Forming a union?

[AmericanSocialist]

Okay, So I work at a data entry job that inputs orders for directv. What occurs is that a sales person at a sams club, best buy, menards, Target, etc... talks a customer into signing up with directv. The sales person then calls us and we input the data, speak to the customer, get social security #, credit card, and order the equipment and process their order and schedule them for an appointment date. We get a high volume of calls and we do a lot of processing which creates much wealth for the owner of the company. Anyways my job has broken Air conditioning in the main area where the majority sit (I have the luxury of sitting in what we call the 'ice box' because the AC works very amplified there). We also have a lot of issues with how we are treated. We are given a 30 minute break and "SOMETIMES" a 5 minute break. If we are on bathroom break too long we are scolded (forgive us if our shit takes a bit longer than usual), and they are constantly getting us to sign sheets of paper that tells us they can write us up or terminate if we make mistakes in our orders.

Today was one of those days. I notice much discomfort upon the MAJORITY of workers. Many were complaining that we are enslaved.. (This is without me going into my Socialist rants). Long story short, the Socialist came out in me and I ended up suggesting that we form a union. Many were skeptical at the time, but I suggested that if we can get a group of 20 people (the majority) and form this group in which we can petition things that we want to raise in a respectful manner. So we are forming this and I am wondering if my fellow comrades have any suggestions.

I live in florida, so the labor laws here are not so good, perhaps I could risk getting fired (not for doing this, but perhaps they will find a reason to fire me), but to me its well worth the risk instead of being a silent slave to the system. I do not have super high expectations, but I think some of the nuisances at work can change (not all).

[Die Rote Fahne]

Contact a union that covers the type of work you do, and try to join it.

They will provide you with the info needed.

[AmericanSocialist]

Thanks for the feed back. So perhaps I should try to look for unions are involved in data entry?

[x371322]

I'd recommend the IWW. One Big Union for all workers. I copied this from the website. It may be of some help to you, whether you go with the IWW or not:


You will want to keep any union talk, and general conversations about wages, benefits, hours, etc., out of the ears of management.

You will want to be a model employee because you do not want to give management any reason to fire you. Your job is worth defending and improving.

Start a workplace diary, noting positive and negative comments from supervisors and managers. Keep notes from meetings, schedule changes, etc. Make sure you note when, where, why, etc. Save company memos and pay stubs, ANYTHING that you think will help your case if you must use a government agency to fight the boss.

Lastly, it is legal to talk about union organizing and you have a legal right to organize to improve your working conditions.

But you should know that some of the most seemingly friendly companies have waged the most vicious union busting drives. The goal of keeping the campaign out of the ears of management is to do as much organizing as possible before your campaign goes public.

Good luck! :thumbup1:


*edit* Source http://iww.org

[AmericanSocialist]

Thanks comrade, this is very useful information.

[Die Rote Fahne]

Sometimes I think I was fired from Circle K for talk of unionizing...either management heard, or was informed.

[Red Rebel]

I live in florida, so the labor laws here are not so good


Well here is the good news, the Wagner Act is a national act in the USA. All private sector jobs across the USA have shitty labor laws.

I'd check out the CWA:
http://www.cwa-union.org/pages/how_to_organize_a_union

They have verizon & AT&T organized. Organizing with the IWW will be a lot more difficult than with a larger union. You can also contact the SEIU or Teamsters because they'' tend to organize anything. Either way, contact a union organizer, and they'll give you a run down better than most of us can. They'll also have materials for you.

[genstrike]

Okay, the first two rules of union club are you do not talk about union club at work. It sounds like your place of work is pretty strictly monitored, and you don't want the bosses to get wind of what you're planning until you're ready to go public.

But basically, those people who seem to be on board, get them to be your organizing committee.

I'd recommend contacting the IWW if they have a branch nearby. Not because the IWW is more "left" than other unions, but because they place a greater emphasis on shopfloor struggles, grassroots democracy, and empowering members than most mainstream unions. And the IWW's Organizer Training 101 program sounds like exactly what you're looking for.

Alternately, you could look into the business unions, but a warning: it sounds like you're in a fairly small shop in an overwhelmingly non-union industry, and it sounds like the kind of job where there's high turnover. Plenty of mainstream unions won't want to shell out the resources on organizing small shops, especially in tough industries.

[AmericanSocialist]

Thanks a lot this is all great feed back. I am a bit nervous about this, but I feel as Mao said that revolution cannot just be grasped by studying it, but by actually experiencing it. I wonder if its worth the risk, but at the same time I feel that if I do not take action then I am just an 'intellectual socialist'.

Have any of you had any fears? I could be fired, but I trust in faith (not in a god lol) that I will find another job if I were to be fired. (I am one of the top performing employees and I am trying to get to the #1 spot so that there will be no reason to fire me although they would like to when the management find out)

[Die Rote Fahne]

Thanks a lot this is all great feed back. I am a bit nervous about this, but I feel as Mao said that revolution cannot just be grasped by studying it, but by actually experiencing it. I wonder if its worth the risk, but at the same time I feel that if I do not take action then I am just an 'intellectual socialist'.

Have any of you had any fears? I could be fired, but I trust in faith (not in a god lol) that I will find another job if I were to be fired. (I am one of the top performing employees and I am trying to get to the #1 spot so that there will be no reason to fire me although they would like to when the management find out)

They don't need to know until it's formed (or you join one). It's too late for management once it's said and done.

Good luck!

[danyboy27]

If you are good with the talking your task will be fairly easy.

We got some talking where i work for a union but unfortunately, the supporters are scattered all around the store in various departements and we got a lot of rabid anti-unions folks where i work.

[Systematic]

If you are good with the talking your task will be fairly easy.

We got some talking where i work for a union but unfortunately, the supporters are scattered all around the store in various departements and we got a lot of rabid anti-unions folks where i work.

its the same in my work place, about 50-55% of the outside staff section are in the AWU (australian workers union) many refuse to be in a union stating "what have they done for us?!" some even vote for the right winged party!

[YSR]

Hey friend in the OP,

Please send me a PM, I know a bunch of the IWW organizers in Florida and can try to hook you up with someone.

Biggest thing is, as other have said, don't ever talk union on the floor. In fact, I'd hesitate on talking union to anyone until you've had a conversation with an organizer. Nothing personal, I've just seen a lot of people make early mistakes that have totally fucked up their chances at a successful campaign because they didn't know any better.

To the person above who suggested that organizing in the IWW will be "harder" than in a business union, I hope you can substantiate that with some information. Organizing is just hard no matter what, and doing it with a business union is a near sure bet way to lose control of your campaign.

[genstrike]

To the person above who suggested that organizing in the IWW will be "harder" than in a business union, I hope you can substantiate that with some information. Organizing is just hard no matter what, and doing it with a business union is a near sure bet way to lose control of your campaign.

I think a lot of people think it is easier to organize with a business union because of the differences in how business unions organize. For business unions, it seems to be mostly a matter of doing a blitz for cards, win an election (if your jurisdiction doesn't have auto-cert or you don't have the cards for it) then turn everything over to the staffers and a few local execs to bargain for first contract. Well, it's a way to get a union, but are you truly organized then?

Contrast that to the IWW-style organizing drives, which involve a lot more patient, covert work in building up an internal committee, fighting back on the shop floor, and maintaining an effective committee.

And of course, this is assuming that the business union actually gives you some support. If the business union doesn't think your workplace is large enough or easy enough to be profitable, then they'll just at best give you some cards and tell you to go nuts. Entire industries have been written off by business unions as "unorganizable" simply because it's not profitable to organize and service small shops. The sad thing is many of these industries are precisely the ones who need unions the most, and one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy (McJobs).

I like to joke that I'm unionized but not organized by CUPE, and organized but not unionized by the IWW.