START YOUR COMMITTEE AT YOUR SITE
To begin organizing a union at your workplace there’s a simple starting point before going through the steps listed below: quietly talk to a few of your co-workers who you think may be interested in organizing.
This small group starts to privately discuss workplace issues, what is involved in organizing a union, and making plans to contact us, When you’re ready, contact us and a representative will meet with the small group to answer your questions and help you develop a comprehensive organizing plan.
Step 1: Build an Organizing Committee
Leaders are identified and an organizing committee representing all major departments and all shifts and reflecting the racial, ethnic and gender diversity in the workforce is established. Organizing committee training begins immediately. Committee members must be prepared to work hard to educate themselves and their co-workers about the union and to warn and educate co-workers about the impending management anti-union campaign. The organizing committee must be educated about workers’ right to organize and must understand union policies and principles of democracy and rank-and-file control.
Also at this step basic information about the workplace must be gathered including:
This small group starts to privately discuss workplace issues, what is involved in organizing a union, and making plans to contact us, When you’re ready, contact us and a representative will meet with the small group to answer your questions and help you develop a comprehensive organizing plan.
Step 1: Build an Organizing Committee
Leaders are identified and an organizing committee representing all major departments and all shifts and reflecting the racial, ethnic and gender diversity in the workforce is established. Organizing committee training begins immediately. Committee members must be prepared to work hard to educate themselves and their co-workers about the union and to warn and educate co-workers about the impending management anti-union campaign. The organizing committee must be educated about workers’ right to organize and must understand union policies and principles of democracy and rank-and-file control.
Also at this step basic information about the workplace must be gathered including:
- workplace structure: departments, work areas, jobs, shifts
- employee information: name, address, phone, shift, job title, and department for each worker (employee list)
- employer information: other locations, parent company, product(s), customers, union history