Tips & resources for organizers

" The most important thing is to be a good listener. It’s not always easy to do when you have people who aren't used to talking, but sometimes we can hear things in the silence -- tuning in to that intuitive side of ourselves when dealing with others.

" Women do naturally have a knack for organizing because we organize so many things -- our children’s lives, our homes -- we tend to be the ones who make sure everybody is taken care of. That gives us the ability to bring people in and make them feel a part of something. We have a pretty good knack for convincing people what the union is good for -- not telling them, but showing them options so they can discover themselves what's good for them. That’s how they choose."

-- Lesley Phillips, Boston Newspaper Guild TNG-CWA Local 3103

"You’re not going to win every campaign. Don’t feel bad about that. The hope is that you leave people better off than when you found them --more knowledgeable and educated. Perhaps the next time you meet with them, they’ll be ready. Don’t be discouraged."

-- Kathleen Ancil, Utility Workers of America

“Things seem to get more hectic all the time, and sometimes when we get a little time off, we just thrust ourselves into something else.  --  A good time for me is when I can  go home and clean my house! When women take breaks they tend to trade off what they’re doing for something else they have to do.

“What really helps me is a group of female friends that I met through an interfaith coalition for social justice. One is a minister, another is an organizer from the steelworkers. We try to get together once a month, and it’s great to just talk with someone who understands, to be able to commiserate with other women and share ideas. We don’t always get credit for what we do, but in this group, other women will say, ‘Oh, that’s a great idea I need to try that with what I’m doing.’ Just to have a group committed to the same social justice issues is a real life-saver for me. We hold each other up.”
-- Jeannine Belt, UFCW Local 12, Columbia, Ill.

"A whole new generation is coming into the labor force.

"But I can’t talk to a young person about the same things I'd talk to with an older person. You can’t talk about retirement when they're just coming out of college. I try to hear what it is that’s really going on with a person, and not to pass judgment. You have to talk about the issues that relate to them. Most are into sports, making money, and entertainment.

"So we talk about how rappers become union members in order to promote their records – we draw on that relationship. And the NBA has a union. It's important that young people understand that you have people making millions of dollars, yet they have a union. Because even they have problems. That helps people realize where things come from. You have to be looking out for your future, because the company's not going to do this for you. "

--Joanna Millhouse, The Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild

"Be real,be honest, talk from the heart.
"Because what you believe in, standing up for what is right, will spill into workers' hearts, and you will become a reflection of them and them of you.
Si Se Puede !!!."

-- Minerva Solla, staff organizer, SEIU 1199 United Healtlcare Workers East, New York

"One thing that's personally very helpful is to have a 3-ring binder with sections of information that I can carry with me at all times. If it gets too big, take whatever sections you need - whether it's a list created with names, addresses, phone and email, that I keep updating, or a section on company information that I found online and keep organizing, important emails that I print out & put in the proper section I have a sense of having everything at my fingertips."

-- Lesley Phillips, Boston Newspaper Guild TNG-CWA Local 3103

"Remember where you came from. If you come from within the ranks, don’t be shy about talking about your own experiences, and relate your work experience to the people you’re organizing – that's a great strength in organizing. Remember what work is like when the job is unorganized, how hard and stressful it is. If you know the work, you can empathize with the workers. Never lose sight of why you’re there. Managers can’t compete with that. "

-Kathleen Ancil, Utility Workers of America

"Develop a mentorship program between older and younger members. A lot of times people feel that they don’t have the time to  spend with a younger person or other co-workers, but it could be just 15-20 minutes, a phone call, to have lunch with them. If you went into most high schools or even college environments and asked what is a labor union, how many could answer the question? Spend a little time so they’ll have a  better understanding."

--Joanna Millhouse, Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild TNG-CWA Local 30325

"Patience is important. There are times when nothing seems to be happening. It's very easy to get frustrated and think you're doing something wrong if you don't feel you're being productive. But organizing doesn’t work that way. There are down times when you can’t reach people, when nobody's talking to you and you can't find information. Take that opportunity to go back and review the information you have and see if there's more research you can do. Don’t get frustrated, and don’t give up."

-- Lesley Phillips, Boston Newspaper Guild TNG-CWA Local 3103

"Look at the social aspect of people’s lives. The personal is intertwined with the work environment, or work conditions. People bring their problems or concerns to work and a lot of times don’t feel comfortable talking. But they need that outlet.  There are other women they can identify with who may be going through the same thing.

“ I’m trying to get women together to talk, convincing them that this is a safe space, and that what’s said here stays here."

--Joanna Millhouse, Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild TNG-CWA Local 30325

"Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and look for new ideas..  The norm doesn’t always work and unionism is down, so we have to look at different avenues from how you might have normally organized. "

-Kathleen Ancil, Utility Workers of America