Ask a Union Organizer: What do you do when you can’t afford to strike?

Welcome to our new column, Ask a Union Organizer! Each month, union organizer and former abortion clinic staffer Emily Likins-Ehlers answers your most pressing questions about unionizing your reproductive health, rights, and justice workplace. Anything is fair game — how to unionize, when to unionize, and what to do when shit hits the fan.

Note: We may edit your question for privacy, specifics, grammar, clarity, or length. Depending on the volume or similarities of submissions, not all may be selected.

My union has authorized a strike and intends to have one in a few weeks if a deal isn't made. While I support the union, I am working part-time on top of pursuing school full-time. I earn below the federal poverty line. What do people do when they cannot afford to strike?

-  Massachusetts

Massachusetts, 

Congrats! Every strike authorization is an historic moment for our movement, and no strike vote comes without an immense amount of bravery from members. 

I want you to know that you’re not alone in your anxieties. If you could afford to just stop working, you probably would have just quit your job instead of fighting for a better contract.

You should raise your concerns to your union. If they are adequately prepared for your strike, they'll have an answer to your question that satisfies you. Many unions have a Strike Fund that can be used to alleviate some needs for workers. They should have a plan to feed you on the picket line and provide your family dinner a few times a week. A good union will have a toiletries-and-diapers drive. Union members and organizers should also be working with local business owners, especially grocery stores and restaurants, to offer striking workers a discount and to solicit in-kind and monetary donations. 

If your union doesn’t have a way to combat your very valid concerns, then you should question whether they are competent enough to lead this strike to victory in the first place. Strikes only succeed when the workers have adequate support to keep striking. If you’re worried about the viability of your strike, you should talk with your coworkers and voice all of your concerns. You can also go above-the-head of whatever union staffers organize with you. If you’ve gone to strike vote, the Union is deeply invested in winning, and they need to know your barriers.

One purpose of a strike is to prove to our employers we don’t need their crappy paychecks…so how do we prove that we don't really need the money we actually do rely upon? After all, they usually aren’t paying us enough for us to acquire any decent savings.

We create alternative institutions, we trust in union solidarity, and we rally community support. 

You know-- Commie stuff. 

If you do strike, this is the time to call in your favors and rely upon generational support if you have it. Get a credit card. Borrow money. Don’t be ashamed to rely on food banks and soup kitchens. Accept invitations to dine with friends and acquaintances (and make sure they know what’s going on at work). This strike won’t last forever, and there are some safety nets to help when you fall on hard times. You mentioned you’re a student, and often Universities have big support systems! Talk with your academic advisor or ask someone at the student health center about resources for students experiencing temporary hardship. 

I know all of this is overwhelming. I wish I could give you an opt-out, but I really can’t. As a birthworker, I also wish I could snap my fingers and bring babies earthside without all the pain and trial of labor. Unfortunately, sometimes the only way out is through.

So I’ll tell you the same thing I tell birthing people: It will be hard. But you can do hard things. 

If you are already living below the federal poverty line, then you already know how to survive on nearly nothing. This is the time to rely on all of your ingenuity and strength and ability to survive on beans and rice. And Union Solidarity means that Union members are supposed to come together during times of strike and take care of each other. 

Those in the bargaining unit with ability to give should be giving. It’s what makes the Union Strong.

If there’s something else very specific you need help with, tell a union representative that you trust. They are there to help you, and should work to maintain your dignity and privacy during these requests. 

If you won’t be able to afford your medication while you forgo a paycheck, make sure you reach out to your union sooner rather than later--they should unquestioningly handle this expense for you, but you might need doctors’ notes or a huge pair of scissors for all the red tape.

Most workers create a way for community members to donate money for workers’ needs during lockouts and strikes, which can provide rapid-response funds. The Industrial Workers of the World have a Strike Defense Fund and can help you build one of your own.

Unfortunately, in most states you cannot receive unemployment benefits while you are striking--but you should apply anyway. Where you live, in Massachusetts, it’s the employer’s burden to prove the labor dispute. If they are trying to keep this quiet they might not challenge your benefits, and if the unemployment office gets flooded with a ton of applications to process, they may begin to put the pressure on your employer to resolve the dispute. Plus, your boss will have to write a ton of response letters which just is a pain in their ass. SNAP benefits should be easier to get, especially if you have children.

Remember, the purpose of a strike is to disrupt entire economies. Call your landlord or mortgage company or your loan officer and tell them you might be going on strike. Ask those people to call your boss on your behalf. If you don’t get paid; neither do they. 

You can defer student loans and make minimum payments on credit cards, but ideally the strike won’t last so long that this catches up with you. Sometimes, when strikes are resolved, striking workers are granted a little backpay to help them catch up. Ask your union about adding this demand at your next meeting.

Of course, just because you authorized a strike doesn't mean you'll actually go on strike. Continue to pressure your leadership and management through letters to the editors, with personal messages to patients or members, and by reaching out to donors and other community leaders. Don’t ever stop doing opposition research on decision-makers at your organization, and dig deep to find out if there is anything you can leverage against them. Maybe there’s an angle to reasoning you haven’t yet explored. 

Whatever you do, make sure that your union knows what this strike will mean for you, and make sure your employer knows what this hardship would mean for you. Don’t forget: it is your employer who has the power to halt this strike and veer everyone away from this hardship--all they have to do is accept the deal you’ve offered them. 

I think that what you're doing is incredibly brave and important and heroic. Remember that all your striking coworkers are also being tossed in the surf. It’s easy to see that many workers who strike have institutional and systemic privileges that support them during their time without a paycheck--but not always. 

Your boss absolutely wants you to feel like you can’t possibly afford this strike. Your boss is downright praying y’all get cold-feet about how to make this work. Historically, Bosses intentionally mislead immigrants and other marginalized groups of people to, unbeknowingly, work as scabs. They know your struggle. They’re counting on it. 

But your boss doesn’t know how much help you’ll have, or how capable you truly are. I hope you won’t be afraid or ashamed to rely on those around you during this time, because when you strike for yourself you're striking for all of us. You’re never alone when you’re in a union.

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