Unionism 101

What is unionism?

Unionism is the act and principles of workers uniting in the workplace over common issues, pooling their leverage over the bosses to improve their working conditions and defend those gains.

What is organizing?

Organizing is the act of building structure in the workplace as a vehicle to advance issue-based campaigns that can build unity, win union verification, and ultimately win gains at the bargaining table.

For more on organizing non-union shops, go here.

What is internal organizing?

Internal organizing is the same as organizing, only in workplaces which are already union. Even after a union election is won, the organizing needs to continue if it’s going to be a democratic union led by workers and not insulated bureaucrats!

For resources on internal organizing, go here.

What is an organizing conversation?

An organizing conversation is the building block of workplace organizing. It is a structured, time-tested process. It is commonly said to consist of 30% talking, 70% listening, and always concludes with a specific “ask.”

Learn and practice the steps to an organizing conversation here.

What is an organizing committee?

An organizing committee is a group of workplace leaders who make a plan to organize their workplaces and then carry it out. The organizing conversation mentioned above is an essential tool in building this type of committee. Building this type of committee is a prerequisite to building power on the shop floor.

For first steps on building an organizing committee, go here.

What is a shop steward?

A shop steward has many roles: mediator, representative, question-answerer, but above all, it is the organizer of a union workplace.

For a more in-depth description of the skills and tasks of a steward, checkout UFCW’s steward handbook here.

For more on the basics

And other important information not mentioned here, check out the AFLCIO’s PowerTools website and the many resources provided by the militants at United Electrical.

Know your rights!

Section 7

Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act protects workers from discrimination and retaliation when they are engaging in certain ‘concerted activity,’ or, actions taken with one or more of your coworkers to improve your work conditions.

The scope of these protected activities is fairly expansive, being more or less robust depending on the administration in the white house and their attitude towards labor, but includes discussing your work conditions with your coworkers, circulating fliers and other union material during non working hours and in non working spaces, and wearing pro-union or issue specific pins on your work uniform.

For a basic guide to the NLRA, go here.

For a PDF brochure on the NLRB, the primary legal enforcers of the NLRA, go here.