December2015/January2016

Elevenmonthsago,thePackageHandlersOrganizingCommittee(PHOC)votedtobegina
campaigndemandingthestartingwageatthethreeUPShubsintheTwinCitiesberaisedto
$15/hour(fromthecurrent$10),andacorresponding$5/hourraiseforallhubemployees.We
hadoursightssetonbuildingpowertowardssomeformofdisruptiveactionduring2015sPeak
Season.NowthatPeakhasarrived,Iwouldliketosharesomeofmyfeelingsonthe
progression,evolution,andexecutionofthiscampaign,aswellassomewaysithasinfluenced
ourorganizingingeneralatUPSinMinneapolis.

IfeelthisdocumentisusefulaspartofafutureretrospectiveassessmentoftheBoxmart
campaignandthePHOCcommitteeitself.However,Ihopeitcanalsoserveasauseful
referenceforotherIWWorganizingcommitteesthinkingabouttakingonlaborintensive,
mediumtolongtermcampaignssuchasthis.Whetherornotsuchacampaignwouldhavea
positiveimpactonyourorganizingisadecisionthatonlyyourcommitteecanmake,butIhope
thatbyofferingmyperspectivesotherWobblieswillbeabletomakeamoreinformeddecision.

Themotion
(originallanguage):

Notes16/01/15

What:$5hourlyraiseacrosstheboard,whichwouldbringstartingwageupto$15.Also,end
pettywagetheftandothershopfloorissueswherepossible.

When:Majordirectactionduringpeakseason2015aimedatentireTwinCitiesoperation.
SmallerDAsbeforethem,atmomentstobedetermined.Campaigntostartwithintwomonths
(petitionscomingoutalongwithScrewupsatMPLS,Eagan,MapleGroveandairport).

Who:Petitiontobedraftedbycorecommittee,Massmeetingtoberunby,othertasks
delegatedto,andwhereverpossibletogathersupportfromrestofbranch.Newshop
floorcontactswillbeexpectedtofurthertrenchworkonshopfloor,canvassforissuestobe
addressedbyescalatingDirectActions,andinoculation.OTCtoarrangeanOTsoonaftermass
meetingfornewcontacts.Corecommittee(eg)tofillingapswherepeoplecannotattenda
fullOT.

Where:MeetingsatTCIWWoffice,actionsinMPLS,Eagan,MapleGroveandairport.Actions
tofocusonMinnesotaoperationunlesstemptingopportunitiesarise.

How:
1.Usepetitiontogathercontactsformassmeeting.CreateFacebook,etccontactpoints.
2.Usemassmeetingtoidentifypeoplewillingandabletobeorganizers(andotherroles)and
setbroadoutlinesofeffort,changingasnecessarytoreflectworkers'concerns.
3.Followupwithpotentialorganizers,gettoOTwherepossibleandpatchwithoneon
oneswherenot.Createacampaigncommitteetobroadenwork,bringinsmallerescalatable
issues(egpettywagetheft,harassmentetc),growcommitteeitself.

4.Dodirectactionsonsmallerissues,symbolicstuffwhereappropriate.Includeoffshopfloor
issuesegprisonslavelabouralahandsupdon'tship.
5.Followuponretaliationfortheabove.
6.Bringsmallerissuesbackin,buildexcitementandcommitmentandholdmassmeetingsin
themonthsleadinguptopeaktoorganizepeakaction.
7.Messeverythingupduringpeak.
8.Publicizeconcessionsandworkers'eyeviewanalysisoffight,followuponretaliations.
9.Setfurthergoals.

Observations:
Wegotofftrackfromtheoriginalmotionearlyon.Thefirstroundofpetitioningwentratherwell,
gatheringover200signaturesfromtheMinneapolis&MapleGrovehubs.Withinashortperiod
oftime,wehadcollectedthatcontactinformationintoashareddocumentandcalledthrough
thewholelist.WeplannedthefirstmassmeetingforearlyMarch.Wehadaboutadozen
peoplewhosaidtheywouldattend.Andthennobodyshowedup.Wetriedagain,withthe
sameresults.WethenshiftedourfocustosettingupOneonOneswithcontacts.Thishad
moresuccess,butwefailedtoreachthenumberofsignatorieswehadhopedfor.

Beingofftrackearlyonmeantthatthecommitteedidnotgrowtothelevelweneededto
continueescalatingasplanned.Asmallcommitteedecreasedourabilitytoholdactionsaround
smallergrievances.Ourinfluencedidntspreadtootherareasofthebuildings.Lookingback,
theseshouldhavebeenearlysignsthatourstrategyneededtoberevised..

Butwedidgatheralotofcontacts.

WedidanOKjobofgeneratingconversationandsomelevelofhypearoundthedemand
throughseveralsymbolicactions.WehadpetitionsoutwitheveryScrewUps,whichadded
newcontactstoourdocument.Wecalledeachonetosetup1on1sorinvitetocommittee
meetings.InSeptember,wehandedoutstickersalongwithScrewUpsthatreadISupporta
$15/hourStartingWageanda$5raiseforcurrentemployees.ItsTime!!Lotsofpeoplewore
themaroundworkthatday,andmanystickersendeduponwalls,equipment,andother
surfacesaroundthehub.InNovember,westoodoutsidethehubattheendofTwilightand
Midnightshiftsonenightwithposterscontainingthesametextasthestickers.Wetookpictures
ofpeopleholdingthesigns,whichwerethenpostedtothefacebookpage.

Buthypeisnotorganization.Manypeoplewhohavebeentouchedbythiscampaigndontget
anywherebeyondsigningthepetition.Unsurprisingly,ithasbeenthepeoplewithwhom
organizershavealonger,moreindepthrelationshipwithwhocometomeetings,and
participateinthecampaigninalargerway.Thoserelationshipshavebeenbuiltthroughseveral
pathways,butthecommonthreadistheoneonone(orotherstyleoftargetedAEIOU
conversation).

Agitationhasnotoftenbeenanissuewhenorganizingourcoworkers.WhereIthinkwehave
hadthegreatestdifficultyhasbeenEducatingandInoculating.Becauseagitationissohigh,

thosearegenerallythefirstareasthatwecoverwhenmeetingwithcoworkers.Theyarealso
verydifficulttopicstocoverinpassingwhileatwork.IfyoucantgetpasttheEducationandthe
Inoculation,howareyouevergoingtobuildlongtermOrganization?Oneononesbecome
evenmorecrucialinthisequation.
Repeated
oneonones.Themostconsistentparticipation
wehavehadhasbeentheresultofaseriesofoutofworkinteractionsandapersistenteffortto
workthroughissuesthatmaybeholdingsomeonebackfromorganizing.

Thoughts:
OnethingIthinkwefailedtodoisallowthecampaigntoevolveasthesizeandcapacityofthe
organizingcommitteechanged.Earlyonintheyear,wewereridingahighofmomentumand
hadarelativelylargecommitteethatpeakedat6membersingoodstandingorganizingattwo
localhubs.Atthatpoint,wewereoptimisticaboutourcapabilitytoorganizeabroadswathof
hubworkersandpulloffalargescaleactionduringpeakseason.Atthesametime,wewere
fallingbehindondoingoneonones,whichhavealwaysbeenhighonourlistofeffective
organizingtools.Ithinkwereliedtooheavilyonworkplacecontactandconversation,aswellas
agitationaltoolssuchasScrewUps.Laterinthesummerandfall,ourcommitteelosthalfofour
inshoporganizers,anddidntkeepthemonasoutsideorganizers.Thereducedcommittee
stayedthecoursewithouttakingtimetoanalyzeourcapacity.Werealizedtoolatethatwe
hadntconductedenoughoneonones,orotherwisedevelopedourcoworkerstothepoint
wherewecouldaskthemtostepuptokeepusontrack.

Therehavebeenseveralmomentsoverthecourseofthecampaignwhenwehavehadan
influxofmomentum.Thesehavebeenmomentswhenourcoworkerswithwhomwehave
strongrelationships(bothatandoutsideofwork)haveattendedourmeetingsandcontributed
theirideasonthecampaignandothergrievances.Thelessonhereissimple:Weneedtobe
consistentaboutagitating,educating,andorganizingourcoworkers.Itisreallyhardto
generatemomentumwhenweeklymeetingsconsistofthesamepeople,talkingaboutthesame
things,comingupwiththesametasks.Also,itiseasiertogetlessorganizedcoworkersto
meetingsiftheirfriendsand/ortrustedcoworkersareattending.

Ibeganwritingthisdocumentatamomentthatfeltparticularlylowenergy.Inthatsame
moment,weasacommitteehadaserioustalkandhavesincegeneratedsignificantlymore
energy.WejustwelcomedacoworkerintotheIWW.Thereisserioustalkofhavingasickin.I
amevenmorehopefulnowthatthisdocumentcanserveasatooltoimprovetheoverallquality
ofourorganizing,intermsofbothbuildingworkerpoweratUPSinMinneapolisandbuildinga
revolutionary,militantworkingclassmovementcomposedofsharp,hardened,andcommitted
individuals.

ImpactstoOrganizing:
th
WhenthismotionwasfirstpresentedattheJanuary16
2015PHOCmeeting,Ihad
reservationsaboutafewaspectsofit.Mymajorstickingpointcenteredonmyconcernabout

takingonacampaignofthisscalewithacommitteethatwasbothrelativelysmall(>1%ofthe
parttimersattheMinneapolishubalone),andrelativelyyoung(halfthecommitteehadworked
atUPSfor3monthsorless).Couldwemanagethepressureofbuildingforsucha
monumentaldemandinarelativelyshorttimeframewithoutlosingsightofthesmallerissues
thathavebeengalvanizingmomentsinourpreviousorganizing?Wouldanybodytakeus
seriously?Couldwedecidetochangecoursein6monthswithoutlosingalloursupport,or
feelinglikeourtimehadbeencompletelywasted?

Iendedupvotinginfavorofthismotion.IamgladIdid.Thatbeingsaid,Ihavewaveredback
andforthoverthecourseofthiscampaignonwhetheritwashavingapositiveornegativeeffect
onorganizingingeneralatUPS.Someofthatisduetotheaforementionedpeaksandvalleys
ofmomentum.BelowissomeanalysisofmyinitialreservationsthatIthinkaccountedforthe
restofmymixedfeelings.

1.Couldwemanagethepressureofbuildingforsuchamonumentaldemandinarelatively
shorttimeframewithoutlosingsightofthesmallerissuesthathavebeengalvanizingmoments
inourpreviousorganizing?Forthemostpart,Ithinkwemaintainedtheabilitytotakeon
smallerfights.Weevengotbetterataddressingsmallgrievancesinaway,asoursocial
networkgotlargerandwegotinwithlotsofpeople.Ibelievewelearnedaboutmoreworkers
grievances,andthatmorepeoplecametoknowusaspeopletoapproachwhentheyhadan
issuewithconditionsatwork.

Ontheotherhand,conductingthiscampaignhasbeenincrediblylaborintensive.Evenwhen
wehavefallenbehindontasks,Burnouthasalwaysbeenlurkingintheshadows.ScrewUps
waspublishedlessfrequentlythisyearthanitwaslastyear.AndthoughIhopethisisnottrue,
Iwonderifthechronicstressassociatedwithafeworganizers(mostofwhomwereworking23
jobsthroughouttheyear)workingonamassivecampaigninalargeworkplacestoppedusfrom
takingonsmallerfights.Thiscouldhavecomeintheformofblatantrejection,orinthefailureto
recognizeanissue/opportunitywhenitpresenteditself.Icanatleastsaythatwenever,tomy
knowledge,turnedawayacoworkerwhocametouswithanissuetheywantedtoorganize
around.ButdidIfailtopickuponsomeonewhowasobviouslyhavingabadday?DidIdoa
badjoblisteningtoacoworkerwhowastryingtoorganizeme?Theseareimportantquestions
torevisitonaregularbasis.

2.Wouldanybodytakeusseriously?Yes.Not
everybody
,butIdontthinkwewereeverthat
naive.Workingaunionizedmanuallaborjobthatpayslessthancomparablenonunionwork
acrossthecitymeansthatpeoplelistenwhenthetopicofaraisecomesup.Fornewerworkers
(letssaywithinthelast5years/sincethelastcontract),ourparttimewagesarealmostnever
enoughtoliveon.Forthosewhohavebeenaroundthecompanylonger,theyhaveseentheir
wagesremainstagnantsinceReaganwaspresident.Stagnantwagesareoneofthe
rankandfilesbiggestissueswiththeTeamsters.Sointhatsense,wageswereagreatissueto
takeonforadual/solidarityunioncampaign.

Butofcoursetherewerethosewhodismissedus.Manyofthesereactionswerebasedon
peoples(begrudging)allegiancetotheTeamsters.Thatsnotinthecontract,andnotunless
theTeamsterssupportit,weretypicalresponsesweheardfrompeoplewhodidnotsupportour
petitioningandotherefforts.Asuccessfulantidotetothesesentimentswasagood
oldfashionedoneononemeeting.Beingabletositdownwithsomeone,explaintheroleofthe
Teamstersinourshop,andwhywewereraisingthisdemandasrankandfileworkers,was
oftenenoughtoatleastgarnersupport.Oneofourmostsuccessfullines,cornythoughitmay
sound,wassomethingtotheeffectofwelliftheTeamsterswontgetitforus,weregonna
havetogetitforourselves.ThebiggestlessonIlearnedhereisthepoweroftheoneonone.
Ifsomeonejustknowsyouasanagitator,theyarelesslikelytotakeyouseriouslythanifthey
knowyouasanorganizer.

3.Couldwedecidetochangecoursein6monthswithoutlosingalloursupport,orfeelinglike
ourtimehadbeencompletelywasted?Thisisatoughquestiontoanswer,asitiscompletely
hypothetical.However,Istillthinkithassomevalueasawaytoevaluatealargecampaign.
Thingsdontalwaysgoasplanned,anditisusefultohaveabackupplanthatcanhelpsalvage
thegainsyouhavemadeandbegintomoveforwardinanotherdirection.

Thisquestionforcesyoutothinkcriticallyaboutthestepsyoutakeinbuildingandrunninga
campaign.Forinstance,ourfirststepofgatheringnamesandcontactsenmassthrougha
petitionensuredthatwewouldhavegainedavaluableresourceevenifwehadtoabandonthe
$15startingwagecampaign.Thatlistalsogeneratedoneononeswithavarietyofworkers
whomwewouldotherwisemaybenothavecontacted.Evenifthecampaignfolds,wehave
builtrelationshipswithmoreofourcoworkers,andhopefullydevelopedsomeoftheminto
organizers.

Conclusions:
Undertakingthiscampaignhastaughtmemanyimportantandlastinglessonsasaunion
organizer.ManyoftheselessonsIwouldnothavelearnedhadwecontinuedalongourexisting
path.Ilearnedtheimportanceofademocraticallyfunctioningcommitteewithadiversityof
opinionsandperspectives.Accountabilityamongcommitteemembersmustbeestablished
earlyon,andmaintainedthroughouteventhemostdifficultmomentsofacampaign.Iquickly
realizedthatIcouldnotbeaneffectiveorganizerbyonlytalkingwithpeopleIknewalready.
Organizingisnotacomfortable,socialaffairattimes,itfeelslikewhatmycocommittee
memberdescribesasafuckingwarzone.Andaslongasyouunderstandandareprepared
forthat,youcanmakeimpressivegainsinthestruggleagainstthewagesystem.

Butthiscampaignhasbeenmorethanjustalearningexperience.Despitesomelingering
momentsofdisappointmentandnaggingdoubts,Iamconvincedthatthiscampaignhashadan
incrediblypositiveimpactonourorganizingatUPS.Wehaveidentifiedanddevelopedacrew
ofshopfloormilitants,andbroughtafewofthemintotheIWW.Wearetappedintosocial
networksacrossourshop.Thesenetworkscrosstheboundariesofage,race,andgender.We

havelearnedtobackoffandplaydefensewhenconditionsrequireit.Throughallofthestress,
joy,disappointment,andabundanthumor,wehavestayedtogetherandevengrownasa
committee.Whilethe$15/hourstartingwagecampaignitselfmaynotbesuccessful,Ibelieve
thatwehaveshownthatthe
idea
oftakingonamajor,publiccampaigncontributestogreater
overallsuccessinorganizingourFellowWorkers.

FortheOneBigUnion,
FWCoeurdeBord
PHOCmember