Gathering before or after work for a quick meeting is a proven way to educate your co-workers and build unity to make your union stronger. Here's seven tips to help you be successful:
1) Don't try to do this alone! Work with a few of your friends and hopefully the steward to make a plan.
2) Focus on only one or two issues that are of concern to members right now. Plan to keep the meeting short and to the point.
3) Recruit one or two other members to be speakers—make sure you pick people from different groups and perspectives. Think about what would attract a wide variety of members, not just the usual suspects.
4) Turn out members with texts, emails and phone calls. Do it twice: the day before and a reminder on the day of your event.
5) Take attendance. Collect everyone’s email and cell phone info.
6) No one should leave empty handed. Have something about the issue(s) to give to everyone who attends the meeting.
7) What worked well? What could have been done better? Have a meeting immediately afterwards to evaluate and plan your next steps!
Good communication between members helps build a strong union.
The most effective communication is from one member to another. Creating a network of your co-workers who can reach every member quickly is the foundation for union power.
Nothing is more effective than speaking directly with co-workers. However, when that's not possible, leaflets, email, phone calls and texting are all useful substitutes.
Regardless of what form of communication you use, keep it short and to the point. "Who?" "What?" "When?" "Where?" and "Why?" is usually what members want to know, so try to keep your message to those basic points.
Group texts and Whatsapp groups create a channel for easy two-way communications. Use them to share information on building issues, grievance updates, schedule changes, and upcoming meetings or actions.