Buy A Troublemakers Handbook 2

Reviews of A Troublemakers Handbook 2

Subscribe to Labor Notes

Support Our Work--Donate to Labor Notes

Request a Free Copy of Labor Notes

Sign Up for Labor Notes Email Updates

Labor Notes Homepage

Management often tries to grease the skids for a participation program or for work reorganization by convincing union members how successful it's been elsewhere. They invite union leaders to join them on trips to showplaces like the Saturn factory. The idea is to convince members that the new methods are the wave of the future, the competition is doing it, and we've got to join in.

At a Labor Notes Lean Workplace School, participants from a cross-section of unions discussed what to do when management invites union members to go on such a site visit. The group's first piece of advice was "Don't go"--especially if the site is non-union or if it's in an unrelated line of work.

But if the pressure is on to at least look at management's proposal, or if union leaders want to use the process to educate members about what management is up to, here are some approaches to use. Keep in mind two principles: Don't follow management's script; look for information well beyond what they want to present and talk to as many of the workers at the visited site as possible. And keep in close touch with members, from the planning stages through reporting back and assessing afterward.

BARGAIN FIRST
1. Clarify that your purpose is fact-gathering, not necessarily endorsing. Make clear that any changes must be approved through bargaining and ratified by the members.

2. Demand information beforehand as a condition of going.
* In what phase of implementation is the program at the other site--brand-new, when some old problems may have been solved, or further along, when new problems have had a chance to arise?
* How many jobs existed at the site before and after the new approach?
* Get copies of contracts and side agreements, and a list of people you will be talking to.

3. Demand protections for your own research efforts.
* The union will decide which members go on the trip and may bring along its own experts.
* Time will be available during the trip for union members to discuss among themselves.
* Union members may interview anyone at the site without management present.
* Transportation to and from the site will be separate; separate meal arrangements; no luxury accommodations that could make the trip look like a junket.
* The union will have adequate preparation time beforehand.

MEMBERS DO RESEARCH BEFOREHAND
1. At membership meetings, discuss particulars of the trip, all information that management has provided, and what leaders believe is management's goal. Involve stewards in trip planning. Publicize the trip in the newsletter. Make sure rank-and-file members help gather the information below.

2. Research trends in your industry. How widespread are such programs? Contact other locals, in your union or not, that have had similar experiences; ask for help.

3. Figure out the comparability of the site to your workplace.

4. Contact the union at the site.
* Request to meet with union reps separate from management, before the visit. Perhaps host a dinner to promote friendly relations.
* What do union leaders think of the program's effects, good and bad? How do they think the members feel about it?
* Ask for information: contracts; changes in pay, number of jobs, injuries, classifications, seniority rights, shifts. Have changes affected the community, members' personal and family life, or stress level on the job? What happened to people who could not adapt? Are older workers disproportionately affected?
Does the union have an educational program for its own members?

5. If there is no union, check other sources: EEO records, lawsuits, media, public records, company stockholder data. Contact the central labor council in the area; they may know people who work there and are likely to know the site's history.

6. If there is a labor educator in your area or in your international union with expertise on such programs, consult with her or him. Check out universities in the site visit area as well; there may well be an expert on the target company.

7. In deciding who will go:
* Pay attention to which workers do similar jobs.
* Recruit a cross-section of members by department, gender, and ethnicity. Bring people with expertise in different areas, such as health and safety.
* Stewards may be the natural group to include in the trip.
* Electing participants could be a way to generate discussion and interest.

8. Prepare the visit committee.
* Give each committee member a specific assignment--what to look for, who to talk to.
* Train the committee on what management is seeking.

NOT A GUIDED TOUR
During the visit, don't stick to management's agenda.

1. Tape record, video, and photograph details for later reference.

2. Meet with union leaders, staff, stewards, negotiating team members, team leaders, and any opposition caucus members.

3. Speak directly with workers--go to the parking lot, break rooms, nearby bars and coffee shops.

4. Talk with any groups on the site that are not using the new methods.

5. Ask what training was provided on the program. Was it useful? Sufficient?

6. Ask what workers there think of the sources of information you received, such as consultants or the international union.

7. If union leaders at the site are highly favorable about the program, or refuse to meet with you separately from management, go around them: hold a lunch break meeting open to all union workers at the site. Or set up an information table and ask workers to be contacts.

8. Don't talk freely in front of management--act as if you are in negotiations.

9. Debrief with your committee each day of the visit. Meet in the morning to make a plan for that day.

REPORT AND ASSESS
1. Debrief with visit participants.

2. Report to the executive board and to members on the benefits and costs. Address different constituencies within the union, now and in the future. Include in the report other sites where such programs have failed.

3. Do not make a joint report with management.

4. Have a union presence at every presentation that management makes to workers about the trip.

5. Identify key questions for further research.

6. Organize your own visits to sites representing better options.

7. Stay in regular touch with the union at the site visited.