Conversation and Recruitment Training

The Video Training:

If you do nothing else, WATCH THIS VIDEO before you start trying to recruit people.

Extremely Short Version: A-E-I-O-U

A quick and dirty memory aid:

• Agitate: Get the person talking about what’s wrong (e.g. RTO), so they feel it.
• Educate: Get them to see the true cause of the problem: The feudal corporte structure and lack of worker power.
• Inoculate: Give them a taste of the talking points the company will use against our efforts, and get them able to refute each one.
• Organize: Get them involved in some peer-to-peer activity to cement strong relationships and begin building worker power. This might take the form of regular “collaboration enhancement” sessions where you get people and issues mapped out. To the extent possible, solve what you can amongst yourselves, but also keep track of common grievances.
• Unionize: Eventually, it will become clear that the only solution for the grievances is collective bargaining and a union contract.

One-on-One Organizing Conversations Training (from UE)

Goals of One -on- One Conversations:

1. Build relationships with our co-workers
   • We have solidarity, trust, bonds with our co-workers – the administration doesn’t
2. Understand their experience at work
   • Not only learning what someone’s day-to-day is like, but also learning what they value and are passionate about, since people want to feel fulfilled at work
3. Understand their issues at work
4. Connect their issues to your own issues and issues of other co-workers
   • Share your frustrations, be human
5. Provide a solution to our common issues: coming together to ask for better working conditions
6. Identify co-workers as union supporters → this can be a whole training
   • Always the risk of “spilling the beans” to someone who’s anti-union, but more likely problem is that you encounter someone who’s not sure or who’s afraid, and it’s important to proceed safely in this situation
7. Move co-workers from union supporters to active organizers → this can be a whole training
   • We build towards this with more people onboard
   • Important to avoid the “chicken legs” problem, where disparate people who could have been organizing together didn’t realize they were each union supporters and worked in isolation unnecessarily, and we want to empower people to connect to each other

How do we achieve all of these goals in our conversations with fellow workers?

• We ask a lot of questions
• We listen more, speak less
  • We listen rather than trying to persuade, which distinguishes us from the other side that’s anti-union → connection over issues shows that we know where our co-workers’ frustrations are coming from and we share them and have common best interests
• We share our own experience with work related issues
  • Makes it clear that this is a common problem to all of us that can be addressed collectively, not just an individual problem
• We share experience of other workers in industry and across industries
• We share our experience with becoming active organizers
• We connect with fellow human and build strong relationships
• We share our passion for change through collective action
• People we speak to are likely to have questions themselves, so it’s important to receive those questions and answer honestly (“I don’t know but I will find the answer”)
  • A common administrative tactic, or a byproduct of bureaucratic organizations, is that workers don’t have easy access to information that can help them make decisions about collective efforts

Stages of One-on-One Conversation

1. Introduction

   Goals:

   • To establish a contact and start relationship

   Elements of the conversation:

   • If you already know your co-worker, say hi!
   • If you do not know your co-worker,
     • Identify yourself as a fellow co-worker by sharing your position and department
       • Example: My name is Valentina, ….
     • Explain why you came to talk to them
       • Example: I am with the group of folks who are concerned about our working conditions and we have been talking to folks about what issues they are facing at work
   • Ask questions about their everyday experience at work - BE HUMAN!
     • Example:

2. Get to know your co-workers issues

   Goals:

   • To understand what individual co-workers are concerned about
   • To help them reflect on their issues by identifying the cause of such issues
   • To agitate them around such issues
     • Point out the injustice in having to endure such issues
     • Point out that issues they are experiencing are widespread (they are not the problem, the system is)
     • Point out to your co-workers they are not alone in feeling the emotional drain of having to endure the issue

   Elements of the Conversation:

   • Ask open ended questions to help you get a sense of what issues is your co-worker facing
     • Example:
   • Ask if they have struggled with particular issue
     • Example:
   • Ask how particular issue at work has affected them
     • Example:
   • Share your own experiences with issues at work
     • Example:
   • Share experiences from other co-workers you talked to about same or similar issues
     • Example:

3. Connecting your co-workers issues to need for a collective action

   Goals:

   • To provide solutions to issues!
   • Lay the blame on upper management / Operating Committee / CEO
     • Point out that management and higher administration have power to resolve this issue if they chose to
     • Point out that this issue will not go away unless we address it
     • Expose the fact individual worker does not have the power to address that issue
   • Focusing on their/our issues is a good way of avoiding getting into abstract and/or polarizing politics around the idea of unions

   Elements of Conversation

   • Ask questions about potential solutions:
     • “Have you brought this concern to your supervisor?”
     • “What has been the response of the university?”
     • “Why do you think your supervisor reacted that way?”
   • Ask questions to expose that management and administration can solve this issue if they chose to do so
     • “Why do you think the university is not addressing these issues?”
     • “Why do you think the management has not yet solved this issue?”
   • Expose the solutions management have attempted are inadequate and interrogate why they have chosen that particular solution
     • Example:
   • Ask your co-worker what would be adequate solution to their issue
     • “What do you think would solve this issue?”
     • “What do you envision being an ideal work situation, instead of what’s frustrating you now?”
     • “What would support for your work look like?”

4. Assessing union support

   Goals:

   • To get a sense if your co-worker already supports unionizing effort
   • To get a sense if your co-worker does not yet support unionizing effort and therefore needs further conversations before they are brought into organizing effort

   Elements of conversation:

   • Ask if they support collective efforts
   • Ask them if they have heard of grad worker unionization
   • Ask them how they feel about unionization
   • Ask them if they support unionization
     • Adjust references to unions based on environment (in the office? Maybe invite to get together outside of work to chat further)

5. Moving co-workers into action

   Goals:

   • Invite your co-workers to become organizers!
   • Identify the appropriate next step for them to get involved
   • The key is to make sure we have a next step and ask!

   Elements of conversation:

   (TBD)

Addressing fear of collective action

Reflection questions for our organizers:

1. Why am I afraid of collective action?
2. Why do I think others are afraid of collective action?
3. What do I think will move them through that fear?

Best Practices in addressing fear of collective action:

• Always acknowledge fear, never underplay it
• Share your experience with moving through fear
• Expose the cost inaction versus cost of action
  • Example:
    • “How long can you stay in this job if you have to keep enduring this issue?”
    • “ What has been the effect of you having to endure this issue on your work and private life? How much longer can you take it?”

Other Questions We Have?

Approaching those hesitant/fearful with leaning into the support aspect. Assuring them coming to a meeting is not a commitment to “joining the union” but more as a space to connect with others experiencing similar things. A place to vent, feel camaraderie, and support. Of course, we want people to join, so the hope would be they’d feel more encouraged if it’s more familiar. The only concern I have is this could be misconstrued as a form of manipulation if not done sincerely/carefully?

How to handle anti-union misinformation from the administration?

They will probably counter with things like:

• We can’t cover your healthcare as well if it comes through a union
• You’ll never get merit raises again and union raises are smaller than what we can do
• Overall costs will make it harder for us to hire more people to help you
• A union will hamper your productivity with new regulations
• You can’t get promoted
• It’s hard to fire bad workers

None of these are true.

1. Medical insurance remains through the employer under the Affordable Care Act. That’s the law.
2. We’re already getting piss-poor raises most of the time. Twice nothing is still nothing.
3. Preoccupation with hoarding profit is the real problem.
4. That doesn’t merit a response.
5. That threat violates 29 U.S. Code § 158(a)(3) Unfair labor practices by employer and we have the resources to press the issue.
6. It’s already all but impossible to fire bad workers. A union makes it hard to fire people arbitrarily and capriciously.