opinion leaders. Support from public personalities, political and civic leaders, writers, artists, musicians and other opinion makers brings author-ity and legitimacy to the campaign. Make a list of key leaders in politics, business, civic and fraternal organizations, service clubs, advocacy and philanthropic groups; then canvass the union’s activists and members for personal connections. The union should request an individual meeting whenever possible, preferably including a union spokesperson accompanied by a member with a personal connection to the community leader. Another tactic is to send a series of postcards to political and community leaders depicting unit members and their families speaking directly to the issues while making a specific ask. The media and press in general are drawn to such opinion makers when statements and messages of solidarity are issued.

“Nontraditional” partners. Don’t overlook potential allies who may have a stake your campaign but may not be among the usual partners we look to in forming coalitions. These may include the local Chamber of Commerce and Jaycees, frater-nal and service organizations, veterans clubs, athletic leagues, sports clubs, local foundations and booster organizations. A members’ speakers’ bureau, especially when things are slow and not in crisis, can be an effective outreach vehicle.

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Essential organizing tools, skills and activities

Powerful concepts and brilliantly conceived plans alone do not move campaigns. Transforming ideas and strategies into effective organizing requires mastering a mix of essential organizing tools and skills, ranging from acquiring and analyzing data to moving individuals and groups to action. These tools and skills, which are applicable and adaptable irrespective of constituency or sector, serve as the organizer’s basic arsenal of competencies.

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List building and verification

Building and verifying an accurate list of unit members is crucial for planning and conducting the campaign and should be among the first orders of business in pre-paring for an organizing campaign. Even in the largest employee units, organizing involves one-on-one communication and mobilization; progress is measured one unit member at a time. To move people to action, we need to know who and where they are. A good turf list includes names, job titles, work location and department, shift, phone (home, work and cell), home addresses and e-mail addresses (work and home).

Public agencies and employers often print or post staff directories online—a good place to start when compiling names. Some lists, such as summer contact informa-tion, emergency coverage information, etc., are kept informally at the work site or departmental level.

Most publicly available lists include only the unit member’s name and job title, but not home address, home or cell phone numbers, or e-mail addresses. This information will be needed to com-municate with unit members electroni-cally or through the mail. As much of this data collection as possible should be carried out by organizing commit-tee members and volunteers speaking with co-workers or consulting contact lists kept at the work site. In addition, there are a number of commercial online services that can match names with home addresses and telephone numbers. Recent court decisions, however, limit or prevent the use of certain publicly maintained online resources, such as Department of Motor Vehicle records, for “solicita-tion” purposes.

Good lists are an essential starting point for every campaign, but they also provide the basis for build-ing turf, establishing structure, targeting and conducting one-on-one organizing conversations and assessing progress.

To move people to action, we need to know who and where they are.


Mapping

Mapping provides a visual depiction of the work site (or, in the case of political cam-paigns, neighborhoods and communities) and the locations and spatial relationship between and among unit members or voters. Unit maps show the physical locations of all unit members, supervisors and other employees outside the unit. They depict the proximities between and among individuals and groups of workers. Properly mapped turf can identify clusters of members and activists, new employees and vet-erans, hot spots and dead zones, where conversations have occurred and where they have not. Filled-in maps should be checked against lists and periodically updated. Mapping the work site—and keeping it updated—is a basic test of the organizing committee’s commitment and effectiveness.

Mapping on a macro or neighborhood basis will be useful in planning house calls and for identifying geographic patterns or opportunities. There are a number of commercial software programs (such as Microsoft MapPoint) that can be adapted for plotting organizing data for a neighborhood, city or a broad geographic area.

Mapping the work site—and keeping it updated—is a basic test of the organizing committee’s commitment and effectiveness.


Charting

Wall charts are an invaluable planning tool and provide a graphic representation of where the campaign stands at any point. Visible charts serve a motivational as well as evaluative purpose. The charts at a minimum should include every unit member’s name, along with information such as pertinent identifying data (job title, shift, work location, department or grade), union membership status, campaign status (i.e., a member of the organizing committee) and most recent assessment. More detailed information such as home and e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, lunch hour times, union history (membership or resignation dates), date of last contact, as-sessment history, hot-button issues, objections, comments, etc., should be kept in a back-up database.

Some organizers use Post-it notes, coded by color, to indicate location, member-ship status or assessment value. Others may use combinations of Post-its, colored stick-on dots or stars, push-pins, etc., for highlighting significant characteristics such as assessment, location, job title, membership, social cliques, values, motivating issue or primary work groups. When selecting the location of your charts, carefully consider issues of access and security.

Whatever the visual system, it is the campaign director’s responsibility to communi-cate it clearly and enforce its use.

Charts at a minimum should include every unit member’s name, along with information such as pertinent identifying data (job title, shift, work location, department or grade), union member-ship status, campaign status (i.e., a member of the organizing commit-tee) and most recent assessment.


Data management

Effective data management is essential for a successful campaign. Data must be continually upated and current. Stale data is useless, and reliance on it can dam-age the campaign. Obtaining, refining and updating relevant organizing data is a process that continues through every phase of the campaign, and it focuses on four key areas:

developing accurate lists of the bargaining unit, complete with contact informa- ■tion;

recording and updating data for charting, such as job title, unit, work location, ■shift, primary work group, social group, pertinent demographic information, leader status, etc.;

recording and updating participation in union activities and other contacts with ■members and potential members; and

recording and updating assessments. ■

The AFT provides two primary tools to assist in electronic data management. The first is the Assessment and Analysis tools (A&A). The A&A tools allow orga-nizers to create custom data en-try forms to track participation in union events, volunteering information on issues and pri-orities and assessment values. Included in the A&A tools is a full range of reporting features. The second tool is OrgView, a flexible database for tracking basic informa-tion on unit members, such as names, contact informa-tion, work-related data and much more. OrgView also incorporates the A&A tools.


The organizing conversation

Effective organizing means building relationships, one at a time, over time, through structured one-on-one conversations. Organizing conversations are the most ef-fective way to gather information about unit members and the workplace, identify worker concerns and issues, impart factual information about the union, “inoculate” against the employer’s campaign, move unit members to action and assess commit-ment to the union.

The basic elements of the organizing conversation are:

Introduction ■ —who you are and why this conversation is important.

Getting the story ■ —what does the unit member do at work, what is it like to work there, what is satisfying about the job, what is unsatisfactory?

Agitate and educate ■ —who decides? Why are things the way they are, who has the power to determine working conditions and policies, what role do unit members have in determining work and professional conditions?

The union vision ■ —imagine how things could be different if you and your co-workers had a voice; what would your job and workplace look like, and how would things be better for unit members, the community and the people you serve if you had a voice in the decision-making?

Inoculation ■ —articulate potential objections or the opposition’s most powerful arguments, provide an evidence-based refutation, and refocus the conversation to the union solution and the power of collective action.

The ask ■ —move the unit member to action: Will you take a stand by joining with your co-workers to help build the union, will you help create a list, map your unit and fill in the names and locations of co-workers, accompany an organizer to call on another unit member, come to a union meeting, bring two people with you, sign a mission statement or an authorization card, wear a button, enlist co-workers?

Conclude by keeping the door open for further contact—that’s how 3s become 2s and 1s.

The objective is to have at least one organizing conversation with, and assessment for, every member of the unit as early as possible in the campaign. The successful or-ganizing conversation helps provide the organizer with strategic information about the unit, identifies potential issues, helps assess individual commitment and moves the unit member to take some specific observable action in support of the union. The conversation lasts more than a few moments and should take approximately 30 minutes or longer. Organizers should be careful not to preach, exhort or “sell” the union. Instead, the organizer should aim to follow the 70/30 principle: spend 70 per-cent of the time listening and no more than 30 percent of the time speaking.

Organizers should be careful not to preach, exhort or “sell” the union. The organizer should aim to follow the 70/30 principle: Spend 70 percent of the time listening and no more than 30 percent of the time speaking.


Assessments

All campaigns are designed to move members of the unit to take a specific action (i.e., vote for the union, join the union, attend a public hearing, vote for pro-union candidates or positions in a general election). Assessments are empirical measures of individual support based on responses to structured tests. Good assessments provide a baseline as well as an accurate measurement of the effectiveness and mo-mentum of the campaign and inform decisions on strategy and tactics. A campaign is only as good as the completeness and accuracy of its assessments. The campaign director is responsible for ensuring the accuracy, completeness and currency of as-sessment data provided by staff, committee and volunteer organizers.

Affiliate leaders, campaign directors, organizing staff and volunteers need to commu-nicate in the same organizing language. A uniform assessment system helps inform that language by calibrating and defining measures of support. AFT organizers use a four-point scale, with precise definitions geared to the ultimate campaign goal.

All assessments are based on observable, quantifiable behaviors. They measure what people do rather than what they say. Tests provide the information that ac-curately measures momentum and support for the union. They constitute the “ask” that concludes an organizing conversation. The campaign director is responsible for defining the specific tests and criteria for determining assessments. These criteria may vary from campaign to campaign. Examples include:

Agreeing to sign a card, come to a meeting, provide information about the ■workplace, schedule an appointment for another conversation—and following through. Joining a committee in support of a union issue. ■Attending a union-conducted professional development or training session. ■Taking specific assignments, such as mapping a workspace, filling in a list, obtain- ■ing home telephone numbers or bringing new faces to conversations, conducting community outreach.Completing an issues survey. ■Planning or attending union-related social functions. ■Enlisting the support of clergy or local opinion leaders. ■Signing a mission statement. ■Signing an authorization card. ■Wearing and distributing union buttons. ■Signing a “vote yes” petition. ■Agreeing to be photographed for literature. ■Phone banking. ■Agreeing to participate in get-out-the-vote activities. ■

The nature of the ask will depend upon the expressed enthusiasm of the individual, his or her responses to earlier asks, and the stage of the campaign. Depending on the circumstance and the individual, the organizer might begin with relatively small asks that make it easy for the unit member to become involved in an activity, then move for greater demonstrations of commitment in subsequent conversations. In new unit


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ASSESSMENTS DEfINED by TyPE of CAMPAIGN

Collective bargaining campaign assessments.

Noncollective bargaining campaign assessments.

Political organizing assessments.

Assessments show where individual unit members are on an anti-union/pro-union continuum. Assessments reveal changes in pro-union/anti-union sentiment among the members and provide valuable indications of the effectiveness of tactics and issues employed by the union (and the opposition), as well as the need for possible changes in strategy, tactics or message.

In noncollective bargaining situations or jurisdictions, organizers use the four-point assessment scale; what each value expresses depends on the objectives of the campaign. In a membership-building campaign, for example, the assessment values might rate the individual’s standing with regard to joining the union.

Political campaign assessments measure and reveal an individual’s commitment to vote and build support for the union’s endorsed candidates.

1 Organizing committee and volunteers—Active leaders who take assignments and move colleagues to take action in support of the union.

Union member (with special indicators, such as color-coding, for organizing com-mittee members).

Says publicly he or she will vote union position, joins the campaign committee and fulfills assignments, enlists other members to join committee or to participate in cam-paign activities, helps organize campaign events, contributes to COPE and signs up other members.

2 Tested supporter—consistently passes cam-paign tests, including the most recent.

Union supporter—participates in union-sponsored mobilizations, signs union issue petitions, expresses positive messages about the value of unions, expresses a will-ingness to join, has not yet signed a card.

Says he or she will vote union position, wears button, affixes a bumper sticker or installs lawn sign, but otherwise does not participate actively in campaign activities.

3 Someone who missed or failed the most recent test; or, unit member about whom there are conflicting observations by orga-nizing staff or committee members; or, who raises more questions about the union than about the employer or opposition.

Still open—engages willingly in discussions about the union, asks questions about the union, accepts literature, attends a union-sponsored function, expresses concerns about the union’s cost or effectiveness or position on specific issues.

Refuses to say how he or she will vote but engages willingly in conversations, raises good-faith questions about union-endorsed candidates or positions, freely accepts literature, has not yet committed to voting for or against union position.

4 Unit member who consistently fails in pass-ing tests of support, says he or she will not vote yes or join, or who actively works in opposition to the union.

Lost cause—expresses firm vocal opposi-tion to the union or unions in general, refuses to accept literature or participate in a conversation, will not engage except with hostility, works for or voices support for a competing organization

Opposes union position, endorses opponent or anti-union position, argues and raises bad-faith questions, refuses to engage.

Some organizers find it helpful to designate informal leader with the letter L beside an individual’s name.

Also, some organizers find it helpful to indicate unassessed individuals with the letter U.

organizing, the organizer may attempt to move the individual past his or her comfort zone with a maximum first ask. Not all unit members will necessarily be tested with the same ask at the same time; some individuals may take a longer time to get to a place than others. But as the campaign winds toward its conclusion, the final tests and assessments will indicate a clear list of those who can be counted on to vote yes or join and those who cannot.

Assessments have a limited shelf life; they are dependent on the amount of time that has passed since the last test, the intensity and effectiveness of the anti-union campaign and the quality of the relationship between the staff or volunteer organizer and the worker.


DEbRIEfCoMPUTERIZED DATA

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WALL ChARTS

Debriefing

The campaign director determines assessment values based on direct personal knowledge or debriefings. Frequent detailed debriefings of organizing staff and vol-unteers assures the most accurate and timely data. The campaign director must rou-tinely build time into the schedule to train lead organizers in debriefing techniques and to conduct debriefings of organizers or—in the case of larger campaigns—multi-ple lead organizers.

Organizers’ written documentation (notes, contact sheets, hand charts, weekly re-ports) of organizing conversations and tests are the basis of debriefings. The cam-paign director may ask organizers to provide specific observations and assessment valuations for each unit member or to simply report the outcome of specific tests.

In larger units, the campaign director may delegate organizer debriefings to lead orga-nizers, in which case lead organizers in turn are debriefed by the campaign director.

Frequent detailed debriefings of organizing staff and volunteers assures the most accurate and timely data.

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Momentum

Momentum is an indication of whether the campaign is gaining or losing support, as measured by comparing current assessments to previous assessments. Momentum indicates changes in direction of support as well as increases or decreases in inten-sity of activity. Typical questions for assessing momentum include:

Is the number of organizing committee members, volunteers and supporters in-creasing, decreasing or stagnant as the campaign progresses (especially once the employer’s campaign is in full swing)?

Is support for the union expanding into new job classifications, departments, loca-tions, shifts or ethnic or age groups, or does it remain concentrated in the same areas?

Do organizing committee members and volunteers successfully complete as-signed tasks such as list building or procurement, mapping, recruitment of new committee members and volunteers, consistent meeting attendance and documented outreach to every unit member?

Based on documented, observable behavior, is the campaign gaining or losing steam? Are assessed 4s moving to 3s, 3s to 2s, 2s to 1s? In which direction is the movement occurring, with what speed, and where?

Momentum is measured on current empirical evidence rather than anecdotes and gut feelings. If current support for the union is expanding, the strategic and opera-tional question is how to hold and accelerate that support. If support for the union is stalled or declining, consider what and where the weak links are and what changes in strategy, operations and results need to occur (and by when) to justify the cam-paign’s continuance and assure a win.

Momentum is measured on current empirical evidence rather than anecdotes and gut feelings.

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Identifying work-site leaders

Leaders are individuals that people follow. By force of personality, persuasion, example, knowledge, expertise, general competency or experience, they are able to influence the behavior of colleagues. The identification and development of leaders—and the indi-viduals over whom they exert influence—is a crucial building block of any organizing campaign. Building and motivating a loyal majority of unit members to advance and build the union depends on identifying the key workplace leaders and then enlisting their enthusiastic support.

A good way to identify workplace leaders is by listening to the workers themselves. Leaders are identified through one-on-one organizing conversations. Unit members are asked, among other things, whose judgment at work they value, whom do col-leagues look to in a pinch, who would they suggest needs to be involved in motivating co-workers to support the union?

Another way to identify work-site leaders is through direct observation. Who takes and follows through on organizing assignments (compiles unit member lists and con-tact information, brings colleagues to meetings and encourages them to do more, col-lects signatures on petitions or cards, builds crowds, etc.), sets a courageous example in the workplace, inspires others to move outside their comfort zone in taking action, reassures less confident supporters, balances good judgment with tough advocacy? Work-site leaders are those who not only demonstrate their own support for the union, but succeed in moving others to do so as well.

Identifying and developing leaders is an ongoing process that occurs throughout an organizing campaign. Through mapping and charting of the unit, potential leaders should be identified in every geographic, social and occupational group to ensure suc-cessful communication throughout the campaign.

While leaders are the organizing committee’s backbone and core, not every organizing committee member is necessarily a leader, nor is every pro-union leader necessarily on the organizing committee. Sometimes the most effective thing a pro-union leader can do is to make a telephone call or engage the occasional wavering unit member in a one-on-one conversation when asked to do so by an organizer or committee member.

Finally, it is important to note that not all leaders will support the union campaign, nor is every leader necessarily a member of the unit being organized (some may be managers, support staff or other professionals). That’s why it’s important, through one-on-one conversations and observation, to get as complete a picture as possible of each unit member. In many cases individual unit members are influenced by several different leaders, coinciding with social groupings, primary work groups or demo-graphic factors. In cases where a unit member’s primary work group leader opposes the union, for example, the organizing committee may be able to identify leaders from other contexts (social, carpool, ethnic, neighborhood) who can bring more positive influence to bear. Moreover, the organizing committee also can identify which nega-tive leaders might be brought around, neutralized or simply left alone.

A good way to identify workplace leaders is by listening to the workers themselves. Whose judgment at work do +they value, whom do colleagues look to in a pinch, who would they suggest needs to be involved in motivating co-workers to support the union?


building the organizing committee

The central function of the organizing committee is to lead workers through a process of unifying around a set of issues to change the balance of power in their workplace. The committee is built through organizing conversations that identify activists who pass a range of tests or action steps that show their commitment to the campaign.

The organizing committee is the face of the union and should be representative of the unit in every sense, including age, race, gender and job classification. The num-ber of leaders on the committee depends on the size and geography of the unit; a general guideline is 10 percent of the unit. The goal is to have sufficient leaders who are able to effectively and promptly communicate with groups of workers in order to reach the entire unit.

The organizing committee takes responsibility for the success of the campaign. Com-mittee meetings should be well-planned and include training sessions and decision-mak-ing about the campaign. The training should cover a range of organizing skills, including conducting the one-on-one organizing con-versation, taking assignments, talking with co-workers, debriefing, identifying issues and advocacy.

The committee plans and monitors progress toward the milestones of the campaign; it should use mapping and charting to divide up the workforce so that each committee member has responsibility for establishing relationships with a group of workers in the unit. As the voice of the union, committee members should be trained on issues of union governance and operations.

Organizing committee members should be prepared for the employer’s campaign. A key task is to document the employer’s or opposition’s campaign so that the union can inoculate unit members against it. In the case of a collective bargaining representa-tion campaign, documentation (in the form of copies of employer literature, notices and correspondence, as well as notes taken during or immediately after captive or one-on-one meetings) can prove invaluable in supporting unfair labor practice claims and in garnering community support.

The organizing committee should be involved in making meaningful contributions to the campaign director’s strategic and tactical decisions. This is the way that activ-ists develop into leaders and take ownership of the campaign.

The organizing committee is the face of the union and should be representative of the unit in every sense.

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Written and electronic communications

One-on-one in-person conversations are the most effective campaign communi-cations. Brochures and fliers, newsletters, postcards, e-mail messages, Web sites, videos and press releases are all additional tools for moving the campaign forward. The campaign director is responsible for establishing (or approving), in consulta-tion with appropriate affiliate leadership, a written communications plan. The plan should include themes and messages that will correspond with specific phases of the campaign. There should be an explicit agreement concerning development of mes-sage, approval authority (including chain of command to ensure timely turnaround), approval of individuals to be featured in “beautiful people” and endorsement pieces, the use of logos and officer names in literature, and the role of affiliate publications during the campaign.

The plan should spell out responsibility for timely production and dissemination of communication materials and should build in sufficient lead time if polling, surveys or focus groups are being used to gather information and to test the effectiveness of themes or messages. Some points to remember:

All communications should be tools for accomplishing organizing objectives, ■such as initiating organizing conversations, assessing support or demonstrating solidarity.

The most effective written communications are addressed to colleagues from col- ■leagues and reflect actual unit members and their issues, employers, communities and conditions. Stock literature can supplement locally produced materials when it is helpful to demonstrate particular union expertise or institutional credibility on issues, but the primary mode of communication should be worker to worker.

Polling and focus groups may be appropriate, especially in campaigns involving ■large units, to supplement information obtained through organizing conversa-tions and for testing, messages and campaign materials.

Communications should take into account the vocabulary, demographics and ■community or occupational cultures of those being targeted. Language interpre-tation services, where necessary, should be lined up in advance.

Print, e-mail and video communications and public outreach should feature the ■names, voices and faces of bargaining unit members: workers speaking to work-ers, workers reaching out to the public.

Avoid third-party language. Bargaining unit members are WE, not YOU. The union ■is WE, not a separate entity. Don’t write about what THE UNION will do FOR YOU. Don’t write about what THE UNION has done FOR others.

It’s the workers, not the union. ■

Write for the 3s—they are the target readership. ■

Focus on concrete examples of how organization and solidarity has had a positive ■impact on employees’ lives and working conditions.

Inoculate early and often, especially among leaders and the committee.•

The most effective written communications are addressed to colleagues from colleagues.


Don’t let the boss’s anti-union campaign dictate the issues; answering charges •only keeps the issues alive and sidetracks the workers’ attention.

The most effective counter to the anti-union campaign is to re-emphasize prin-•ciples of solidarity and the reasons for organizing in the first place.

Issues featured in campaign materials must be drawn from discussions with unit members, not imposed from the outside. They must be directly related to the employer’s policies and behavior, quality of service or product, basic fairness and the power of organizing to achieve worker and community aspirations. Unit-wide literature should focus on issues common to the workplace and target broad groups of unit members. Pieces targeting specific groups of workers can focus on more nar-row illustrations while emphasizing the overall campaign themes. Avoid focusing on individual grievances unless the mistreatment is so egregious or pervasive that it il-lustrates a larger point about power relationships and patterns.

Remember that print, video and electronic com-munications should get workers “talking union” to other workers. Leafleting and literature circu-lation should be done by unit members, not staff organizers. Also, document unit member contacts related to literature—did they take it, discuss it, react to it? Were they moved to take action?

Issues featured in campaign materials must be drawn from discussions with unit members, not imposed from the outside.

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Communications calendar

Week of Jan. 7 Signed mission statement handed out

Week of Jan. 14 Inoculation predicting employer campaign

Week of Jan. 21 Unit newsletter, quotes, photos, news featuring unit members, union members from nearby em-ployers or communities

Week of Jan. 28 Departmental-specific targeted flyers

Week of Feb. 4 “Conversation Bomb,” expose employer finances or salaries, endorsement from significant political leader or community organization

Week of Feb. 11 Video sent out emphasizing quality concerns

Feb. 14 “Heart of (the hospital, the school, the day care center)" Valentine/contract survey

Feb. 25 We’re Voting Yes photo spread

Feb. 28-March 1 Election (GOTV)

Activities should follow a written communications calendars. Here’s an example:

Web and e-mail strategies

Don’t spam when there are other alternatives.•

Hand delivered is better than electronically delivered.•

Web sites should feature the names, faces and words of member activists.•

Electronic communications should reinforce organizing conversation and •literature themes of the week. Exercise discipline on what will be posted.

Make electronic communications interactive—include an “ask”—an opportunity •for involvement.

Basic information about the union and up-to-the-minute news, especially for •activists, should be posted immediately and frequently on the Web site.

A dead Web site suggests a dead campaign.•

Never post any information you would not want the employer to see or use •against the campaign. Assume everything you post will be public.

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Dos and don’ts for organizing communicationsOrganizing literature is an opportunity to involve employees in the campaign. They can sign petitions, appear in a beautiful people piece, get their co-workers to participate in creating literature and ask com-munity leaders to sign support petitions. Literature distribution also provides an opportunity to assess the abilities of activists and the level of support among other workers.

DO make literature creation and distribution an integral part of your campaign.

DON'T do it all yourself—help employees work together and act like a union.

DO put workers consistently front and center in your literature. Show them organizing their union. Feature employees (faces, names and quotes) on every piece of literature. Employ-ees are the union; make the literature reflect that.

DON'T let your journalistic or literary ambitions crowd out the employees and their campaign. Avoid language that de-scribes the union as a third party coming in to organize the employees.

DO speak to the 3s in all literature. Keep your message focused on the issues that move 3s and use a tone with which 3s are comfortable. Be moderate, positive and respectful of the employees’ commitment to their professions or the institutions in which they work. (Note: “moderate, positive and respectful” all mean different things in different settings.)

DON'T produce literature that you don’t want 3s to read.

DO emphasize concrete and realistic ways in which employees can change their work lives through collective action.

DON'T exaggerate (either the problems employees face or the likelihood of solv-ing all those problems in a first contract).

DO inoculate early and often, emphasizing the positive reasons why employees are orga-nizing.

DON'T let the anti-union campaign over-whelm your focus on employees and their issues.

DO respond to the anti-union campaign by asserting and re-asserting the real principles of the campaign.

DON’T respond to the anti-union cam-paign by reflexively contradicting specific management attacks.


The approved written plan

Every organizing campaign should follow a written plan. In the case of an AFT-supported organizing campaign, the campaign director, in consultation with the AFT regional director and appropriate affiliate leadership, prepares the plan. The final product is approved by the AFT and appropriate affiliate leadership partners, and it identifies the campaign director, the campaign goal, an overall strategic narrative, and—where applicable—what improvements need to be made in the af-filiate’s readiness and the precise nature of the organizing partnership with respect to resources, participation of affiliate staff, involvement of the affiliate’s leadership and clarification of authority and responsibility. The written plan should include a viability assessment and a campaign chronology of phases, milestones and benchmarks, a staffing plan and budget. While not chiseled in stone and subject to revision based on changing circumstances, the written plan serves as the basic ref-

When it comes to the campaign plan, the process of planning is as important as the final product.

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erence for direction and accountability as the campaign progresses. An important part of the art of organizing is customizing the model’s elements, where necessary, to fit the situation.

When it comes to the campaign plan, the process of planning is as important as the final product. It is collaborative, involving all important parties (staff, affiliate leaders, committee members, etc.), and it pools together all available information, knowledge, experience and expertise to build a shared understanding and owner-ship of the resulting plan. It is thus imperative that the campaign director be atten-tive to both the design and conduct of the planning process.

The goal

The goal of the campaign should be clear, measurable and succinct—to build a ma-jority sufficient to win recognition and a strong first contract; to turn out 75 percent of the unit to vote for an endorsed candidate; or to leverage sufficient pressure from the membership and community to achieve a fair and just contract. In noncollective bargaining jurisdictions, the intermediate goal should be framed in terms of moving the local from its current phase of development to the next, within the overall longer-term context of winning exclusive recognition and a first agreement under the high-est collective bargaining policy or statute that can be achieved.

The viability assessment

Before developing a complete written plan, the campaign director typically conducts a “viability assessment.” This determines the extent to which the basic conditions or elements are in place to justify the commitment of resources and effort needed to conduct a full-fledged organizing campaign. The viability assessment answers these questions:

Is the goal of this campaign compatible with the union’s organizational and stra- ■tegic priorities?Do we have sufficient resources and readiness to conduct the campaign; if not, ■what is required for the union to be able to conduct a winning campaign?Is there a sufficient level of interest and commitment among unit members to ■carry this campaign forward and win?

In situations where an existing affiliate will serve as the organizing platform, the vi-ability assessment also includes a section on affiliate readiness.


What’s the objective?If it’s to win recognition under a statutory basis for •collective bargaining, what makes this campaign vi-able in terms of initial member support, scale, knowl-edge of the employer and unit, potential leverage and strategic importance?

If the long-term goal is to win recognition rights in •a noncollective bargaining jurisdiction, what is the objective, measurable goal of this particular interme-diate campaign?

What are the relevant affiliate readiness factors that must be addressed?

What is the union’s coverage in comparison to the •size and geography of the district? What is the geog-raphy of the membership and leadership?

Is an adequate structure in place for communication, •assessments and mobilization? How many holes need to be plugged, and where?

What is the union’s readiness in relevant program •areas (communications, professional development, publications, work-site meetings, community out-reach, etc.)? Which areas require priority attention?

Strategic statementIn a sentence, what’s the plan for achieving the campaign objective? Examples:

To increase the local’s readiness through targeted •recruitment and strengthening its activist structure by enlisting and training at least one functioning activist representative in every work site.

To increase state employee membership in a targeted •department, job classification or location by recruit-ing, training and activating one work-site leader for every 10 nonmembers.

To establish and activate a political program by enlist-•ing enough COPE contributors and a sufficient num-ber of active volunteers to elect a collective bargain-ing-friendly school board in the next election.

To mobilize community support sufficient to defeat •the proposed privatization of school transporta-tion services by obtaining commitments from labor, religious, parent, neighborhood and other community organizations.

Campaign chronology, milestones and benchmarksWhat is the sequence of events, deadlines, accom-•plishments and decision points required to move the campaign from one step to the next?

What are the building blocks and events (milestones) •that mark the completion of one phase of the cam-paign and lead to the next?

What are the measures of accomplishment (bench-•marks) that demonstrate a milestone has been reached?

Be specific and quantitative. Examples: Recruit x •number of new building reps at x location; accomplish and document by x date how many organizing con-versations among targeted nonmembers; devise and complete x number of issues-based activities tests (pe-titions, rallies, professional development workshops) to reach x number of nonmembers by a certain date.

In developing milestones and benchmarks, “some” is •not a number, “soon” is not a date.

General oversight considerationsAre the strategic objectives pointed toward measur-•able outcomes and rooted in the reality of affiliate readiness and conditions on the ground?

Is the campaign pointed toward objectives over which •the campaign team can exercise control (i.e., “We will accomplish documented organizing conversations with at least 80 percent of unit members within the first two months” as opposed to “We will increase membership by 20 percent”)?

The completed, written organizing plan should be the •result of conversations involving the campaign direc-tor, relevant affiliate leadership and the AFT regional director or deputy director. Development of the final plan should be an interactive process that includes posing questions about details, testing strategic hy-potheses, mentoring and sharing advice.

Thinking through the organizing plan


Thinking through the organizing plan

The time line includes a sequential calendar of campaign phases, milestones and benchmarks, including standards of activity and assessment that need to be met for the campaign to progress.

Strategic narrative and calendar

The campaign director, in collaboration with the partnership, is responsible for establishing a narrative and time line for all elements of the campaign (see “Cam-paign phases and chronology,” Section II). The narrative summarizes the general strategy, leverage and tactics for accomplishing the objective. The timeline includes a sequential calendar of campaign phases, milestones and benchmarks, including standards of activity and assessment that need to be met for the campaign to prog-ress. The time line includes explicit objectives, qualitative and quantitative criteria, a regular debriefing schedule, decision points and benchmarks for evaluating the campaign’s effectiveness. Observing the progress of the campaign against a calendar of measurable objectives enables the campaign director to review, revisit and revise campaign strategy or tactics or to correct possible inadequacies in execution.

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Staffing plan

The campaign director is responsible for calculating the numbers and type of staff (including release-time organizers, volunteer organizers, borrowed staff, project staff, affiliate staff, affiliate building reps and local volunteers) needed to complete the assignment. The plan should have a deployment schedule and organizational chart for supervision and accountability. Introducing additional staff into a cam-paign should not be a substitute for building a solid structure of member volunteers. The final staffing plan should be the result of discussions between the campaign director and the partnership.

In a campaign where an existing affiliate serves as the organizing platform, the cam-paign director should look first to employing and expanding the affiliate’s current cadres of volunteers and activists. If additional part-time or full-time staff is brought in, a key part of their assignment is to identify, train and mobilize new volunteer activists.

In most instances, the use of paid staff in the campaign should be frontloaded (rath-er than brought in for a last-minute push); it should then taper off as unit members take increasing responsibility for carrying the campaign forward.

Levels of full-time organizing staff vary according to the degree of employer or com-petitive opposition, ease of work-site access, geographic concentration or dispersal of unit members and work sites. Approximate staffing ratios range from 1:500 in the typical K-12 campaign without opposition to 1:135 for the typical private sector hos-pital campaign with all-out employer opposition. These are optimal ratios, but obvi-ously not all real-world campaigns are conducted under optimal conditions. In situ-ations where these approximate staffing levels cannot be met, the campaign director should seek to identify compensating resources or tactical adaptations to achieve the campaign goal in accordance with the applicable benchmarks and milestones.

In a campaign where an existing affiliate serves as the organizing platform, the campaign director should look first to employing and expand-ing the affiliate’s current cadres of volunteers and activists.


volunteer organizers

Volunteer organizers may come from inside the unit or as temporary release-time organizers from out of AFT locals elsewhere. Their role is to help extend the reach of full-time staff in carrying out specific campaign activities. Ideally, volunteer organiz-ers are drawn from a pool of activists recruited and trained as part of an AFT national volunteer organizer program.

If and how volunteer organizers will be used, scheduled, oriented, supervised and deployed should be included in the written plan. Orientation for volunteers should include an overview of the campaign goal, strategy, chronology and a clear descrip-tion of their job responsibilities and how their involvement contributes to the suc-cess of the campaign. Volunteers are entitled to be briefed on message, key issues and pertinent demographic information, who will provide mentoring and oversight, and the criteria for evaluating their performance. Training should include a brush-up on essential skills they will be expected to employ during their work on the campaign. In addition to the organizing conversation, volunteers should be trained in capturing data based on organizing conversations with potential members for subsequent follow-up by work-site leaders.

Volunteer organizers should be scheduled for no less than 14 days at a time, exclu-sive of initial orientation, with the possible exception of the targeted weekend house-call blitz or in conjunction with training.

Volunteer organizers are best deployed in the early stages of a viable campaign, near the point where the cards or petition would be circulated. They should not supplant permanent organizers or committee members in building short-term relationships with rank and file. Bringing in volunteer organizers in the last phases of a campaign may reinforce negative perceptions of the union as “outsider” and run contrary to successful relationship-building. In membership drives where there is no statutory basis for collective bargaining, volunteers can be paired with local staff, officers and building reps.

Orientation for volunteers should include an over-view of the campaign goal, strategy, chronology and a clear description of their job responsibilities.


The campaign director orients staff and volunteers, provides skills training as appro-priate, outlines responsibilities and assignments, establishes a structure for direction and supervision, and creates consistent, ongoing mechanisms for debriefing and assessing progress. The written plan includes a description and time line for orient-ing training volunteers, work-site reps and committee members, and affiliate and organizing staff. Selected organizer training modules are available online through AFT’s Union Leadership Institute.

Training

A campaign budget, reflecting cash and in-kind participation by the respective AFT state and local affiliates, should be includ-ed in the written plan. Establish-ing the campaign budget is a consultative process that should reflect a partnership among all appropriate levels of the union.

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Justifying exceptions

There will be rare occasions when following good organizing strategy and practice may jeopardize winning the unit. These situations more often than not involve organizational competition or extraordinarily high turnover in the workforce and require winning recognition quickly, before much of the otherwise necessary union-building groundwork has been done. In a large statewide unit of public employees, for example, it may be necessary to distribute and collect authorization cards quickly to preempt the involvement of potential competitors. In a unit of adjunct faculty or graduate employees, it may be necessary to collect cards and press for a quick elec-tion in advance of a mass turnover of unit members or exodus of work-site leaders. Any proposed strategy of winning the unit first and then building the union after-wards should be discussed thoroughly in advance and include a detailed, credible plan for building strong member involvement, leadership and democracy.

Deviations from the basic standards of the AFT organizing and union-building mod-el should be acknowledged in the strategic plan and must be justified and approved.


990 Tax form required of not-for-profit organizations that are involved in taxable opera-tions. These forms contain valuable information about the financial actions of non-profit employers (like many hospitals).

1099 Form used to report all taxable non-salary payments of $600 or more to individuals during the calendar year.

Accretion The expansion or enlarging of the bargaining unit through the addition of newly cre-ated positions or job titles that fall into the scope of unit work.

Actions A demonstration or other event designed by the organizing campaign to put pres-sure on the employer. Actions are common in both NLRB election campaigns and nonboard leverage campaigns and are essential in the latter.

Activist A union member who helps build the union by taking assignments, organizing other employees or by performing some other act valuable to the organizing campaign.

Activities The work of organizers and activists in meeting the benchmarks and milestones that move the campaign forward.

Anti-union committees (also employer committees) Committee of employees either encouraged or directly formed by the employer as part of the anti-union campaign. These committees actively campaign against the organizing drive and give an “employee face” to the anti-union campaign.

Assessments Empirical behavioral tests measuring an individual’s support for the union. Assess-ments provide a snapshot of commitment and support for the union at a specific point in time. Assessments are noted on the organizers’ contact sheets and are reported to the lead organizer at regularly scheduled debriefings of employee assess-ments. See assessment scale.

Assessment scale The numerical system for measuring and depicting unit member support. AFT uses a 4-point scale.

Assignments Tasks given to leaders, organizing committee members and union supporters. As-signments play a dual role of accomplishing some tangible and important task that advances the campaign, while also providing the organizer with an opportunity to assess the commitment and effectiveness of individual potential leaders.

bargaining unit This includes either the employees who are eligible to vote in a union certification election or employees who are already legally represented by a union and are cov-ered under the terms of the union contract. The unit may include all employees or may be limited according to type of work performed.

Glossary


benchmark The objective quantitative standards or targets for determining, in their totality, if a milestone has been reached. Benchmarks are always measurable and expressed in exact numbers, absolute dates and specific accomplishments.

Campaign director The individual with strategic and operational responsibility, authority and account-ability for planning and conducting all elements of the organizing campaign.

Captive audience meetings Mandatory meetings held by the employer, as part of the anti-union campaign, dur-ing which the employer makes arguments against employee union organization.

Cards Authorization cards, preprinted forms filled out and signed during a campaign by unit members declaring their support for the union. Depending on the language on the card, the unit member’s signature can be proof of the employee’s interest in forming a union or proof of interest in the NLRB conducting an election for that bargaining unit.

Card check (majority sign-up) Procedure whereby signed authorization cards are checked against a list of employ-ees in a prospective bargaining unit to determine if the union has majority status. The employer may recognize the union on the basis of this demonstrated majority without the requirement of a formal election. The card check is often conducted by an outside party, e.g., a respected member of the community.

Charts General term for tools used by organizers to track and visually depict assessments of employees. Includes contact sheets and wall charts.

Consultant Anti-union consultant, hired by employer to train supervisors on anti-union campaign behavior and to coordinate overall anti-union effort. Consultants generally avoid direct contact with employees. Employers generally try to avoid confirming that they have even hired a consultant.

Contact An employee in a nonunion facility who first reaches out to an AFT affiliate to re-quest a union organizing campaign at his or her facility.

Contact sheet Contains assessment information on an employee in the bargaining unit. The con-tact sheet shows the progression of the employee over the course of the organizing campaign.

Contract survey A survey circulated before the union election, ostensibly to gather information about employee priorities in collective bargaining. The true value of the survey lies in prompting bargaining unit members to look past the contentious period of the campaign toward the benefits to be gained through collective bargaining.

Debrief The formal and regular meetings between a supervising organizer and subordinate organizers in which the subordinate organizers justify the assessments they have as-signed to individual employees.

Drift Accumulating loss of support in a given department. Drift is best identified through wall charts that show changes in employee commitment over time.

Excelsior list The list of names and addresses of employees eligible to vote in an NLRB union elec-


tion. It is normally provided by the employer to the organizing campaign 10 days after the NLRB sets an election date.

GoTv Get-out-the-vote effort, immediately before the election, aimed at employees who have been recently assessed as union supporters.

hard card Authorization cards recently collected from employees through a process in which em-ployees clearly understand that signing the card indicates their support for organizing a union.

home visit An unannounced organizing conversation initiated by an organizer at the home of an employee in the bargaining unit.

house call See home visit.

Inoculation Informing employees about the likely messages and terms of the employer’s anti-union campaign before the employer starts that campaign. With inoculation, the organizer predicts what the employer will say before the employer says it and preempts the mes-sage by establishing the falseness of the employer’s message before it is delivered.

Intervenor A competing labor organization that places itself as a contender on the ballot for a rec-ognition election originally initiated by another union (petitioner). Intervenors generally must show some support within the bargaining unit, although the threshold is generally low and varies from context to context.

Leader A worker who demonstrates persuasive powers and can move others to action or resis-tance. Someone with followers.

Leverage Power magnified. The identification and application of power from a variety of sources for pressuring behavior change in an opponent.

Leverage campaign A type of organizing campaign that applies pressure on the employer to grant voluntary recognition without going through Board procedures. Generally, this pressure derives from careful research and is applied through a combination of member pressure; com-munity involvement; intervention in governance, regulatory or financial matters; earned or purchased media attention; involvement of political leaders and public officials; and various imaginative public actions.

Lists Lists of employees in the bargaining unit (see Excelsior List).

LM-2 Public tax form filed by unions detailing, among other things, the salaries of top officers and staff.

Map (also mapping; workplace map) A graphic representation of the work areas within a facility. Generally, these maps are pieced together with assistance from employees familiar with the different work areas. Maps depict not only spatial relationships and physical environment of the workplace, but the work station and location of every unit member and supervisor.

Milestone A significant event or turning point that marks movement from one campaign phase to the next.


Mission statement A petition-style document outlining the positive and professional (and at times lofty) reasons why employees want a union. The number of signatures on the mission state-ment is an indication of the early strength of the organizing campaign.

Momentum An indication of whether the campaign is gaining or losing support as measured by comparing current with previous assessments. Momentum indicates changes in direction of support as well as increases or decreases in intensity of activity. Measures of momentum provide useful evidence concerning the effectiveness of strategy and tactics, the need for revisiting assumptions and operations, or the wisdom of continu-ing the campaign.

Neutrality agreement Written agreement whereby the employer pledges not to oppose employee attempts to organize a union. Provisions range from a promise to refrain from communicat-ing with employees on unionization to an agreement to provide work-site access for organizers, employee lists, expedited non-NLRB unit determination and card-check recognition.

NLRb National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that oversees labor relations in most private sector employment.

organizational chart A graphic description of an employer that identifies key positions, personnel occupy-ing those positions, and reporting relationships.

organizer Employee of labor union or federation whose duties include forming unions in nonunion bargaining units, leading campaigns for recognition and recruiting new members. While the terminology in the AFT model generally refers to employed staff, organizers also may include member activists and volunteers with more limited responsibilities under the direction of experienced leadership and staff.

organizing committee Employee leaders who volunteer to advance the campaign by enlisting and mobiliz-ing the support of their co-workers, take and complete organizing assignments ac-cording to the campaign plan under the direction of the campaign director, and serve as the face of the union in the work site and the community.

organizing conversation A planned, directed conversation about the union between an organizer and an em-ployee. Typically, the organizer listens to the employee’s issues and concerns, educates the employee about the union and attempts to activate the employee in the orga-nizing campaign. The organizing conversation is the essential building block of the organizing campaign.

PERb (or some similar acronym) Public Employee Relations Board (or Public Employment Relations Board), a labor board charged with overseeing employment relations and labor law in the public sec-tor at the state, county or municipal level.

Primary work group The group of co-workers with which an employee performs most of his/her work. In many settings, primary work groups cut across departments, job titles and hierarchies.

Recognition Formal acceptance of a union by an employer for the purpose of collective bargain-ing. Legal recognition is attained through a statutory process such as a successful NLRB election. Voluntary recognition refers to employer recognition attained outside the established statutory process.


Soft cards Authorization cards collected from employees that in some way raises doubts about whether the card genuinely indicates an employee’s support for the union.

Swing list List of employees classified as 3s on the numerical assessment scale. Employees on this list are tested in the days before an election, and converted to 4s (“no votes”) on the organizer’s vote count if they do not pass a specific test for support.

Tests Objective measures of employee union support. Common tests include asking the employee to sign an authorization card or public petition-style document.

Third party A central message in the employer’s anti-union campaign. The employer discounts the legitimate concerns of employees and instead argues that the entire organizing campaign is the product of an outside force (or third party) looking for a fresh source of dues revenue.

Triangulation A tool for building the list of members in the bargaining unit. It involves gathering partial lists from bargaining unit members and comparing those lists with outside databases (such as a list of all registered nurses in the state or a list of all e-mail ad-dresses assigned to a university domain name).

ULP Unfair labor practice, a term referring to a violation of the National Labor Relations Act or other areas of NLRB policy.

volunteer organizers Members of the AFT who volunteer their time to help with organizing campaigns. Generally, volunteer organizers play a supporting role in the organizing conversa-tion. Often volunteer organizers have first-hand experience with the job performed by bargaining unit members and, as current union members, are able to speak from experience about how having a union has made a difference at their workplace.

vote yes petition A petition signed by all union supporters that is released just before an election indicating the overwhelming support for union organizing among the bargaining unit. All signatories, in effect, are publicly pledging to vote yes for the union in the election.

Wall charts A tool for tracking assessments of employees. Wall charts, literally affixed to a wall in the organizing office, group employees according to their departments and shifts (so employees who physically work together are grouped together). Wall charts are maintained by the organizer with primary responsibilities for that department or unit. The charts are designed to simultaneously show the development of individual employees over the course of the organizing campaign as well the general trend within a department.

POWERING UP | III

Powering Up Manual

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Transcript of Powering Up Manual