Internal-Worksite Organizer: SEIU Local 521

I took a job with SEIU local 521 as an internal-worksite organizer and just completed my third day of work. An internal-worksite organizer is responsible for constructing an organizational structure that effectively pushes forward the union’s agenda.

To better explain my job lets take one institution and call it “Blue.” Assume “Blue” has 300 employees that decided to create or join an existing union. These 300 employees have collective bargaining rights; as opposed to each individual worker negotiating on his or her own. One can easily see the advantage of negotiating collectively. The inherent difficulty of working in large groups is getting the group to coordinate effectively over a long period of time. This is where the worksite organizer comes in. The worksite organizer works in partnership with the employees to create an effective operation. Why the worksite organizer? The workers already have a job so the worksite organizer is brought in to focus primarily on the organizational matters.

Another aspect of the job can be extremely legalistic. On my third day I sat through negotiations between another internal-worksite organizer from SEIU and an employer. The negotiations concentrated on the interpretations of a couple terms in the contract and in the policies and procedures. This aspect of the job, as you can see, is completely different than organizing. In order to do this well I’m required to understand the contracts, job specifications, policies/procedures, and all other documents that govern the employees.

A third aspect of this job is relationship building. On my first day my director said “politics or die.” In other words if we don’t build strong relationships with explicit political institutions (governing bodies.) the workers will lose—particularly because majority of SEIU local 521 members are public employees. Other important relationships is between the organizer and the workers; also between the union and the employers; finally between the union and a host of other interested parties. Strong relationships that are enduring are central to the long term success of unions.

If the last three days are an indicator of how the job is going to be, I’m a really happy guy. I met about six members and was extremely impressed. They were confident, knowledgeable, and passionate. I’m excited for having the opportunity to work with them.