L.A. Leads The Way: Union Density 17% SouthernCalifornia U.S.Total 16% 14% 13% 18% 17% 15% 17% Slide courtesy of Barbara Maynard

COMPREHENSIVE ORGANIZING CAMPAIGNS What is a Comprehensive Campaign? Why do we need a Comprehensive Campaign to win? What are the elements of a Comprehensive Campaign?

Power Analysis What are the strengths and weaknesses of the union? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the employer? How do we increase the power of workers? How do we decrease the power of the employer?

Comprehensive Campaign RESEARCH Know everything we can about the employer—financial holdings, legal dealings, business relationships, understand the employer’s “web” of relationships Know everything we can about the work force: demographics, ethnicity, gender, age, length of employment, attitudes towards the union

Comprehensive Campaign: BUILDING THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE One to One Identify the leaders Challenge them to assume leadership Build a committee that represents the workers Engage the committee in action

Comprehensive Campaign: POLITICAL LEVERAGE What is the employer’s relationship to government? Who has political leverage over the employer? Mobilize political support Utilize public policy avenues

Comprehensive Campaign: COMMUNITY ALLIES Workers are members of the community Religious community support Civil rights and community organizations Students Homeowners Environmentalists

Comprehensive Campaign: MEDIA AND MESSAGE What is the message of your campaign? How can you win over public opinion? How can you make effective use of the media? Workers are the best spokespeople

Comprehensive Campaign: TAKE ACTION Get Workers Involved in Job Actions Rally Community Allies Develop Creative Campaigns Keep Avenues of Dialogue with Employer Worker involvement: actions/ testimonies. Build broad Alliances Large scale-Make your efforts worthwhile National support or connection to other cities

Hotel Union Contract Includes Historic Breakthrough for African Americans, October, 2006 LA Hotel Workers End Hunger Strike in Support of Living Wage Law, December, 2006 On September 28, 2006, thousands of Century Corridor hotel workers and their supporters carried out a dramatic action culmin- ating in nearly 300 arrests for civil disobedience.

SOULA 2006 SECURITY OFFICERS UNITED IN LOS ANGELES SEIU

Who is SOULA 2006? 5,000 private Security Officers working for 5 major Security Companies– UPS, ACSS, Securitas, Guard Systems, & Allied. 65% African-American and 25% Latino. Roughly 70% of us live in South Los Angeles.

Solutions for Workers & the Community PORT TRUCKER ORGANIZING

ORGANIZING CONSTRUCTION WORKERS IN LA