So once again it’s time for a Local meeting and once again
the same three or four people show up who always show up. It’s enough to make you doubt your own
resolve.
What’s a local to do?
I recently watched a video entitled “History of Activism –
Causes.com” (you can find it at
History of Activism - Causes.com). This video takes us on a short tour of human activism from
400 BC to the 1990 and the fall of the Berlin wall.
It goes on to talk about timeless principals of grass roots
organizing and it was this part of the video that caught my attention and it is
these four principals which I want to bring to you.
Bring together people
who have shared interests.
Form common identity
through dialogue.
Build capacity by
distributing responsibility to as many people as possible.
Act collectively to
exercise influence.
That’s when it became clear to me. As Union leaders we need to take these
principals and apply them to our Locals.
Bring together people
who have shared interests. Each and every member in your local has shared
interests and it is in their best interest and the interest of their fellow
members to come together.
Form common identity
through dialogue. We spend the
majority of our lives identifying ourselves as individuals that many of us have
forgotten what it means to truly belong to a greater cause. Many of us need reminding.
Build capacity by
distributing responsibility to as many people as possible. Do you tell members what the Local expects of
them? Do they know what is required of a
member? Do they know how they can support the efforts of the group? And if they
don’t, how will they ever succeed as members?
Make everyone in the group personally and individually responsible for
the results attained by the group.
Act collectively to
exercise influence. Let’s face
it. The Boss has more money and more
people who are willing to not only jump when he says so; they are climbing over
each other to see how high they can go.
Yet when it comes to sheer numbers the Local wins but only if it can
forge those numbers into a solid wall of force.
It can be done. I know we have
all heard about it, read about, maybe even seen it.
So how do we go about putting this into place?
1. Communicate with
your members on a regular basis. Don’t
wait for them to come to you. If you do
you will never see them until it’s time to file a grievance. Publish something on a regular basis, a
newsletter, a blog, website, a letter, something to let them know that you are
still out there fighting. Tell them what
is going on and what is coming up.
Invite their comment and invite them to a meeting. Make sure to let them know when and where.
2. Tell them what the
Local does, will do and can do. Most of
your members probably have a distorted view or expectation of what to expect
from the Local. I can’t count the times
I have had a member demand to know what the Union did for their money. By the way, if you don’t know how to answer
this question, contact me at
mhough@unionbastards.com.
3. Make sure they
understand what the Local and the Union expect of them. It is guaranteed that if you do not do this
you will never achieve the results you desire.
If you don’t already, I highly recommend you swear every new member in
at least once if not more often. It
serves to remind everyone of the obligation that a member incurs as well as
helping to create and foster that common identity that was mentioned earlier.
It takes hard work and tireless dedication to keep a group
together long enough just to get a CBA in place and it takes twice as much work
to hold on to everything your members have fought to gain.
Keep up the good fight.
Michael P. Hough
