HOW TO MOBILIZE - Fact Sheet No. 3

Mobilizing to Apply Pressure:

Collective Actions

Collective actions are the fun and creative part of mobilization. They build on your one-on-one education (see How To Mobilize Fact Sheet 2) and give members a chance to do something around the issue they've just learned about.

Collective actions should be planned so as to incrementally escalate pressure on the employer; that is, the longer the issue is not resolved, the more confrontational the collective actions become. Generally, you will want to begin with a less confrontational action and increase it if there is no positive response from management.

Planning Activities

Not all activities apply to every circumstance. The keys are to:

• Understand what your members are willing to do.
  

• Use the one-on-one structure to let members know the when, where, how and why of the collective action.
  

• Be well organized. Build and utilize your mobilization structure.
  

• Pay attention to details. It takes a lot of little things to put together a collective action--how many buttons should be ordered? What should they say? Who will deliver them to Mobilization Coordinators? Etc.
  

• Build the amount of pressure, support, and level of commitment with each action. Don't play your best card first.
  

Ideas for Organizing Rank-and-File Pressure on the Employer

In the Workplace:

1. Wearing Single Colors or a Ribbon: On certain days everybody wears the same color or an armband. Use stickers or ribbons printed up with a slogan; workers wear the ribbons or stickers every day until the issue (or contract) is resolved.

2. Tapping: At a specific time, all members at a workplace tap their pencils on their desks (or cough or sneeze or whatever else your imagination comes up with).

3. Health Care Action Days: Everyone wears bandaids, canes, crutches, bandages, eye patches, and the like to work. Slogans for t-shirts or signs include "Cutting Our Health Benefits is a Sick Idea" or "We're Sick Over (employer's name) Attempt to Cut Our Benefits.

4. Postcard/Petition/Pledge Card Campaign: Every worker signs one at the workplace. Plan a moment of consciousness when everyone stops work and signs a card. Raise the stakes and produce a petition/postcard pledge card that can be used in the community or with allied groups. Then every worker agrees to sign up 5-10-20 supporters per week.

5. Holiday Activities: Bring a cornish hen to your employer for Thanksgiving: "We Couldn't Afford a Turkey." Dress someone as Santa and symbolically give your employer coal for Christmas. Organize an Easter Parade with everyone dressed in rags - "No Bonnets This Year: We Can't Afford Them." Think about activities for Labor Day or May Day or any other holiday.

6. Mass Starts: Everyone waits outside the workplace door and walks in together at the beginning of a shift/work day. You may want to serve refreshments and sing union songs while the group gathers.

In the community:

1. Children's March: Bring out your members' kids and grandkids. Give them union hats, balloons and small picket signs (cut your usual signs in half).

2. Candlelight Marches and Vigils/Mock Funerals: Workers gathered at dusk with candles at a state house, county building, or other place of employment make dramatic pictures for the evening news. Bring a coffin to your employer: "R.I.P. Decent Jobs in __________ County" or "Here Lie the Thousands of Workers Who Have Lost Their Lives Because of Job Hazards," or whatever other issue may be appropriate to your battle.

3. Multi-Employer March: Join with other unions in your community that are involved in a struggle with an employer. Organize a march from one employer to the next. With just 100 people, you can take over the streets and create quite a stir. You can also consider a car caravan.

4. Phone Jamming: Organize members to ask friends and supporters to flood the employer with calls about the issue.

5. Media: Write letters to local newspapers about the issue, grievance, or contract dispute. Call in to talk radio to discuss the situation.

6. Other Ideas: Sitdowns in public places; human billboards at major intersections; community "trial" of public officials or employers.

Remember: collective actions allow members to participate directly which increases feelings of solidarity and camaraderie, and they send a visible message that workers are united and serious about the issue.

Checklist for Choosing an Issue and Evaluating Your Tactics

A good issue is one that matches most of these criteria. Use this checklist to compare issues.

• It builds members' confidence and commitment.
  

• It keeps the blame for increased confrontation on management, where it belongs.
  

• It gives management incentive to settle.
  

• It costs the employer money through reducing productivity, increasing costs, creating bad publicity; affects relationships with customers, clients, investors, lenders or government officials.
  

• Makes life difficult for management by distracting them from other work they need to do or embarrasses them in front of their superiors, associates, families, neighbors, etc.
  

• Builds solidarity among workers or between your members and potential allies.
  

• Is fun for members to carry out.
  

• Surprises management.
  

• Targets the people in management who control decisions.
  

• Teaches members new skills and builds leadership.
  

• Is affordable in terms of money, staff time, and volunteer efforts.
  

• Will not backfire or expose workers to unnecessary risk of job loss or legal liability.
  

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