Ask a Union Organizer: How do I pick a non-problematic union?
How do folks figure out which union is the best fit for them? Are there any best practices for how to go about learning about each union and what should we look for or note as red flags? I know some unions and their national org are problematic. Should we be avoiding those in solidarity?
— Wondering Where to Begin
Dear Wondering Where to Begin,
Hearing you say “solidarity” is like music to my ears. Are you trying to unionize? If not, sounds like you’re ready to begin! When it’s time to figure out which union is going to represent you and your coworkers, you definitely have a lot of options.
First, check out the FAQs for a brief intro to this topic. There’s a short-list of unions and it’s a great place to begin research.
Choosing a union to represent you is both a strategic choice and a proclamation of values. Knowing what you want to accomplish by unionizing is the first step to figuring out which union is right for you. Ask your colleagues: what are your top three priorities for your contract?
I always recommend people become a member of an alternative-labor group as they move forward with any traditional union organizing. Quietly becoming a member of the Industrial Workers of the World is a wonderful way to start unionizing. The IWW is a dual-card holding union, so it won’t interfere with anything you’re trying to do at work. It’s also something you join as an individual! It requires no organizing, and dues are sliding-scale.
Many unionists joke that the IWW is not much more than an “activist club,” which isn’t untrue. Being a member of the IWW does not give you a collective bargaining agreement or workplace protections. They’re a direct-action union. Wobblies (as IWW members are commonly called) use community mobilization in pressuring employers to change their ways and find innovative ways to raise industry standards. They advocate for “One Big Union” for all, which is the core of that word you mentioned: solidarity. The IWW is full of radical people, and they’re usually well-connected to the other labor organizers in your area.
Workers Centers are popping up all over the U.S. Some of them are associated with unions, some are run as non-profits; either way, Workers Centers are staffed with organizers, filled with books, and usually plastered with protest posters. Before COVID, they were meant as a physical place to serve as hang-out for working class radicals and an HQ for connecting workers who were trying to make change at work. If there is a local Worker’s Center in your area, give them a call.
Another great way to start researching unions is to get in touch with your local Central Labor Council. CLCs are the boots-on-the-ground manifestation of the AFL-CIO. The CLC is a coalition of union locals that come together in order to create a unified labor movement. The CLC is meant to act as a funnel for workers to figure out which union they should be organizing with. To find yours, check out the AFL-CIO’s list of local and state affiliates.
Like you said, a lot of these unions are problematic. Racism, sexism, queerphobia, transphobia, ableism, xenophobia and other isms are everywhere. It’s critical to trust your gut as you are shopping for union representation. Where there’s smoke, there's fire.
A quick google search will turn-up a lot of information and press about a union’s history, their interactions with the community, and their overall impact and ability to win. You can also tell a lot about a union by their website. Is it updated regularly? Is it modernized? Can you pay dues online? What kinds of events and issues do they advertise on their website? How many union staffers have contact information listed on the website? Do they have photos and bios for union leadership? This stuff might seem superficial, but if a website has been neglected, maybe the union doesn’t have the resources to take care of you, either.
A few tips on researching a union for representation:
Contract Expertise: Has this union written a contract for a non-profit or healthcare setting like an abortion clinic before? Do they understand what kinds of problems you face at work? Have they developed their own innovative solutions to some common issues? Do they have a proven track record of leveraging for wins? How many members do they have, and what does this mean for us?
Remember, there’s no “right answer”—just what’s "right for you."
Organizer’s Demeanor: How do the organizers seem? Are they very busy? Hard to get a hold of? Do they seem bored? Overworked? Distant? Uncaring? Unprofessional? Under-prepared? Overly confident? Creepy? Trust your gut. Many union organizers are remarkable people with too much on their plate. Others are a remnant of a time before the #MeToo movement.
You can also ask to meet other staff members; specifically Internal Organizers and Business Agents. These are the staffers who work with unionized workers to negotiate with employers and determine the strategic priorities of the union. Talking to them will help you get a feel for how well they’ll be able to support you and your coworkers.
Philosophy of Organizing: Some unions are more willing to invest in value-based campaigns than others. Business-model unions you will only see around when it is time to bargain, but others have many organizers who track down workers year-round and engage their members in all kinds of organizing efforts, legislation and policy priorities, electoral politics, and coalition work.
Measurable Values: Are they pro-choice? Like, really though? Does the health insurance plan they offer members even cover abortion and other reproductive health care? What about gender-affirming care? Do they offer their organizers paid parental leave? How much leave? How do they account for racism in their own union? How do they advise workers to put anti-racism efforts into bargaining contracts? In other words, do they put their money where their mouth is?
What does the Union offer you?: Ask them how many hours your union organizer expects to spend with your bargaining unit each year. How many times per year does the union expect to mobilize the members? What does a contract look like for other bargaining units under their representation? Go ahead and ask them for a redacted copy or boilerplate language for a current contract. Ask for the contact information of some other members. You can also find out what workplaces are represented by a union on their website.
Diversity of Staff: Ask them for demographics. Their response to this question might tell you more than the actual demographic numbers do. Do they have people of color in leadership? What about genderqueer people? People who speak languages other than English? LGBTQ folks? Pay attention to it all.
Large unions come with significant resources and influence and leverage, but if you are a small group of workers represented within a gigantic union, sometimes your bargaining unit’s priorities will get lost in the shuffle.
If your employer is a giant organization you might be best-served partnering with a very large union like SEIU. SEIU is anally for many causes, which you can leverage in creative ways. However, SEIU has been called-out for toxic work culture and union-busting their own organizers. These are the kinds of trade-offs that make your representation a strategic choice as well as a proclamation of values.
One point to carry home with you is this: a union is nothing more than its members. One really effective way to create change in a really big influential union like SEIU is by becoming members. Really, a union is only beholden to their members.