Mobilizing

for Power

AFL-CIO

Contents Why Mobilize? Principles of Mobilization Start Getting Ready Before You Have To

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1. Making a Plan Identify Priorities Bring Unions Together Set Goals Develop a Program Plan a Calendar of Actions and Activities Build a List

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2. Building a Mobilization Structure Taking Stock Action Steps Neighborhood Mobilization Structures

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3. Spreading the Word Educating and Recruiting Members Mass Communication Vehicles

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4. Reaching Out to the Community Laying the Foundation

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5. Mobilizing for Power: Actions That Support Long-Term Strategies What Is an Action? Staging an Action

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6. Mass Mobilization When to Do Mass Mobilization How to Do Mass Mobilization Tips for Maximizing Turnout

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7. Rapid Response Why We Need Rapid Response Forming the Teams

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8. Promoting the Event: Earned Media

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Checklists and Resources Sample Mobilization Organizational Chart Sample Pledge Card Setting Up a Phone Bank Planning a Community Labor Forum Planning Protests, Rallies or Demonstrations Materials for Actions and Events Organizer’s Math: How to Meet Your Turnout Goals

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Why Mobilize? To show strength and power and because we have to!

‘We Need HELP. Right Now!’ Sometimes it feels like every call a labor council leader gets starts with the word “HELP!” Somebody needs help from your council. One more thing: They need help now. The call could come from a union in the middle of a tough contract fight. The call could come from the AFL-CIO for a press conference in front of the local office of your member of Congress calling on her to support this bill or oppose that one. Maybe there is an important public forum at the big church or temple this weekend on that important living wage ballot proposition. Or your senator is speaking at the opening of the new jobs center and the opposition has threatened a big protest against government spending. The call even could come from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, announcing a National Week of Action for Good Jobs and to Make Wall Street Pay. He might ask every labor council in the entire AFL-CIO to get out there in force with some Street Heat and make enough noise so all America hears it—no matter how loudly Fox News tries to drown us out.

Why Us? Labor Councils are Labor’s Organized Centers of Strength Labor councils are the perfect vehicle for uniting and coordinating the work of unions and carrying the banner into the community. Labor councils can speak for all working people: union and nonunion, public sector and private sector, building trades, services and manufacturing. Labor councils speak for retirees and young people looking for their first jobs. Labor councils speak for all of us.

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This mobilization guide is geared to help your council answer the call and speak up effectively—whether at a small rally, a press conference, a public forum or a big march and rally. Big labor council or small labor council, the steps are the same. Big or small, every successful mobilization should follow the same process to put some heat on the street. We will walk you through the steps and leave you with checklists you can start using when the next call for help comes.

Principles of Mobilization As with any other kind of campaign or program, mobilization works only when the labor council’s top leadership and affiliated unions support it. Basic principles of mobilization include: Affiliate Support Local union leadership buy-in on the goals and outcome of mobilization activity is key to getting the numbers and resources needed to implement any effort. Local union leaders need not only to mobilize but attend events to show their members they believe the effort is worthwhile. Structure Labor councils should have a permanent structure that is continually evaluated, built upon and improved. A Mobilization Committee made up of representatives assigned by their local union leader with ability to commit the local or get a commitment in real time is a good model to consider. Resources Let’s face it…if you want to mobilize, you will need funds. You will need resources if you want to purchase tools for success, everything from renting sound systems to purchasing placards or T-shirts. Setting a mobilization line item in your annual budget and finding a way to fund it is critical to having a strong mobilization program. Plan Whether it is a rapid response or mass mobilization, every successful mobilization effort needs a plan. And the mobilization should be part of a larger campaign to win, not a stand-alone action. Action Labor councils should mobilize regularly. Whether it is for strikes, organizing campaigns, legislative issues or political action, mobilization, if done right, inspires members and builds power.

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Start Getting Ready Before You Have To These calls are coming. Are you ready? This manual will help you answer “Yes!” It takes the experiences of hundreds of councils across the country responding to thousands of calls for help and strategically planned shows of power through mobilization. This guide pulls out a few simple steps that make success much more likely. Let’s start with a basic mobilization rule: The more you get ready before the call for help, the greater the probability of success. The following pages provide practical, step-by-step advice on: 1. Getting started, making a plan, setting goals and priorities; 2. Building mobilization structures that work; 3. Spreading the word through education, recruitment and communica­tion activities; 4. Reaching out to the community and bringing allies and supporters into the fold; 5. Staging actions that support long-term strategies and goals; 6. Building for mass turnout—the ultimate in mobilization; 7. Setting up rapid response teams that can mobilize on short notice; and 8. Working with the media to make sure your message is heard. The tips and action steps in this guide are not hard and fast rules. They are practical suggestions that can be adapted to meet the needs of indi­vidual labor councils, large and small.

AFL-CIO • 2010

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Making A Plan

When you need to mobilize, you want to make it work. Organizing experience reinforces a simple life lesson. Doing it wrong is usually just as difficult as doing it right. You just don’t get the results you want. Doing it right starts with a making a plan. If you don’t have a mobilization plan, that’s the place to start. If you do, it might be time for a checkup to see how things are working. Here’s how to get the planning process started.

Identify Priorities The capacity to mobilize is the power to get things done—and power should be used wisely. Labor councils should start the process by focusing in on their goals and objectives and identifying a set of top priorities. For most labor councils, top priorities might include: • Organizing drives, such as union election campaigns, card-check recognition struggles and industrywide efforts, to support workers trying to form their unions. • Fights against plant closings or layoffs of public-sector workers. • Legislative and political action, including defeating anti-worker legislation, passing local resolutions giving workers the freedom to form unions, exposing anti-worker votes by elected leaders and electing supporters of working families. • Major contract fights, particularly those in which the community has a large stake. Your priorities should govern the planning and implementation of your labor council’s mobilization program. This is particularly true when it comes to deciding what mobilization activities to include in your plan. In general, mobilization refers to these three activities: 4

• Actions, rallies and mass mobilizations designed to show strength, determination, solidarity and support for organizing, bargaining and legislative or political action campaigns. • A rapid response team that can mobilize on short notice to get in the boss’s face or keep wayward politicians in line. • Volunteers who talk to other union members, workers and neighbors about working family issues and who collect signatures or get out the vote.

Bring Unions Together Mobilization works when local unions in your area are deeply committed to it. That’s because, to be effective, a communitywide mobilization program must draw from and consolidate the grassroots activism that already exists within individual unions and other organizations. Even unions that already have their own mobilization programs know their efforts will be stronger with the entire labor movement behind them. The challenge for labor councils is to bring these unions together to form a centralized system of grassroots networks. Determine what role the labor council will play AFL-CIO • 2010

and the structure that works best to integrate and coordinate—not duplicate—the activities of unions and other groups in your area.

• Education. Make sure members understand the importance of the issue at hand and what it will take to win.

Involve local unions in the planning and execution of the program at every level.

• Collective action. Launch activities that unite the labor movement and the community around key issues and inspire others to join the fight.

If participating unions are to share the responsibility for meeting the goals, they also must play a role in the decision-making process.

Set Goals An important step in your strategic planning is to set goals for building mobilization capacity. Defined goals not only produce results, they serve as a yardstick by which to measure your program’s progress and effectiveness. Your goals should be realistic and attainable, but challenging enough to set an example for the labor movement in your area. The following mobilization goals for Union Cities may be useful in your planning: • Mobilize 1 percent of the labor council membership to participate in mobilization on a regular basis. • Mobilize 3 percent of the labor council membership to turn out for major actions and for legislative and political action.

• Tools. Equip your labor council with the tools and materials you’ll need for actions and communications—including the ability to systematically build and access a list of activists’ names, addresses and phone numbers—coordinated by the local union.

Plan a Calendar of Actions and Activities If you don’t use it, you lose it. Mobilization is like any other skill: The more you do it, the better you get at it. The best way to make sure you are ready for an emergency is to build several different kinds of Street Heat mobilizations into your plan every year. Your calendar also should include activities for Labor Day and other major holidays. Ask local unions in your area for key dates, such as when major contracts expire. Mapping out the year’s activities in advance will facilitate planning and avoid major conflicts.

• Sponsor a minimum of three major events a year to help build capacity.

Develop a Program A mobilization program has the following four basic elements, all of which are discussed in greater detail in this guide: • Organization. Develop a clear, systematic structure based on com­munication with and participation of local affiliates. Set goals for affiliate participation in the mobilization structure. AFL-CIO • 2010

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Build a List A good list is any organizer’s most valuable resource. If you don’t have one, build it. If you do have one, improve it. Otherwise you always start from scratch. Labor councils that are committed to developing grassroots mobilization machines spend a lot of time and energy building, updating and maintaining a database of activists with whom they communicate regularly. Here are a few tips to consider: • Make information accessible. Your list should be structured in a way that enables you to easily access names and phone numbers as well as other key information about the activists—the local unions or organizations they’re affiliated with, who their coordinator is and the types of activities in which they have expressed interest.

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• Set guidelines for using the list. Access to names and addresses is power. When local unions and other organizations share names and addresses with the labor council, collectively set some working ground rules for their use. Every local union has its own way of doing things. Some will appreciate it if the labor council mobilization team calls their members to let them know about an action. Others want to make the call themselves. A local might share a list for a joint labor political walk or a phone bank but not want it used for another activity. Find out beforehand. • Constantly update your list. Nothing takes the energy out of a phone bank room faster than a bad list. Assign someone to systematically maintain and update the list. Have a sign-in sheet at every rally or action, and make sure names and addresses are added to the list regularly. Lists can quickly become outdated, so don’t wait for a crisis to learn that names and addresses are not current.

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Building a Mobilization Structure

Building a mobilization structure starts long before an emergency. You can’t expect to turn 1,000 people out for a rally by starting to mobilize just one week before. It takes time to build a capacity to mobi­lize and to build relationships of trust and mutual support with unions and community groups in your area.

Taking Stock Before you begin to develop a mobilization structure, assess what currently exists through the labor council and the community. Here are some questions that will help you take stock of the mobilization activity in your community:

• Does the labor council have a mobilization committee?

• Which local unions exist within the jurisdiction of the labor council?

• Do AFL-CIO constituency groups have local chapters?

• Affiliated? Nonaffiliated? Largest local unions?

• Have you developed community supporters and allies?

• Which unions consistently can turn out members for their own events?

If local unions or coalitions in your area have a mobilization program, go meet with them. Find out what they do and how they do it. Determine how the labor council and these organizations can complement each other’s efforts. Now you’re ready to take action.

• Which unions regularly send people to other unions’ events? • What are the issues union members turn out for? Do any unions have rapid response teams? • Which unions have a political mobilization structure? How do they work? What have they been used for? • Does the labor council do its own turnout? If so, what is the largest number of activists that have turned out? How much lead time did it require? What was the event? • Is someone at the labor council responsible for turnout? If so, who? Does the labor council sponsor its own actions? AFL-CIO • 2010

• Is there a coalition you are part of that can help turn out people?

Action Steps Step One: Recruit Key Unions Set up meetings with key unions, starting with one-on-one meetings with individual local union leaders. Find out what their key fights will be during the coming year. Let them know how a multiunion mobilization structure can help them and their members. Ask them to assign a high-level person to work with the labor council on mobilization and to consider establishing an internal mobilization structure. Reach out to nonaffiliated unions as well. Keep in mind that unions are busy, and some may need help in starting the process.

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Step Two: Commit Resources to the Effort The most successful mobilization programs have staff members who are assigned to them. Many labor councils are being challenged to commit greater resources to mobilization, much the same way local unions are being asked to commit greater resources to organizing. Not every labor council has the resources to hire mobilization staff. Some councils have decided to raise their per capita tax. Others have recruited interns from local colleges to help. Another option might be for smaller and medium-sized labor councils to pool resources. In addition, some local unions may be open to the idea of committing staff time to the effort. Step Three: Form a Mobilization Committee and Integrated Structure Decide what group will set ground rules, make decisions about what kind of mobilization activities to engage in and establish a communication structure. It could be a new Mobilization Committee, or the labor council executive board. The more unions involved, the better. Determine how often the committee should meet and report back to the full labor council. Keep your structure simple, workable and easily accessible. For example, your organization might include the following elements: • Steering committee. Key participating unions should be represented on the committee, which would have the ability to make decisions about the type and scope of activities to launch. (Centralized decision making is the key to reducing potential conflicts.) • Individual union coordinators. Each participating union should assign a coordinator who functions as the point person for activating union members. 8

• Captains for key tasks. Depending on the size of the council and the extent of staff support, separate captains could be responsible for ral­lies, rapid response and legislative and political action. • Neighborhood mobilization coordinators. Assign coordinators to integrate worksite mobilization with neighborhood-based mobilization programs. Mobilization for rallies, rapid response and political action all should be integrated into one program. Some participants will be more eager to mobilize for organizing, while for others political and legislative action will be a greater priority. To avoid potential conflicts, stress the link between organizing and political action: To be successful at one, we must be successful at the other. For a sample mobilization organizational chart, see page 25. Step Four: Develop Ground Rules for Mobilization A successful mobilization program involves choosing a handful of activities and doing them well—not trying to do everything. Establish ground rules to govern your program and provide the basis for making deci­sions. No one set of rules will work for every labor council mobilization program, so develop a set that all participating unions agree on. Sample ground rules that can help avoid conflicts include: • All unions directly impacted by an action must approve of the action. Local unions are responsible for mobilizing their own members. • Local unions must turn out their own members if they want to use the mobilization network. Where a local union was not originally part of the mobilization program, it must agree to contribute to it in the future.

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• Local unions need to commit resources to the action (staff, finances, logistics, phone bankers, etc.). • Actions must be part of a larger coordinated strategy that can build capacity to win. • Plan at least three mobilizations a year. • The labor council maintains and controls the activist database. Step Five: Work With AFL-CIO Constituency Groups and Area Coalitions Work with existing area coalitions and constituency groups to build a broad-based mobilization program. Step Six: Plan To Take Action See Mobilizing for Power: Actions That Support Long-Term Strategies, beginning on page 16.

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Step Seven: Assess Your Progress on a Regular Basis Serious assessment is the only way to see what works and what doesn’t. There are two kinds of assessments, and both help build capacity. First, debrief after every activity. And conduct regular evaluations of your mobilization structure, your relationships with unions and community groups, your ability to turn out large numbers and whether you have met your goals. Regular assessment of your program will enable you to improve and enhance it over time.

Neighborhood Mobilization Structures Traditionally, unions have focused their organizing and mobilizing efforts in the workplace. But some labor councils and unions are organizing where members live by creating neighborhood-based mobilization structures. The idea is to activate union members to talk to their neigh­bors, walk precincts and turn out to support organizing and legisla­tive and political action campaigns.

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Spreading the Word

Educating and Recruiting Members Education and communication are vital components of a mobiliza­tion program. Once you’ve established a working structure and a plan for mobilization, you’ll need to incorporate mechanisms for com­municating with members and activists. Develop messages that explain not only what you’re trying to accomplish, but why. Set up communica­tion vehicles that will enable you to send out a call for action and spread the word fast.

An overall education program might focus on the following messages: • Labor’s current crisis is real. One in 10 Americans is without a job. Union membership is lower than at any time since the Great Depression, with less than 10 percent of the pri­vate sector organized. Unions have less “market share” or strength in their industries, resulting in attacks on wages and working conditions. That’s why real wages have declined over the past 30 years.

This section covers basic techniques in three different areas—edu­cating members, recruiting activists and mass communication vehicles. Member Education There’s an old saying that “an injury to one is an injury to all.” But unless workers understand why an issue affecting others also affects them, they’re not likely to act on it. A labor council mobilization program relies on unions representing different types of workers joining together to support each other’s struggles. As each fight develops, you’ll need to explain the issue to affiliates and to the membership at large. You’ll need to demonstrate why being part of a multiunion mobilization effort is in every local’s interest and is cru­cial to the survival of the labor movement. Add an educational component to your program that includes orien­tation sessions for participating unions. Designate an education coordi­nator for each union. Prepare onepage descriptions of key issues that union coordinators can use in their recruitment efforts.

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• A multiunion effort is crucial. No one union is strong enough to turn things around. Members of different unions must support each other’s struggles—even if the issue at stake doesn’t directly and immediately affect them. Solidarity is an investment in everyone’s future. A multiunion structure through which union members are mobilized in coordinated activities sends a message to employers: “If you take one of us on, you take all of us on.” • We must restore our power. The decline of the labor movement has created an imbalance of power in America. With their enormous resources and political clout, corporations no longer are accountable to working people and communities. Each attack on wages and working conditions has a ripple effect throughout an industry and into other sectors of the economy. We must restore the balance of power by building a stronger labor movement, increasing union density in our industries and joining together—challenging employers with mass action and one unified voice. • Unity is the key to holding elected leaders accountable. Gains won by unions in the past—the minimum wage, job safety laws and Social Security are just a few—are under attack. Too many elected leaders are standing with Big Business instead of working families. It will take grassroots pressure from a united labor movement and community to hold politicians accountable. • Our fight is the community’s fight. Union members are active participants in the community. And a stronger union movement equals a safer, better community. We must all work together to make our communities better places in which to live and work—to make life better for all working families.

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Recruiting Activists Now the challenge is to recruit members and get them involved in mobilization activities. Each union coordinator could develop a recruit­ment “rap” tailored to members’ particular issues and interests. A sam­ple recruitment rap might be: Do you think working men and women are getting a fair shake? (The answer will probably be “No.”) Most of us are working longer and harder just to make ends meet, even though profits are sky­rocketing and the rich are getting richer. That’s because there are fewer and fewer union members who can fight back against the attacks of employers and Big Business-backed politicians. I’m a member of the Labor Council, a coalition with [25,000] members from [35] unions in the area. We’re fighting to keep good jobs in our city, to see to it that everyone who works gets a fair wage and to make sure working families have access to affordable health care. We’re working together because we know we can’t win these battles on our own. We’re building a team of people who can be called on to take a stand and help other work­ers when they need it. We’re asking folks to make a commitment to attend ____ events each year to show support for other working families. Will you join us? Many labor councils and local unions use a pledge form or card that asks individual members to commit to a cer­tain number of actions per year. The form also can be used to recruit individuals who want to support labor. (For a sample, see page 26.) The following are specific suggestions on how to recruit members as volunteer activists:

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• Ask them. Few people volunteer their services. That doesn’t mean they don’t want to be active. People wait to be asked. • Be specific about what you’re asking them to do. Make sure the task has a clear beginning and end. Be realistic about your expec­tations. • Explain how the individual’s job fits in with the larger effort. Let each person know that his or her specific help is needed. Otherwise, they will feel dispensable and less responsible. • Find out what their own goals are. People have their own rea­sons for volunteering, and you need to know what they are to be an effective leader. • Ask in person. Don’t solely rely on leaflets, letters, e-mails or phone calls. There’s no substitute for face-to-face communication. • Be enthusiastic. Your attitude will make a difference. • Recognize good work and thank volunteers for it. Develop a public recognition program.

Mass Communication Vehicles Whether it’s for massive recruitment efforts, to activate the rapid response team or to solicit volunteers for specific assignments, your mobi­ lization program needs to be able to get in touch with large numbers of people quickly. Phone Trees A phone tree is a pyramid-style communication network in which every participant has a designated list of phone calls to make. Initiated by a few people, this structure can reach hundreds of people in less than 24 hours. It is often used to activate rapid response teams. Here are a few tips on developing a workable phone-tree system: 12

• Develop a labor council phone tree built around local union coordinators. The system works best if each local union coordinator has a phone answering machine or voice mail. Have each local establish its own phone tree. • Ask highly responsible and accessible people to get the phone tree started. • Assign a realistic number of calls for each person to make. (This also will minimize the damage if the tree is broken.) • Test the structure. Ask each participant to report back to the person who called him or her. This will let you know who’s reliable. • Give everyone involved a copy of the phone tree so each one under­stands how and where he or she fits into the structure. Update the list periodically. Phone Banks Phone banks are one of the most important— and most frequently used—methods of communicating with and activating people. A phone bank can be used to recruit large numbers of people for an event, turn out voters on Election Day or convince union members to vote for can­didates who support a working families agenda. Details on how to set up a phone bank can be found on page 27. Electronic Media Electronic technology has made some mobilization tasks easier. Some of these technologies are listed below. If you would like help on setting up any of the new media tools below, please see below for training and contact information. But remember, there’s no substi­tute for direct face-to-face communication with individuals and organi­zations. AFL-CIO • 2010

• E-mail activism Using the Salsa Labs e-activist tool (which recently replaced GetActive), state federations, central labor councils, national unions, locals and allied organizations can manage online databases of their online activists. Using this tool, local organizations can send templated, professional-looking e-mails to members, track open and click rates and target state and local legislators and custom targets with petitions and other online activism. In addition, local e-activist chapters can set up events pages, connect with social networking sites and more. The AFL-CIO runs regular online trainings. Training: www.aflcio.org/eactivisttraining Contact: Chris Kenngott, Online Mobilization Manager, AFL-CIO; 202-637-5036/ckenngot@ aflcio.org • Facebook and Twitter Many labor councils are using social network sites to promote mobilizations. Setting up accounts is free, easy and effective. Become a fan of the AFL-CIO at: www.facebook.com/aflcio Follow the AFL-CIO at: www.twitter.com/aflcio Get the Minnesota AFL-CIO’s step-by-step guide to setting up online accounts: www.aflcio.org/aboutus/upload/socialmedia. pdf Join the AFL-CIO Social Media listserv for tips, tools and information about training webinars. Visit http://groups.google.com/ group/afl-cio-social-media-group to apply for listserv membership. Contact: Danielle Hatchett, Online Coordinator, AFL-CIO; 202-637-5176/[email protected] • Websites The AFL-CIO has developed LaborWeb, a tool enabling nontechnical staff and volunteers AFL-CIO • 2010

to build easy-to-launch, easy-to-maintain websites for state federations and central labor councils, as well as local unions (distributed by their national union). LaborWeb allows optional syndicated content feeds from parent organizations, so even unstaffed and understaffed organizations can have fresh, strategic website content. Use this handy tool to build a website in less than an hour. Choose from a variety of templates and get started today. The AFL-CIO runs regular online trainings. Training: www.aflcio.org/laborwebtraining Contact: Chris Kenngott, Online Mobilization Manager, AFL-CIO; 202-637-5036/ckenngot@ aflcio.org • AFL-CIO Now blog Visit www.aflcio.org/blog for daily updates. Sign up at the site for daily blog news e-mails. And submit blog stories and photos to: Tula Connell, AFL-CIO Managing Editor; 202-637-5391/[email protected] • Fax networks Many fax machines can be programmed to “broad­cast” fax alerts to dozens of numbers programmed into the machine. Check the fax manual for how to program multiple phone numbers, and remember to keep the list up to date. Tip: You may want to wait until the end of the work day before you “blast the fax” if it will tie up your fax machine for hours. • Automatic dialers These computerized systems make calls to num­bers in a database and play a recorded message. Sophisticated ver­sions actually can poll callers to find out whether they are attending an event and then print out confirmations. These systems are very expensive ($20,000), but a labor council could share the expense with a num­ber of local unions. Each group could load its own database and gen­erate calls. 13

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Reaching Out to the Community

When unions and community organizations work together on common goals, we vastly improve our chances of influencing employers, politicians and other decision makers— and thereby improv­ing the lives of working families. Even the strongest of unions some­ times will find that the government, media or employers simply will ignore labor but pay attention to a broad coalition that includes community groups. The more unions can demonstrate a broad spectrum of support from the community, the greater the odds of prevailing on our issues.

Laying the Foundation Community support is not generated overnight. It comes from methodi­cally developing relationships over time, and it is an integral part of any mobilization program. With every struggle, labor councils and local unions have new opportunities to deepen support within the community. Step One: Sponsor a Labor Council Discussion Before reaching out to community organizations, have a discussion within your labor council about the importance of community support. In many areas, you must work to overcome long-term alienation between the labor movement and the rest of the community. If your labor council is going to solicit help, your members must understand they will be expected to support other struggles within the community—struggles with which they must become familiar and comfortable. Step Two: Form an Outreach Committee While there are many different approaches to involving the community, putting together a labor-community outreach committee is often a good place to start. Recruit union members and leaders who are themselves active in a variety of community organizations and can reach out to involve those groups. Whether or not labor and community organiza­tions 14

are equal partners on the committee, be sure to accommodate the needs and respect the integrity of the community groups with which you work. Step Three: Involve AFL-CIO Constituency Groups and Related Organizations If your community has chapters of AFL-CIO constituency groups and similar organizations, bring them into the process early. These groups include the A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI), Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), Pride At Work, the Alliance for Retired Americans and young union workers’ organizations. In many areas, these groups have helped local unions and labor councils develop community contacts. Step Four: Look for Connections Many members of the labor council are active in their congregations and other com­munity groups. Ask them to approach the groups of which they are already a part. Step Five: Identify Other Groups and Make Contact Every community has many groups that are potential allies. Make a list of local religious, AFL-CIO • 2010

women’s, civil rights, neighborhood, advocacy, ward and precinct and senior citizen organizations, as well as other unions, elected officials and public figures. Think of other groups that may be economically affected by a particular issue. Develop a plan for contacting area organizations by gathering the following information: a contact person for each organization and home, work, fax and e-mail addresses for each contact. Step Six: Educate About the Issues Take advantage of “earned media” opportunities to speak to the communi­ty in general about issues affecting working families. Write and submit letters to the editor on your issue.

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Write and submit op-eds or guest editorials for local newspapers. Try to place a spokesperson on local radio and TV talk shows. “React” to current events and issues. Send a press statement written by a key officer in the labor council responding to a recent news event or legislative development. A community labor forum can help draw attention by the media and policymakers to our issues, put a public face on those impacted and elevate the union movement and our allies’ role in finding solutions. See Planning a Community Labor Forum on page 28.

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Mobilizing for Power: Actions That Support Long-Term Strategies

Action Plan Terms • A strategy is an overall plan. • Tactics are individual activities or methods that implement your plan. • A campaign is a series of escalating tactics designed to win specific measurable goals.

What Is an Action? An action can be a small or large organized group of people joining together to make a demand on an employer or political body. Often used in the early phases of a campaign, an action is a tactic—one that is stronger than a few hours of picketing but less powerful than a strike or boycott. Actions help build organizations, give participants a sense of power and build up to larger mobilization events. To be successful, actions must have clear goals and specific demands and be part of an overall campaign plan and strategy. And they must be carefully planned and executed, with adequate time spent on preparation and logistics.

Staging an Action Here are the basic steps to planning an action. Step One: Determine the Goal of the Action Before you even print a leaflet or begin to publicize an action, determine what you want to accomplish. Remember, if you don’t know where you are going, all roads take you there. Who is the target? Is it management, the public, a political figure, the media, the industry as a whole or union members? What 16

are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to influence legislation, hold a politician accountable or demand that an employer recognize a union? Are you doing this to increase member morale or to gain publicity? Be clear, so all who participate understand why they are there. Step Two: Set Clear Demands for the Action Demands need to be clearly articulated and measurable. If the demands are vague, you’ll never know whether you’ve been successful. Keep demands simple, direct and to the point. Step Three: Decide What Kind of Action to Stage Will it be a march, a protest, a picket line, a press briefing, a mass delegation, a rally—or a combination thereof? Is it small or large? Is it a surprise action involving the rapid response team? How are you putting heat on the street? Step Four: Determine Whether the Labor Council Should Mobilize for the Action Labor councils receive many requests for help and support. Develop criteria based on your organizational priorities to assess whether you should put time and resources into a particular action. AFL-CIO • 2010

Step Five: Define Tactics That Fit into the Overall Campaign Strategy A campaign is a series of escalating tactics designed to show increasing support and power. Tactics are rated from weak to strong, less confrontational to more confrontational; they should always reflect the level of struggle. If this is going to be a long-term fight, design a series of actions that start small and become increasingly large or confronta­tional. If you are building for a large march or rally, think of several smaller actions that gain publicity and momentum along the way. Step Six: Be Creative Successful actions need energy and an element of fun. Creative actions with strong visuals have a better chance of drawing media attention and are more likely to be talked about back in the workplace. Use humor to make your point. Design your action to: • Demonstrate power. Obviously, high turnout shows power. So does presenting petitions, postcards and other statements of support signed by a large number of people. But using clever props can do the trick as well. Consider a plane pulling a banner (cheaper than you think), hot air balloons or circling the facility on lawn tractors. Try to recruit a union-member celebrity, sports star or other high-profile figure to participate.

• Inspire and have fun. Singing and chanting your message not only is effective, it boosts the morale of your members. Write your own words to popular tunes. Have everyone wear masks of the boss. Bring along balloons, confetti, posters, signs and visual props. Stage guerrilla theater with a troop roving through the crowd. Step Seven: Communicate Tactical Decisions Plan a short briefing session before an event and make sure participating organizations and key leaders know what tactics will be used. Because building mobilization capacity requires building trust, there should be no surprises. Step Eight: Spend Time on Logistics This is as critical as any other step involved in planning an action. If you want to have a successful action, put plenty of time into the details and logistics involved. Whether it’s an indoor or outdoor event, survey the site in advance. Identify exit areas

• Be visually creative. This demonstrates the seriousness of the issue as well as generating media coverage. Bake a giant “let them eat” cake. Deliver a hunk of bologna to let the employer know what you think of his ideas. Ask students to prepare a mural as a class project. The holidays present many opportunities for delivering your message. During the Christmas season, for instance, union members staged demonstrations at major New York City retailers, where members dumped coal on the stores for selling sweatshop goods. AFL-CIO • 2010

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in case people have to leave in a hurry. For a march, calculate how long it takes to walk from one place to another. A large group takes much longer than one person. If it’s a direct confrontation with the boss, make sure everyone understands the layout of the location. Take the time to plan an agenda, prepare your materials and props and work out the technical details and logistics. People who turn out for a poorly planned event probably won’t be back the next time. See checklists for Planning Protests, Rallies or Demonstrations on page 29 and Materials for Actions and Events on page 30.

Step Nine: Recognize Success A few things to remember during the action: • Acknowledge high or new turnout. During the action, publicly recognize organizations that recruited large numbers of members to participate. A group that brought a few members for the first time also should be recognized. • Declare victory when you win! Step Ten: Follow Up Even a highly effective action will have little impact if no one knows it was successful or if there’s no follow-up activity. After an action: • Communicate with affiliates and supporters. Let them know the outcome. Did the employer recognize the union, or was there a contract settlement? • Evaluate the action. How was the turnout? Where did it come from? Did it meet the goals? Why or why not? Was the action effective? What worked well and what didn’t? • Determine next steps.

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AFL-CIO • 2010

6

Mass Mobilization

When to Do Mass Mobilization Mass mobilization requires a concentrated effort and plenty of lead time—the more, the better. It should be undertaken only when it advances your priority goals and meets the criteria established by your planning process and steering committee.

How to Do Mass Mobilization

Step Four: Set Goals and Get Commitments Ask union coordinators and community supporters how many people they will be responsible for turning out. Organizations that make public commitments will feel more obliged to turn folks out. Ask local unions to report back weekly on commitments. Use planning meetings to review turnout projections.

If you’ve ever worked on a major event and been disappointed by a small turnout, you know it takes more than sponsoring an event and announcing it to get people to attend. High turnout requires sys­tematic execution of a plan. Here’s how:

Step Five: Determine the Message Discuss the event’s purpose and how to convey it to affiliates and to the community. Identify your audience and determine your message. Produce a leaflet that explains who, what, when, where and why.

Step One: Create a Planning Committee Far in Advance Sponsor a planning meeting and discuss the proposed event. Make a list of tasks that need to be done and keep track of who makes a commit­ment to do each one. Set weekly planning meetings.

Step Six: Publicize the Event Spread the word through local union coordinators. Plan for mass leafleting, e-mail blasts, phone banks and mailings. Remember to allow time for mail­ings to community supporters and organizations. Use social networks like Facebook and Twitter to promote the event.

Step Two: Delegate Responsibility Mass mobilization will never happen unless many people take responsi­bility for it. Make assignments and ask people to report back on them at each meeting. Use the checklist on page 29 as a guide. Select a chairperson to be responsible for tracking assignments.

Step Seven: Get Out and Talk to Key Organizations Meet with key leaders and ask to be on the agenda of organizations’ meetings. Better yet, ask committee members to speak to specific orga­nizations with which they have relationships.

Step Three: Create a Google Group and Calendar Google and other Internet services provide easy-to-use interactive project and calendar templates. Creating a Google group is simple and allows your committee to interact and track turnout in real time. Fill in the deadlines (such as for securing a city permit) that have to be met between now and the big event.

Step Eight: Build in Activity to Build Momentum Stage smaller actions leading up to the big one. Make an event out of worksite and mass leaflet distribution. (Having people leaflet together helps build excitement.) Set aside a Saturday morning for neighbor­hood leafleting—and make it fun! Meet at a central location and pro­vide doughnuts and coffee.

AFL-CIO • 2010

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Step Nine: Remind Those Who Have Committed to the Event Call and e-mail everyone who has committed to attend. The best way to do this is to set up a phone bank. Step Ten: Follow Up Hold a debriefing afterward—it will help you prepare for the next event. Review the attendance sheets and determine who came and who didn’t. Analyze what worked and what could have been done more effectively. Take time to collect all the materials, including attendees, phone and e-mail addresses, and keep them togeth­er. And don’t forget to thank all who helped. Send a letter or make a round of telephone calls. Remember, building a mobilization program requires building relationships.

Tips for Maximizing Turnout Here are some ways to maximize turnout for events: • Determine where turnout will come from. Analyze past events. How many have turned out before? Where did they come from? Which organizations were involved? This will help you determine where to focus your outreach efforts.

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• Ask for commitments. Don’t be afraid to ask someone whether he or she is planning to attend an event. If people individually commit—and get a reminder phone call— they’re more likely to show up. If you can, get a commitment in writing on a pledge card or sign-up sheet. • Make reminder calls. Keep track of people who say they will par­ticipate and remind them 48 hours before the event. • Overshoot your attendance goals. How many people do you want at the event? If you follow the organizer’s rule—that not all of those who say they will attend actually show up—you’ll need to find more people who will say “yes.” A good rule is to shoot for 150 percent of the people you hope to actually have turn out. • Set clear benchmarks. Establish deadlines for reporting on turnout. If you do not have 50 percent of your goal 10 days before an intown action, it is very unlikely you will meet your goals. Adjust your goals accordingly. For tips on how to plan for a specific turnout goal, see Organizer’s Math: How to Meet Your Turnout Goals, on page 31.

AFL-CIO • 2010

7

Rapid Response

Another type of mobilization is known as “rapid response.” A rapid response team is a set group of union members who are willing to take action on short notice. They might picket a company, leaflet a neighborhood or confront a politician. Unlike a major rally or demon­stration, a rapid response team does not require hundreds of people. All it requires is committed members who are ready to act. Rapid response teams are an important part of larger mobilization efforts. Being able to respond swiftly to attacks against working families sends a strong message to management that we’re willing to do what is necessary to win. Most importantly, rapid response is a strong and effective weapon in the fight to restore workers’ freedom to form unions and bargain. Increasingly, employers that threaten and fire workers who are trying to form or join a union will have to answer to an angry swarm of union members at their doorsteps.

Why We Need Rapid Response Some situations demand an immediate response: • A company fires a dozen workers for organizing a union. An employer runs strike-breakers across a picket line. • A CEO who refuses to negotiate a first contract with workers who voted union is receiving a civic duty award at a luncheon tomorrow. • The city council votes tonight on a proposal to privatize trash collec­tion, work that has been done by union members, for a decent wage, for the past 20 years. These are the kinds of situations where a strong, visible and immedi­ate response can mean the difference between winning and losing. The teams also can play a key role in political mobilization. They can be activated to AFL-CIO • 2010

coordinate phone calls to support or defeat legisla­tion or implement a petition drive for a ballot initiative.

Forming the Teams Step One: Make Rapid Response Teams Part of Your Mobilization Program Work with the labor council mobilization committee to create the teams. Include in the planning unions that already have such teams in place. Put a plan on paper and present it to the labor council for discussion and approval. Ask key unions to help build the teams. Step Two: Set Criteria for Establishing and Deploying Teams Make some key decisions: Will there be one team or multiples? Which teams will perform which functions? What will they be called? What will the structure be? How will you communicate with the teams? What types of actions will the teams carry out? What group will decide to mobilize them? How often will teams be called into action? What are the ground rules for working with local unions? 21

Step Three: Develop Rules for Participation Participation in rapid response teams requires not only commitment but discipline. Successful teams are highly visible and are the organizational representation of the labor council and its affiliates. Set ground rules for participation to ensure everyone is working for a common goal. Some sample rules: • Show up on time. (Others are counting on you.) • Follow the leadership of the team captain. • Wear a specified jacket or T-shirt. • Attend team trainings and meetings. • Only those with special training can participate in civil disobedience.

Step Five: Create a Rapid Response Team Structure The structure should be part of the overall labor council mobilization program. It should have the following elements: • Clear decision-making capacity. Define who decides when to call the teams into action. Make sure key team officers are empow­ered to make decisions for the labor council. • Team captains. Establish small teams of no more than 10 people. Team captains take responsibility for calling team members. Make sure team captains have voice mail and can be reached at all times.

Step Four: Recruit Team Members • Use a recruitment form. This should include name, address, e-mail and phone numbers— day and night, as well as mobile for text messaging, since you’ll need to be able to reach members fast. (See the Sample Pledge Card on page 26.) • Ask local unions to nominate members. Local unions know who is most reliable. Ask them to recruit their members, stewards and other activists. Set a recruitment goal—such as 100 members for small councils, 200 for larger ones. • Publicize the team. Advertise through the labor council and local unions. Place an announcement in local union newspapers and request that it be publicized at union meetings. Ask local union coordinators to conduct recruitment drives.

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AFL-CIO • 2010

8

Promoting the Event: Earned Media

Here are some simple steps and a time line for promoting your event in the media:

A Week or More Before

Two to Three Days Before

Take media coverage into consideration from the very beginning as you plan your event. Sometimes even small actions will get plenty of coverage if they’re clever, dramatic and creative. Think about props, messages, speakers, activities and logistical considerations that will make your event enticing to the media. If the event is a big one, you’ll need plenty of advance planning and preparation. Scope out the site and anticipate logistical problems. Make sure your sound system is adequate. Think about the visuals of the event. Do you need a platform or stage? If you have a platform or a stage for the event, you also will need one for the press so they are on the same “level” as the speakers. How about a backdrop, such as a banner or projection on a screen? Plan to rent sound and audio equipment for the day of the event. Assign people to coordinate press registra­tion. Plan your message. In today’s sound-bite world, winging it invites disaster. Identify three or four brief points about your issue or campaign. Plan to focus on how the issue affects the community at large. Avoid seeming as though you’re only looking out for the narrow self-interests of a small group.

Write a press advisory and e-mail it to your media list. Make sure your press list includes blogs and other online news outlets. An advisory is an invitation to cover an event, and it should be as simple as a para­graph or two describing the event and the message and a list of bullet points covering the key information: who, what, when and where. Mention the visuals reporters can expect to see and how many people you expect to attend. (When it comes to pre­dicting the turnout, don’t go overboard. You want to be a credible and trustworthy source.) Be sure to include one or more contact names, including afterhours phone numbers and e-mails.

Identify your spokespersons. If they’re not used to dealing with the media, you should give them some training. Staying on message during an interview with a reporter is not always easy. Encourage them to practice.

AFL-CIO • 2010

Make sure the event will be listed in the “Daybook” distributed by major wire services— Associated Press, Reuters and local services— by sending each one a copy of your advisory and calling them. Call key reporters and others with whom you have established rela­tionships and keep them informed of your plans.

The Day Before or the Morning Of In the early morning of the day of the event you should re-send the press advisory to your press list. Write a press release. It should reiterate, in narrative form, the informa­tion in your advisory and add something new—perhaps a quote from a key spokesperson or some additional information. Indicate whether the information is “for immediate release” or is “embargoed” for release until a specified date and time. 23

E-mail the press release to your media list. Follow up with phone calls to individual reporters and to the TV and radio stations’ news or assignment editors. Radio stations, in particular, may be interested in doing a short interview that will help promote your event. Remember that assignment editors get many requests, so make your call brief—but try to get a commitment to cover your event. If the editor says no reporter will be covering the event, ask if a photogra­pher is being sent. Ask if an interview is desired. Even if no coverage it is planned, offer to e-mail your press kit to the reporter or editor. Often you will have to e-mail the release again, since your follow-up call may reach someone other than the person to whom the release was sent. If you are staging a weekend event, ask the Friday crew who will be in.

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At the Event Assign someone to be responsible for greeting and signing in reporters, distributing press materials and directing reporters to your spokesper­son(s). Make sure reporters have a press release and press kit. Where appropriate, make available copies of speeches.

After the Event Check all messages because reporters may call after an event is over. E-mail your press release to media outlets that didn’t attend. If you have a photographer or videographer for the event, upload photos or a video to your website for use by outlets that didn’t cover the event. Call the reporters who didn’t show up to let them know what happened and offer to give them an interview. They may be interested in doing a fol­low-up story. After every press event, evaluate what worked and what did not. Review the organization of the event and the way in which it was cov­ered. Evaluate the effectiveness of your message and the spokesper­sons who delivered it. Look at ways to improve your press coverage at the next event.

AFL-CIO • 2010

Checklists and Resources Sample Mobilization Organizational Chart There are many different ways to integrate local unions and community organizations in one unified mobilization system. Here’s an example.

Steering Committee • • •

Made up of key participating unions Includes rapid response and other captains Makes decisions regarding type and extent of mobilization

Local Union Coordinators

Geographic Area Coordinator

• Designated by each union

• Designated by labor council

Worksite Coordinators

Worksite Coordinators

Neighborhood Coordinators

Neighborhood Coordinators

Members

Members

Members

Members

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Checklists and Resources Sample Pledge Card Some labor councils distribute a pledge card to encourage union members to make a commitment to participate in a mobilization program or rapid response team. Here’s a sample pledge card:

Action Pledge Yes! Count on me to volunteer for the following: n Rapid response team n Attending rallies in my community

Name Address City, State, Zip Mobile Phone* E-Mail Address*

n Seeking community support

Home Phone

n Distributing literature

Work Phone

n Working on organizing campaigns n Participating in grassroots political/ legislative activity

Fax Organization Employer /Worksite

Retired:

n Yes

n No

*Providing your mobile phone number and e-mail address means we can contact you with alerts by text message and e-mail when your action is needed. For text messages, message and data rates may apply.

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AFL-CIO • 2010

Checklists and Resources Setting Up a Phone Bank Phone-banking is an essential tool in mass mobilization. Use it to turn people out to events, recruit volunteer activists, get out the vote and follow up with thank you calls. 1. Find a location with multiple phones. Many local union halls have multiple phone lines. Research their availability. 2. Print out working lists for phone-bankers. Keep database lists current. To the extent possible, don’t waste phone-bankers’ time with numbers that are disconnected or wrong. 3. Recruit volunteers. In a political campaign, phone-banking goes on for weeks at a time. Ask local affiliates to take responsibility for recruiting for a particular evening. Remember to involve retirees, many of whom have time to spare. 4. Make it easy for volunteers to participate. Pick a set time and place that is easily accessible in the evening; most phone-banking is done between 6 and 9 p.m. Provide refreshments. 5. Develop a phone script for phone-bankers. Provide an orientation and explain how phone-banking fits into the campaign. Keep the message simple, and be sure it includes a request for a commitment—whether to attend an action or support a candidate. A complicated message is likely to be lost. Remember, you’ll be calling people during the dinner hour—a hectic time in many households. 6. Develop a coding sheet to report results. Go over this with phone-bankers to be sure everyone understands the importance of maintaining the information. 7. Make necessary database changes. Enter telephone number and address changes collected during phone-banking into the database. Follow up to make sure this important task gets done. 8. Avoid multiple calls to the same number. Lists often include more than one person in the same household. Check the name you’re calling and the name under it. Once you have spoken with one person in the home, ask for the other. Be courteous, and don’t call twice. 9. Thank participants for their help. Keep a running tally on how many calls were made in an evening. Announce it at the end of the evening. 10. Assign someone to coordinate the phone bank. Each night, appoint a captain who is responsible for running the phone bank and keeping records of the calls. Ask the captain to protect the integrity of the phone-bank lists by collecting them at the end of the night.

AFL-CIO • 2010

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Checklists and Resources Planning a Community Labor Forum A community labor forum can help draw the attention of the media and policymakers to our issues, put a public face on those impacted and elevate the union movement and our allies’ role in finding solutions.

Program checklist: Overall concept and goals for the forum Planning committee Staffing with clear roles and responsibilities State- or community-specific information about your issue Script or annotated agenda Recruiting diverse presenters Public agenda Recruiting a moderator Recruiting a labor council leader as host Recruiting and identifying the role of allies Sample worker testimonials Ground rules for the discussion portions Recruiting and preparing workers Recruiting experts and responders

Logistics checklist: Securing a location Budget Media advisory Room set-up Volunteers to set up room, usher, relate to media, record Visuals, signs, etc. Audiovisual needs Sign-in sheets Handouts Refreshments Capturing photos, video, quotes and after-action report Thank yous Scheduling a debrief

Audience recruitment and turnout: Recruitment goal (150 percent of expected turnout) Goals for individual unions Goals for partners Phone banks Fliers Rap at local union meetings Rap at meetings of allies E-mail Robocalls

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AFL-CIO • 2010

Checklists and Resources Planning Protests, Rallies or Demonstrations A protest, rally or demonstration can help draw attention by the media and policy makers to your issue. Successful demonstrations, large and small, shine a powerful public spotlight on employers, institutions and governments and build enthusiasm and buy-in from affiliates and allies.

Program checklist: Choosing a target Background on the target Action request/demand of target Overall concept and goals for the event Messaging Optics (staging, signage, props) Level of militancy Legal vetting Diversity Planning committee State- or community-specific information about the issue Script or annotated agenda Recruiting and prepping leaders and workers Recruiting a labor council leader as host Recruiting and identifying the role of allies Sample worker testimonials Recruiting validators (elected leaders, clergy) Chants Relating to law enforcement

AFL-CIO • 2010

Recruitment and turnout checklist: Recruitment goals (150 percent of expected turnout) Individual union turnout goals Local union coordinators Tool for tracking buses, numbers and determining the hard count Check-ins Fliers Phone banks Local union letter Worksite flier Rap at local union meetings Rap at meetings of allies E-mail Robocalls Logistics checklist: Securing a location Getting permits Budget Press plan and media advisory Recruiting and training marshals and bus captains Visuals, signs, etc. Audiovisual needs Handouts Refreshments Capturing photos, video, quotes and after-action report Thank yous Scheduling a debrief

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Checklists and Resources Materials for Actions and Events Here’s a handy checklist of the materials and equipment you’ll need for your rally, picket line or action. Most of this equipment can be kept in stock.

n Identification for marshals. Make cloth armbands that can be used to identify your marshals. Use a color that’s easy to spot, such as red or yellow. n Signs and posters. n Balloons, confetti and other fun stuff. n Banners. Every labor council needs a banner. If there’s a sign painters’ local in your area, ask it for help. n Stickers or buttons. Be sure to have enough on hand for all participants. n Noisemakers. Noisemakers provide energy and excitement, can make a small group seem large and are easy to make. Put pebbles, dried beans or BBs into a clean, empty soda can, tape the top and put decorative stickers on the outside. You can do the same with empty plastic milk containers— small rocks in plastic jugs make great noise. Whistles, kazoos and drums also work. n Chant sheets. Put together a list of chants and songs before the action and distribute to participants. n Props. The more creative, the better: A giant “let them eat” cake, masks of the boss, large dollar bills with your message on them, giant reproductions of documents and other items, hot air balloons, costumes— the sky’s the limit!

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n Sound equipment. Some of this equipment is inexpensive and a good investment. Others can be rented. Check local directories. ____ Bullhorn ____ Podium and portable microphone for speakers ____ Power source for portable sound equipment ____ Walkie talkies, cell phones, etc. ____ Additional batteries n Sign-in sheets, pens and clipboards. n Camera. Disposable cameras and cameras on cell phones work well—and the price is right! n Video camera. If you expect this to be an action-filled event, ask someone experienced to videotape it. Many union members have video cameras and cell phones that record video. n Press materials. Even if you have distributed your press packets to all the local media outlets, bring additional copies for reporters assigned to cover the event. Always have a separate sign-in sheet for the media. n Copies of props. If you’re using props— such as a letter you’re delivering to a CEO— have copies on hand for supporters and reporters.

AFL-CIO • 2010

Checklists and Resources Organizer’s Math: How to Meet Your Turnout Goals Once you’ve set a specific turnout goal, you’ll need to make a plan for achieving it. How many requests do you need to make? To help figure that out, you can use “Organizer’s Math,” a concept developed by Janice Fine of the North East Citizen Action Resource Center. Start by calculating the following two factors: • The “yes rate,” or the ratio of the number of people who say they will participate to the number of people you ask. Whether it’s 1-to-3 or 1-to-10 will depend largely on the universe of people being asked (for example, are they known activists?) and the activity in which they’re being asked to participate (is the event easy or exciting?). • The “flake factor,” or the ratio of the number of people who actually show up to the number of people who said they would. This is usually 1-to-2, or 50 percent, but the flake factor can be influenced by whether you’ve gotten a commitment in writing, whether you’ve made reminder calls or whether the action is easy or difficult.

Using the above two factors, estimate the number of requests you’ll need to make to achieve your goal. Test your “Organizer’s Math” skills with these exercises (see the bottom of the page for answers): 1. You need 10 people to fill a phone bank. Assuming a yes rate of 1-to-5, and a flake factor of 50 percent, how many do you have ask?

2. Your goal is to turn out 30 people for an action. You think the yes rate will be 1-to-4, and the flake factor will be 50 percent. How many calls should you make?

3. You want to generate 100 phone calls to a boss during an organizing campaign. You think the yes rate will be 1-to-3. You think the flake factor will be 25 percent instead of 50 percent because it’s easier to get people to make a phone call than attend an event. How many requests should you make?

Answers: 1. 100 (10x2=20, 20x5=100). 2. 240 (30x2=60, 60x4=240). 3. 399 (100x1.33=133, 133x3=399). AFL-CIO • 2010

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AFL-CIO Richard L. Trumka PRESIDENT

Elizabeth H. Shuler SECRETARY-TREASURER

Arlene Holt Baker EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

815 16th St., N.W. Washington, DC 20006 202-637-5000 www.aflcio.org