The pandemic, the economic crisis, the climate crisis, are all showing clearly that capitalism does not care about preserving humanity and all that was built over decades. Capitalism only cares about the continuous accumulation of wealth by exploiting labour.
The recent upsurge of labour militancy shows workers are refusing to tolerate indecent working conditions, low wages, a lack of proper benefits, and job insecurity. Workers are organizing across all sectors, taking collective actions to address the issues of the cost of living crisis, rising inflation, and non-existent affordable housing and rent control. Workers have also fought back against the Ontario provincial government’s imposing of Bill 124 that keeps workers wages capped at one per cent.
A milestone in recent Ontario labour history occurred when Doug Ford tried to impose a contract on 55,000 striking CUPE education workers and strip them of their right to strike with Bill 28, even invoking the notwithstanding clause to infringe upon the right of collective bargaining. This move was the final straw in stirring a unified movement among labour that, as we saw, had potential to grow in intensity to a general strike.
During the spring months and beginning of summer, the Spring Labour Caucus organized reading sessions of the Labor Notes book Secrets Of A Successful Organizer by Alexandra Bradbury, Mark Brenner, and Jane Slaughter. First published in 2016, the book contains valuable lessons for labour organizing in this present moment of heightened struggle.
Throughout eight chapters, the authors share organizing secrets built through real-life examples of working people organizing, while highlighting the important role of activists and organizers in building rank-and-file power among their co-workers, motivated by a strong sense of justice, determination, and the knowledge that changes can be made only by a collective action and through the power of solidarity. Here are a few lessons from the book and how I applied them to my own workplace.
Lesson 1: Attitude adjustment
Many times in workplaces, it appears like workers are going through some issues that are isolated. This creates a feeling of powerlessness: they don’t get enough support from their co-workers or the elected union leaders, or there are existing conflicts between individuals and groups and that solutions are difficult to come to.
As organizers, we must play an active role in building awareness and changing the attitude among the co-workers. They don’t have to go alone through their struggles, only standing together in solidarity will bring the desired changes. Starting or joining a campaign with common issues that everyone cares about will build confidence and willingness among workers to later engage in a much bigger campaign.
As a Personal Support Worker in a Long Term Care (LTC) home, I have witnessed the continuous unfair treatment of workers by the government and the decades of neglect and underfunding of vital services for our seniors, the most vulnerable population.
Working through the pandemic, seeing the devastating impact it had on the seniors, their families and all of us, workers in LTC homes are driven by strong will and determination that changes are possible only if we stand together in refusal. Employers are empowered by the lack of support workers get from the government, but workers have the power to have the final say. I started an organizing campaign among my co-workers, members of CUPE Local 3224, to show that as frontline workers our voices are much stronger if we present a united front and get involved in many solidarity actions.
The government imposing Bill 124 and later Bill 28 were the defining moments for my fellow CUPE Local 3224 members to engage in a solidarity action with CUPE education workers. Solidarity pictures were taken by the members, posters were put around the schools, a small group attended a rally supported by the Justice for Workers campaign in front of the Sheraton Hotel where the education workers were bargaining with the government, and we even organized a mini rally on our own during our lunch break.
All the support we got from the passers-by and the honking cars just for standing up as healthcare workers for another group of workers empowered and energized us to go full force into our upcoming bargaining.
Lesson 2: One-on-one conversation
There are different avenues of distributing information, like sending an email, handing out leaflets, and posting on designated boards, Facebook or other social media. However, the most effective way of engaging each member is having one-on-one conversations, which fosters open communication and active listening to people’s ideas and feedback.
Conversations can take place on your way to work, in the parking lot, lunch room, etc. Of great importance is that organizers are respectful of their co-workers; that we are good listeners who are empathetic towards their concerns. Starting the conversations one-on-one or in a small group (as opposed to in a large meeting) sets up an opportunity for everyone to express their concerns, build relationships, and contribute to making a plan to win.
At work, usually when handing out leaflets, we use the moment for the one-on-one conversation, using the leaflet as a conversation starter. It can happen anywhere – in the staff changing room, the laundry room, the lunch room, on the way to work at the bus stops, or if an opportunity presents itself in the units where we work.
Lesson 3: Finding the natural leaders in the workplace
There are co-workers in your workplace who may not be elected leaders, but who are naturally leaders and influencers in each department who inspire confidence in people, the driving force who will connect all the existing networks and build up power to take action. Usually, there are already some existing groups across the workplace like members working in the same department, taking lunch together, smoking groups, etc. Identifying their leaders and pulling them to the core group is the key in organizing a successful campaign.
The authors use the helpful visual of organizing as a dartboard with concentric circles, with the core group being in the center of the bullseye. The core group are the ones who are constantly thinking of organizing, and how to get people involved, even on their days off. In the next circles are the activists who will make sure the job gets done, the group of supporters who will carry on the tasks if asked, but will not try to organize. The outer circles consist of some who are disengaged and even hostile.
It is a challenging task for the organizers to inspire members to get interested and involved in union work. Some members are not only being apathetic but they are upset with their unions and union leaders.
One of my co-workers told me, “Why do I have to do anything? Why did we get them elected? Let them fight for us!” But it is important to reach out to them, letting them realize that when we take collective action, we are part of something much bigger. We, the members, are the union.
It may take a life changing experience to bring those people who are most disengaged or hostile to the group of supporters. We have to meet everyone where they are at and then support them to further expand their horizons and willingness to get involved.
The June 3 Day of Action for the Ontario Federation Of Labour’s “Enough is Enough” campaign against the cost of living crisis inspired many of my co-workers to show interest in organizing at different levels. Some were ready to go for an outreach in the community and some were involved in making posters. We organized two outreach actions as part of the Justice for Workers campaign in our community to spread the word about the “Enough is Enough” campaign.
Lesson 4: Choosing an issue
It is important to fight on an issue that will build solidarity among groups, engage the disengaged, and prepare the members for future fights. Issues should be deeply and widely felt and lay grounds for future mobilizing.
One issue that everyone cares about is wages. Start the campaign slowly and gradualy escalate. Make your campaign visible and public and expand your network of supporters among other locals and community organizations to build solidarity.
It is most likely that we will lose more fights than we win! But every fight we lose should build grounds for the next fight.
In the midst of a bargaining, trying to gain back what was lost during the years of Bill 124 when our wages were capped at 1 percent, standing up to an employer whose words of appreciation do not match with the reality of low wages and the absence of willingness to fairly bargain, the members of our local organized a few solidarity actions to support the bargaining team. We wanted to show the employer we are all in this together and we won’t back down until we reach a fair deal.
On July 8, we organized a Solidarity BBQ, to inform our members of the current status of the bargaining and to prepare them for future organizing. Despite the fact that the union local’s president encountered a level of hostility from the employer after finding out about the Solidarity BBQ, our members were met by an enormous support shown by members from the Justice for Workers campaign, the Decent Work and Health Network, the Workers Action Centre, and Spring Socialist Network.
On a later date, we presented the employer with a petition signed by almost all of our members. On the last bargaining date, in solidarity with our bargaining team, the whole membership wore buttons with our CUPE Local 3224 logo on and the demand for fair wages and decent working conditions.
Lesson 7: Always be organizing!
Organizing doesn’t stop by winning or losing one campaign. Keep organizing and motivating people until everyone is involved and comfortable in participating in an action.
Members of my local are motivated by a strong desire for change, the possibility of building a just society where everyone has access to public education and public healthcare, and the understanding that everything can be accomplished by providing immigration status for all.
By organizing ourselves and learning more about which issues affect us most directly, we were able to organize a contingent from our union local to attend the Status For All rally and march, calling on the federal government to keep the promise and regularize all undocumented migrants in Canada. Our organizing does not stop at our workplace issues, and because of that, we have been able to support broader campaigns that affect us both in our workplace and in the world.
Want to get involved in the Spring Labour Caucus or start a reading group in your community or workplace? Email info@springmag.ca.
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