Tacoma IWW Organizing Tip #7 - Honesty

Submitted by Patrick Edelbacher on 08/11/08

When organizing in the workplace it is often easy for organizers to speed up the process. While this may be beneficial in some situations (ex: a workplace with a high turnover rate), it has potential to leave other workers misguided or uncertain of what they are getting into. A common symptom of a rushed union drive is workers feeling lied to or developing distrust of the union. The best thing to tell workers is the truth. If your fellow workers have questions or feel uneasy about their involvement, it is best to slow down the drive to catch them up and to answer their questions as honestly as possible.

Organizers should not tell workers that joining a union will win them wage increases, health benefits, or any particular betterment they may be striving for. Promise to work in solidarity and to look out for one another, for that is all an organizer can be sure of.

An organizer should remain as honest and as transparent as possible, however, it is not necessary to deny workers the possibility of wage increases, health benefits, etc. There is no need to tell workers that the union will be crushed either, for the outcome of the drive is always uncertain.

In the hypothetical, an organizer answering questions regarding the risks of union activity might go something like this:

Worker: I know workers at other Starbucks that tried to form a union and they were all fired. What is to keep this from happening to us?

Poor Organizer Response A: That will never happen to us! As soon as we sign these authorization cards, we will win all our demands in a matter of hours!

Poor Organizer Response B: You're right, our chances of winning any gains are extremely slim.  Just look at the US labor movement today; it's pitiful. 

Good Organizer Response: That's a very valid concern.  Even though union activity is protected under the National Labor Relations Act and other US labor laws, some bosses will do anything to stop a union. What we can do is anticipate some of the boss's potential reactions to our union and come up with some ways we can keep individuals from being singled out or treated unfairly.

In the end being honest and practicing worker solidarity is the best an organizer can do.