SERVICING MODEL VS. ORGANIZING MODEL
The key to success in any internal organizing campaign is involvement of the membership in actions and decisions that affect them – whether bargaining for a contract, recruiting and activating new members, settling a grievance, or lobbying on a bill in the legislature.
In trying to do a good job, local union leaders often defeat their own efforts by relying too heavily on the “servicing model” of local union leadership – trying to help people by solving problems for them.
Many local union leaders are finding that using an “organizing model” – involving members in the solution – results in a higher degree of organization and success.
Here are some examples of these two different models:
Issue/Problem 1– Employer is violating a safety standard.
Service Model – Union representative files grievance or complaint with safety agency.
Organizing Model – Union asks affected workers to sign a petition, complete a survey or
take part in a protest or go as group to the State or Federal safety agency to file a complaint.
Issue/Problem 2– Contract is up for negotiation.
Service Model – Negotiations chairperson and/or field representative negotiates contract and presents it for ratification.
Organizing Model – Members participate in formulating demands, research, participate in pressure actions, and then vote on ratification/rejection.
Issue/Problem 3– Union wants legislation passed.
Service Model – Full-time union lobbyist talks to legislators.
Organizing Model – Members sign petitions, write cards, visit legislators and attend hearings.
The advantages of the “organizing model” are several:
1 Frequently it’s more effective. An employer is more likely to bargain fairly if there is a clear indication that a large number of workers are involved in and behind the union. A public agency is more likely to solve a problem if it knows many people want it resolved. A politician is more likely to support pro-labor and pro-education legislation if he or she knows the membership is involved and knowledgeable.
2 It gives members a sense of power as a group by letting them share in the decisions and the victories. It is one thing to read in the union newsletter that the union won an arbitration or got a health and safety problem resolved or delivered a decent contract; it is quite another to know that by attending a rally or participating in a bargaining session, you affected the outcome. The membership takes “ownership” in both the problem and the solution.
3 The “organizing model” educates members about the nature of the dispute between the union and the employer. Often when the union loses a battle, the member blames the union because he or she didn’t participate and doesn’t know what happened.
4 Probably most importantly, the “organizing model” enables the local union to take on and solve more problems because more people are involved and available to help.
In the short term, using the organizing model requires a lot of work, flexible leadership and the shedding of old ways of doing things.
But in the long term, it helps build the union into a force of many, as opposed to a service organization of just a few leaders.
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