EWOC is ready to help you navigate the basics of new workplace organizing from the basics to winning your first contract. This guide will help you navigate every step to help you and your co-workers win the pay, benefits, respect, and voice at work you deserve.
The basics: What is labor organizing?
Before you dive into the specifics, this section will help you understand the core principles of collective power, including the “why” and “how” of the labor movement.
You’ll learn: what a union is, the power of collective action, and your rights to a better workplace.
Building your organizing committee (OC)
Your organizing committee is the foundation of your efforts at work. A successful OC means finding leaders and coming together as a team that represents everyone in your workplace.
You’ll learn: mapping and charting your workplace, identifying natural leaders, and how to build a structure that works.
How to form a union organizing committee
Mastering organizing conversations
One-on-one organizing conversations are how you expand support for and the power of your organizing committee. These conversations help identify what matters most to your co-workers and what can move them to action.
You’ll learn: active listening, how to identify issues, and how to handle objections.
Organizing conversations: Talking with your co-workers about a union
Campaigns and collective action
Your campaign will succeed on the basis of escalating actions. Starting small and building up to greater demonstrations of your power tells your boss you mean business.
You’ll learn: how to take direct action at work, like marching on the boss, and how to go public.
Workplace campaigns and collective action
Inoculation: Preparing for the boss’s anti-union campaign
Your boss will respond to your campaign. The only question is: how ready will you be? By preparing your co-workers for this response, they’ll be ready to weather these union-busting tactics.
You’ll learn: common boss tactics, identifying union-busting consultants, and effective responses.
Inoculation: How to defeat the anti-union boss campaign
Election, recognition, and certification
You’ll need to navigate the various paths to recognition from voluntary “card check” to formal NLRB elections to acting like a union before you’re officially recognized.
You’ll learn: the NLRB election process, what an election takes, and pre-majority unionism.
NLRB election and certification: How to win union recognition
Collective bargaining: winning a contract
Demands are only demands until you have a signed contract. Bosses will often delay the contract even after recognition, so it’s important to know what to expect from your collective bargaining agreement.
You’ll learn: how to choose a bargaining committee, how to draft a proposal, and “good faith” bargaining.
Collective bargaining: How workers negotiate a winning union contract
Union operations and governance
Unions are democracy in your workplace, and democracy is only as strong as its membership.
You’ll learn: how to run meetings, make decisions, and keep your membership engaged.
Union operations: How to run and maintain a democratic union
Organizing scenarios: special conditions
Unionized workplaces are organized and can act more quickly than nonunion shops. When a crisis hits, how will you respond?
These reports can help you organize after a natural disaster hits, protect your co-workers against ICE, and address AI issues on the job.
Tools, templates, and resources
We’ve developed a library of downloadable templates, scripts, and reference materials to help you stay on target.
These resources include draft petition letters, charting templates, and sample authorization cards.
Union organizing tools and templates
Acknowledgements
Additional research and writing of this guide came from Abby Lawlor, Adrienne Teeley, Alex Bradbury, Amary Wiggin, Bill Barry, Bob Lawson, Chloe Etienne, Ciara Keegan, Colette Perold, Colin Hanner, Dan DiMaggio, Daphna Thier, Dave Runkle, Dawn Tefft, Emmet Teran, Eric Blanc, Gabe Tobias, Grace Reckers, Grant West, Ian Cooper-Smith, Ian O’Hara, Iraj Eshghi, James Skretta, Jane McAlevey, Jenny Brown, Jonah Furman, Jordan Mays, Kelly Collings, Larson Ross, Luis Feliz Leon, Marianela D’Aprile, Megan McRobert, Micah Uetricht, Michael Stenovec, Patrick Cate, Prachi Goyal, Rob Switzer, Roz Hunter, Ru Mehendale, Sara Gia Trongone, Scott Elliott, Sharon Peters, Shasta Payne, Terry Davis, Thurman Wenzl, and Toby Irving.
