GCIU Organizer Bert Haft teaches participants how to win organizing campaigns by targeting carefully, doing lots of house calls, and recruiting a good in-plant committee.

With thousands of unorganized workers in the printing and publishing industry in the U.S. and Canada, GCIU needs active assistance from local unions in both countries to identify organizing targets and take the lead in bringing them into the union, GCIU Organizer Bert Haft advised participants in a Lead Organizer Training seminar in Sandusky, Ohio.

"There are a lot of targets out there – in your communities – that we don't know about. But we want to learn about them and work with you to try to organize them," he said. "We need your help," Haft told the 22 participants from 11 locals across the eastern United States, including two associate members from Local 1AM in Corinth, Miss., where an organizing campaign is going on.

Haft and GCIU Vice Pres. Garry D. Foreman (acting Organizing director) explained the complicated organizing process and showed how they can participate and take the lead – with the assurance that any needed assistance will be available from the International's Organizing staff.

With the help of five International organizers, Foreman and Haft took the participants through the entire process of developing leads and targeting an organizing candidate, doing the research needed to decide whether success is likely, and pinpointing company workers to join an in-plant organizing committee.

GCIU Vice Pres. Garry Foreman (acting Organizing director) explains the advantages of having trained GCIU local organizers. Their knowledge of their communities can increase chances for success, Foreman advises.

They showed the 22 members how to develop contacts within the targeted plant. "First, you have to be a good listener. Take the time to get to know some of the workers and you will learn the issues that will work for you in an organizing campaign," Haft explained.

They led the GCIU members through a series of break-out sessions where they formed smaller groups and dealt with scenarios on how to target, how to approach potential pro-union plant workers, how to conduct house calls, what to say, and how to evaluate whether they had obtained enough support to petition for an election. The scenario scripts – prepared by the Organizing Department – forced the participants to deal with many different attitudes of workers at a targeted plant and discuss the best ways to proceed to win an election.

GCIU Organizers Bill Beresh, Duncan Brown, Linda Goad, Robbie Robinson, and Tom Smith sat in on the sessions and offered suggestions and guidance during the discussions. They also explained new computer software that gives addresses and employment data to help them find plant workers to contact at their homes. Some of the new software lists community residents by name and employer and maps addresses for house call follow-up. "This software means you can get leads to work on before you start hitting the streets," Haft observed.

The small groups also considered how best to approach potential organizing committee members to work with them in trying to get union cards signed and mount an official campaign to organize the hypothetical target plant.

The classes and small group sessions covered the spectrum of activities that go on during an organizing effort – from targeting to negotiating a first contract.

The Lead Organizer Training program complements another GCIU educational activity, the Membership Education and Mobilization for Organizing (MEMO) program, which helps train rank-and-file members to work with local lead organizers.

The organizing training initiatives plan to take advantage of the eyes and ears of local members in spotting likely organizing targets. GCIU hopes to utilize members from within the community to deliver the GCIU message to printing industry workers who would benefit from unionizing.

"It is better for the (International) Organizing Department to work with you and benefit from your inside knowledge of your community and potential organizing targets," Haft said. "What better way is there for us to find out about potential new members than through our existing members across the country?"

Participants included: Barbara Casselman and LaDonna Sims of Fort Wayne 19M; George Rogers of St. Louis 6M; June Flanders, Thomas Turley and Tom Gregg of Erie 73C; Gary Apkarian of Detroit Toledo Lansing 289M; Secy.-Treas. Al Turay and James Stadnik of Cleveland 546M; William Parker of Albany Schenectady Utica Poughkeepsie 259M; John J. Tassoni Jr. of Providence 239M; Ronald Hughes and Columbus Woodruff of Ashland 334C; Duane Bartsch and D.J. Bartsch of Battle Creek 135C; Neil Yacko, Chris Yacko, Nona Martin, and Richard Martin of Canton 26B; Paula Wright and Larry W. Jones of 1AM of Corinth, Miss., and Nassau County 406C Pres. George Tedeschi.

Photos by Dennis B. Doris Jr.

Participants listen intently during the organizing course. From left are: Battle Creek 135C's Duane Bartsch and D.J. Bartsch, Nick Yacko, Chris Yacko, and Nona Martin, all of Canton 26B.