Ask a Union Organizer: As a Supervisor, How Can I Support My Staff’s Union?
Dear Union Organizer,
What’s the best way to support my staff’s union as someone in a non-union, supervisory role?
Supervisor (But Make It Pro-Union)
Dear Supervisor,
First of all, I'm so pumped to receive this question. It’s awesome to see proactive, union support, even if you’re not in your unit! Thank you for wanting to learn more about showing up for your colleagues and comrades.
Support from outside the union actually does more than one might think! After months of grueling bargaining, an impasse, a strike, or any other kind of escalation, it’s likely your Management would rather hear from anyone but the members of the unit. It’s in these moments that we need our supportive colleagues most: You might be in rooms that Union staff aren’t. You may be privy to Management-level conversations we wouldn’t be. You also might have a level of trust and rapport with your Management-level colleagues that your bargaining team or unit just won’t. It’s in these moments that we need a strong, pro-union voice—and a friend in the room.
But allow me to get more specific. I think there are three key ways you can show support for your workplace union as a non-union supervisor:
Join your Management bargaining team or Labor-Management Committee (LMC)! There’s nothing more helpful than having a pro-union colleague on the other side of the bargaining table. Your presence on either a bargaining team or your LMC will make a tangible difference in the ease with which your Union colleagues can secure wins for fellow workers. (Now, I get it, it’s a time commitment—and these days, in this movement, spare time at work is hard to come by. But consider your union coworkers, who also are squeezing every second they can into attaining a better work environment for all. The best way you can show up for them is by doing the same, and committing yourself to becoming the best, pro-union, good-faith bargainer you can be!)
Info-share, info-share, info-share. As I mentioned, you might be in rooms that union staff are not. That means you might be privy to more anti-union sentiment than we might—and that’s not just office gossip. Dividing a workplace against its union is one of the most insidious union-busting tactics a boss can use. Whether it’s blaming the cost of health care premiums for senior staff on the cost of a recent contract, holding raises or COLAs due to a bargaining impasse, or simply talking trash about union peeps, it’s sometimes easier to blame harmful workplace practices on workers than to dismantle systemic mistreatment. My biggest recommendation? Call that sh*t out when you hear it, be a voice of support for the union, and report back to someone you trust on the union side ASAP—and don’t forget to keep it tight-lipped. Your bargaining team or union leadership needs to know how the Union is being framed, and the strategies Management is using throughout the bargaining and power-building process. So if you hear something, say something to a union pal!
Be a friend to the Union, 24/7. Union staff, especially in the period of initial organizing to a first contract, are dealing with a lot as they fight for the rights and livelihoods of their unit members. You can play a vital role in making their lives easier in a few different ways:
Support strikes or collective actions, whether it be changing your Zoom background or T-shirt in solidarity, sending messages of support, or supporting workers as they readjust their workloads to show up for collective action.
Be proactive about ensuring workplace meetings don’t conflict with union meetings. Many unions have monthly or quarterly meetings, and workers need to get to participate!
Uplift the Union’s content on social media and in your workplace channels—especially if they’re organizing an action.
Be a friend (actually). Check in on supervisees or colleagues on your Bargaining Team or Union leadership regularly. Sometimes, serving as a union leader can feel like a whole second job, even if it’s rewarding. Burnout is ripe among organizers, so you can do your part to support your union coworkers by regularly checking in on their well-being, being open to discussing workload shifts, and establishing yourself as an open door if they need to ask for support. Union fights are really all about the fight to be a full human, so showing some humanity (especially in times like these) goes further than you think.
I hope this got your gears turning, friend. Thank you for showing up for your union siblings, and for being a friend to labor, even if you don’t get the direct benefits of a union. Know that your support will contribute to a better workplace for all—now that’s solidarity!
With lots of warm fuzzies,
Fatima delGordo