Union Organizers Are Trained—Are Your Supervisors?

When union representatives are speaking to your employees during a nascent organizing effort, your employees may perceive them as “one of the guys.” Often they are anything but. Organizing is a serious business, and unions make great efforts to train their representatives to persuade your workers for their support. The AFL‐CIO runs a 12‐week Organizing Institute apprentice training program to educate organizers on tactics and strategies. AFSCME maintains a nearly 80‐page instructional handbook for its organizers. Other unions maintain detailed tips on their websites. Authors sell books on the topic of effective union organizing.