“New hires generally are very interested in the benefits and this has helped recruitment,” says CWA Local 6203 Secretary-Treasurer Janice Bell. She uses the benefits to organize AT&T workers in Lubbock, TX where each hourly employee has to be signed up to join the union since Texas is a right-to-work state.
It really helps sell the union, especially with new hires. Union Plus is only available to those who sign up, and we do a good job of telling them what they gain.
Our union is stronger today: by organizing around the available buying power we have through Union Plus, we’ve helped increase our union power too.
When you can add value to membership and people know that they can get their dues money back in the form of savings on things they need, it makes it much easier to get them to join.
Union Plus has helped our local answer that perennial question that unions get from members when it’s not contract time and they’re not having a problem on the job: “what is the union doing for me?”
The members-only benefits are an excellent organizing tool. They can make a difference in successful organizing drives. For some people they can be the biggest selling point.