Creating Power: Building the House of Labor

1
Creating Power Building the House of Labor!

• California School Employees Association
• February 3, 2006

2
Historical Examination of Dr. King His
Organizing Methods

• Why Do We Study History?
• Where Was Dr. King When He Was Killed?
• What Was He Doing There?
• Quoted UAW President Walter Reuther on the
  Concept of Power
• Citizen King Video Clip
• Kings Growing Emphasis on Economic Inequality
• Radical Redistribution of Economic Power

3
Guidelines for a Constructive Union!

• Guidelines for a Constructive Church MLK
  Sermon
• CSEAs Blueprint for Building the House of Labor
• It is generally acknowledged that almost every
  improvement in the condition of working people
  was accomplished by the efforts of organized
  workers through concerted action. The welfare of
  workers can best be protected and advanced by
  their united action (Handout)
• CSEA, Constitution, Preamble

4
CSEAs Guidelines!

• To Build UNITY
• To ORGANIZE WORKERS
• To Realize DEMOCRACY
• To Promote Practice Our IDEALS
• To Set GOALS
• To Create POWER

5
To Build Unity!

• Examination of the Word Union
• Dr. King - Religare
• Noun Verb Form (Action Verb)
• Hopeful Sad Implications of the Word
• Language Toward Each Other - Unions
• Mutual Aid Protection

6
To Organize Workers!

• How many of you could call for a chapter-wide job
  action tomorrow it would be done?
• How many of you could get a single message to
  every worker within 24 hours?
• Why Not?

7
To Organize Workers!
Inverted Hourglass EffectHow Many of You Know a
Burned-Out Union Leader?

Workers at Sites (Masses)
(Union) Leadership
Chapter President/Labor Rep.
8
To Organize Workers!

• What Time is It? Test
• 1 Minute Write Down
• How Much Time You Spend Talking with the
  District? ()
• How Much time You Spend Talking with the
  Membership? ()
• Time to Organize!

9
To Realize Democracy!

• Crisis in Our Democracy?
• Trouble Counting Votes Locally Nationally
• Not New Situation Dr. King Fought Broaden the
  U.S. Constitution for Everyone
• March on Washington for Jobs Freedom
• Who Was Included in the Original U.S.
  Constitution?

10
To Realize Democracy!

• Corporate Occupation of Our Democracy
• Human Rights Turned Into Property Rights by
  Corporations

11
To Promote Practice Our Ideals!

• Democracy
• Unions Historical Expansion of Democracy in USA
  (Womens Right to Vote)
• Liberty Justice for All
• Pledge of Allegiance
• Unity
• Human Rights
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Eleanor Roosevelt California
• United Nations in NYC
• Article 25(1) Art. 26
• Courage

12
To Set Goals!

• How many of you have chapter goals and an action
  plan to achieve them?
• Does your chapter membership know them?
• Were the members involved in creating the chapter
  goals?

13
To Create Power!

• Unequals cant negotiate.
• Dr. Kings Definition
• Ability to Act
• Spanish Word for Power
• Cesar Chavezs Famous Words
• Real Power Emphasizes Action, Not Governance
  (Documents)
• Gov. Wallace quote

14
Practical Suggestions Construction of the House
of Labor

• From the Theoretical (Why)
• To the Practical (How)

15
Are You Building the Union?

• Always Ask
• Will This Help Mobilize People?
• Organizing Grievance Form
• Will This Increase Union Visibility?
• Improve Representation of Underrepresented Groups
• Example Health Care

Iron Rule of Organizing (Empowerment/Good
Service) Never do for others what they can and
should do for themselves.
16
Prioritize Our Work

• Jack of All Trades, Master of None?
• Simplify Do Four Things Well.
• Union Building Blocks
• Communication (Cornerstone)
• Mobilization (Strength)
• Representation (Enforcement)
• Negotiation (Progress)

UNION
17
To Organize Workers!
Inverted Hourglass EffectHow Many of You Know a
Burned-Out Union Leader?

Workers at Sites (Masses)
(Union) Leadership
Chapter President/Labor Rep.
18
Conducive Chapter Structures for Organizing Our
Workers
Chief Job Steward
Treasurer
Job Stewards
Workers at the Sites! (Organized Masses POWER!)
Secretary
Chapter President
Site Rep. Coordinator
Site Rep./Activists Worksite Meetings/Presence
Media/Public
Chapter Public Relations Officer
Political Action Coordinator
Negotiations Team
19
Conducive Chapter Structures for Organizing Our
Workers POWER!
COMMUNICATION MOBILIZATION
NEGOTIATION REPRESENTATION
LEADERSHIP

• How Is Your Chapter Infrastructure?
• Ready to Organize If Necessary?
• Members, FSP, Potential?

20
Conducive Union Goals for Organizing Our Workers

• Goals
• Create a democratic structure that will allow
  people to be heard, to participate, and to be
  nurtured as they take action to determine their
  own destinies. (Crisis in democracy)
• Transform the union into a Human Rights School
  where we teach workers how to obtain and fight
  for their human rights.

• We have the job not only to organize the
  unorganized, but we have the job of educating and
  unionizing the organized.
• Walter Reuther

21
Union as A Human Rights School

• Human rights education is an action-oriented
  learning and participatory process, whose
  fundamental role is to empower individuals to
  assume their shared responsibility to make human
  rights a reality in their own lives and in their
  own communities workplaces. If people are
  aware of their human rights, they will be better
  prepared to promote and protect them.
• Sergio Viera de Mello
• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
• "Tell me, I'll forget.
• Show me, I may remember.
• But involve me I'll understand.
• Chinese Proverb

22
Union as a Human Rights School

• Guiding Principles
• Consensus
• Collaboration
• No-Fault

Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights Education shall be directed toward the
full development of the human personality and to
the strengthening of respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms
UNION
Mgmt.
Members
Staff
Democratic Human Rights Vision/Plan
Staff Development
Assessment Modification
Educational Growth
FOUNDATION Relationships (Union) People
United Around Common Vision
Development Along 6 Pathways Physical,
Cognitive, Psychological, Language, Social,
Ethical
Building the House of Labor
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Solid Foundation - Chapters?

• Fully Functioning Chapter Structures
• Goal of 10 Active Member Involvement
• Clearly Assigned Role Duties
• Union at the Worksites
• Go to the Members at Worksites
• Union as a Human Rights School (Educational
  Institution)
• Communicate, Teach, Move People to Take Action!
• An Ounce of Planning is Worth a Pound of
  Reactionary Responses

24
Organizing Around Issues?
False Dichotomy Where Do Unions Get Their
Power? There is often a false separation
between servicing and organizing. We are
frequently led to believe that we must either
service our membership or organize them, because
we cannot do both. It is an odd distinction.
It seems as though One cannot be done without
the other. Contract servicing has to be an
organizing activity. Every action we take needs
to be viewed from an organizing perspective
UNFAIR

• Let me guess. Is this another one of your
  group grievances?

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Proposed Chapter Actitivies

• Necessary Structured Activities for Chapter
• Monthly Newsletter
• Executive Board Meetings
• Steward Council Meetings!!!
• Negotiations Sessions
• Chapter Meetings
• Worksite Meetings!!!
• Trainings
• Preparation Time!!!

26
Sample Chapter Monthly Calendar

• GOAL Communication, Mobilization,
  Representation, Negotiation
• Utilize Release Time - Trainings Negotiations
  Sessions Not Included
• Keep Most Meetings to Less Than Hour 15
  Minutes Agenda! Make Most of Meetings

27
Chapter Executive Board

• Restore Democracy in America at Local Level
• (Create Light in the Darkness)
• Meetings Should Be Action-Oriented (Strategize)
  NOT Governance-Oriented
• Should Lead (By Example!)
• If the Exec. Bd. isnt United, You Cant Expect
  the Membership to be United
• Democratically Elected Executive Board (Elected
  Representatives) Are Accountable to the
  Membership

28
Sample Chapter Newsletter

• The Union Justice GAZETTE

There is no such thing as a communications
vacuum. Without our constant attention, either
our oppositions public relations or the rumor
mill will fill the void.
29
Strategy Session

• Forcing the District to Respond to Us.
• Tired of Getting Poked in the Eye? Strategize!
• Key Questions
• Where Do Unions Get Their Strength? Thus, Where
  Does Our Power Lie?
• Imagine One Day If
• Creating Power Developing an Organizing
  Strategy for Your Chapter Worksheet

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Conducive Union Meetings for Organizing Our
Workers

• Meeting Agenda Structure
• I. CENTERING PRINCIPLE
• (Inspiration/Remind of Core Values)
• II. REPORTS
• (Only Verbally Report on Communications That
  Require Action)
• III. FOCUS
• (Strategy Session, Training, etc.)
• IV. NEXT STEPS
• (Delegation of Tasks)
• V. ROUNDTABLE
• - (Allow All to Have a Voice)
• VI. CLOSING THOUGHT
• Meetings Must Create a Cycle of Progress
• People Must Know That Things Are Being
  Accomplished
• Time Frame Must Be Adhered To (1 Hr. 15 Minutes)

31
Build the Union By LISTENING!

• Getting Members to Take Responsibility for
  their Union!

How many members are you listening to
face-to-face?
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Next Steps

• Create Chapter Action Plan?
• Create Time to Reflect Implement Plan
• Recruit Train Folks to Fill Key Chapter
  Vacancies!
• CPRO, Chief Job Steward, PAC, SRC, etc.
• Educate Ourselves on Health Care Crisis SB 840
• Mother of All Our Problems
• Build Infrastructure for the House of Labor
  Locally

33
CSEAs Guidelines for a Constructive Union

• Questions Clarifications?

34
Closing Thought

• PRAYER FOR THE SCHOOL WORKERS' STRUGGLE
• Adapted from Cesar Chavez
• Show me the suffering of the most miserable So
  I will know my people's plight.
• Free me to pray for others For you are present
  in every person.
• Help me take responsibility for my own life So
  that I can be free at last.
• Grant me courage to serve others For in service
  there is true life.
• Give me honesty and patienceSo that I can work
  with others workers.
• Bring forth song and celebrationSo that the
  Spirit will be alive among us
• Let the Spirit flourish and growSo that we will
  never tire of the struggle.
• Let us remember those who have died for
  justiceFor they have given us life.
• Help us love even those who hate us So we can
  change the world.

Sí, Se Puede!