At the same time labor in general, and PACE in particular, must rededicate itself to working for, and with, the current membership to build strong contracts, improve health and safety conditions in our plants and mills, and move toward improving pensions and retirement benefits so the current and future generations of workers can be rewarded for their labor later in life.
"These goals go together," said PACE President Boyd Young. "We cannot organize new members to offset our losses from plant closings, downsizings and other corporate mischief unless there is a real benefit to joining the union. Current members who realize the advantage of being union are our best ambassadors to the unorganized."
PACE Futures Committee
For that reason, in 1997, even before the merger that created PACE, the UPIU Executive Board, at Young's urging, created the UPIU Futures Committee. Upon merger it became the PACE Futures Committee.
Appointed by Young to chair the effort was Region Nine Vice President Glenn Goss. At-Large Vice President James "Kip" Phillips, Region Three Vice President Kenneth O. Test, Region Six Vice President Lewis Peacock and Region Seven Vice President Lloyd Walters were appointed as members of the committee.
"The committee's purpose is to step outside the day-to-day concerns we all have to work with, take a long view and develop a vision for our union's future," said Goss. The committee has spent 18 months meeting with rank-and-file unionists and their local union leaders; with representatives, organizers and headquarters staff; and with their fellow officers.
In connection with the committee's effort, the union commissioned a first-ever national poll of its membership. Former UPIU members were polled in late 1998 and former OCAW members in early 1999.
By using the poll and the results of its extensive interviews, the PACE Futures Committee developed a statement of mission and goals for the union. In addition, the committee reported a series of recommendations to the PACE Executive Board. These recommendations include using the mission statement as the starting point for the union's national plans. The union will adopt a systematic planning process to integrate the work of its regions and departments. PACE regions and headquarters departments are to plan each year how they will work toward the goals laid out in the statement.
The Union's Goals
"We need a systematic planning process, so we can best use our resources to meet the needs of our members," said Young. The planning process will define clearly each unit's mission, will analyze strengths, weaknesses and opportunities, will identify goals and develop specific action plans. Departments and regions will be required to specify ways in which they will contribute to organizing, engaging, educating and building the union. "The emphasis is on organizing, because everything else rests on organizing," said Young.
Every department and region will report at least once each year to the PACE Executive Board. All PACE regions and departments will be asked to incorporate their assistance for the union's organizing program into their plans.
Organizing is crucial to prevent any further decline in the union's ranks. A specific, detailed national plan will be presented by the PACE Organizing Dept. to the Executive Board in August 1999. By the end of 2002, the plan envisions PACE organizing enough new members each year that it begins growing again.
Another focus will be working to engage PACE members in the union's effort to achieve its goals. "We must be prepared to show our members, not just tell members, that the quality of their contract, the way their employer treats them and their ability to influence the employer to do the right thing depend absolutely upon our ability to organize new members, and play a part in the political process, said Goss.
Organizing eliminates low-wage non-union competition by organizing those workplaces and bringing them up to union standards. "That way we all compete on a level playing field," said Young. If unions are not engaged in the political process, anti-union politicians and business owners will use it to pass laws that prevent unions from effectively representing their members.
Retirees are to be invited to participate in the union's work, particularly in the areas of political and legislative action. PACE retirees will be encouraged to band together in the PACE Retirees Organization (PRO). Headquarters departments will be reorganized to promote the effectiveness of this outreach mission. In addition, the union will develop an in-house team to respond early and intervene effectively when mergers, plant sales and other corporate decisions impact members' jobs.
Stewards are the primary point of contact between most members and the union's leadership. A comprehensive program will be developed to educate stewards about their duties, including grievance handling, in-plant safety, membership education, new-member orientation, worker educational organizing and political action. PACE will develop programs to communicate regularly with stewards and encourage stewards to communicate with one another. "Our members are the union, and stewards more than anyone else can help bring that point home," said Young,
The union will build partnerships with appropriate allies. These will include other unions, political lenders and community groups. PACE locals will be encouraged to become involved in their communities and with their local and state labor federations. Locals will also be encouraged to include the fight to organize as a condition of a cooperative working relationship with employers.
When an employer does respect workers' right to organize, and works cooperatively with the union where it is already in place, PACE and its locals will work to build cooperative arrangements and partnerships with that employer. "Our members are the most productive, dedicated workers anywhere in the world, and where employers meet us half-way, we are prepared to prove it," said Young.
"Our new planning process will allow all of us, as members of and believers in PACE, to work together, efficiently and effectively to build a future that engages and serves our current members, and brings thousands of new members to replenish our ranks and share in the benefits of unionism," said Young.
Polling the Membership
The national poll of PACE members used by the Futures Committee was conducted by Peter D. Hart Research, a nationally-respected polling firm. "We believe it was absolutely essential to learn what members truly believe about their union," said Young.
The poll revealed that the three top concerns of PACE members are workplace safety and health, improving collective bargaining agreements and the need for the union to keep members informed. Other members put a high priority on political action and organizing.
Nevertheless, the poll showed nearly three quarters of the union's membership were positive about the union making organizing a top priority in fact 61 percent said they would be willing to support a one-dollar-per-month dues increase to support organizing.
"We need to drive home the point that without political clout to protect their rights, and new organizing to protect our industrial base and cut the erosion of our numbers, every one of our contracts will be at risk," said Young.
Members said retirement benefits and pensions, and general job security were the aspects of their jobs that most needed to improve. A strong majority of members rate the performance of their union as "good" or "very good."
The poll showed that 89 percent of PACE members are registered to vote, and half of those are Democrats. Another 30 percent are independent and 22 percent are Republicans. Two-thirds voted Democratic for Congress in the 1998 elections. "In spite of this, the polling tells us we need to do a great deal more to involve our members in politics and inform people about the union's positions on the issues," said Young.
It was clear from the polling data that members rely heavily on their stewards for day-to-day information about the union. "We were pleased by what this poll showed us about the strength of the steward system in our shops and mills," said Young. "Clearly, we can do a great deal simply by putting a high priority on informing, training and working with our stewards to make a good system that much better.
"This poll is one more step in fusing together a dynamic, committed union that cares about its members and works in a variety of ways to help each of them secure their future, and works to grow the union family. It gives us confidence we can work together successfully to build that future."
The PACESetter, vol.1 no.4, June 1999