DELEGATE WORKSHEET: ASKING PEOPLE TO JOIN OUR UNION The best way to get workers to join our Union or take action in support of union members is when they are asked by a work colleague who they trust and like. Planning these conversations can help you to be confident and clear. Before you start approaching people, it is a good idea to have a plan, and to have a good idea of who is and isn t a member of The Services Union. Our Union office can provide you with useful information. Here are some useful things to think about before approaching a non-member about joining our Union or getting involved: Are they pro-union/anti-union/apathetic? In the first instance, try approaching people who you think are most likely to join. By encouraging pro-union people to join our Union first, they can assist you with encouraging other to join. Who do they work closely with? If someone works closely or is friendly with members, it may be a good idea to ask one of them to help you approach your colleagues. They may be able to give you an idea of what issues or attitudes held by the nonmember. Have you thought about how you are going to open the conversation? Is there a particular issue at the moment, or a forthcoming union activity/event that you might invite potential members to? Are you canvassing colleagues about what issues are affecting them? It is good to have a hook for your conversation so that your colleague feels comfortable about you coming to talk to them about our Union? What specific concerns might they have? People are more likely to join our Union because of a workplace issue. Think about what issues may be important to a potential member. EG: restructures; excessive workloads; consultation; overtime; or inadequate resourcing. What do you think their response will be? Think about what the non-member s response will be to your approach, and prepare what you will say. Potential members may have lots of questions about our Union, so be ready for them. Don t feel like you need to know everything it is better to say you don t know the answer and will find out, than to guess and answer and potentially get it wrong. Be sure to note down anything that needs following up from the conversation. Workplace Delegates are in a good position to encourage staff to join our Union because: You will more likely have a personal understanding of local working conditions, including issues of concern and therefore have ideas on what our Union may be able to do to improve things.
Most people will see you as more concerned with their day to day needs and concerns at work. People generally prefer to talk to their colleagues or workmates about the concerns they have at work. You put a friendly face on the image of our Union. New staff If your workplace has new staff inductions, it is a good idea to try to attend them with membership information kits. Ask the person coordinating the induction whether our Union can be a formal part of the induction. This can help make new staff more comfortable about joining. You can also contact Services Connect on (07) 3844 5300 for assistance and advice about inductions, or to get membership information kits. If there s no formal induction activity or you are not given permission to talk at this forum, you might like to organise a small welcome for new staff, where you and a few other members in the area get together with the new staff over morning tea. This is an opportunity to emphasise that our Union is an integral part of their new workplace, and to encourage them to join their colleagues in union membership. Existing staff In most workplaces, there will be staff who may have worked there for some time without joining our Union. Even if a non-member has been asked to join before, it is still worthwhile asking again. However, it will probably be advisable to be more careful and plan your conversation (see Structured conversations and Issues are important ). If someone else (such as an organiser) asked them to join previously, find out why they declined earlier. Handling Objections Most people who haven t joined a union have never been asked. Once you ask a person to join, you need to be prepared for some of the common objections that potential members have for not joining straight away. There are some legitimate reasons for not joining, and similarly there are some excuses that non-members give to avoid having to make the serious decision about joining. Equalise or ACKNOWLEDGE the concern. Explore or QUESTION and find out more Elevate or ANSWER the objection and move the worker s thinking I ll think about it I understand why you want to think it over especially with all the stuff that s going on here. Although next time you think about it could be too late. A lot of the others here are thinking about it too. While I m here I d like to make sure all your questions are answered. Is there anything else you need to know about the union? How many of the others have you spoken to about this? What do you think would happen if everyone acted together on this? Think about the outcomes we could get if we acted together as a collective. We know from past experience that we are stronger and get better outcomes when we act together to resolve problems.
Unions go on strike all the time Yeah I wouldn t like to be on strike all the time either. When was the last time you were on strike? What was the issue? Which union were you in? How long were you out? What did you achieve? Was it worth it? How did the workers feel afterwards? How did the boss react? In our union striking is a last resort. We try to negotiate as far as we can and we re usually successful. These days the law says we have to get the Electoral Commission to run a ballot first to see if everyone wants go on strike. I can t afford it Look I totally understand. It is hard to make ends meet. What do you think about getting together for the next agreement to get a good wage rise so that everyone will be able to afford it? We bargain together through the union to get our wage rises every year. It s a fact that union members earn between 15-25% more than non-union members (ABS). That s how everyone affords the fees, and they re fully tax deductible. I m only a casual Casuals certainly have less security than permanents. How would your working life change if you had a permanent job? How would you feel about going permanent? How long did you say you ve worked here? Our union won a casual conversion clause when they did a collective agreement at Ergon Energy, so casuals could choose to become permanent and have much greater job security. We re all happy here You do have some good conditions here, and these managers are not the worst I ve ever come across. What do you think could happen to all your good conditions if the management team changed here? What ideas have you got to make sure you don t lose any of your good conditions? Good conditions can be put into in a legally binding agreement if everyone works together. Then conditions are secure and new bosses can t change things whenever they want. I can look after myself Some people are really good at looking after themselves. Do you know how much it would cost if you had to hire a lawyer to look after yourself? Are you up to date with the new unfair dismissal provisions of the Fair Work Act? Union fees are tax deductible, and by joining the union you are really looking after yourself. Union fees for a year are less than a lawyer s fees for a day. You get to use other services which can save you more money than what you spend on fees. I m scared to put my head up. I ll be the first to go Yeah, I can t guarantee your job, and you could be first to go - even if you stay silent. What would be the worst case scenario if you put your head up at the same time as every other worker here? What s going to happen if you stay silent? Imagine if you and everyone else put your heads together, and we got some change happening. The more people involved, the more management will take us seriously. The union stands up for what matters in your working life.
I m too busy. Yeah, you re not alone there. It seems everyone here is working their butt off. Time is precious. Are you getting paid properly for this extra work? How many extra hours per week are you putting in? Have you added up how much that is worth? What s your hourly rate when you factor in all those extra hours per week? How does your family feel about the extra time you re working? When would be a better time to talk? Do you think it s fair? When you work so many extra hours the union can make sure you get your proper entitlements for overtime and rest breaks. Then you regain your family time, respect and dignity. I don t want to cause trouble Conflict can be confronting and uncomfortable, especially if you re being targeted on your own. How many other people are experiencing the same bullying and harassment here? You said earlier you really want to do something about what s happening here didn t you? Do you think everyone would get together? It s bullying and harassing behaviours that cause the trouble, not the worker who experiences it. You deserve respect and the union can make sure you get it. Union members have access to information and advice whenever they need it. I get the benefits anyway Most likely you will get the benefits, and the union fights hard to make sure everyone is included. Do you also take a benefit from the office lotto draw if you didn t buy a ticket? What would you do if you didn t get something you re entitled to? Who would you ask to help you? The benefits are greater when everyone contributes. You ll be part of one of Australia s biggest unions, and you ll get a say in how things run. Unions are too political It sometimes seems that way. I can totally understand why you d be fed up with politics at the moment! How do you think unions could operate better and not be so political? What extra benefits to members would be gained by ignoring the political agenda? Part of the union s role is to look after members interests, including political. Members pay a fee to make sure that governments are held to account public asset sales, pay equity and industrial laws are good examples of how unions can use political influence to benefit members. I don t like unions A lot of people feel that way and what you read in the papers can give a bad impression. What is it about unions that you don t like? What kind of experience have you had with unions in the past? Do you think everything you read about unions in the Courier Mail is true? The people who do like unions have made an effort to get active and stand together on the job to win improvements at work. People usually become a member of a union because they want to do something about their workplace. Look I m not interested okay I kind of guessed that. Why aren t you interested in your own wages and working conditions? What s happened to bring you to that conclusion? Employers have unions to advance their interests. Protect yourself and advance your own interests by joining your union.
Closure In getting commitment from people to join or become more active in the union, there are four approaches that make this easier. Summary close We have talked about the importance of this issue and of people working together. So all that s left is for you to agree to be a union contact in the section. We have talked about the importance of this issue and of people working together. So all that is left is for you to join. Choice close Would you prefer to organise a telephone tree or an e-mail network? Would you prefer to pay up front or fortnightly, by direct debit? Suggestion close I would suggest you become the section contact from now on and then we can start working together to resolve these issues. I would suggest you join and then you are protected from now on and we can start working together to resolve these issues. Direct close So you ll hand out the leaflets. That s good. Here they are. Here s the form. I ll help you fill it in now. Wrap up This stage is rather like the introduction step. The focus returns to the relationship and closing off the conversation in a friendly way that leaves an opening for further contact. e.g.: It s been good talking to you. I ll catch you next week. It s great you ve decided to... and I ll get back to you tomorrow about... You know my number. Ring me anytime.