There is an old saying among organizers that you can only organize a business that needs to be organized. Something, in other words, has to be going wrong.
But Stilsing Electric had a reputation for offering a good salary, nice benefits and a decent boss.
A new video from the IBEW Media Department shows how good locals and that good boss found a way to do even better together. The original story explaining the organizing campaign can be found here.
“This campaign shows how organizing is a marathon, not a sprint. And you don’t stop running until you win,” said Local 363 Business Manager Samuel Fratto III. “This is also a good example of local unions working together for a common goal, and we all benefitted from that cooperation.”
The video was played at the Membership Development conference in mid-November. More than 1,500 IBEW members attended, including International President Lonnie R. Stephenson and Special Assistant to the International President for Membership Development Ricky Oakland.
In addition to the hundreds of local and International organizers, more than 100 local-level organizers took the three-day New Organizer Training course designed by the Education Department.
It was the first major IBEW gathering since the election saw a near total sweep of federal elected government by the Republican Party. However, Oakland said he expects the IBEW to be bigger in four years than it is today.
“I don’t care who is in the White House. My message would not change,” he said. “We have one job: organize. We just organized hundreds of people in right-to-work Tennessee at Electrolux. If we can win there, I am not afraid of anybody.”