Sound the alarm! Now is the time to prepare members and activists for the next round of bargaining, don’t wait until the team is at the table. In this workshop participants learned tips and tools on how to effectively communicate internally to members and activist months in advance of bargaining. This ground work is key to sow strong roots in the workplace. Participants heard a first hand account of how a three-prong approach focusing on education, engagement and mobilization in one public sector union made the difference to fight back and plant the seeds for a different kind of union. Trainer: Denise Hammond is with the Association of Management, Administrative & Professional Crown Employees of Ontario (AMAPCEO) to develop and oversee strategic communications during the union’s bargaining mobilization campaign as it attempts to push back against the Ontario government’s austerity strategy. Prior to this she was the Anti-Privatization Coordinator for CUPE Ontario, after leaving her position as the Executive Director of Communications and Outreach with Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) for nine years. With over twenty years experience in organizing, communications and campaigns in the student movement, trade unions and grassroots social justice coalitions, Denise has helped to develop several campaigns and anti-oppression initiatives. She lives her life as a dedicated feminist, activist and community builder.

1. Denise N Hammond
CALM Conference November 2014

2. When should
you start?

3. WHEN SHOULD COMMUNICATIONS START?
To answer this question consider how the union uses communications.
• Information and news announcements about recent events
• Upcoming meetings, events and campaign actions
• Labour relations or government updates / changes
• Education and clarification on collective agreement or workplace issues
• Engagement with members directly
• Engagement with elected leaders and activists only
• Empower and educate members on their rights and role in the union

4. WHAT’S THE GOAL IN PRE-BARGAINING COMMS?
Educate
Engage
Persuade for action

5. STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS ARE INTEGRATED
Communications are part of campaigns and
fundamental to mobilizing.
There should be no separation between bargaining
preparation (the research) and preparing for
mobilization.
Start now!

6. Unpacking the what, how
and why.

7. WHAT IS EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION?
• Effective communication occurs when a message speaks directly to and
meets the needs of a defined target, know as the “receiver”
• It is always necessary to consider the medium, how the message is
delivered, and to identify potential barriers that may prevent receivership
• There should always be one specific idea that conveys a message
• It's about understanding the emotion behind the information, not just
exchanging it
• It enables you to convey and distribute messages even challenging
messages without creating conflict or destroying trust

8. HOW MESSAGES ARE RECEIVED & UNDERSTOOD
Member
Words
Tone
Body
language

9. HOW MESSAGES ARE RECEIVED & UNDERSTOOD
Member
Words
7%
Tone
38%
Body language
55%

10. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

11. WHY DO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS MATTER
1. To Build Trust
Establishing a positive relationship is key to having your
message heard. Make time to listen.
2. To Build an Active and Engaged Membership
Developing a simple communications plan which includes
repeating a consistent message, supporting member
engagement, and responding to member needs.

12. AIM OF PRE-BARGAINING COMMUNICATIONS
The purpose is to influence a members’ attitude,
behaviour, understanding and persuade them to take
action as part of the collective.

13. Communications are
a vehicle to create
change.

14. INTERNAL COMMUNICATION IDENTIFICATION
Consider the following:
• What does communication look like?
• What does communication sound like for the union?
• What does communication sound like to members?
• What does effective communication feel like for the union?
• What does effective communication feel like for members?
• What are the barriers to communicate to individual members?
• What are the collective barriers to communication?

15. MAPPING COMMUNICATION
• Identify all current communication sources used by the union
• Identify the current communication sources in the workplace
• Compare what the workplace and members use and what the
union was using
• Identify ways in which we could make a personal connection
between the written materials and the member

16. IDENTIFYING BARRIERS
• What are the barriers to communication?
• What are individual barriers to communication?
• What are our collective barriers to communication?

17. ISSUES IDENTIFICATION & MAPPING REVEALED
• Communication delivery problem
• Comprehension problem
• Lack of trust and hope in union, leadership
• Identification of union inside workplace and lack of community

18. PRE-BARGAINING COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
• Educate members on the process and their role in it
• Establish information source & mechanism / info coordinator
• Update contact personal information
• Recruit volunteers and activists
• Create visibility in workplace
• Develop communication network for 1-way and 2-way
communication
• Engage members to foster community

19. WHAT’S THE FIRST STEP
IDENTIFY ISSUES – DO YOUR HOMEWORK

20. PRE-BARGAINING COMMUNICATION GOAL
1. Establish a system to communicate, must be multi-prong and
include active learning and teaching methods
2. Identify who can deliver communication in the workplace
3. How communications will be visible
4. What message is important to deliver now to build the foundation

21. COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES
SIMPLICITY
CLEAR LANGUAGE
POSITIVITY
PERSONAL
REPETITION
RESOURCE / REFERENCE
FOCUS
VISIBILITY

22. STAY IN TOUCH…………………………………………….
E: Denise.hammond@gmail.com
T: @denisenhammond