Organizing Update, IUE-CWA Local 201 News
Uniting at GE (and other companies) for a Better Future
Rand Wilson, Local 201 Organizing Director
The standard of living for most US workers has been in a steady decline since the late 1970s. It's no coincidence that at about the same time, membership in unions also began to sharply decline. Now fewer than eight percent of private sector workers are united in unions. That means that a very small number of union members are trying to set standards for everyone else.
The same trend is true at GE as well. IUE-CWA membership within GE has fallen from 68,600 in 1979 to just 13,500 in 2003. The other unions of the Coordinated Bargaining Committee at GE have fared no better. We are now the proverbial "tail," trying to wag the "GE dog."
Just imagine how this trend will affect the strength of your union at contract negotiations in 2007! That's why CWA is encouraging all IUE-CWA GE unions to do more organizing! Here at Local 201, our organizing program has three priorities:
· Help other GE workers in New England to build "Workers@GE." WAGE committees give GE workers a stronger voice on the job even though they haven't yet convinced a majority of their co-workers about the benefits of uniting at work. Some workers in GE's Auburn, Bangor, Hooksett, Somersworth, and Rutland plants already belong to WAGE. The challenge now is to help them strengthen their chapters.
· Reach out to employees at GE's vendors and subcontractors who often do very similar work as Local 201 members but receive lower pay and far fewer benefits.
· Use Local 201's reputation as a strong and democratic union in Lynn to encourage more workers in any industry on the North Shore to unite with us for a better future.
The days when union organizing could be left to the union officers or a paid professional are long gone. Today, success at uniting workers requires membership participation in a more aggressive "worker-to-worker" approach. After all, who could be more credible about the benefits of union membership with GE workers (or other manufacturing employees) than Local 201 members?
Members who are interested in receiving a report about GE's facilities in New England, a list of GE's vendors in Massachusetts, or a summary of past attempts by GE workers to organize, should contact me at wage@local201iuecwa.org or call (781) 598-2760, Ext 25.
Rand Wilson, Local 201 Organizing Director
The standard of living for most US workers has been in a steady decline since the late 1970s. It's no coincidence that at about the same time, membership in unions also began to sharply decline. Now fewer than eight percent of private sector workers are united in unions. That means that a very small number of union members are trying to set standards for everyone else.
The same trend is true at GE as well. IUE-CWA membership within GE has fallen from 68,600 in 1979 to just 13,500 in 2003. The other unions of the Coordinated Bargaining Committee at GE have fared no better. We are now the proverbial "tail," trying to wag the "GE dog."
Just imagine how this trend will affect the strength of your union at contract negotiations in 2007! That's why CWA is encouraging all IUE-CWA GE unions to do more organizing! Here at Local 201, our organizing program has three priorities:
· Help other GE workers in New England to build "Workers@GE." WAGE committees give GE workers a stronger voice on the job even though they haven't yet convinced a majority of their co-workers about the benefits of uniting at work. Some workers in GE's Auburn, Bangor, Hooksett, Somersworth, and Rutland plants already belong to WAGE. The challenge now is to help them strengthen their chapters.
· Reach out to employees at GE's vendors and subcontractors who often do very similar work as Local 201 members but receive lower pay and far fewer benefits.
· Use Local 201's reputation as a strong and democratic union in Lynn to encourage more workers in any industry on the North Shore to unite with us for a better future.
The days when union organizing could be left to the union officers or a paid professional are long gone. Today, success at uniting workers requires membership participation in a more aggressive "worker-to-worker" approach. After all, who could be more credible about the benefits of union membership with GE workers (or other manufacturing employees) than Local 201 members?
Members who are interested in receiving a report about GE's facilities in New England, a list of GE's vendors in Massachusetts, or a summary of past attempts by GE workers to organize, should contact me at wage@local201iuecwa.org or call (781) 598-2760, Ext 25.
posted by Rand Wilson at 2:33 PM
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