Why Labor Unions Aren't Using Social Media - Top 10 Revisited

If you are familiar with my article entitled The Top Ten Reasons Unions Aren't Using Social Media (which is conveniently posted right before this one in case you aren't), what follows is the kinder, gentler version of it.  Tom Campbell, publisher/editor of Western New York's online-line regional labor newspaper WNY Labor Today, encouraged me to soften up the original in order to publish it on his site. So, what you will find below is the result of taking the Top Ten article and mixing it well with a spoonful of sugar to ensure it was more palatable to a larger audience.  The final product, I must admit, is pretty damn good.  Tom, thank you for putting the finishing touches on it for better presentation!

I recently met the business manager for a U.A. Local out of Wisconsin and after we started chatting, I asked him (as I do almost all Labor Leaders these days) if his Local was on Facebook or Twitter.  He laughed out loud and said, “Are you kidding me?  Hell no, we’re not doing that!  Why would I want to tell people what we’re doing all the time?  No one cares about what we had for lunch or what kind of steel toe boots I’m wearing today.  Besides, why would we open ourselves up to possible attacks?  I don’t want any idiots contacting us.” 

I get this a lot. 

So I asked: “Do you maintain an e-mail list of all of your members and use it to blast e-mails out to the entire membership for organizing efforts, get-out-the-vote campaigns, newsletters, announcements, etc.?”

The answer in most instances is a resounding, “No.” 

However, this guy actually said, “Yes” – and meant it!  So I give him credit for that - I really do.

What I’ve found is that Local Unions are often led by older leaders who are steadfast in their unwavering dedication to upholding traditions of the past.  The Local is structured and managed in much the same way it was 20 or 30 years ago.  Work is down, membership is down and dues are down.  And not enough younger members are moving up the ranks fast enough to help influence or encourage change.

I’ve also found Labor Leaders to be satisfied with their techie prowess if they have an e-mail address and/or an iPhone and use it to read their e-mails.

I’ve also found that Labor Leaders consider their Local to be “progressive” if they have a website (even if it hasn’t changed in the past five years or more and still posts an announcement on its home page about an “upcoming” Labor Day picnic that occurred back in 2006). 

I’ve also found that Labor Leaders think Facebook and Twitter are for “kids” and are a fad.  They don’t trust the Internet and are afraid of putting their Local’s information out in a very public way.  And Labor Leaders who are not experienced in using the Internet and/or social networking may feel threatened by those who do. 

Those who aren’t familiar or comfortable with social media and networking assume that it would be cost-prohibitive.  Of course, operating funds are tight these days, so “playing” on the internet isn’t worth the imagined cost.  And the Internationals aren’t pushing social networking down to the local level. 

So, International leaders, listen up!  

It isn’t good enough to be incorporating social networking on just your level.

The excuses I usually hear concerning why a Local Union is not maintaining a social media presence includes: “I don’t know, we just don’t;” “No, we set up phone banks or we do a mass mailing;” “We tried e-mail alerts, but our older members often don’t have an e-mail address or they don’t want to give it our; “None of our members are on there; “Blog?  What in the world is a blog?,” and“Facebook is dangerous.” 

Oy vey - Social media is not a fad, folks.  It’s here to stay, and every expert will tell you that it has forever changed – significantly changed – the way we communicate in this country and around the world. 

The established Labor Movement needs to recognize and accept this if we want to take a step towards establishing relevancy to our members under the age of 45, corporate partners (those we currently have relationships with and those with which we want to), voters and future members. 

If we don’t, then we’re missing out on a very important and quickly growing component of our cause – the On-Line Labor Movement. 

It’s already happening. 

It’s already moving. 

The question is – do you want to be a part of it?

If you’re still skeptical, consider this: Almost 45% of Americans have a Facebook account.  This equals 128,936,800 U.S. residents and the top three age groups utilizing Facebook – combined - represent the ages of 18-44, making up 66% of all Facebook users.

Chances are that every single Labor Leader that is elected into office after the year 2030 is actively taking part in on-line social media right now. 

They learn about current events on-line, they send birthday cards on-line, pay their bills on-line, download their music on-line, order groceries on-line, talk to their friends on-line, find their spouses on-line, apply for mortgages on-line and look for employment on-line. 

Everything they do, learn, and seek out revolves around the internet – except possibly you.

So - how do you plan to reach, recruit and inspire our future Union Brothers and Sisters to join and lead this movement that we’ve fought so hard to preserve?  

Don’t be afraid to think out of the proverbial box on this one. 

Be progressive. 

Lead by example. 

Start to take steps to get Labor’s story out there, because if you don’t take the leap into social media, then you’ll be losing out on the best and brightest young minds that might one day be running this Labor Movement. 

Do you know who won’t lose out? 

You can be rest assured that the Walmarts, Mott’s, Dunkin Donuts, BPs, Microsofts, Starbucks, and Fed Ex’s of the world certainly won’t.

Internationals, you have to give your locals the tools necessary to utilize it. 

The next time you host a conference, convention or workshop for your local leaders and staff, add a Social Networking 101 break-out session to the mix. 

When you have all of your International Training Directors and Instructors in town for atrain-the-trainer conference, add Social Networking 101 to the agenda. 

You have to teach them how to do it and give them enough support and exposure to it so that they’ll be more comfortable with the topic. 

Show them examples of successful initiatives. 

Show them what you’re doing.

Put them in a classroom that is set up with laptops and walk them through the process, step-by-step of setting up a social networking profile. 

Explain the differences in social networking sites. 

Help them start to add friends and followers. 

Most importantly, ensure there’s someone on your International’s staff that is dedicated to social media and can provide guidance and assistance to Locals when they need it – training, troubleshooting, encouragement and referrals to other Labor Organizations that are doing well with it.

You - our leaders - are masters of your Trades: Plumbers, Electricians, Laborers, Teachers, Cooks, Painters, Operating Engineers, Nurses, Government Workers, Miners, Steelworkers, Sheet Metal Workers and Pilots.  They are Writers, Musicians, Bricklayers, Carpenters, Instrument Technicians, Actors, Barbers, Shipbuilders, Insulation Workers, Embalmers, Millwrights and Fitters. 

The list goes on and on.

What our leaders are not are Public Relations experts – nor should they be. 

We’re notorious for not telling our story in a pro-active way, because we’re always playing defense.  But given the current economic climate in this country, and a steadily declining percentage of the marketplace, we better become experts – and fast – and it’s up to the Internationals to see that we do. 

Social media and networking are tools for combating the negative reputation Labor Unions have carried on their backs for decades - true or not. 

They are very important tools that we cannot afford to ignore any longer.

The Top Ten List of Reasons Why Unions Aren't Using Social Media

I am continually surprised at the answers I typically get when I ask local union leaders the follow question:

“Do you maintain an email list of all of your members, and use it to blast emails out to the entire membership for organizing efforts, get-out-the-vote campaigns, newsletters, announcements, etc?” 

The answer in every instance has been: No.

The excuses:

“I don’t know, we just don’t.”   At least they’re honest.

“No, we set up phone banks or we do a mass mailing.”  Now this is what I call running a tight ship.  Let’s spend valuable staff time on the phone calling people, particularly when most don’t even answer their phones anymore.  Mass mailings are even more absurd.  On one hand, you can spend several hundred, if not thousands of dollars (and union dues) on postage for a mass mail out.  On the other hand, you can blast an email out for – free.  Where is the logic here?

“We tried, but our older members often don’t have an email address, or they don’t want to give it out.”  Well, then you simply won’t have an email address for them.  Do you let that stop you from gathering everyone else’s?  Here’s a suggestion. Ask for it when a new member fills out paperwork, right next to address and phone number.  I noticed last week that an IBEW local had it on their application, but they admitted that the don’t require it.  Make it mandatory.  The large majority of new members and apprentices will have an email address.  They probably have a Facebook and/or Twitter account as well, which is why you, my friend (and I say this with great respect and admiration) are missing the boat, stuck in the past and putting your local on life support in the not-to-distant future, if it isn’t already.  This may surprise a few people, but email is old school.  It’s slowly losing ground to the Facebooks and Twitters of the world.  My point?  If you’re not even doing mass email blasts yet, you’re very far behind the eight ball and have some serious catching up to do. 

Social media is not a fad, folks.  It’s here to stay, and every expert will tell you that it has forever changed – significantly changed – the way we communicate in this country and around the world.  The labor movement needs to get their collective social media act together pronto if we want to take a step towards establishing relevancy to our corporate partners, those we currently have relationships with, and those with which we want to.

If you’re still skeptical, consider this:

• Almost 45% of Americans have a Facebook account. This equals 128,936,800 U.S. residents.   
• The top three age groups utilizing Facebook combined represent the ages of 18-44, making up 66% of Facebook users.

Do you have one for your organization?  You or someone on staff should establish one, if you haven’t already. You’re missing out on a very vital communication strategy to reach your members and potential ones as well.  We’ll breakdown a few of the most popular social networking sites in the next few posts, to highlight the ways you can use these mediums to further your local’s goals.  You might just be surprised at all of the ways you can use it to benefit your organization.  Social networking isn’t just about “What are you doing?” status updates anymore. 

I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge a few cold, hard realities of our labor movement right now, particularly on the local level.  Yes, these are generalizations, so these won’t apply to all of you (we do have a number of rogue, progressive locals out there among us), but they will apply to many more locals than they should.

The Top 10 List of Reasons Why Unions Aren’t Using Social Media

1. Local unions are often led by older leaders who are steadfast in their unwavering dedication to upholding traditions of the past.  The local is structured and managed in much the same way it was 20 or 30 years ago.
2. Work is down, membership is down, dues are down.  Not enough younger members are moving up the ranks fast enough to help influence or encourage change.
3. Labor leaders consider themselves technologically savvy if they have an email address and/or an iPhone and use it to read their emails. While this is a good starting point, there is much more to learn.
4. Labor leaders consider their local to be “progressive” if they have a website (even if it hasn’t changed in five years or more and still has an announcement on the homepage about the “upcoming” Labor Day picnic back in 2006).  Your international’s site doesn’t count.
5. Labor leaders think that Facebook and Twitter are for “kids” and a fad.
6. Local leaders don’t trust the internet and are afraid of putting their local’s information out in a very public way.
7. Labor leaders who are not experienced in using the internet and/or social networking may feel threatened by those who do. 
8. Those who aren’t familiar or comfortable with social media and networking assume that it would be cost-prohibitive.  Operating funds are tight these days, so “playing” on the internet isn’t worth the imagined cost.
9. Internationals aren’t pushing social networking down to the local level.  International leaders, listen up!  It isn’t good enough to be incorporating social networking on just your level.
10. No one has taken the time to show them how. 

Internationals, you have to give your locals the tools necessary to utilize it.  The next time you host a conference, convention or workshop for your local leaders and staff, add a Social Networking 101 break out session to the mix.  When you have all of your international training directors and instructors in town for a train-the-trainer conference, add Social Networking 101 to the agenda.  You have to teach them how to do it and give them enough support and exposure to it so that they’ll be more comfortable with the topic.  Show them examples of successful initiatives.  Show them what you’re doing. Put them in a classroom that is set up with laptops, and walk them through the process, step by step, of setting up a social networking profile.  Explain the differences in social networking sites.  Help them start to add friends and followers.  Most importantly, ensure that there is someone on your International’s staff that is dedicated to social media and can provide guidance and assistance to locals when they need it – training, troubleshooting, encouragement and referrals to other labor organizations that are doing well with it.

Our leaders are masters of their trades - plumbers, electricians, laborers, teachers, cooks, painters, operating engineers, nurses, government workers, miners, steel workers, sheet metal workers and pilots.  They are writers, musicians, bricklayers, carpenters, instrument technicians, actors, barbers, shipbuilders, insulation workers, embalmers, millwrights and fitters.  The list goes on and on.

What our leaders are not are public relations experts – nor should they be.  We are notorious for not telling our story in a proactive way, because we are always playing defense.  But given the current economic climate in this country, and a steadily declining percentage of the marketplace, they better become experts – and fast – and it’s up to the Internationals to see that they do.  Social media and networking are tools for combating the negative reputation labor unions have carried on their backs for decades, true or not.  They are very important tools that we cannot afford to ignore any longer.

What do Katrina, BP and Northrop Grumman have in Common?

For Louisiana, they have officially become examples of how bad things happen in groups of three.

I understand the economics behind the decision, I really do.  The economy is bleak all around, and companies have to do what they can to stay viable.  However, Northrop Grumman's decision to shut down their Avondale shipyard, particularly on the heels of the oil spill and drilling moratorium, is absolutely devastating.  It has been estimated that 11,000 jobs - well paying jobs, I might add - will disappear over the next couple of years as a result.  Northrop Grumman has about 5,000 employees, and there are roughly 6-7,000 jobs directly related to Northrop Grumman in the region that will also die off.  This includes everything from contractors and suppliers to restaurants, and everything in between.

Even the educational system in the region will be significantly hit.  Northrop Grumman has a phenomenal pre-apprenticeship program in local high schools which will vanish. They are also strongly tied to Delgado Community College and the University of New Orleans.  This shipyard has been the ultimate example of a forward-thinking employer who invests back into the community as much, if not more, than it receives.

Northrop Grumman's closing of the Avondale shipyard (for those of you not familiar with the region, the shipyard is located in Avondale, LA, right outside New Orleans, and is often referred to as simply "Avondale") is going to be devastating for the state economy, but on a more personal level, is going to cause serious financial hardships for their workers.  In stronger economic times, the region would have a better chance of providing decent re-employment opportunities for them.  However, I don't think I need to explain how that's not the case right now.  Far from it.  There are many instances where not just one family member works there, but two or three do.  Mothers, fathers, children and siblings will be in a situation where they won't have the support system in place to help them make it, because they all work for Avondale.  They have been such an excellent employer that their turnover is low, so many employees have been there for numerous years, even decades, before Northrop Grumman even bought the yard.  It is a way of life. It is a family.

So I ask you, where is the outrage?  While there is a great deal of talk, and some news coverage, the New Orleans region should be out there protesting!  The workers should be protesting!  Instead, it seems like they just sit back and take it.  They feel like nothing can be done.  This, my friends, is exactly the reason why the labor movement struggles.  We've (in most cases) lost our ability to get members motivated to take action.  Everyone is too afraid of being fired (particularly since this is a right-to-work state) over protests and strikes.  Without the threat (or action) of a very strong protest, in person or even online, then the powers-that-be hold all of the cards.  There is something to be said for very public, highly attended demonstrations.  I started a "Save Northrop Grumman" Facebook page/petition yesterday.  Only 20 people have joined it so far, and I advertised it with over 100 people initially who have a personal stake in this.  Pathetic. This is an IDEAL example of how labor should be using social media to connect with their members.  Email campaigns, Facebook and Twitter accounts with a continual feed of information on the status of the closing, while also using these online avenues to organize and gain support in the community for demonstrations.  If you've been following the "Boycott BP" Facebook page, or even just heard of it (because it's received TONS of press on CNN and the like), then you have seen the power of just what social media can do for a cause.  In the course of just a couple of months, this movement is 850,000 supporters strong, and many demonstrations against BP have taken place in various cities as a result.  This ONE Facebook page has had a tremendous affect on the BP Oil Spill reaction, and has generated a great deal of buzz, with examples here, here, here, and here - even a Diane Sawyer interview with the page's creator, Lee Perkins.

The Avondale workers and their local unions really have nothing to lose at this point.  It wouldn't be a strike, it would be a demonstration of support to keep the yard open!  Our politicians are supposedly trying to get involved, but we'll see how hard they try.  So, what would be the point?  Maybe, just maybe, a strong public relations campaign would buy the yard more time - more time for the economy to recover before flooding the market with the unemployed, more time to find a suitable buyer who could potentially keep a good percentage of employees in a job, more time for workers to figure out a game plan.  However, the first round of layoffs are rumored to be in the next few months.  Time is more scarce than it might seem, and the clock keeps ticking on this economic time bomb.