The Wisconsin Protests: A Lesson in Union Communications

Take note of the date February 15, 2011. It is the day that the American labor movement finally awoke from a long coma, and it did so on the steps of the Wisconsin Capital this week.

Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill Protest from Matt Wisniewski on Vimeo.

Every union member in this country owes Governor Walker a huge thank you. If it weren't for his moronic short-sidedness and political greed, these protests would never have happened - but they desperately needed to. These protests are serving as the spark that sets labor's passion on fire again - a passion that has waxed and waned for far too long. Let's hope that Wisconsin's fire spreads from state to state, because the middle class has taken a serious beating, and something has to change.

There are some important lessons to glean from these events. There is a very strong force that has driven so many thousands of protesters to Madison from all over the country.  This has become a national focus, and it happened at the speed of light. The driving force behind it is none other than social media in various forms, and demonstrates the enormous power that this medium has. An estimated fifty to sixty thousand people showed up today, which never would have happened in less than a week by setting up phone banks and sending out email blasts. Word spread virally in large part due to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the like.  There is no denying the existence of a very strong online labor movement anymore, because it is (almost) singlehandedly fueling the events unfolding as we speak.

Labor leaders, please learn this lesson if you haven't already. Social media is creating a much greater level of solidarity and unity among those in the labor movement, which has been sorely lacking for decades. Union leaders and members are connecting with each other from one end of the country to the other, and coming together to support the cause. From Richard Trumka down to John Smith, a first year apprentice, and everyone in between - social media has created a new mechanism for connecting and communicating with labor folks from all walks of life, at all levels - and you and your labor organization needs to be an important part of it.

If your organization is dragging its heels because of aging leaders who barely use email, then take the initiative to recommend ways to get them involved. Oftentimes the fear of the unknown is far more stifling than the reality.  If they don't want to learn, if they don't want to encourage social media as a vital outreach tool for your local, then so be it - but at least you tried. Keep trying, stay involved - and one day you'll find that it's your turn to be the aging leader - but one that is tuned into the rank and file and national developments long before it hits the papers. It's far better (and sometimes easier) to lead others when you understand who they are, what they want, and what drives them as people.  

Conversely, you can't call them to action and expect an overwhelming response when they barely know who you are and you only connect with them personally a couple of times a year, at a union meeting or Labor Day picnic.

What Happened to MLK Jr.'s Dream?

By Patriot-News Op-Ed 

At the apex of his life as a civil rights leader, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was traveling about 325,000 miles a year and gave as many as 450 speeches one year. However, the speech etched in the minds of millions, perhaps billions worldwide is the “I Have a Dream” speech.

What is it about this particular speech that makes it resonate with a variety of audiences?

Some are undoubtedly mesmerized by the colorful language and the poetic phrases. Others are struck by this speech because it expresses hope for a brighter tomorrow where everyone is judged on their merits and not their skin color, and by extension not their gender, age, religious belief or nonbelief, national origin or sexual orientation.

Still others are enamored with this speech because it occurred at such a time in history when people of all backgrounds, rich and poor, young and old, came together on a hot sweltering day in August to persuade the nation to live out the true meaning of its creed that all men (and women) are created equal. And then some are inspired by this speech because King was able to put into words the inequality a race and class of people were feeling and experiencing on a daily basis.

In 2008, there was a period of euphoria and optimism among Americans who felt they had lived to see irrefutable evidence of the fulfillment of King’s dream when we elected our first biracial president.

As it was in the days of President Kennedy, young people registered and voted in numbers not seen in 50 years. Civic engagement was at an all-time high. The outlook for race relations was promising, and the entire world applauded our willingness to look beyond color and see character and competence.

Two years later, the euphoria has worn off. Those who hoped for a fast turnaround of a faltering economy soon despaired as factories continued closing, the dollar continued declining, the unemployment rate continued rising and the federal deficit continued expanding. These conditions warrant dissatisfaction and dissent.

We are indeed within our First Amendment rights to protest for principles. We also have a duty to engage and express our discontent with government. What is troubling is the coded sentiments that threaten to undo much of the progress we’ve made to become a united federation of states and the poisonous rhetoric that attacks the person rather than their perspective.

We are devolving into a fractionalized nation of xenophobes, fearful and distrusting of anyone unlike us. Some flinch when they encounter an Indian Sikh wearing a turban, fearful that he might be an Islamic extremist. Some women clutch their purses when riding alone with an unknown man of color in the elevator, leery of being accosted, no matter how well he might be groomed and dressed.

Some are appalled at the notion of a military without a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on sexual orientation regardless of the soldier’s professionalism.

King said that “racism is the myth of inferior people.” His ally, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, added: “Racism is man’s gravest threat to man — the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason.”

If King’s commitment to equality and justice is worthy of emulation then each of us must resolve to do our part to affect the change we wish to see. Determine today to shine the light of reason into the dark recesses of intolerance until justice is illuminated.

In the corporate sphere this means choosing to advocate for people with potential, regardless how different from you they might look, act, think or worship. In health care it means regarding any malady as worthy of political and financial support even if the disease in question is most prevalent among blacks (sickle cell), Latinos (cystic fibrosis) or Jews (Tay-Sachs).

Two years ago, the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Development Institute spawned the “Blueprint for Prosperity,” a comprehensive community-based strategic planning model whose impact is measured through 15 years.

The Blueprint focuses on six critical areas with far-reaching impact: education, racial opportunity and harmony, economic development, quality of life, leadership and infrastructure.

With the assistance of many partners, United Way, Penn State Harrisburg, The Firm Foundation, PinnacleHealth, Messiah College, Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC and others, including media sponsors WITF, 95.3 FM the Touch and The Patriot-News, we are framing the issues and mobilizing resources for a concerted and united attack on these systemic challenges.

Join us and others in putting aside partisan distractions and see that our fortunes are “inextricably bound together.” Do it today for “Today is the tomorrow you spoke about yesterday.”

JOSEPH ROBINSON JR. is executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Development Institute and executive director of the South Central Pa. Sickle Cell Council.

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