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How Do We Organize at CWA 7026? Statistics on Union/Non-Union    How Do We Organize? Questions and Answers About Joining a Union     How Our Dues Work For Us     At Communications Workers of America Local 7026, we take organizing very seriously. We have an organizing department with two full time organizers and we dedicate a large percentage of our local budget to organizing campaigns. We put an emphasis on training workers, because the trainings that committees go through during an organizing campaign helps workers learn about how to defend their contact and how to hold their union responsible after they have a contract. CWA’s Organizing Model moves through four stages. Each of these stages may last a different period of time depending on the campaign, but every campaign goes through each stage. Workgroup leaders build their organization and advance through each stage together. The four stages are: Contact: To get a union started, the first thing you need to do is to talk with some of your co-workers. Do they share the same concerns you have? Or, do they have other issues? Is there a common theme to these concerns, such as lack of respect and dignity, lack of a voice in the workplace, unfair treatment, favoritism, wages and benefits that are lower than other people working in the same jobs or industry? The bottom line: Is there interest in creating a union? At this stage, along with learning your co-workers’ level of interest in forming a union, we need to gather information about the workplace, such as a list of workers’ names with their job titles, addresses and phone numbers. A map of the workplace is developed to show where each employee is located. With this information, the employees, with the help of a CWA organizer, will evaluate whether to move forward with a campaign. There should be a clear majority of employees concerned about significant issues, the potential for majority support for the union, and the ability to build a strong committee of employees who will be willing to work to build a union in their workplace. Committee: The next stage is to increase the initial contacts into an Inside Organizing Committee of workers who are representative of the unit. Building a strong, effective Inside Organizing Committee is the most critical step to success in winning an election and improving the workplace by negotiating the best possible contract. During the campaign, the Committee IS the union. They will lead the effort to build and maintain the support of a majority of the workers. Committee members will develop a mission statement for their union. The statement is their positive vision for their workplace. They must be willing to declare their support for the union. Inside committee members: are trained thoroughly to communicate with and educate other workers and provide leadership; help collect information and talk one-on-one with their co-workers about the union; Provide assessments of their co-workers’ support Campaign: At stage three, committee members begin to talk openly with co-workers and evaluate the support of every employee in the unit. Committee members ask fellow employees to sign a petition supporting the union. The goal at this stage is to have a solid majority of employees sign the petition. Based on the one-on-one discussions committee members are having with co-workers, each employee’s support is evaluated. Recognition: When there is strong majority support, recognition is requested or the petition is filed with the appropriate agency. Most employers will launch anti-union campaigns at this stage, if not earlier. When an employer learns of an organizing campaign, the employer generally attempts to increase the conflict in the workplace and then blame it on the organizing drive. The employer will attempt to delay the recognition date to gain more time to divide the workplace. The most widely used employer tactics are: Asking for another chance Predicting layoffs or plant/office closings if the employees vote for the union Trying to scare employees with warnings of the likelihood of a strike; Citing union dues; and; Labeling the union as an outsider. Employees’ outward support of the union is crucial. Signing of the mission statement by as many employees as possible is a good tool to counter the employer’s anticipated ploy of labeling the union as an outsider. Collective support and action where employees outwardly show their support by signing a statement or flyer and wearing union t-shirts, pins, buttons, hats, etc., van increase the employees’ solidarity. It’s vital that the employer see the employees as a united group. If more than half of the employees support the union, the employer is legally required to negotiate in good faith on a written contract covering wages, hours, and other working conditions. After members vote and ratify a contract, they begin to pay dues, normally through payroll deduction.