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One obstacle we face when trying to involve our members is that they see the union as something separate from them. They often see the union as a third party, different from them and different from the employer. The best way we can bridge that separation is by setting up a program that includes communication, education and action. Communication has to work in two ways. Members must be kept informed about union activities but there also have to be opportunities for them to talk about their ideas. Newsletters, flyers and contract updates can provide an important link between union leadership and the members. However, communication works best when done on a one-on-one basis. Since no one union leader has the time to talk to all the members, it is helpful to set up a process of one-on-one communication using officers, business agents, stewards and members where everyone is responsible for talking to a few people. Communicating information is a first step. However, most members will only get involved if the issue is important to them. That's where education fits in. We have to be able to present the information, find out what their questions and concerns are and respond to them. Again, this can be done through newsletters and flyers but to make sure members really understand the issue, it takes talking with them individually or in small groups. That’s possible by using the one-on-one structure. Finally, we need strong membership participation when it's time to take action. That means we not only need to let the members know what the issue is and why it is important but also what they can do about it. The purpose of asking members to wear buttons, sign petitions or come to a lunchtime rally is to show the employer that large numbers of people are willing to take a stand and that we are united. It is through strong and visible actions by the membership that the balance of power shifts in our direction. Why is a one-on-one structure important? Think about the time before contract negotiations when you needed to find out what the main issues were affecting your members, or the time you needed help during a political campaign, possibly to support a pro-union candidate for Congress or to defeat an anti-union one. Many times locals post requests for information or assistance on union bulletin boards or in newsletters. While written communication is important, you may miss those people who don't read the board or those who throw away the newsletter. Also, these types of communication are one-sided giving the members little opportunity to give feedback or ask questions. One-on-one communication allows for every person to be contacted, educated on issues and have an opportunity to offer their ideas or ask questions. It means that Local union officers, staff, stewards and members can talk to other members one at a time, face to face about important issues; and in the process, encourage them to participate. The theory behind one-on-one communication is that it gets more people to participate in local union activities and, through this participation, become committed to the union. It also shows members that you are concerned with the problems you and they face together helping to overcome feelings of "us" versus "them." The members begin to see the union as all of us, not just the local leaders or the local hall. The chart below is an example of how the one-on-one structure works:
This one-on-one structure ensures a flow of information from the local to the members and back to the local with no one person having the total responsibility or workload for contacting all the members. Very simply, a principal officer or business agent may need members to attend a rally. Through this system, he/she would notify the next person(s) on the flow chart with all the information and these people would contact the ones assigned to them until all the members have had someone verbally communicating with them. In the process, the members would be educated on the issue (why a rally?) and what exactly they are being asked to do (attend from 2:00 - 4:00 on Saturday in front of the City Hall), and be given the opportunity to make comments or ask questions. While the principal officer oversees the entire communication structure within the local, business agents are responsible for each of the shops they represent. There will be times when all the members of your local will need to be contacted; therefore, the principal officer will notify the business agents, who in turn will notify the stewards or key people in each of the shops they represent. Likewise, there will be times when only the members in one shop may need to be contacted. The direction for this may come from the principal officer, the business agent or the stewards/key members. Although the one-on-one structure seems simple, it takes a lot of work for it to be successful.
One-On-One Activity Chart For Stewards (PDF format) Some Teamsters local unions may have problems in securing enough people as volunteers to make sure the one-on-one structure works. The next section gives some tips for recruiting volunteers. However, it is helpful to keep in mind that volunteers often come forward when only asked to contribute a few hours of their time to a specific activity. Also, many local unions have found that a number of people are willing to talk to their co-workers about matters of importance to the union because, unlike shop stewards, they do not have to engage in investigative activities nor in adversarial relations with management.
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