However, IWW organizing generally works to involve the legal system as little as possible, as the bureaucracy takes years to do anything and, when they do, it's too little too late (at least the US NLRB).
Luckily, thanks to a new law, any union vote over 55% in favour doesn't require certification anymore! 45-55% does. So obviously we'd be aiming for 55%+ if we could.
Getting an employee list is easy, I have full access to that. Phone numbers I can get for all the lead hands very easily. Beyond that some networking may be required. But my co-conspirators will have several and we can work from there. This part I was already aware of.
Also, don't count on voting your way into a union. You should focus on direct action, starting at the lowest level, because you can escalate up from what business unions call "an IWW style march on the boss," but you can't escalate up from a strike.
I don't think this will work in my kind of workplace, as none of the workers are ever anywhere near the bosses. Ever. They rarely even go to the location where the bosses are. Getting people to that place is hard enough even when the company incentivizes it with free food. :/
Basically we are all dispatched to different locations every day. You might work a week on the same jobsite, but then you're off somewhere else. Getting people to commit to going to the office to talk to the boss is hard because 1) your jobsite might be super far away, and 2) the bosses are only at the office during the hours you're supposed to be working. And when you're working paycheque to paycheque, it's hard to agree to skipping a few hours of paid work (even if it would get you a raise or something.) Additionally we do have an elected employee council (consolation prize after the failed union attempt) that we use to pressure management, but nothing ever comes from it. It's a joke. I don't think we have any leverage without having some kind of legal way to represent all of us without people having to come down and do the work themselves.
I think it will be easy to get most of the workers to sign onto the idea that some of their trusted coworkers (who they already elected to the council, in some cases) are going to try to negotiate a raise for everyone on their behalf, you know?
Luckily, thanks to a new law, any union vote over 55% in favour doesn't require certification anymore! 45-55% does. So obviously we'd be aiming for 55%+ if we could.
Getting an employee list is easy, I have full access to that. Phone numbers I can get for all the lead hands very easily. Beyond that some networking may be required. But my co-conspirators will have several and we can work from there. This part I was already aware of.
I don't think this will work in my kind of workplace, as none of the workers are ever anywhere near the bosses. Ever. They rarely even go to the location where the bosses are. Getting people to that place is hard enough even when the company incentivizes it with free food. :/
Basically we are all dispatched to different locations every day. You might work a week on the same jobsite, but then you're off somewhere else. Getting people to commit to going to the office to talk to the boss is hard because 1) your jobsite might be super far away, and 2) the bosses are only at the office during the hours you're supposed to be working. And when you're working paycheque to paycheque, it's hard to agree to skipping a few hours of paid work (even if it would get you a raise or something.) Additionally we do have an elected employee council (consolation prize after the failed union attempt) that we use to pressure management, but nothing ever comes from it. It's a joke. I don't think we have any leverage without having some kind of legal way to represent all of us without people having to come down and do the work themselves.
I think it will be easy to get most of the workers to sign onto the idea that some of their trusted coworkers (who they already elected to the council, in some cases) are going to try to negotiate a raise for everyone on their behalf, you know?