What is organising?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tom Garbatt on September 3, 2010 at 15:03

The employers have spent a great deal of time and money on convincing workers and bosses have the same common concerns, and that being a successful business. On the surface that certainly is true, i don't think anyone can refute that fact. But what all the casual dress days and pizza days and fund drives and company picnics try to cover up is the reality hidden just a micrometer under the surface. The company and the workers have two very different and opposing agendas. Unorganized workers have have benefited from the struggles of organized workers.
The employer is looking for the bottom line, the profits that fill the pockets of owners, investors and the fat cats.
The worker is looking for wages and benefits to facilitate a decent life for their families.
Employers do not wnat to share, never have and never will. The only thing that has prevented bosses from maintaining the oppression over workers they had in history is the collective strength of the workers. Workers need to be reminded, the boss has never given a worker a single thing. Everything, wages, benefits, labour laws, health and safety, and so on has been earned and faught for. Lives have been lost and continue to be lost around the world in the fight for dignity and rights of workers, now and in the future of our families.

What better reason does one need to organize or be organize. "The struggle continues"

Permalink Reply by Jim Sadlemyer on September 5, 2010 at 19:11

Well said Tom. I'm going to email Eric Lee on this. If possible it would be nice to be able to share this reply on Facebook. It looks like we can share the group but not the replies. Of course I am still somewhat of a Newbie on things like this.

Tom Garbatt said:

The employers have spent a great deal of time and money on convincing workers and bosses have the same common concerns, and that being a successful business. On the surface that certainly is true, i don't think anyone can refute that fact. But what all the casual dress days and pizza days and fund drives and company picnics try to cover up is the reality hidden just a micrometer under the surface. The company and the workers have two very different and opposing agendas. Unorganized workers have have benefited from the struggles of organized workers.
The employer is looking for the bottom line, the profits that fill the pockets of owners, investors and the fat cats.
The worker is looking for wages and benefits to facilitate a decent life for their families.
Employers do not wnat to share, never have and never will. The only thing that has prevented bosses from maintaining the oppression over workers they had in history is the collective strength of the workers. Workers need to be reminded, the boss has never given a worker a single thing. Everything, wages, benefits, labour laws, health and safety, and so on has been earned and faught for. Lives have been lost and continue to be lost around the world in the fight for dignity and rights of workers, now and in the future of our families.

What better reason does one need to organize or be organize. "The struggle continues"

Permalink Reply by Don Sutherland on September 6, 2010 at 3:51

Gidday Tom,

Of course, employers will use techniques of persuasion (the carrot) and some times techniques based on threat to maintain control over their workforce in order to strengthen their relationship of exploitation over workers. I think you have laid out well the reason why organising is necessary because for periods of time the employer can succeed in either "persuading" workers not to come together or to intimidate them. The question I pose (and others have done so for many years now, as well) is what sort of organising method actually works. How long it takes for workers to stand up together against both "persuasion" and "intimidation" depends on several factors, and one of the most important is the commitment to organising and what sort of organising is employed.
If we are genuinely committed to consciously and deliberately "organising" as a fundamental of unionism then it is very useful to be clear about the rationale for it, the aims and objectives, the difference between strategy and tactics, and the organising methods to be deployed.
In Australia, some of have been talking for some years about "organising" as a craft - able to be learned as a combination of knowledge / skill and also intuitive judgement.

Tom Garbatt said:

The employers have spent a great deal of time and money on convincing workers and bosses have the same common concerns, and that being a successful business. On the surface that certainly is true, i don't think anyone can refute that fact. But what all the casual dress days and pizza days and fund drives and company picnics try to cover up is the reality hidden just a micrometer under the surface. The company and the workers have two very different and opposing agendas. Unorganized workers have have benefited from the struggles of organized workers.
The employer is looking for the bottom line, the profits that fill the pockets of owners, investors and the fat cats.
The worker is looking for wages and benefits to facilitate a decent life for their families.
Employers do not wnat to share, never have and never will. The only thing that has prevented bosses from maintaining the oppression over workers they had in history is the collective strength of the workers. Workers need to be reminded, the boss has never given a worker a single thing. Everything, wages, benefits, labour laws, health and safety, and so on has been earned and faught for. Lives have been lost and continue to be lost around the world in the fight for dignity and rights of workers, now and in the future of our families.

What better reason does one need to organize or be organize. "The struggle continues"

Permalink Reply by Don Sutherland on September 6, 2010 at 3:57

Gidday Jim,
Why do you want this discussion to go to Facebook?
Don

Jim Sadlemyer said:

Well said Tom. I'm going to email Eric Lee on this. If possible it would be nice to be able to share this reply on Facebook. It looks like we can share the group but not the replies. Of course I am still somewhat of a Newbie on things like this.

Tom Garbatt said:

The employers have spent a great deal of time and money on convincing workers and bosses have the same common concerns, and that being a successful business. On the surface that certainly is true, i don't think anyone can refute that fact. But what all the casual dress days and pizza days and fund drives and company picnics try to cover up is the reality hidden just a micrometer under the surface. The company and the workers have two very different and opposing agendas. Unorganized workers have have benefited from the struggles of organized workers.
The employer is looking for the bottom line, the profits that fill the pockets of owners, investors and the fat cats.
The worker is looking for wages and benefits to facilitate a decent life for their families.
Employers do not wnat to share, never have and never will. The only thing that has prevented bosses from maintaining the oppression over workers they had in history is the collective strength of the workers. Workers need to be reminded, the boss has never given a worker a single thing. Everything, wages, benefits, labour laws, health and safety, and so on has been earned and faught for. Lives have been lost and continue to be lost around the world in the fight for dignity and rights of workers, now and in the future of our families.

What better reason does one need to organize or be organize. "The struggle continues"

Permalink Reply by Tom Garbatt on September 7, 2010 at 2:22

Don Sutherland said:

Gidday Tom,

Of course, employers will use techniques of persuasion (the carrot) and some times techniques based on threat to maintain control over their workforce in order to strengthen their relationship of exploitation over workers. I think you have laid out well the reason why organising is necessary because for periods of time the employer can succeed in either "persuading" workers not to come together or to intimidate them. The question I pose (and others have done so for many years now, as well) is what sort of organising method actually works. How long it takes for workers to stand up together against both "persuasion" and "intimidation" depends on several factors, and one of the most important is the commitment to organising and what sort of organising is employed.
If we are genuinely committed to consciously and deliberately "organising" as a fundamental of unionism then it is very useful to be clear about the rationale for it, the aims and objectives, the difference between strategy and tactics, and the organising methods to be deployed.
In Australia, some of have been talking for some years about "organising" as a craft - able to be learned as a combination of knowledge / skill and also intuitive judgement.

Tom Garbatt said:

The employers have spent a great deal of time and money on convincing workers and bosses have the same common concerns, and that being a successful business. On the surface that certainly is true, i don't think anyone can refute that fact. But what all the casual dress days and pizza days and fund drives and company picnics try to cover up is the reality hidden just a micrometer under the surface. The company and the workers have two very different and opposing agendas. Unorganized workers have have benefited from the struggles of organized workers.
The employer is looking for the bottom line, the profits that fill the pockets of owners, investors and the fat cats.
The worker is looking for wages and benefits to facilitate a decent life for their families.
Employers do not wnat to share, never have and never will. The only thing that has prevented bosses from maintaining the oppression over workers they had in history is the collective strength of the workers. Workers need to be reminded, the boss has never given a worker a single thing. Everything, wages, benefits, labour laws, health and safety, and so on has been earned and faught for. Lives have been lost and continue to be lost around the world in the fight for dignity and rights of workers, now and in the future of our families.

What better reason does one need to organize or be organize. "The struggle continues"

Permalink Reply by Don Sutherland on September 7, 2010 at 2:32

The reply is just a copy and paste from your earlier comment. Am I missing something?

Tom Garbatt said:

Don Sutherland said:

Gidday Tom,

Of course, employers will use techniques of persuasion (the carrot) and some times techniques based on threat to maintain control over their workforce in order to strengthen their relationship of exploitation over workers. I think you have laid out well the reason why organising is necessary because for periods of time the employer can succeed in either "persuading" workers not to come together or to intimidate them. The question I pose (and others have done so for many years now, as well) is what sort of organising method actually works. How long it takes for workers to stand up together against both "persuasion" and "intimidation" depends on several factors, and one of the most important is the commitment to organising and what sort of organising is employed.
If we are genuinely committed to consciously and deliberately "organising" as a fundamental of unionism then it is very useful to be clear about the rationale for it, the aims and objectives, the difference between strategy and tactics, and the organising methods to be deployed.
In Australia, some of have been talking for some years about "organising" as a craft - able to be learned as a combination of knowledge / skill and also intuitive judgement.

Tom Garbatt said:

The employers have spent a great deal of time and money on convincing workers and bosses have the same common concerns, and that being a successful business. On the surface that certainly is true, i don't think anyone can refute that fact. But what all the casual dress days and pizza days and fund drives and company picnics try to cover up is the reality hidden just a micrometer under the surface. The company and the workers have two very different and opposing agendas. Unorganized workers have have benefited from the struggles of organized workers.
The employer is looking for the bottom line, the profits that fill the pockets of owners, investors and the fat cats.
The worker is looking for wages and benefits to facilitate a decent life for their families.
Employers do not wnat to share, never have and never will. The only thing that has prevented bosses from maintaining the oppression over workers they had in history is the collective strength of the workers. Workers need to be reminded, the boss has never given a worker a single thing. Everything, wages, benefits, labour laws, health and safety, and so on has been earned and faught for. Lives have been lost and continue to be lost around the world in the fight for dignity and rights of workers, now and in the future of our families.

What better reason does one need to organize or be organize. "The struggle continues"

Permalink Reply by Tom Garbatt on September 7, 2010 at 4:49

My mistake... I was to reply and then was called away and did not see how to cancel...

There are different models for organizing but whatever model is used, trust, guidenceand support are important. Act like a union from the very begining. This of course is the bare bones discription, but without "heart" organizing will fail. There are other factors that may cause organizing to fail but it is heart that I feel strongly about.

Each campaign has its own life... facets... simply because each has many varibles and different players. Each campaign is a challenge and too many fail, but some are successess and we need to praise our victories and build on them. We also need to learn from our defeats... look at them and question why it had shortcomings. It is not about blame... but learning. Experiance is an asset to apply to the next canpaign... We could go on and on, but I must go . I am enjoying this discussion as it helps to reflect.
Tom

Don Sutherland said:

The reply is just a copy and paste from your earlier comment. Am I missing something?

Tom Garbatt said:

Don Sutherland said:

Gidday Tom,

Of course, employers will use techniques of persuasion (the carrot) and some times techniques based on threat to maintain control over their workforce in order to strengthen their relationship of exploitation over workers. I think you have laid out well the reason why organising is necessary because for periods of time the employer can succeed in either "persuading" workers not to come together or to intimidate them. The question I pose (and others have done so for many years now, as well) is what sort of organising method actually works. How long it takes for workers to stand up together against both "persuasion" and "intimidation" depends on several factors, and one of the most important is the commitment to organising and what sort of organising is employed.
If we are genuinely committed to consciously and deliberately "organising" as a fundamental of unionism then it is very useful to be clear about the rationale for it, the aims and objectives, the difference between strategy and tactics, and the organising methods to be deployed.
In Australia, some of have been talking for some years about "organising" as a craft - able to be learned as a combination of knowledge / skill and also intuitive judgement.

Tom Garbatt said:

The employers have spent a great deal of time and money on convincing workers and bosses have the same common concerns, and that being a successful business. On the surface that certainly is true, i don't think anyone can refute that fact. But what all the casual dress days and pizza days and fund drives and company picnics try to cover up is the reality hidden just a micrometer under the surface. The company and the workers have two very different and opposing agendas. Unorganized workers have have benefited from the struggles of organized workers.
The employer is looking for the bottom line, the profits that fill the pockets of owners, investors and the fat cats.
The worker is looking for wages and benefits to facilitate a decent life for their families.
Employers do not wnat to share, never have and never will. The only thing that has prevented bosses from maintaining the oppression over workers they had in history is the collective strength of the workers. Workers need to be reminded, the boss has never given a worker a single thing. Everything, wages, benefits, labour laws, health and safety, and so on has been earned and faught for. Lives have been lost and continue to be lost around the world in the fight for dignity and rights of workers, now and in the future of our families.

What better reason does one need to organize or be organize. "The struggle continues"

Permalink Reply by Kenneth Stretcher on January 12, 2012 at 21:37

My initial Post:

Organizing has 5 basics

1. Nobody joins unless asked

2. You can’t have thousands joining unless you have hundreds asking

3. Organizing is making lists

4. You can’t have an organizing campaign without an organizing committee

5. The committee has to be making lists and taking assignments