Page 43 - UFCW Union Steward Handbook

STEWARDS ORGANIZE

Advantages of one-on-one communication:
l Most people who are asked to become active in our union by a
steward get involved.
l Talking one-on-one provides an opportunity to get feedback, answer
questions, and hear what’s on people’s minds.
l Building co-worker relationships strengthens our union, grows
solidarity and our collective power!
Keeping track of what you learn
Once you’ve gathered information about your co-workers, how can
you keep track of it? Many organizers use charts to keep track of what
they’ve learned. Here’s an example:

Steward:
Talking with Members
Job/Shift:
Name Contact Comments /Questions / Concerns
A. Sue Groff 555-221-1111 She’s bilingual (Spanish & English). Loved the
(cell) Tuesday actions. Interested in helping with
organizing campaigns. Said she’d come to the
June meeting.
B. Ernesto 555-331-1313 Had a bad experience with a union at a
Sánchez (cell) previous job. Upset that safety problems don’t
get fixed. He may come with Bob to June
meeting.

By charting out member status, rating how members feel about our
union, and identifying activists and friendship networks, you can see
which areas you may want to focus on for one-on-one conversations.
The example on page 42 shows such a chart.

UFCW UNION STEWARD HANDBOOK 41