Postal unions, like all federal employee unions, are open shop. That means workers can get the benefits of union representation while opting out of paying dues.
Yet the postal unions generally maintain high rates of voluntary union membershipāand Letter Carriers Branch 82 in Portland, Oregon, does even better than most. From 90 percent membership five years ago, it has āslowly up-ticked,ā says Organizing Chair Willie Groshell, to around 95 percent of the 1,200 represented carriers.
How did they raise that number so high? Itās mostly the work of volunteers like Groshell, who delivers the mail full-time. (Three top officers make up the branchās full-time staff.)
Most new hires sign up right away at orientation, where the branch vice president spends up to two hours with themāthe union has this right guaranteed in its contractātalking through the unionās history and what to expect. One perk is getting immediate access to the unionās uniform closet, since the Postal Service wonāt provide a uniform allowance until your probation is up.
But beyond that, āitās an easy sell for us in Branch 82, because we defend our contract extremely well,ā Groshell says.
PLENTY OF GRIEVANCES
One key is a robust network of stewards who involve almost all members in filing and pursuing grievances. Every year, Groshell estimates, 98 percent of Portland letter carriers get the equivalent of their entire dues back in grievance settlements.
Short-staffing is the rule in post offices across the country. But āwe are, I think, the only place in the country that has specific language about delivery after dark,ā Groshell says. āIf we have to be out after sunset, it triggers a grievance payment of $50 for each incident.ā That adds up, especially in the winter when the sun sets early and there are lots of holiday packages to deliver.
Enforcing those penalties requires āeyes and ears on the work room floor almost every place, every day,ā Groshell says. The large stations with 100 or more letter carriers have four or more stewards apiece, and even smaller stations mostly have at least one. āWe control the environment on the work floor.ā
UNION IN ACTION
Sometimes exerting that control requires collective action. A few months ago, for instance, carriers at Groshellās station were told they must deliver three āfull coveragesā in a single day.
A full coverage is an advertisement that goes to every household, along with the mail. Two of the three were magazine-thick. Thatās a lot of weight to carry around all day.
There was general āpanic and angst,ā Groshell says. So he encouraged everyone to fill out a safety concern form. Some were nervous, but one by one, people filed up to drop their forms on the managerās desk. About half the carriers on shift that day participated.
And that was all it took. Within minutes the manager agreed to postpone the heaviest item till the next day. Palpable relief and power zipped around the work floor.
āItās moments like that that really do bring people on board, that get people to understand what we can do collectively,ā Groshell says. āYouāve got to find those opportunities, and when theyāre there, youāve got to try and take them.ā
One weekend a couple years ago, Branch 82 partnered with the Postal Workers local (APWU)āwhich represents mail plant workers, drivers, and post office clerksāfor a joint internal organizing push. Members went out in pairs to visit non-members at their homes.
The point was to listen. āWe werenāt aggressive,ā Groshell says. āWe just started having conversations to find out, āWhy arenāt you a member? What are your concerns?āā
Answers ran the gamut. One or two said theyād never been asked. Some had transferred in from other parts of the country and fallen through the cracks.
Others were standoffish at first. āIt took a while to convince them we were just here to talk,ā Groshell said. āBut once they started talking, in most cases there were maybe one or two things in the past that had upset them.ā
Some were ready to sign up on the spot. Others needed to see the next step: the union following up to address their problems. āWe had to let them know this wasnāt just a one-time thing,ā Groshell said. āThe key to any organizing is communication. You have to be honest, you have to follow through on whatever you say youāre going to do, and you have to tell people the truth, rather than what you think they want to hear.ā
Overall, he says, the activity was fun. It strengthened the relationship between the two unions, and gave members and non-members the chance to talk in the relaxed, frank way thatās easier when youāre not at work.
AN EVERYDAY PRIORITY
Now the union keeps stewards in each station apprised which of their co-workers are non-members, and encourages them āevery so often,ā Groshell says, āto ask them why.ā
The idea is to have ārespectful, productive conversations,ā he says. āYouāre not going to get people to join by belittling them. At the same time we want to make sure they canāt hide in the shadows.ā
It also matters whoās doing the asking. In annual training on non-member sign-up, stewards are encouraged to recognize workplace social circles. āWe talk about figuring out who the people in the station are that have the relationship already with the non-members, and encouraging those people to be the ones having the conversations,ā Groshell says.
Nonetheless, changing someoneās mind takes time; it can stretch over many conversations. āMost people donāt just sign up after you talk to them once,ā Groshell says. āItās been made an everyday priority. Everybody knows who the non-members are, and everybody feels empowered to engage them. We try to weave it into the culture.ā
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