1) See who wants a change.
First you need to quietly feel out your co-workers’ level of interest. Are people distressed, disgusted, pissed off, ready to make changes? No need to make lots of noise at this stage—in fact, the longer you can work on the drive without your employer knowing, the better. It gives him less time to prepare.

2) See who’s ready to act.
You’ll need to pull together an organizing committee. Members of the committee spend time talking to co-workers, on and off the job. They circulate union cards and help put flyers together, meet frequently with union staff and each other. No drive can succeed without a solid core of people willing to put in some serious hours.

3) Contact an ILWU organizer.
Set up a meeting between him or her and your organizing committee.

4) Put together as much information as you can.

• Learn about your co-workers.
  Get information on all the locations and shifts people work (if applicable)
  Put together as complete a phone list as you can
  Find out whether many workers belong to specific ethnic and/or cultural groups. Will you need to think about finding people who can “talk union” in different languages and translate written materials?
  
• Learn about the company.
  Where else does it operate?
  Who are its main customers?
  Do its owners or managers have particular community or political connections?
  If you work in a warehouse, where do goods come from? Where are they shipped to?

5) Identify issues you can talk to co-workers about.
What do people most want to change at work?
What are concrete issues you can address in a first union contract?
The organizer can help you sort this out. You need to move people so they’ll support the drive and get involved, but you don’t want to make promises you can’t keep. That will cause problems later on.

6) Talk to your co-workers and get union cards signed.
A “union authorization card” says you’d like the union to help you get a contract. Signing doesn’t bind you to anything and the card stays confidential. Your boss can’t see it. Cards are the basic measure of interest in a union. If you can’t get well over half of your co-workers to sign cards, you have little chance of getting the union in.

7) Talk with the organizer about your rights during a union drive, and prepare to defend them.
The federal National Labor Relations Act sets out the rules for employer and union behavior. The NLRA protects organizing activity. For example, it says management can’t discriminate against workers for union support.

But the act also sets some limits, such as restrictions on when you can discuss the drive. You’re free to talk union during breaks or before or after work, but not during work time.

Management frequently breaks these rules in an attempt to intimidate people and discourage organizing. Keep careful notes of any violations of your rights, and tell the organizer right away.

These violations, called “unfair labor practices,” can play an important role in your drive. You can respond through the legal system by filing charges with the National Labor Relations Board, the body that enforces NLRA. And you can respond with direct action, letting your boss know you’re serious about organizing and he can’t mess with you. Ready to keep on?

Steps to Organizing, Part 2

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