Thinking Strategically
Target
Workers
Middle Managers
Officers, ShareholdersBoard of Dir.
Financial Institutions
Gov. And RegulatoryAgencies
Politicians
Suppliers and Vendors
Competition
Customers
The Media
Social Justice GroupsReligious and Charitable
Other
3
Is Your Target Realistic?
Should Be Manageable Size When Compared to YOUR Resources 10-15 Ideal for Most Organizers
Are There Identifiable Issues? How Do You Know? What Sources Will You Use Beyond
The Employees?
5
Seven Research Topics
Workplace justice issues Social justice and regulatory issues Employer’s labor relations record Basic power structure analysis Employer’s financial condition The employers strategic plan Impact of industry changes
7
Workplace Justice Issues Information needed
Identify problems for the workers that will drive the social justice message for the campaign
Unfair firings Layoffs Workplace
discrimination Healthcare Pension issues Unreasonable demands
for concessions
Information needed
Wage and hour violations
Mandatory overtime Part time work Temporary work Subcontracting Plant closings ULP’s Shifting jobs overseas
8
Workplace Justice Issues (Continued)
Informational Sources
Law suits. Often employer misdeeds will result
in a lawsuit or civil action. You can search and retrieve all
federal court records at: www.courtlink.com or at www.marketspan.com
9
Workplace Justice Issues (Continued)
Informational Sources
Newspaper Articles www.northernlight.com
For newspaper articles that have a online searchable database of past issues go to www.metalab.unc.edu/slanews/intern
et/archives.html
10
Workplace Justice Issues (Continued)
Informational Sources
Safety and Health Issues OSHA 200 logs can be requested at the
OSHA Regional Office The Regional Offices will be listed on the
OSHA web site www.osha.gov
Employer violations and inspection data can be found on the OSHA web site www.osha.gov
11
Workplace Justice Issues (Continued)
Informational Sources
Pension and health and welfare coverage Search for the ERISA 5500 forms
online at www.freeErisa.com
13
Other Social Justice and Regulatory Issues
Information needed Environmental record
10K report can be found at: www.freeEdgar.com or www.tenkwizard.com The environmental defense fund web site
can be found at: www.edf.org
14
Other Social Justice and Regulatory Issues (Continued)
Search the Envirofacts web page at the US Environmental Protection Agency Internet Site: www.epa.gov/enviro/index_java.html
Environmental Organizations such as: www.sierraclub.org www.foe.org www.greenpeace.org
15
Other Social Justice and Regulatory Issues (Continued)
Major Litigation Major litigation will also show up in
the 10-K report for public companies www.FreeEdgar.com www.tenkwizard.com
Other Litigation www.knowx.com www.tracersinfo.com
16
Other Social Justice and Regulatory Issues
(Continued)
Other Litigation County and Federal courthouse
records can be checked in the city where the company has its headquarters. Check the internet at:
www.courtlink.com www.marketspan.com
17
Other Social Justice and Regulatory Issues (Continued)
State and County Regulatory Agencies Many states and local governments
have searchable databases online. A good site to discover which government agencies are online is:
www.info.gov/stalocal.htm You can search items as licensing
requirements or past inspection reports
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Other Social Justice and Regulatory Issues (Continued)
FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) The following web site will tell you how to
file a FOIA, as well as the agency to submit your request.
www.aclu.org/library/foia.html#request For a list of FOIA addresses at federal
agencies go to: www.uscg.mil/hq/g-s/g-si/g-sii/sii-2/foia_add.htm
For a list of FOIA resources by state go to: www.reporters.net/nfoic/web/index.htm
GRAMA
19
Other Social Justice and Regulatory Issues (Continued)
Corporate Welfare: State and local Subsidies to Corporations Check at good jobs first
www.goodjobsfirst.org Provides information on local and
corporate subsidies.
21
Employer’s Labor Relations Record
What other unions represent units and where.
Will unions at other organized units be willing to engage in solidarity activity? Has there been coordinated bargaining among unions within the company.
Have other Union represented in the past (UNICORE Database)
22
Employer’s Labor Relations Record (Continued)
Anti Union Consultants Has the company hired one and who
are they? www.aflcio.org/unionbuster
23
Employer’s Labor Relations Record (Continued)
Union Busting LawyersGetting backgrounds of individual lawyers There is a national legal directory
published by Martindale-Hubbell. Martindale-Hubbell on the internet
www.martindale.com
25
Basic Power Structure Analysis
Is the company public or private A list of public companies can be
found at: www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/srch-edgar or www.sec.gov/asec/cf/alist.txt This will give you all public companies
starting with “a”. To view “b” change alist to blist and “c” to clist and so on.
26
Basic Power Structure Analysis (Continued)
Is the company a Subsidiary of a larger Corporation?
Subsidiary information can sometimes be found at Hoovers along with financial information. www.hoovers.com (pay site) or www.yahoo.com once on yahoo go to
“stock quotes”
27
Basic Power Structure Analysis (Continued)
Private Companies Utah Dept of Commerce: Division of
Corporations Dun and Bradstreet
Provides a D&B Supplier Evaluation Report that can be ordered on the internet at:
www.dnb.com
28
Basic Power Structure Analysis (Continued)
Non-Profit companies The IRS list of non profit companies is
on the Internet at: www.irs.ustreas.gov/prod/search/
eosearch.html or www.nonprofits.org or www.guidestar.org/search/index.adp or http://Bbb.org/about/pas.asp
29
Basic Power Structure Analysis (Continued)
Profiling key people at public companies Top executives and board members
Search the internet for SEC filings www.FreeEdgar.com
Or find an individuals links to a company at: www.edgar-online.com/people/ or other
information on people at www.anywho.com or www.tracersinfo.com/
30
Basic Power Structure Analysis (Continued)
Check your companies web site. Companies in general are very proud
of their business. Sometimes post an informal annual
report on their web site Companies post names of officers,
customers, distributors subsidiaries etc.
31
Basic Power Structure Analysis (Continued)
Check National and Local Newspapers May of which are online
Web site that have links to many newspapers include:
http://Ajr.newslink.org/daily.html (The American Journalism Review)
www.newspapers.com www.amcity.com (American City Business Journals) http://metalab.unc.edu/slanews/internet/
archives.html Links to newspapers that have archives on line
32
Basic Power Structure Analysis (Continued)
More Newspaper links UnCover is a fee-based database of
current article information http://uncweb.carl.org
Northern Light on the internet www.northernlight.com
33
Basic Power Structure Analysis (Continued)
Courthouse Records Search the links below for federal,
state and some local court records www.courtlink.com www.marketspan.com
34
Basic Power Structure Analysis (Continued)
Identify the interlocks Interlocks are companies that are linked to
one another through members of the board of directors.
The bios on the board members in the proxy statement will list the companies that each board member is affiliated with. These are interlocks.
Often there is an underlying business relationship behind interlocks.
www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/srch-edgar
35
Basic Power Structure Analysis (Continued)
Identify the principle investors The proxy statement list any investor
that has a five percent or more holding in the company.
Identify the lenders Read the list of appendices to the 10-K
report. Often there will be references to lending agreements between the company and lead lending institutions.
36
Basic Power Structure Analysis (Continued)
Identify the Major Customers The rank and file membership is often
in a position to have a detailed understanding of which products are beings shipped to which customers.
37
Basic Power Structure Analysis (Continued)
Identify key relationships with politicians Center for Responsive Politics
www.opensecrets.org/home/index.asp Search by typing the company name.
This will indicate whether the company has a political action committee that has contributed to candidates. Also search by top executives and board members.
39
Employers’ Financial Condition Information needed
Sales Profits Liquidity Debt
Sales and profits will be found on the company's income statement, liquidity or the availability of cash to meet upcoming expenses can be analyzed by reviewing the Cash Flow Statement, and debt will be analyzed by reviewing the Balance Sheet.
40
Employers’ Financial Condition (Continued)
Sites that may provide the financial information we are looking for are: www.hoovers.com www.companiesonline.com
Read item #7 on the 10-K report: Managements Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Issues.
41
Employers’ Financial Condition (Continued)
Independent analyst reports Are readily available on public
companies. You can find them at: www.multexinvestor.com
Independent analyst reports on a company's financial performance. Often these reports project financial performance in the coming one or two years.
43
The Employer’s Strategic Plan
10-K Report First section of the 10-K report is
titled: “Item #1: Business” This will provide a general background of
the company and its performance in the industry
Company analysis by Wall Street Journalists
www.thestreet.com
44
The Employer’s Strategic Plan (Continued)
The Dow Jones Website Allows you to search their vast
number of publications including the Wall Street Journal
www.dowjones.com
45
The Employer’s Strategic Plan (Continued)
Business Magazines Such as local business journals,
Forbes www.forbes.com and Fortune www.fortune.com may also contain articles that explore a company’s strategic plan. For local business journals in 30 cities on the internet go to:
www.amcity.com
46
The Employer’s Strategic Plan (Continued)
Message Boards Message boards are company linked
lists of messages that any individual can leave for others to read.
http://messages.yahoo.com/index.html
48
Impact of Industry Changes
We now want to focus on the company’s strategy, will technological changes cause job shifting etc. Internet sources for all sorts of business
information are: The “Wall Street Research Net”
www.wsrn.com/home/companyResearch.html and “Just Quotes” a similar service www.justquotes.com
49
Seven Research Topics
Workplace justice issues Social justice and regulatory issues Employer’s labor relations record Basic power structure analysis Employer’s financial condition The employer’s strategic plan Impact of industry changes
50
Summary
Research the 7 topics Use the information to break the
relationships that exist with the target. Never try to take on two many
relationships at once. Start with 3 and then add more as
you put the pressure on the target.
51
EVALUATIONS
Do You Have Some Issues? Can You Identify The Workforce? What Do You Need To Do Next? HOUSECALLS!!
53
INTRODUCTION The organizer should
introduce himself Some of your co-workers contacted us
Try to get into the home
54
ASK ABOUT THE WORKER’S ISSUES AND
CONCERNS?
Each worker will have different issues
Let them DISCUSS the issues Get to know them before you
make your points THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
AT FIRST IS TO SHUT UP!
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EDUCATE THE WORKER
About the Union Relate the Union to the workers
concerns (The Union Could Solve That Problem By……)
How we can help Talk about the election process What to expect from the employer Ask them what they know about Unions
56
GET A COMMITMENT
Each call should be a building process
Try to get them involved Don’t Be Afraid To Make a
Return Visit!
57
THINGS TO REMEMBER!
Limit calls to 30 minutes Don’t call ahead Map out directions Bring along a committee
person Your time is valuable
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You Want to Build a Union With Your House Calls
Education Is Initially More Important Than Signing Authorization Cards
Build Your Committee! The Campaign is THEIRS, You Are
Just a Facilitator!
61
The Organizing Process
Rally the troops Sign Authorization Cards Hold an Election Negotiate the First Contract
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The Election What must a member commit to, to
win the election? Sign a card Vote Yes
The Organizing Process (continued)
63
The Organizing Process (continued)
The First Contract What must the member commit to, to
win a first contract? The Workers Must commit to acting like a
union member Concerted Activity Being involved
65
The Management Plan
If we lose the election Surface bargain for a year Show the workforce how weak the
union is No progress being made No Contract
After the year is up - file to withdraw recognition
66
What did we do wrong?
We must build a union They are the union They must be involved The amount of leverage acquired during
the campaign will determine if you get a contract or not.
When the contractor realizes that you are not the union - his employees are - that’s when you will start to make progress.
67
How do we build a union
Building a union has to begin from the first meeting.
The workforce must be educated and must be involved.
One way to get them involved is by establishing a organizing committee.
68
The Organizing Committee
An active, representative organizing committee is the most important element in a successful campaign.
It is the foundation upon which a strong union is built.
Provides leadership and inspiration to win and sustain majority support among the workforce.
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Critical Functions of the Organizing Committee
Provides Leadership By openly supporting the union, the
committee provides leadership and inspiration to the rest of the workers.
Committee members take part in planning the campaign, and in carrying out union activities.
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Critical Functions of the Organizing Committee (continued)
Conveys a sense of ownership The committee consists of workers
themselves Workers get a greater sense of ownership
of the union The union is not some outsider, it is the
people themselves.
71
Critical Functions of the Organizing Committee (continued)
Educates Co-Workers At committee meetings, committee
members learn more about the union They bring this information to their
co-workers They can respond to management
misinformation as soon as it appears.
72
Critical Functions of the Organizing Committee (continued)
Serves as a Communication Network Committee members are the eyes
and ears of the organizer in the workplace
They can tell the organizer what is happening in the campaign, what the issues are and what the peoples concerns are.
73
Critical Functions of the Organizing Committee (continued)
Act as a watchdog The committee keeps records of
threats or other violations committed by the employer
Committee members should know their legal rights and share this information with others
74
Critical Functions of the Organizing Committee (continued)
Distributes literature and signs up co-workers Passes out leaflets to co-workers Signs up members on petitions The fact that the committee passes
out leaflets shows workers they don't have to be afraid to engage in union activities
76
Composition of the Committee
Size The committee should consist of at
least 15% of the workforce If the committee is smaller
They cannot be a visible presence on the job
They cannot communicate with everyone in the workforce on a daily basis
77
Composition of the Committee (Continued)
Representative Every department Every work area, shift and job category Every ethnic and racial group Every age group and both genders Everyone should have someone on the
committee that they know they can identify with
78
Composition of the Committee (Continued)
Leaders People that serve on the committee
should be well respected Should be solid workers Should be natural leaders that others
admire
79
Composition of the Committee (Continued)
Diagramming the workplace Draw a floor diagram of the workplace
Break down and identify departments Place names of employees in the
department where they work Consider mobility of the workforce
82
Committee Recruitment
Create this committee Through one on one recruitment Seek leaders who represent every
segment of the workforce Even if a person is not initially pro-
union, make the effort to show how the union can address their concerns
83
Committee Recruitment (continued)
Don’t just recruit pro-union at the offset This might not be the most
representative group. Seek out where union support
might be weak This might be the difference of
winning or loosing the campaign
84
Committee Recruitment (continued)
Don’t surface too soon with a partial committee If the committee is to small or not
properly represented it might send the wrong message
People might think the union is a clique and not strong enough to represent everyone
85
Committee Recruitment (continued)
A critical decision is when or whether to inform management who is on the committee Notifying management solidifies the
committee and also offers some legal protection
A committee can not be effective if it stays hidden
86
Committee Recruitment (continued)
Once the committee is ready to surface Take them into action with a leaflet
distribution Remember to keep adding members to
the committee throughout the campaign
The committee should grow in strength and diversity
88
Getting People Involved The most significant factor leading to union
success is active campaigning by an effective, representative committee. In the absence of an effective committee the win rate is only 10%. When the organizing committee does engage in active campaigning the win rate is 62%.
A committee of less than 5% of the unit correlates to a win rate of only 27%. If the committee consist of 15% of the unit or more, the win rate is 61%.
89
Getting People Involved (continued)
Remember the goal is to build a union If you are successful building a union
you more than likely will succeed in winning recognition secure a first contract
90
Getting People Involved (continued)
The main way to recruit people as active participants Explain there will be only one union if
they work to create one They need to take ownership of the
process
91
Getting People Involved (continued)
To recruit committee members: Ask
The best way to get someone involved is to ask him or her personally
This is much more effective than trying to recruit through a mailing or phone call
92
Getting People Involved (continued)
To recruit committee members: Make Clear
What you are asking people to do People are more willing to begin with a
task they know they can do When they accomplish something, they
are more confident, and participate more the next time
93
Getting People Involved (continued)
To recruit committee members: Encourage
Encourage people to ask questions Remember that most people have never
been through a organizing campaign They don’t know terminology such as
leafleting or house calling
94
Getting People Involved (continued)
To recruit committee members: Tell each person
How his or her job fits in with the rest People want to understand what they are
a part of and work best when others are depending on them
95
Getting People Involved (continued)
To recruit committee members: Start small and build
The first time ask someone to get 3 phone numbers and address’s
If you asked them to get 150 they would probably fail and you will lose a potential activist
People will be willing to do more as their confidence builds
96
Getting People Involved (continued)
To recruit committee members: Keep People accountable
At each meeting check and see how the person did with their assignment
This sends the message that the work is important
Helps to identify problems early
97
Getting People Involved (continued)
To recruit committee members: Explain
How their work will make peoples lives better
Be enthusiastic about the importance of the work
People will work hard and take enormous risks if they truly believe they can make a difference
99
Committee Meetings
Once most of the committee has been recruited Meetings can begin Typically held once a week
100
Committee Meetings (continued)
Tips for effective meetings: Have an agenda
The purpose of the meeting should be clear It should not turn into a grip session or pep
rally The purpose is to answer questions, train, and
conduct the work of the campaign, which is to inoculate workers against the employer campaign
Assess union support, determine strategy, etc.
101
Committee Meetings (continued)
Tips for effective meetings: Keep the meeting short
Start and end on time Meetings should not last more than an
hour Otherwise people with families will stop
coming If people want to talk longer, let them stay
after the meeting
102
Committee Meetings (continued)
Tips for effective meetings: Meet at a convenient time
And also a neutral place Avoid lounges and restaurants that might
be to noisy or make workers uncomfortable
103
Committee Meetings (continued)
Tips for effective meetings: Encourage participants
Nothing will kill a meeting faster than a prolonged speech
Suggestions, discussion and participation by committee members will keep them interested and eager to make contributions to the campaign
104
Committee Meetings (continued)
Two principle components of your committee meetings are Training Assignments
Example: If your are about to send a committee member to get authorization cards signed you must prepare them first
Role playing would be good with your committee members
105
Sample Committee Meeting Agenda
5:00 - Report on anything new in the workplace 5:05 - Report results of previous assignments 5:10 - Discussion of the next phase of the
campaign For example, education on authorization cards, the purpose,
who sees them, signing a card as a commitment of support
5:20 - Role play for committees next assignment For example, members soliciting cards from co-workers
5:50 - Assignments - distribution of cards For example, each worker may agree to talk to five specific
co-workers about signing cards
6:00 - Adjourn
107
Cultural Diversity
In a culturally diverse workplace, this can be challenging This is important because they
employer practice will be to divide and conquer
The committee must represent all groups
Must address issues that unfairly impact one group or another
108
Cultural Diversity (Continued)
Here are some ideas for trying to create a unified workforce. Identify the leaders of different
groups. Make it a priority to make early contact with them. Make sure they are represented on the committee
109
Cultural Diversity (Continued)
Don’t delay in reaching out to every cultural group. If you wait to long some groups may get the impression the union is the property of others
Take advantage of community resources for contacts and translations. When ever possible house calls should be conducted in someone's primary language
110
Cultural Diversity (Continued)
Be sure to translate all literature. Show that the union cares about everyone.
Be sensitive to cultural traditions and avoid offending someone with certain values or beliefs
111
Cultural Diversity (Continued)
Organizers should always conduct themselves in a non-sexist, non-racial manner. The union is not a social club for any exclusive group, majority or minority.
112
Cultural Diversity (Continued)
Women, minorities, and immigrants are most pro-union
In units where women make up less than half of the workforce the win rate is only 33%. Where women equal more that 75% of the unit, the unions win rate is 57%. More than half of union election victories feature a workforce with a majority of women.
Unions have the greatest chance of success if the workforce is more than 75% minority. If there are large number of immigrants in the workforce, there is a strong likelihood of success. Such units have a win rate of 63%
113
Committee Summary
Committees are the key to a successful campaign
The make up of the committee is critical
Get People involved early, its their union
Hold committee meetings frequently to educate and train the unit
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