education10.htm

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Turning Negatives into Positives

A log of employers these days are promoting "inspirational" slogans that usually come down to "Work Harder, Work Cheaper, Be More Obedient." But one promising slogan that is making the rounds is worth applying to steward activities: Take a Negative and Make It a Positive.

Here's one real-life way to do it.

A group of stewards was commiserating with each other over the lack of support they got from the members. At issue was the deduction of union dues from a lump sum that their national union had negotiated in place of a wage increase as part of a new contract. The contract was ratified - by a large margin - by many of the same members who were now loudly complaining about the dues deduction.

The stewards were bewildered by the inability of their "inactive" members - those who pay union dues as required by the union contract but who otherwise pay no attention to the activities or importance of their union - to comprehend one apparently simple fact: the lump sum, like all of the other improvements and protections negotiated in the contract, was negotiated by them, by their union, which must have financial support if it's going to succeed.

Sound familiar? Of course it does.

Questions over dues deductions reflect both a fundamental lack of understanding of the union, and an even more serious inability to understand one of Life's Big Questions: what comes from where, and why?

Stewards who are besieged by unhappy members have to create an action plan, using these complaints to strengthen the union.

Keep in mind that while the case we're talking about here involved a dues deduction, the action plan can be applied to any number of situations in which members have a beef about the union's work.

Improve Communications

In many ways, the confusion about the dues deduction reflected an information vacuum in the workplace, an empty space that is always quickly filled up by gossip, rumors and employer propaganda. To counteract this, once a new contact is signed stewards should prepare a "talk sheet" - a list of points about the new contract. Each steward could use these points when approached by a co-worker, in this case a disgruntled dues-payer. Having a consistent approach will help stifle rumors and management propaganda while the preparation of the sheets by a group of stewards will allow each to them to contribute unique responses to be shared by the group. The talk sheet could summarize all the improvements won in negotiations, stressing the importance of membership involvement during bargaining. The sheet could point out that if an hourly raise had been gained instead of the lump sum, the dues would have been deducted throughout the year anyway, so the deduction from the lump sum is nothing unique.

Informal Education

It became obvious that most of the union's dues-payers had no idea of how the union functioned as a whole. Stewards should consider conducting regular member educational sessions to cover various points about the contract and about the structure of the union.

New Patterns of Union Meetings

Demographic shifts in the workforce, and expansion of union jurisdictions, frequently make it a challenge for even the most loyal and dedicated members to make it to regular union meetings. It might help boost participation by having meetings in the workplace, where appropriate - before work, during lunch or right after work. Another possibility, for reaching members who don't come to meetings, is to send out e-mail messages to members on a regular basis.

Union appreciation

Many members covered by the union contract have forgotten just how cold the outside world really is. An excellent educational activity is to produce comparisons between non-union jobs - particularly in the same industry - and union jobs. Call it "The job's the same, the union's the difference" and keep telling the members about the value of their organization.

Let your members vividly understand just how far ahead they are. In the same vein, if you have some members who were working before the union was organized, schedule regular times for them to recall the bad old days for the members who have always enjoyed the protection of the contract. Such memoirs are great additions to any new member kits.

Consistent Activity

Don't allow the union to be seen as visible and active only when a new contract is to be negotiated. With long contract terms, long periods of apparent inactivity need to be filled by consistent - and persistent - union educational and
organizational activities.

And always remember another of the inspirational slogans: overcome obstacles. The confusion of the members is an opportunity for the leadership, so look at their complaints as just one more mountain to move. Get yourselves together and make it happen!

--Bill Barry. The writer is director of labor studies a the Community College of Baltimore County, Maryland. Thanks to the members of CWA Local 2107 (Annapolis, MD) for their help in preparing this article.

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