As you are likely aware, Local 21 has launched our Conversations and Cards Campaign with the goal of talking individually to all 11,000 members, fee payers, and non-members represented by Local 21. The goal is to reaffirm commitment to our union and to ensure every member understands what is at stake financially for them and their families if we let the upcoming anti-union Supreme Court case reduce our solidarity and power. In order to achieve that goal, Local 21 is testing a new meeting schedule that prioritizes worksite meetings over non-worksite chapter meetings.
In some of our jurisdictions, chapters are organized by type of work and not by worksite location, and CCSF is the biggest example. With the looming specter of Janus v. AFSCME, it’s clear that our strategy must be to maximize contact with as many members as possible so that we can counter anti-union and anti-worker propaganda and keep workers united together in solidarity. Worksite meetings make sense in this context for several reasons.
- It’s easier for workers to attend meetings at their own worksite.
- The best time to talk with fellow members is at lunch.
- There is more opportunity to build solidarity between workers at the same worksite- in addition to physical proximity, there are often shared issues specific to that location workers can connect over.
- The Conversations and Cards Campaign depends on member volunteer organizers who will talk to fellow union members about the value of recommitting to our union. Building leadership by worksite makes a lot of sense- with more participation in union meetings, more leaders are identified; with more leaders connecting with fellow workers across job classes in their own worksites, worksite leaders will be more effective.
In January, Chapter Presidents were notified by the Executive Committee of a trial change in CCSF’s meeting schedule- while chapters can still hold monthly meetings, staff Representative/Organizers will only be attending one such chapter meeting per quarter. Representative/Organizers will be using the additional lunchtime slots to organize worksite meetings instead.
The trial program will be reassessed after the first quarter of the year.
If you have any questions or feedback, reach out to your Chapter President!
