Organizing Committees create a great foundation for your Local to start working on recruitment and building a stronger presence in the workplace. A committee should be made up of people that are engaged in the Local, but not necessarily just the officers. The best place to start is at your Local’s monthly meeting. Ask members who are outgoing and active if they would like to participate in creating an organizing committee.
The committee should meet regularly and set attainable goals. Revisiting these goals quarterly is optimal. Work with your Organizing Coordinator to build your Local’s strategic plan, then move to implement it.
The following is a quick start up list to creating an Organizing Committee.
- Obtain an up to date BUE list.
- Select members and/or officers that will sit on the committee.
- Create a Local strategic organizing plan.
- Decide what messages you want to focus on getting out to the bargaining unit.
- Divide up all responsibilities, and create a timeline.
The most important task that the people on the committee are expected to perform will be face-to-face messaging to non-members. Spreading the word about what the Local has done and explaining the benefits of being a union member will always be more effective than spontaneous organizing drives in the long term. Consistent recruitment by a goal-oriented organizing committee is always the surest path to organizing success.