Organizing My Workplace (Should I Bother?)

[¿Que?]

I recently got a job at a call center. I would be very interested in organizing, but I have a few issues that prevent me from even attempting.

1. I will only be working until mid-august as I have another job lined up which doesn't start until then. (Some of you might think I should wait until I get my permanent job and unionize then. The thing is, the new job is not permanent either and it is an academic job.)

2. I live in a very conservative state , very anti union (even with workers).

3. The company is not very big.

So, I have done a little background research. Went to the IWW website as well as the CWA, and would in theory know what to do to organize. But since I will be working such a short time, I definitely will not be able to do it in such a short time. There is the possibility of getting the ball rolling, though, but then there's issues 2 and 3.

I'll go ahead and level. I'm a pretty old guy and have very little experience with organizing and activism. Every job I've worked I wished I could have organized a union, but I never got past just general discussions, and never got good responses from people.

Plus, I have this general feeling that it's all way above my personal abilities. I have a number of skeletons in my closet, notwithstanding the fact that I post stuff on this site. There's plenty there for a character assassination if one were to be determined. I'm wondering if I'm not the right person for this.

I appreciate everyone's input, but prefer people experienced in activism/organizing. Bonus points if you refer to personal experiences in your comments.

Thanks.

[Ele'ill]

With you being inbetween jobs I wouldn't try the official union route. You might want to consider getting to know your coworkers and figuring out what they want, what the work place needs and how reasonable certain goals are for the time you're going to be there. Start simple- write a list.


You can still make the work place better and create an environment that's accepting of 'worker's rights' without having to dive into the often lengthy task of getting a union involved. It will likely not compare to having a unionized work place but it can achieve certain goals that would otherwise go unremedied for years until a union gets in or worse case scenario- never.

If it's within forum policy you can list some of your work place issues here- be vague but get the point across.

It starts with individuals. :thumbup1:

[The Idler]

You could make it clear to everyone that you are available in a union advisory capacity on employment regulations etc. without threatening to take action such as strikes. The most precarious workers who don't speak up for themselves may appreciate someone to talk to about their work.

[Absolut]

3. The company is not very big.

Is your boss around you and the other workers on the workplace? Or is he somewhere else doing his boss-stuff?


With you being inbetween jobs I wouldn't try the official union route. You might want to consider getting to know your coworkers and figuring out what they want, what the work place needs and how reasonable certain goals are for the time you're going to be there. Start simple- write a list.

Pretty much this. Listen to your coworkers, let them vent themselves and try to build something from what they experience.

[stella2010]

Correspond the workplace with that what you wish to succeed in.
Since you work for a small company you might want to look into other companies
that are also small. Prepare as much as possible and aim high.

[¿Que?]

Is your boss around you and the other workers on the workplace? Or is he somewhere else doing his boss-stuff?
actually, no. It's probably a medium sized company. It's a call center, though, and for a call center, it is rather small.


Pretty much this. Listen to your coworkers, let them vent themselves and try to build something from what they experience.
That's the thing. Some of these people are so, hm, what's the word, confused maybe? This woman about my age, maybe a little older was telling me how she didn't think the job was too bad, how she wanted to get faster at dialing so that she could make more money (we do market research and get paid a base pay plus commission based on how many surveys we complete), and how cool the management was. On this last note, I have to say that the management she was referring to was the low level managers, who probably don't get paid too much more than regular workers. However, to call them cool is a bit of a stretch. They have their moments of treating you with respect, but I've been there three weeks now and have already had to put up with some serious bullshit. Basically, if something goes wrong, it's somebody else's fault, since their the big powerful managers (not really) and I'm just a lowly peon.

Anyway, my main goal at this moment is to try to raise consciousness, and see if I can find sympathizers. I've already failed step one of being a good organizer, which is you have to be a model employee. I generally follow the rules, get back from break on time, etc , but my performance is rather shabby, and I had to miss a day for personal reasons. Like I said in my earlier post, I'm not convinced that organizing labor against capital is something I am capable of.

[Foldered]

You could make it clear to everyone that you are available in a union advisory capacity on employment regulations etc. without threatening to take action such as strikes. The most precarious workers who don't speak up for themselves may appreciate someone to talk to about their work.
This is basically what I do.