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*THREAD* I’m a @UFT Chapter Leader that has had some success (so far) preparing for the strike. Here are the steps I’ve taken to organize my members. Feel free to copy/steal whatever you like. #UFTSafetyStrike #SuppliesProceduresTesting #GuaranteeAll3 #OnlyWhenItsSafe
STEP 1: BUILD SOLIDARITY. You have to talk to your members, listen to their concerns, and provide reliable info. This sounds obvious but you’d be surprised. I used Google Forms to poll my members on how safe they felt going back and what their level of support for a strike was.
When you’re ready to build, start with your low hanging fruit. You know who the 'ride or die' ones are. Bring them in first and make them part of the chapter core. Then reach out to the people who are generally supportive. Then the folks on the fence.
Lastly, make an earnest appeal to the people who are opposed, but don’t get bogged down trying to win them over. You will almost never have 100% support, which is okay because the goal is a broad consensus. If you have at least 75-80% of your chapter onboard, you’re good.
Hold meetings. Have a clear agenda. Give people small, concrete action items. We’ve planned a phone/text tree, a 311 phone zap, and a strike fund for mutual aid. ID the members that are capable and reliable and delegate to them because you will not be able to do it all alone.
Nor should you. For example, the strike fund. I asked two math teachers with multiple cash apps to serve as co-treasurers. In the event we strike, every member will share the handles of the two co-treasurers with their personal networks of family/friends for donations.
We usually average 40-50 members per meeting. If each of them gets ten friends to contribute $20-$25, that’s like $10k that can be used to help members with food, rent, whatever.
A strike probably won’t even last that long that we would need this kind of mutual aid, but that’s not the point. Being prepared and, more importantly, building that sense of solidarity between your members is what’s absolutely crucial for success.
STEP 2: BUILD COALITIONS. First, with your school’s Parent Association. I reached out to my school’s PA prez about signing onto a joint letter. Thankfully, she was happy to — no persuasion required. If your PA prez isn’t on board, reach out to other school parents that you know.
If you’re in a co-located school, your next stop is contacting the other UFT chapters on your campus. Start with the CLs. See what steps they’re taking and where you can partner with each other. Keep open lines of communication. My building has six schools.
I started a group text with the other five CLs and for the last week+ we’ve been talking every day. That culminated on Wednesday with a campus-wide virtual meeting for all six chapters that was attended by over 180 people plus union officials.
As a team, we addressed questions and concerns for over two hours. The vast majority of folks left feeling more informed, confident, and with a greater sense of solidarity than when they arrived.
Next, make use of the fact that we are not alone on this. @FollowCSA (admin union), @DistCouncil37 (school aides and cafeteria workers union), and @nynurses (nurses’ union) all agree with us. Highlight that when having discussions both inside and outside the chapter.
Lastly, contact the local and state legislators representing your school. Last I had seen, 31 out of 51 @NYCCouncil members support our demands. Schools are the heart of the communities they represent — electeds will back you, especially against something unpopular and wrong.
An important note about coalitions: be open to getting all of the aforementioned stakeholders on board, but don’t make yourself reliant upon them. If you can’t get parents/electeds/other chapters involved, so be it. You are ultimately only responsible for organizing your chapter.
STEP 3: MEDIA STRATEGY. I’ll try to keep this part short and sweet. There are two elements: social media and news media. For social media, use the four hashtags at the top of this thread plus something specific to your school. I started using #LehmanSafe and #LehmanStrong.
Original? No. But it’s a nice touch to highlight our individual chapter’s organizing efforts.
Tweet at the mayor (both handles: @NYCMayor and @BilldeBlasio). Keep your criticism factual and centered on our three demands ( #SuppliesProceduresTesting). Message discipline is key!
Tweet at the mayor (both handles: @NYCMayor and @BilldeBlasio). Keep your criticism factual and centered on our three demands ( #SuppliesProceduresTesting). Message discipline is key!
For news media, there are multiple outlets that’ve shown a willingness to cover the issue of school reopenings. I’ve done interviews with @HenryRosoff, @elizashapiro, @SusanBEdelman, and @ShirleyChanTV. AFAIK they’ve all been fair to us. Get your activism covered!
STEP 4: PREPARE AND EXECUTE YOUR PICKET LINE. Ask people who can’t picket to help by making signs for the picketers and fliers for distribution to the public.
If you have enough people to make it work, create picket shifts of 2-3 hours. No one should be outside all day.
If you have enough people to make it work, create picket shifts of 2-3 hours. No one should be outside all day.
ID all the building entrances and divide each shift into teams, with one team assigned to each entrance. There should also be a team to hand out fliers. Each team should have a captain that takes attendance, distributes/collects signs, and reports to you.
You should be mobile and checking in on each team. Have a #2 designated in case you get pulled away for whatever reason (a chapter delegate can be good for this). Be prepared to speak with media, electeds, police, etc. At the risk of sounding corny, be ready to lead by example.
Random closing thoughts: if you can do swag (matching T-shirts), great. If not, at least try to do matching colors. People with medical accommodations to work remotely should stand in solidarity with their chapter and withhold their labor. Message discipline is key.
Comments, criticism, questions, suggestions, and more are all welcome. Thanks and good luck!
. @UFTTeamHS @BBOUFT @bronxhsdistrict @AlisonGendar @TeacherArthurG @SoBronxSchool @BxEU4J @chrissievac @NYBATs @KFrancisKearns @MindyRosier @matzamafia @TeachBoxer @JanellaTHinds @UFTKaz @BrianUFT @nycDSA @DSA_Labor @UptownBronxDSA @AQE_NY @NYCOptOut @CentralLaborNYC
An addendum: if you picket, PPE and stringent social distancing must be a non-negotiable! Safety first and foremost! Thank you @SoBronxSchool for pointing out my oversight.
