Ask a Union Organizer: How can we unionize and not alienate our decent boss?
Dear ReproJobs:
I'm looking for advice and best practices for organizing a small staff in a not-horrible work environment. We’re trying to shore up improvements made under current leadership. We don’t want to alienate our boss, but we also want to protect ourselves. What might that look like?
— Shoring up Improvements
Dear Shoring Up Improvements,
Today’s labor movement is exploring new ways we can work together with employers who want to do the right thing. Workers centers, workers councils, and non-union worker alliances are gaining popularity because, like the Roe v. Wade decision, the National Labor Relations Act is being chipped away.
Workers’ rights are gutted by state governments while worker’s direct organizing efforts, as well as pro-worker laws, are being challenged in the lower courts, so finding ways to organize at work around the increasing barriers is revolutionary stuff. And you’re right, even if you do manage to navigate the barriers, a union campaign can alienate the trying-to-do-some-good employers quickly and for-ev-ver.
But I have to ask, what exactly do you feel you need protection from? Clearly there’s some reason you believe there’s something going on. If you lack job security or you’re afraid you might be fired for being honest, then your work environment might not be as not-horrible as you think.
In all my years organizing, the complaint topping the list for workers actually isn’t low wages or long hours or crappy health insurance; workers first and foremost want more input at work without fear of retaliation, and they don't want to get fired for no reason. A union certainly does protect you in those ways. However, the pressure from a union election can put even a friendly boss into attack-mode. Because unions collect fees from employers, even if you don’t ask for any changes in your first collective bargaining agreement, a union means a lot of huge changes for your organization’s budget. If there's anything non-profit leaders have even less of than time, it’s money. Make your demands clear.
When I worked at Biga Pizza we weren’t unhappy, and our boss Bob went above-and-beyond to take care of us. But before we made it clear, Bob didn’t realize how badly we needed health insurance and he was certain that it wasn’t feasible for such a small business to do so much. Turns out, he could make it work, but he just needed the right solution.
If you feel that you have an open workplace, perhaps work with some colleagues to figure out what are the things you’re interested in organizing for and start making a list. Do you want more paid parental leave? Do you want transparency in how salaries are determined for everyone at the organization? Insurance that covers abortion? Be specific and be willing to jump in and help find solutions. You can discuss this with your boss and it’s possible they’ll be amenable to making the necessary changes. Just make sure you also suggest solutions that are easy to digest and simple to implement. You might be surprised how easy it is to enact change at your workplace.
Depending on how you navigate interpersonal relationships at your organization, you can begin the conversation about making more improvements by:
Planning a Labor Day event, action, fundraising campaign, or a responsibly-distanced gathering with your coworkers (out of the office, of course).
Talking with your executive director, board members, HR manager, or whoever you think has the right combination of decision making power and allyship. Thank them for the improvements they’ve already made and make it clear that you want to help them make more improvements. Ask them what the barriers are to making more improvements as well as what they think is the most-feasible option for the next improvement.
Forming an employee-led committee dedicated to discovering innovative solutions to problems; whether this is finding new general-fund grant opportunities, researching how other organizations are getting it done, or brainstorming ways y’all can save money by cutting waste. Nobody knows the ins-and-outs of how things work like you do. Trust your expertise, and get your ideas down on paper. Present this list to leadership from a “we’re all in this together” point of view as opposed to an aggressive form of “this is what you must do for us.”
Determining your top three issues and focus on them. We don’t need to pile a mountain of crap atop our leadership’s desks if they’re obviously trying to do the right thing.
Using persuasion over pressure, honestly evaluating all your tactics before you move on them, and thinking critically and compassionately about how leadership will interpret your message.
Keeping it in-house. If you’re all in this together, you’ve really gotta be in it all together. Be aware of your tone when talking with others about how you're shoring up more improvements. Shit talkin' can undermine the trust required for this strategy to work.
If you do decide to unionize, make sure whichever union you choose to represent you is clearly willing to match your tone and work collaboratively with your employer. I do not ever recommend asking for voluntary union recognition, but you do want your leadership to feel like you’re offering them an opportunity to do the right thing--not forcing them into something.
After you’ve shored-up some more improvements, you can help us create a new narrative about working towards true equity with our not-horrible bosses!