Many people look for more power, more of a voice and more protections at their workplace. Often, they contemplate the possibility of forming a union. Yet, for most, the idea of starting one either seems impossible, dangerous or people don't know that it is allowed in their type of workplace.
Having parents who belonged to unions much of their working career - up until I became a labor organizer myself, I kind of assumed that it was a clear and easy personal choice made by workers to either be unionized or not. The process, I learned as I began my new job in the movement, is actually quite complicated and the deck is rigged pretty solidly against workers standing up for themselves.
Follow me below the challah for a brief explanation of the process - and I hope that this starts a bit of a dialogue on bringing change to our workplaces. If we are to be the grassroots, then we need to be making change in our microcosms, on the ground in our community. In some cases, that may mean starting a new union at your workplace.
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