Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Bureau of Labor Statistics Report on Union Members in 2011

OPA News Release: [01/27/2012]
Contact Name: Jason Surbey
Phone Number: (202) 693-4668
Release Number: 12-0169-NAT

Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis regarding Bureau of Labor Statistics report on union members in 2011

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement regarding the Bureau of Labor Statistics report released today on union members in 2011:

"Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that, in 2011, the unionization rate of employed wage and salary workers was 11.8 percent, essentially unchanged from 11.9 percent in 2010. Among private sector employees, the rate remained at 6.9 percent.

"The data also show that among full-time wage and salary workers, the median weekly earnings of union members were $938, compared to $729 for nonunion workers. Union women earned median weekly earnings of $879, an amount 34.6 percent higher than their nonunion counterparts, who earned just $653 by comparison.

"Prior reporting shows that union members have greater access to health care, retirement and leave benefits. Today's numbers make it clear that union jobs are critical to a strong economy. And a strong economy depends on a strong and growing middle class.

"Ensuring that all people have a voice at work and protecting their right to organize and bargain collectively are essential for an America that's built to last, where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone pays his or her fair share and everyone plays by the same rules."

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

How to Master the Organizer Evaluation


You’ve been assigned to attend an organizer evaluation, put on by your union to assess your ability as a union organizer. Regardless of your skill and experience this is not going to be a walk-in-the-park.

Unions are implementing a tough new 25 point evaluation process to screen out unqualified applicants for union organizer positions.  If you aren’t ready to hit the ground running in a high stakes strategic organizing campaign you won’t pass. How you perform here, could affect the rest of your organizing career.

These are the five things you must do to master the organizer evaluation.

1. Be prepared to write a strategic organizing plan.
One assignment requires writing a strategic plan for a fictitious company highlighted during the three-day event. The plan should include such things as; goals, timelines, bench marks, issues, leaders, meetings, employee list, volunteer organizing committee, house calls, target date for filing, hand bills, mailings, emails, itemized expenses, etc.  It’s expected to be completed and turned in the next morning.  

2. Take detailed notes before, during and after each role play.
Yes, that’s right. You’re going to be doing role play.  It’s designed to get you out of your comfort zone to see if you can answer questions extemporaneously. Most organizers excel at this, so have fun!

Each role play is related to the same campaign. In other words whether you are communicating with a worker or addressing a volunteer organizing committee its likely part of the same campaign. The information will later be needed when writing your strategic organizing plan. It’s important to remember for example leader’s names, how many employees a company has, etc. Take notes throughout the process to refer to later.

3. Look sharp! Wear appropriate attire.
You won’t get a second chance to make a good first impression, so dress business casual. Guys; wear a sport coat, ladies; dress conservatively. Shorts, flip flops, hats or jeans with holes in them are not appropriate for an event of this type. 

4. Listen for clues and urge the person to act.
Some participants have expressed disappointment with their assessment score in one category; Ability to Motivate Others to Act. For whatever reason they didn’t feel they received adequate credit for doing so during role play. Compensate for this by giving each person a specific call to action and asking for a commitment.

5. Get plenty of rest.
There’s a tendency for people to want to blow off some steam after a long day in a classroom, especially when traveling far from family and friends.  Be careful not to stay out too late or drink in excess. Get plenty of rest. Eat healthy and be ready for the challenges ahead.

By following these five simple tips you will master the organizer evaluation. You will receive the highest possible score because you will be on top of your game, look sharp, be better informed and avoid common mistakes others have made.

Good Luck!

Bob Oedy helps union organizers succeed in the construction industry by providing solutions to dramatically increase their level of performance and productivity without burning out. For free information on how you can recruit more members, sign contractors and gain jobs for your union go to => www.unionorganizer.com

Monday, January 23, 2012

Book Review of Promoting Your Union; Six Strategies to get More Organizing Leads and Union Members by Jason Mann




Promoting Your Union; Six Strategies to Get More Organizing Leads and Union Members by Jason Mann

Self Published

Soft Cover

118 pages

Union Label: Canadian Freeland Union Local 2040

www.PromotingYourUnion.com

ISBN 9781468137972

Available through Amazon.com

Promoting Your Union is a well thought out and practical guide on how to generate more leads for your union. Relying on his experience as a union organizer, labor activist and new media guru Jason Mann compiled his thoughts in a readable and implementable way.

This is an instructional book; heavily bullet pointed without any fluff. Mann’s writing style is like that of the great Tom Peters, without the signature exclamation points. There are no photos or illustrations, experts quoted, references sited, empirical data, or background information provided about the author, just a straight forward do these things and you will succeed. At less than 20,000 words, you can easily finish this book on a long plane flight. Here the author has given organizers and union leaders the essentials to easily move the proverbial puck forward.

Some of my favorite points are the importance of effective targeting, communicating emotion, improving your union’s website, creating a pull campaign, building a contact database, creating “I work at” Facebook pages (I did this), connecting with future workers, repeat referrals, gathering testimonials, creating videos for YouTube, and checking websites rating former employers. Other ideas would require research and detailed knowledge of HTML code, such as split testing campaign websites and tracking conversion rates using Google Analytics.  

Overall this is an easy read with plenty of great ideas organizers can implement right away. I recommend purchasing a copy for yourself and each member of your staff.