If you think that you would like to be a staff organizer, here are five important steps you can take.
Act Locally
First, get active in your local as a member, steward, or even local officer. Your active participation means that you can talk from personal experience to non-union workers about the advantage of being represented by a union. All the problems of a workplace are union issues, not just money, and your experiences will illustrate this to a non-union worker.
It is so important to make sure your union, at some local level, has a new organizing program. Too many union officers believe that handling grievances at a local level is the only function of their union and do not even think about new organizing. This local focus may be one way to get re-elected, but it is also one reason only 10% of the workforce is unionized, down from 37% in the late 1950s.
Getting involved locally will also strengthen your local and spread a culture of organizing to the members. This will help your co-workers understand the importance of building the union movement. Talk with them about the importance of organizing and focus on competitors who could be pushing down your wages and benefits. Organizing your co-workers can provide a real financial improvement for them.
Volunteer
If your union starts an organizing program, volunteer to help out in any way you can — pass out leaflets, post on social media, attend demonstrations — anything that doesn’t require special organizing skills.
For every activity, ask an experienced organizer why they are supporting it and how they think it will build a union in a new location. Think strategically and listen to more experienced organizers — even if you disagree with them. For some of the organizing, like home visits, you may need some coaching. Going with an experienced organizer to see how they do it can help you get it right early.
Discuss Strategy and Develop Skills
Over time, you will quickly develop your own ideas on the best way to do things, so start discussions on strategy with other organizers. Then figure out what new skills you need to learn — maybe a new technology, a different language, and another culture.
There is no substitute for experience in organizing. You can take classes or read books, but going through campaigns is real, and nothing can duplicate the experience. As you gain this experience, you may find that you disagree on strategy with the experienced organizers. Do not hesitate to speak up because the discussions are a learning experience. An ideal experienced organizer is open to discussions about strategy, rather than a bureaucratic organizer who may feel threatened if anyone disagrees with them on how to run a campaign.
Balance Your Hours
One important part of a staff organizer’s training is being aware of how it affects your personal life. Many times, workers who are accustomed to working regular hours in the same location find organizing to be a huge dislocation and often realize it doesn’t fit their lifestyle. A job with regular hours and one location means a structured family life — especially if you are a parent — is possible.
This is not so for a staff organizer. The hours will be erratic, there will be travel and, as you build a campaign, intense emotional pressure. For some people, these changes are thrilling and part of why they want to be organizers; for others, the changes are destructive. In this case, you may consider working as a part-time or temporary staff organizer before taking a full-time position.
Consider Temporary Assignments
Before committing fully to an organizing role, you may instead come out of your workplace on a leave of absence to work full-time as a staff organizer to see if you really like this very different life. A temporary assignment will give you the chance to experience a campaign while keeping your regular job to fall back on. If your union wants to expand its organizing efforts, negotiating an expansive leave-of-absence clause in your contract will get members off to try it out without jeopardizing their regular job. If you decide that full-time organizing is not for you, you can still volunteer.
Get Your Hands Dirty
New organizing is the critical challenge today for every union member, as our wages and benefits have suffered as unionism has been squashed in the United States. In 2024, unions organized about 100,000 new members, but it is estimated that we need to organize 1,000,000 workers every year to reverse the downward slide.
It’s up to you — get started.
