HOW TO MOBILIZE - Fact Sheet No. 2

Educating Your Membership:

Developing Flyers;
Communicating One-on-One

Education and communication are vital components of an effective mobilization. The reason is simple: if workers don't understand the issue or how it affects them, they will be less willing to get involved in collective actions.

The best way to educate is through one-on-one discussion of the issues. And the best way to prepare yourself and the other members of your mobilization organizing committee to do one-on-one education is through development of two education pieces:

an "Issue Flyer" which provides substantial information and insight on a particular subject and which may lead to collective action (see How to Mobilize Fact Sheet 3); and

a list of "Yeah...buts" which are possible worker objections and possible responses to them.

Issue Flyers

Here is a method to follow when developing an issue flyer. Ask yourself these two questions:

1. What are the three most important things about this issue my co-workers need to know?

2. How can I say it so it will have meaning for my co-workers? The mobilization organizing committee members will be giving the issue flyer to their co-workers to help explain and discuss the issue; in addition, the flyer provides an easy opening for one-on-one contacts.

Try to stick to no more than three ideas concerning one issue.

State your case plain and simple.

Present the problem in a manner that helps members see that it affects them.

Make it real by using concrete examples.

"Yeah . . . but"

The purpose of the "Yeah...but" piece is to prepare you to better deal with possible objections which your co-workers might offer when contacted one-on-one. For example, if your issue is organizing neutrality as a bargaining item and you are trying to generate interest and support for it, a possible "yeah... but" you may hear is: why should I care if the company gives us organizing neutrality--that doesn't affect what goes in my pocket. Your possible responses could include:

It actually does affect what goes in your pocket. Organizing neutrality is an important concept because if weÕre not growing, our strength to enforce a pattern is weakened. Look at the last two contracts. Over the last six years, oil workers have received the highest level of wages of industrialized workers. The only way to keep this up is to increase our numbers.

Well, the company tells us how valuable we are and how they want to get along with us and with the union. This is just a way for them to show respect for our institution.

The best way to proceed to develop the appropriate responses is to ask a few other members what objections or questions members might have about the issue or union position. Then use these opinions to answer the possible objections. This piece is designed to help the mobilization organizing committee members. It will make their one-on-one educational efforts easier by providing them with answers to potential questions.

Communicating

Once you and your other mobilizers are thoroughly prepared to start the member outreach, review these tips on how to do ONE-ON-ONE CONTACTS.

1. Introduce yourself.

2. Make eye contact.

3. Contact at the right time. Do not contact an employee during normal working hours--catch them during break, lunch, or before or after work when they don't seem rushed.

4. Be yourself. Smile, relax, use the kind of language you use every day.

5. Have some piece of information (the education flyer) to give to the worker to break the ice.

6. Be polite. If a worker refuses to talk to you, don't get into an argument; tell the person you'll catch them another time (do follow up).

7. Be frank. If you get a question that you can't answer, don't try to bluff. Tell the person you will try to get the answer for him or her.

8. Don't preach. You should talk about the issue to help lead the person to his or her own conclusion. This is a much more effective approach than a hard sell.

9. Listen. This is the most important thing you can do. Ask lots of questions and listen to what the worker says--it will give you insight into their particular concerns and objections. Meaningful discussion at the worksite of key issues is as important as any other result.

Keep track of one-on-one contacts by developing a form similar to the one shown above. Record each one-on-one contact. The forms should be collected by the Workplace Canvassing Subcommittee chairperson for the purpose of reporting back to the full mobilization committee and the negotiating committee on how many people were contacted and what their feelings or opinions are. Keeping such records is a good way to continuously evaluate your program.

Use Your Local Union Newsletter

Members look to their local newsletter for information about local issues and activities. Although the newsletter is no substitute for one-on-one contact, it can be used to complement and reinforce mobilization, especially the education component. The best way to get someone concerned about something is to explain the issue and show them why it's important to them. People care about what affects them and their lives. Personalize the issue. Give specific examples of how the issue has affected their co-workers who are just like them.

Use the newsletter as often as you can to educate your members. Try to do it in various ways--photos, interviews with members, survey results, questions and answers column, etc.

Consider distributing the newsletter through the one-on-one mobilization structure a couple of times a year.

For more information on How to Mobilize, contact:
OCAW Research & Education Dept.
P.O. Box 281200
Lakewood, CO 80228-8200.