Another Reason to Take the Online Labor Movement Seriously

Puke Alert!

Have you heard of the Labor Relations Institute?  It's a very informative website.  If you're interested in finding out what the anti-worker clan is thinking and sharing with others who hold similar values, you should definitely spend some time reading the various articles and "reports" to keep abreast of their modus operandi. Just be sure to have some Pepto, wine, valium, beer - whatever works for you - close by, because trust me, you're gonna need it.

A very smart and covert union operative sent me the following email he received from LRI.  He signed up so he would get their email blasts and stay current with their latest diatribes. Knowing me very well, and having been harassed personally by me about his local's lacking website, he knew this one was worth sharing with me.

You'll notice there is no date or time included. Was this on purpose, or just a moronic mistake?  Sign up for their alerts if you want to receive these kinds of notices delivered straight to your inbox.  My contact signed up for them and clearly noted the union organization he represents. Oh, and by the way, the link doesn't work, either.

Dear *******,

We Must Have Struck A Nerve!

We ran an article in INK last week about recent social media use in union organizing strategies, and offered a free social media strategy call. The response has been tremendous, so we thought we should highlight the offer, just in case you missed it the first time around. 

Here’s what inspired our offer: 

Two weeks ago we had an interesting conversation with the HR director of a large company that recently defeated a union organizing drive. When we asked her about the use of social media and technology in the counter-organizing campaign, she laughed and described how her efforts were trounced by the union. Their internal email systems were constantly taken over by those working on behalf of the union, text messages and voice mails were left on employees cell phones at two o’clock in the morning, and web sites and social media pages in support of the union effort flourished. She had to adopt a strategy of simply conceding the social media/technology effort to the union, and apologizing to the employees for the unauthorized messaging they were receiving through supposedly protected, internal channels. 

In the couple of weeks prior to this, we had run two related stories: one involving the NLRB’s categorization of Facebook conversations as “protected concerted activity”, and another about the successful use of social media strategy against Dr. Pepper Snapple. In the latter article we pointed to the November convention of the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA), which will feature a special panel on “Winning Campaigns with Social Media.” 

We encourage you to seriously evaluate your social media strategy. A proper evaluation should include such questions as:

Am I familiar with all or most of the potential venues that could be used in a campaign against my company? 
Do I have people on staff that understand how to navigate in these venues? If not, have I identified resources who can help fill that gap? 
Have we developed a proactive strategy to engage ourworkforce using social media? 
Have we considered adefensive strategy for social media used against us? 

Again, LRI is offering a FREE SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY CALL for those wishing some expert help assessing their preparedness for social media campaigns. Phil Wilson, president of LRI, will conduct a 30-minute conference call to help you answer questions like those above. More important, Phil provides pointers on how to respond to social media attacks during an organizing campaign and even offers some surprising “old school” tactics that are very effective counter-attacks. Phil will take the mystery out of this new communications venue for you and your team. 

Some of what will be covered:

 • What is the original “killer app,” and how can you make it work for you? (hint: you don’t need to be a technology expert to use it effectively) 

• What is the surface vs. the “deep” web? 

• How do you automate “listening in” to the web? 

• Do you have a Twibe? Do those who are working against you? 

• Can social media policies backfire? How do you prevent it? 

• Where’s your social media leverage? 

Copy and paste the link below into your browser to sign up for your FREE 30-minute call. (We use the process to confirm you are a member of management. The call is not for union representatives!) http://www.1shoppingcart.com/SecureCart/SecureCart.aspx?mid=99BAC904-9C2D-4F57-94A0-BFAC05D1CC8F&pid=7986c0c442ca4d47a0e7383a47bc716e&bn=1 (If Link is broken, copy and paste to a word document to create a single line link.) 

If you have any difficulties, call Tammy at 918-455-9995. 

Labor Relations Institute 

7850 South Elm Place - Suite E 

Broken Arrow, OK 74011 US

Unions & Technology: A Marriage That MUST Happen

The following is an article written by Web Connectivity -Just for Unions.  They are creating fantastic websites and software - just for unions.  This article illustrates the point I continue to make through this website, and with their permission, have posted their words here for New Labor Media readers.  Thanks, Web Connectivity, for sharing this resource!

It’s not everyday we hear the two used in the same sentence; unions and technology. They aren’t exactly synonymous with each other! However, technology isn’t going away and it’s changing the way people get their information. The internet is pervasive; it’s in every part of our lives from paying bills to keeping up with friends to learning about issues that affect our lives.

What does your website say about who you are?
What’s it saying to the public? To your members? Like it or not, this is your public face. It frames the way you are perceived. When that 25 year old drives by the JATC and wonders what it is, how does he/she find more information about you? No, he does NOT go home and type a letter of inquiry on his typewriter and mail it to you!! He searches you on the internet. His world is dominated by the internet and tools such as Facebook. The messages he receives are dictated by technology. Does your website communicate with him? OR, does it reinforce misperceptions about unions? Does it look old and tattered? Does it present a compelling message for this person to want to learn more about your organization? Is the content up-to-date and relevant? Is there a secure sign-in for members to access? Can he follow you on Facebook? Twitter? Like it or not, this is your brand; it’s how you are seen by more people everyday than other form of exposure. It is your primary tool for communicating with the world.

And for the members of your local?
If the only reason they have a checkbook is so they can pay their dues, it might be time to consider simple things like online dues payment. Can your members login to a secure site to check the out-of-work list? Can they login and see a private calendar or documents that don’t need to be public? Can they modify their benefits? Check their grades? If you think about the volume of calls received at a typical local, how many could be eliminated if members could go online to get the information? Is it unrealistic to offer your members basic features that are available on virtually every other site they use? In today’s world it’s simply a part of doing business.

Oh but wait, your members don’t use the internet??? Though unlikely, it’s possible – much like it was possible that some people didn’t have a television in their home 60 years ago. Adoption rates are much different today than they were 60 years ago. It took television 13 years to reach 50 million viewers. It took the internet 4 years to reach 50 million users. Facebook added over 50 million new users in just January and February of 2010. Google has over 620 million daily visitors. Today’s technology is developing rapidly and the rates of adoption are far faster than for any other medium we have witnessed.

But MORE IMPORTANTLY, what about the FUTURE of Labor?
It’s conceivable your members aren’t quite there yet but it’s hard to argue that without reaching the under 30 population, labor will continue to dwindle. How does this population communicate? Barack Obama captured 66% of voters age 18-30. He has over 8 million ‘friends’ on Facebook and is still one of the top 6 most followed on Twitter. His campaign heavily leveraged YouTube and virtually any other ‘new media’ they could find. To communicate with this audience Labor must change the way it thinks and the tools it uses. Hand bills and post cards will remain UNREAD. And if you’re mailing this audience something, it better say ‘Pay to the order of’ or it will not get opened – ever.

The tools available to us as Labor are vast and can be confusing. Walk before you run. Your website is the foundation for your communication. Like it or not, it is your lifeline; the single most valuable communication tool available to your organization. Get a website that you can easily update with new content (photos, articles, links, videos, etc.). Make sure your site offers members the ability to login and manage/see their information. When members can login, they’ll continue to come back to the site which gives you the opportunity to better communicate with them. And, as more members begin using the site, you’ll see a significant decrease in phone calls and window visits. Huh, a service to them and a benefit to you; sounds like a great combination!

Labor has to change the way it communicates.
Websites, search engines, Facebook, Twitter, email, etc. – these aren’t trendy fads that will soon go away. In fact, these tools are redefining communication. 500 million Facebook users aren’t a goof. Over 90% of internet sessions begin with a search engine inquiry; 85% of the time via Google. It’s time to leverage these tools; not just for the sake of your members but for the future of Labor itself.


For more information about websites and communication strategies, contact Web Connectivity. We are an IBEW Signatory Contractor and proud union members. Our goal is to help our clients figure out which tools are best for their goals. We work with hundreds of locals across the country to help them interact with their membership from the Business Office to the Training Center to Benefits Administration – and many areas beyond. We stand firmly on the side of Labor and are here to support in any way we can.

Why Should Unions Care About the Online Labor Movement?

I was delving into the Digg and Squidoo sites just now. If you're not familiar with them, think of Digg as a 21st century e-version of the "recommendation letter" (http://digg.com) that's also informative. You see little Digg buttons or widgets all over the web. The idea is that if you read something that you like/love/support you click on the Digg button (usually at the top or bottom of the article). The Digg site tracks the number of Diggs each article gets, and as the number of Diggs grows, so does the prominence of that information in search engines, like Google.  There are many labor-related items to be searched via Digg.

Squidoo is different. It is similar to Digg in that it's content can be provided by anyone by developing a "lense". Here is their explanation of the site. "Squidoo is the popular publishing platform and community that makes it easy for you to create "lenses" online. Lenses are pages, kind of like flyers or sign posts or overview articles, that gather everything you know about your topic of interest--and snap it all into focus. Like the lens of a camera, your perspective on something." (http://www.squidoo.com) The user gets a complete overview of a specific topic that includes an article/summary along with any and all relevant links that support it. It is widely popular, and according to the site, gets close to a million hits per day.


So, I proceeded to search union-related terms.  Union. Labor movement.  Labor union.  Trade union.  Guess what the two most popular results were?  One lens about Jimmy Hoffa, and another that was anti-labor.  There was surprisingly very little on the site about labor unions.  Yet the one lens that came up time and time again was anti-union.  What's wrong with this picture?


I also tested Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com) for labor-related entries.  For those of you that aren't familiar with it, this is a site that definitely appeals to a younger crowd.  It is an online dictionary of all words and phrases slang, and anyone can submit definitions.  A few examples include: 

• Aluminum Digger - A younger version of a gold digger.
• Thanksgiving Beard - An unintentional beard started over the 4 day Thanksgiving weekend, where you're too lazy to shave it off monday morning. Usually continues until Christmas or New Year's Day. Also known as a Holiday Beard.
• Textpectation - The anticipation one feels when waiting for a response to a text message.

It should be pointed out that many of the entries can be considered raunchy, but there are many that are not slang.  When I searched the word "union" there were four pages of results, but the majority were anti-union.  However, the pro-labor view was represented more here than on Squidoo.  You may think this site is ridiculous, but it has a huge following by teens and young adults.  

My point is this.  There is an online labor movement as well as offline.  It's out there, it's growing, but the non-union proponents are online as well, and much more vocal.  Labor leaders, whether you're ready for it or not, the internet is yet another battlefield that needs your troops on the front line to protect and advance us forward.  You need to strongly encourage your members to help spread the word online, to comment on articles and blogs that warrant a union viewpoint.  (For example, check out this article, "Labor Agreements Make No Sense," posted last weekend on Boston.com, and read the comments in particular.)  Labor organizations at all levels need to get involved, because here, online, we have access to untold numbers of the U.S. population that we don't traditionally have.  Think about it for a second and let that sink in.  We need to see the internet for what it is, and what opponents have already figured out.  It's an open mic!  We can recruit new members! Attract new contractors and employers!  Voice our opinions in so many different online communities that it's mind boggling!  And think about this.  Can you imagine how the internet could have a huge influence over organizing campaigns?


Don't get me wrong.  I don't think that the web is the answer to all of our problems by any means.  However, it might just be the key to exerting enough unbalanced force that the pendulum can begin to swing the other way.  That won't happen, though, unless every union organization from Seattle to Miami understands this concept and takes steps to get involved in the online labor movement.  Locals, I'm talking to you, because you can't expect the internationals to do it for you.  An online labor movement is a grassroots effort, just like every other campaign we're involved with.  It's simply a new component of our traditional efforts - with the potential of being a very, very powerful one.  There is certainly pro-labor activity online.  We're slowly seeing more and more locals with their own websites, there are union fan pages on Facebook and we're tweeting to a degree, but not nearly enough.  


I have one more point before I call it a night.  Internationals, you're doing pretty well.  Most of you are out there with good websites (although some are better than others, but that's a blog post for another day), you're tweeting, etc. - but you have to help your locals get to where you are.  I urge you to start thinking about developing a component of your local leadership training and organizing curriculum that addresses new media outreach tactics: Email, text messaging, blogging, quality website content and design, social network websites.  Give your locals the tools and training to ensure that they grow familiar with all of these mediums.  These all define "new media" and it is imperative that you begin to make utilizing them a priority method of outreach and advocacy.


  


(For those that might already be doing this, I applaud you.  I'd also like to hear all about it, so email me or comment below.)

It's Time to Admit That There Is a Problem

The labor movement in general, particularly at the local and state level, struggles with self promotion and a positive public image. There are exceptions, particularly at the international level, but as you look down the hierarchy of labor union organizations, those exceptions become harder to find.

It's no wonder this is the case, because organized labor has been a corporate and political punching bag for a long, long time. One can only imagine how frustrating it must be to see your membership dwindling, despite your best efforts, while constantly trying to protect your local union's market share. Yet you keep doing what you're doing, because that's what you know, but nothing seems to change, does it? As a result, merely surviving unofficially becomes the order of the day, by circling the wagons and keeping to ourselves, running an ad here and there, trying to help the right political candidates win, and depending largely on word-of-mouth and limited organizing and outreach opportunities (not to mention funds) to find new members and contractors. This can be especially true in right-to-work states where labor leaders must represent all workers when a contract is in place, even those that are not compelled to pay dues.

Once you find yourself in this mindset, it gets difficult to think out of the box and come up with new and creative ideas, particularly for the long standing unions who have traditions to uphold and respect.  A great deal of the union culture is steeped in its roots and history, but as the older generations age that remember better days, and the younger generations start to come up the ranks that don't have a clue, the culture is starting to erode.

However, complacency in this struggling labor movement will be the kiss of death. It is, in fact, dying a slow death. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) initially began collecting labor union statistics in 1983. At that time, union members made up about 20% of the workforce in this country. Now it's down to 12%. In 27 years, we've lost 8% of the market share. What should this number tell you, labor leaders and activists?

Labor cannot keep doing what it has always done and expect a different result. We cannot wait for the pendulum to swing the other way, because it might not. We cannot expect our up-and-coming apprentices and journey workers to think and act like us when there's a two generation gap. We cannot operate in a vacuum. We cannot sit idly by and complain about the lack of participation by our members, and reminisce about the good ol' days when union meetings were filled to capacity, yet now we're lucky to get five, because "they just don't get it."

Maybe, just maybe, we're the ones that don't get it anymore.

That 8% loss means it's time for change. No, strike that. We've been losing percentage points for decades, so the time for change was long before now. But today, it's do or die, otherwise we'll be nearly extinct in another 27 years.

Change - real, meaningful change - comes slowly. On the international level, change has been in progress to a varying degree. They've updated their look, modernized their technological capabilities, improved communication systems, developed dynamic websites, built impressive international training centers - the list goes on. Unfortunately, this change does not always filter down to the local level.  Local and regional labor organizations often don't have the level of funding necessary to do a complete overhaul.  But let's be real here.  Some of you in the more established industries - building, construction and manufacturing trades - aren't comfortable with change, or a computer, the internet, maybe not even email.  You came up through the apprenticeship program, then up the ranks working your tools, paying your dues, putting in overtime, learning your craft and becoming an advanced journeyman, then later perhaps taking a leadership position with your local.  You are not, nor should you be expected to be, a natural-born accountant, public relations or marketing expert, or an IT professional.  However, a good leader recognizes his/her limitations, and surrounds themselves with those they trust and can fill in the blanks.


So, your union membership is withering away - where do you start?  What can you do?  Even the most savvy labor leaders can use a new perspective from time to time.

A good place to start is with your public image. You won't be able to change public perceptions overnight, but small changes to your public relations strategy (or starting from scratch with one) can be inexpensive and high impact.  You've gotten a bad rap over the years. You're characterized as short sighted, unreasonable, old fashioned, difficult, irrelevant, crooked mafia bullies. Movies, TV, comedians, books, media, politicos - they continue to perpetuate this image. Is there any truth to it? Do you think any of these words describe your organization, or - dare I say it - you? Or is it just an old reputation that refuses to die?

Let's be brutally honest, here. A few of them might be true. I would argue that "crooked mafia bullies" can be categorized as an outdated reputation as a whole, although there will always be a few bad apples in the bunch, whether you work for a union or on Wall Street. We will forever be linked to the Jimmy Hoffa's in our country's history one way or another. But irrelevant, old fashioned, short sighted? Well. . . maybe a little?  Here's a quick quiz to figure it out.

1. Is the exterior of your union hall an eyesore, because it's exactly the same as it was 30 years ago?
2. Are you still using the same furniture from the 60's, 70's or 80's?
3. Do you rely on your secretary to check your email for you because you don't like using a computer?
4. Do you believe that a website for your local or council is not necessary and a waste of time and money?
5. Does your local union have a website, but it hasn't been updated in five years?  Three?  One?  Six months?
6. Do you still keep your records in a ledger and track very little electronically?
7. Do you still rely heavily on mass mailings to communicate with your members?
8. Do you think Facebook and Twitter are just for teenagers?
9. Do you feel frustrated because no matter how many career fairs you attend, your local or council is just not getting many applicants anymore that you consider good quality?
10. Is attendance low at monthly union meetings, and you can't understand why, since you mail out 300 reminder postcards every month?

If you answered yes to any of these, then I urge you to check back next week, when we'll start to uncover some steps you can take towards improving your union's image, both internally and externally, why you should even bother, and the potential payoff if you do.