strategic organizing & target analysis

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Strategic Organizing &Target Analysis

Thinking Strategically

Target

Workers

Middle Managers

Officers, ShareholdersBoard of Dir.

Financial Institutions

Gov. And RegulatoryAgencies

Politicians

Suppliers and Vendors

Competition

Customers

The Media

Social Justice GroupsReligious and Charitable

Other

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Is Your Target Realistic?

Should Be Manageable Size When Compared to YOUR Resources 10-15 Ideal for Most Organizers

Are There Identifiable Issues? How Do You Know? What Sources Will You Use Beyond

The Employees?

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Number One Research Source For Organizers?

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Seven Research Topics

Workplace justice issues Social justice and regulatory issues Employer’s labor relations record Basic power structure analysis Employer’s financial condition The employers strategic plan Impact of industry changes

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Workplace Justice Issues

Research Topic #1

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Workplace Justice Issues Information needed

Identify problems for the workers that will drive the social justice message for the campaign

Unfair firings Layoffs Workplace

discrimination Healthcare Pension issues Unreasonable demands

for concessions

Information needed

Wage and hour violations

Mandatory overtime Part time work Temporary work Subcontracting Plant closings ULP’s Shifting jobs overseas

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Workplace Justice Issues (Continued)

Informational Sources

Law suits. Often employer misdeeds will result

in a lawsuit or civil action. You can search and retrieve all

federal court records at: www.courtlink.com or at www.marketspan.com

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Newspaper Articles www.northernlight.com

For newspaper articles that have a online searchable database of past issues go to www.metalab.unc.edu/slanews/intern

et/archives.html

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Safety and Health Issues OSHA 200 logs can be requested at the

OSHA Regional Office The Regional Offices will be listed on the

OSHA web site www.osha.gov

Employer violations and inspection data can be found on the OSHA web site www.osha.gov

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Pension and health and welfare coverage Search for the ERISA 5500 forms

online at www.freeErisa.com

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Other Social Justice and Regulatory Issues

Research Topic #2

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Information needed Environmental record

10K report can be found at: www.freeEdgar.com or www.tenkwizard.com The environmental defense fund web site

can be found at: www.edf.org

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Other Social Justice and Regulatory Issues (Continued)

Search the Envirofacts web page at the US Environmental Protection Agency Internet Site: www.epa.gov/enviro/index_java.html

Environmental Organizations such as: www.sierraclub.org www.foe.org www.greenpeace.org

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Major Litigation Major litigation will also show up in

the 10-K report for public companies www.FreeEdgar.com www.tenkwizard.com

Other Litigation www.knowx.com www.tracersinfo.com

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(Continued)

Other Litigation County and Federal courthouse

records can be checked in the city where the company has its headquarters. Check the internet at:

www.courtlink.com www.marketspan.com

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State and County Regulatory Agencies Many states and local governments

have searchable databases online. A good site to discover which government agencies are online is:

www.info.gov/stalocal.htm You can search items as licensing

requirements or past inspection reports

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FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) The following web site will tell you how to

file a FOIA, as well as the agency to submit your request.

www.aclu.org/library/foia.html#request For a list of FOIA addresses at federal

agencies go to: www.uscg.mil/hq/g-s/g-si/g-sii/sii-2/foia_add.htm

For a list of FOIA resources by state go to: www.reporters.net/nfoic/web/index.htm

GRAMA

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Corporate Welfare: State and local Subsidies to Corporations Check at good jobs first

www.goodjobsfirst.org Provides information on local and

corporate subsidies.

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Employer’s Labor Relations Record

Research Topic #3

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Employer’s Labor Relations Record

What other unions represent units and where.

Will unions at other organized units be willing to engage in solidarity activity? Has there been coordinated bargaining among unions within the company.

Have other Union represented in the past (UNICORE Database)

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Employer’s Labor Relations Record (Continued)

Anti Union Consultants Has the company hired one and who

are they? www.aflcio.org/unionbuster

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Employer’s Labor Relations Record (Continued)

Union Busting LawyersGetting backgrounds of individual lawyers There is a national legal directory

published by Martindale-Hubbell. Martindale-Hubbell on the internet

www.martindale.com

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Basic Power Structure Analysis

Research Topic #4

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Basic Power Structure Analysis

Is the company public or private A list of public companies can be

found at: www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/srch-edgar or www.sec.gov/asec/cf/alist.txt This will give you all public companies

starting with “a”. To view “b” change alist to blist and “c” to clist and so on.

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Basic Power Structure Analysis (Continued)

Is the company a Subsidiary of a larger Corporation?

Subsidiary information can sometimes be found at Hoovers along with financial information. www.hoovers.com (pay site) or www.yahoo.com once on yahoo go to

“stock quotes”

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Private Companies Utah Dept of Commerce: Division of

Corporations Dun and Bradstreet

Provides a D&B Supplier Evaluation Report that can be ordered on the internet at:

www.dnb.com

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Non-Profit companies The IRS list of non profit companies is

on the Internet at: www.irs.ustreas.gov/prod/search/

eosearch.html or www.nonprofits.org or www.guidestar.org/search/index.adp or http://Bbb.org/about/pas.asp

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Profiling key people at public companies Top executives and board members

Search the internet for SEC filings www.FreeEdgar.com

Or find an individuals links to a company at: www.edgar-online.com/people/ or other

information on people at www.anywho.com or www.tracersinfo.com/

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Check your companies web site. Companies in general are very proud

of their business. Sometimes post an informal annual

report on their web site Companies post names of officers,

customers, distributors subsidiaries etc.

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Check National and Local Newspapers May of which are online

Web site that have links to many newspapers include:

http://Ajr.newslink.org/daily.html (The American Journalism Review)

www.newspapers.com www.amcity.com (American City Business Journals) http://metalab.unc.edu/slanews/internet/

archives.html Links to newspapers that have archives on line

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More Newspaper links UnCover is a fee-based database of

current article information http://uncweb.carl.org

Northern Light on the internet www.northernlight.com

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Courthouse Records Search the links below for federal,

state and some local court records www.courtlink.com www.marketspan.com

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Identify the interlocks Interlocks are companies that are linked to

one another through members of the board of directors.

The bios on the board members in the proxy statement will list the companies that each board member is affiliated with. These are interlocks.

Often there is an underlying business relationship behind interlocks.

www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/srch-edgar

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Identify the principle investors The proxy statement list any investor

that has a five percent or more holding in the company.

Identify the lenders Read the list of appendices to the 10-K

report. Often there will be references to lending agreements between the company and lead lending institutions.

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Identify the Major Customers The rank and file membership is often

in a position to have a detailed understanding of which products are beings shipped to which customers.

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Identify key relationships with politicians Center for Responsive Politics

www.opensecrets.org/home/index.asp Search by typing the company name.

This will indicate whether the company has a political action committee that has contributed to candidates. Also search by top executives and board members.

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Employers’ Financial Condition

Research Topic #5

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Employers’ Financial Condition Information needed

Sales Profits Liquidity Debt

Sales and profits will be found on the company's income statement, liquidity or the availability of cash to meet upcoming expenses can be analyzed by reviewing the Cash Flow Statement, and debt will be analyzed by reviewing the Balance Sheet.

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Employers’ Financial Condition (Continued)

Sites that may provide the financial information we are looking for are: www.hoovers.com www.companiesonline.com

Read item #7 on the 10-K report: Managements Discussion and

Analysis of Financial Issues.

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Employers’ Financial Condition (Continued)

Independent analyst reports Are readily available on public

companies. You can find them at: www.multexinvestor.com

Independent analyst reports on a company's financial performance. Often these reports project financial performance in the coming one or two years.

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The Employer’s Strategic Plan

Research Topic #6

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The Employer’s Strategic Plan

10-K Report First section of the 10-K report is

titled: “Item #1: Business” This will provide a general background of

the company and its performance in the industry

Company analysis by Wall Street Journalists

www.thestreet.com

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The Employer’s Strategic Plan (Continued)

The Dow Jones Website Allows you to search their vast

number of publications including the Wall Street Journal

www.dowjones.com

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Business Magazines Such as local business journals,

Forbes www.forbes.com and Fortune www.fortune.com may also contain articles that explore a company’s strategic plan. For local business journals in 30 cities on the internet go to:

www.amcity.com

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Message Boards Message boards are company linked

lists of messages that any individual can leave for others to read.

http://messages.yahoo.com/index.html

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Impact of Industry Changes

Research topic #7

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Impact of Industry Changes

We now want to focus on the company’s strategy, will technological changes cause job shifting etc. Internet sources for all sorts of business

information are: The “Wall Street Research Net”

www.wsrn.com/home/companyResearch.html and “Just Quotes” a similar service www.justquotes.com

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Seven Research Topics

Workplace justice issues Social justice and regulatory issues Employer’s labor relations record Basic power structure analysis Employer’s financial condition The employer’s strategic plan Impact of industry changes

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Summary

Research the 7 topics Use the information to break the

relationships that exist with the target. Never try to take on two many

relationships at once. Start with 3 and then add more as

you put the pressure on the target.

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EVALUATIONS

Do You Have Some Issues? Can You Identify The Workforce? What Do You Need To Do Next? HOUSECALLS!!

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HOUSE CALLS

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INTRODUCTION The organizer should

introduce himself Some of your co-workers contacted us

Try to get into the home

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ASK ABOUT THE WORKER’S ISSUES AND

CONCERNS?

Each worker will have different issues

Let them DISCUSS the issues Get to know them before you

make your points THE MOST IMPORTANT THING

AT FIRST IS TO SHUT UP!

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EDUCATE THE WORKER

About the Union Relate the Union to the workers

concerns (The Union Could Solve That Problem By……)

How we can help Talk about the election process What to expect from the employer Ask them what they know about Unions

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GET A COMMITMENT

Each call should be a building process

Try to get them involved Don’t Be Afraid To Make a

Return Visit!

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THINGS TO REMEMBER!

Limit calls to 30 minutes Don’t call ahead Map out directions Bring along a committee

person Your time is valuable

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ROLE PLAYING

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You Want to Build a Union With Your House Calls

Education Is Initially More Important Than Signing Authorization Cards

Build Your Committee! The Campaign is THEIRS, You Are

Just a Facilitator!

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Forming and Working With Committees

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The Organizing Process

Rally the troops Sign Authorization Cards Hold an Election Negotiate the First Contract

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The Election What must a member commit to, to

win the election? Sign a card Vote Yes

The Organizing Process (continued)

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The Organizing Process (continued)

The First Contract What must the member commit to, to

win a first contract? The Workers Must commit to acting like a

union member Concerted Activity Being involved

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The Mindset

I am an organizer I am the union I won an election I’m going to get a contract

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The Management Plan

If we lose the election Surface bargain for a year Show the workforce how weak the

union is No progress being made No Contract

After the year is up - file to withdraw recognition

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What did we do wrong?

We must build a union They are the union They must be involved The amount of leverage acquired during

the campaign will determine if you get a contract or not.

When the contractor realizes that you are not the union - his employees are - that’s when you will start to make progress.

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How do we build a union

Building a union has to begin from the first meeting.

The workforce must be educated and must be involved.

One way to get them involved is by establishing a organizing committee.

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The Organizing Committee

An active, representative organizing committee is the most important element in a successful campaign.

It is the foundation upon which a strong union is built.

Provides leadership and inspiration to win and sustain majority support among the workforce.

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Critical Functions of the Organizing Committee

Provides Leadership By openly supporting the union, the

committee provides leadership and inspiration to the rest of the workers.

Committee members take part in planning the campaign, and in carrying out union activities.

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Critical Functions of the Organizing Committee (continued)

Conveys a sense of ownership The committee consists of workers

themselves Workers get a greater sense of ownership

of the union The union is not some outsider, it is the

people themselves.

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Educates Co-Workers At committee meetings, committee

members learn more about the union They bring this information to their

co-workers They can respond to management

misinformation as soon as it appears.

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Serves as a Communication Network Committee members are the eyes

and ears of the organizer in the workplace

They can tell the organizer what is happening in the campaign, what the issues are and what the peoples concerns are.

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Act as a watchdog The committee keeps records of

threats or other violations committed by the employer

Committee members should know their legal rights and share this information with others

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Distributes literature and signs up co-workers Passes out leaflets to co-workers Signs up members on petitions The fact that the committee passes

out leaflets shows workers they don't have to be afraid to engage in union activities

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The Organizing Committee

Composition of the Committee

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Composition of the Committee

Size The committee should consist of at

least 15% of the workforce If the committee is smaller

They cannot be a visible presence on the job

They cannot communicate with everyone in the workforce on a daily basis

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Composition of the Committee (Continued)

Representative Every department Every work area, shift and job category Every ethnic and racial group Every age group and both genders Everyone should have someone on the

committee that they know they can identify with

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Leaders People that serve on the committee

should be well respected Should be solid workers Should be natural leaders that others

admire

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Diagramming the workplace Draw a floor diagram of the workplace

Break down and identify departments Place names of employees in the

department where they work Consider mobility of the workforce

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Cafeteria

Maintenance

Assembly

Receiving

Fabrication

Shipping

5

6

1015

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ToolCrib

1

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Committee Recruitment

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Committee Recruitment

Create this committee Through one on one recruitment Seek leaders who represent every

segment of the workforce Even if a person is not initially pro-

union, make the effort to show how the union can address their concerns

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Committee Recruitment (continued)

Don’t just recruit pro-union at the offset This might not be the most

representative group. Seek out where union support

might be weak This might be the difference of

winning or loosing the campaign

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Don’t surface too soon with a partial committee If the committee is to small or not

properly represented it might send the wrong message

People might think the union is a clique and not strong enough to represent everyone

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A critical decision is when or whether to inform management who is on the committee Notifying management solidifies the

committee and also offers some legal protection

A committee can not be effective if it stays hidden

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Once the committee is ready to surface Take them into action with a leaflet

distribution Remember to keep adding members to

the committee throughout the campaign

The committee should grow in strength and diversity

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Getting People Involved

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Getting People Involved The most significant factor leading to union

success is active campaigning by an effective, representative committee. In the absence of an effective committee the win rate is only 10%. When the organizing committee does engage in active campaigning the win rate is 62%.

A committee of less than 5% of the unit correlates to a win rate of only 27%. If the committee consist of 15% of the unit or more, the win rate is 61%.

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Getting People Involved (continued)

Remember the goal is to build a union If you are successful building a union

you more than likely will succeed in winning recognition secure a first contract

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The main way to recruit people as active participants Explain there will be only one union if

they work to create one They need to take ownership of the

process

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To recruit committee members: Ask

The best way to get someone involved is to ask him or her personally

This is much more effective than trying to recruit through a mailing or phone call

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To recruit committee members: Make Clear

What you are asking people to do People are more willing to begin with a

task they know they can do When they accomplish something, they

are more confident, and participate more the next time

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To recruit committee members: Encourage

Encourage people to ask questions Remember that most people have never

been through a organizing campaign They don’t know terminology such as

leafleting or house calling

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To recruit committee members: Tell each person

How his or her job fits in with the rest People want to understand what they are

a part of and work best when others are depending on them

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To recruit committee members: Start small and build

The first time ask someone to get 3 phone numbers and address’s

If you asked them to get 150 they would probably fail and you will lose a potential activist

People will be willing to do more as their confidence builds

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To recruit committee members: Keep People accountable

At each meeting check and see how the person did with their assignment

This sends the message that the work is important

Helps to identify problems early

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To recruit committee members: Explain

How their work will make peoples lives better

Be enthusiastic about the importance of the work

People will work hard and take enormous risks if they truly believe they can make a difference

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Committee Meetings

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Committee Meetings

Once most of the committee has been recruited Meetings can begin Typically held once a week

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Committee Meetings (continued)

Tips for effective meetings: Have an agenda

The purpose of the meeting should be clear It should not turn into a grip session or pep

rally The purpose is to answer questions, train, and

conduct the work of the campaign, which is to inoculate workers against the employer campaign

Assess union support, determine strategy, etc.

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Tips for effective meetings: Keep the meeting short

Start and end on time Meetings should not last more than an

hour Otherwise people with families will stop

coming If people want to talk longer, let them stay

after the meeting

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Tips for effective meetings: Meet at a convenient time

And also a neutral place Avoid lounges and restaurants that might

be to noisy or make workers uncomfortable

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Tips for effective meetings: Encourage participants

Nothing will kill a meeting faster than a prolonged speech

Suggestions, discussion and participation by committee members will keep them interested and eager to make contributions to the campaign

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Two principle components of your committee meetings are Training Assignments

Example: If your are about to send a committee member to get authorization cards signed you must prepare them first

Role playing would be good with your committee members

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Sample Committee Meeting Agenda

5:00 - Report on anything new in the workplace 5:05 - Report results of previous assignments 5:10 - Discussion of the next phase of the

campaign For example, education on authorization cards, the purpose,

who sees them, signing a card as a commitment of support

5:20 - Role play for committees next assignment For example, members soliciting cards from co-workers

5:50 - Assignments - distribution of cards For example, each worker may agree to talk to five specific

co-workers about signing cards

6:00 - Adjourn

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Cultural Diversity

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Cultural Diversity

In a culturally diverse workplace, this can be challenging This is important because they

employer practice will be to divide and conquer

The committee must represent all groups

Must address issues that unfairly impact one group or another

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Cultural Diversity (Continued)

Here are some ideas for trying to create a unified workforce. Identify the leaders of different

groups. Make it a priority to make early contact with them. Make sure they are represented on the committee

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Don’t delay in reaching out to every cultural group. If you wait to long some groups may get the impression the union is the property of others

Take advantage of community resources for contacts and translations. When ever possible house calls should be conducted in someone's primary language

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Be sure to translate all literature. Show that the union cares about everyone.

Be sensitive to cultural traditions and avoid offending someone with certain values or beliefs

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Organizers should always conduct themselves in a non-sexist, non-racial manner. The union is not a social club for any exclusive group, majority or minority.

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Women, minorities, and immigrants are most pro-union

In units where women make up less than half of the workforce the win rate is only 33%. Where women equal more that 75% of the unit, the unions win rate is 57%. More than half of union election victories feature a workforce with a majority of women.

Unions have the greatest chance of success if the workforce is more than 75% minority. If there are large number of immigrants in the workforce, there is a strong likelihood of success. Such units have a win rate of 63%

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Committee Summary

Committees are the key to a successful campaign

The make up of the committee is critical

Get People involved early, its their union

Hold committee meetings frequently to educate and train the unit

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Utah BTOP Goals?

Realistic Targeting Research the seven subjects (DJR) House calls, House calls, House

calls! Form a Committee, It Has to Be The

Worker’s Campaign. Now You Can Think About Filing an

RC Petition!

strategic organizing & target analysis

Documents

social justice message

identifiable issues

osha web site

envirofacts web page

environmental organizations

federal courthouse records

federal court records

health issuesosha