Adapt or Die
Walter Orechwa
Creator of Unionfree.com | A Better Leader | Union Proof Certification | Little Card, Big Trouble
"In the age of Trump, yesterday's unions are not going to survive intact."
"What the mandate really should be on our leaders now is to invest in new forms of worker power to replace the enterprise bargaining that lifted the economy in 1935."
"Will unions be replaced by something or nothing?"
"Find a way to use the crisis (union decline) to do something to develop the next form of worker power."
WASN'T ME, I SWEAR
Who said these things about unions? Nope, it wasn't me.
Would you believe it was the president and co-founder of SEIU 775 in Seattle, David Rolf?
David who, you ask? Perhaps this will ring a bel, from April 2015, "Seattle to Raise Minimum Wage to $15." Yup, one of the principal architects of "Fight for $15," David Rolf.
California and New York followed next and then in 2016, states and cities in Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Montana, Colorado, Missouri, Arkansas, Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, and New Jersey, all passed $15 minimum wage bills.
THE ROLF PLAN
1) Defend American Workers from the Trump and Republican political attacks.
Whatever that means, and good luck with that.
2) Focus on a six-year path to power. That means progressive and pro-labor lawmakers must win political races in 2018 and 2020, especially governor seats.
Yawn, you mean, take member's dues money to do the same old schtick as before, how that work out last time?
3) Experiment and innovate to find possible models to replace traditional unions.
Wait, what? Hold on to your hat - #3 is the goal Rolf finds the most critical.
theSHORT
He's right. What is really scary about David Rolf is that he is only 47 and clearly thinks outside the box. He openly recognizes that the current union business model is dying a slow death and he knows it's time to "adapt or die." It doesn't take much to see this guy running the AFL-CIO some day, say six years from now - hey wait just a gosh darn minute...
Affiliate Consultant at People First HR Solutions
7 年If they(unions) can figure out how to give individual employee's flexibility in the workplace and recognition for their own merits while maintaining a structure for collective action, they (unions) might again become relevant. But how you overcome individual jealousy for what someone else has that I don't, or the seniority mentality that drives most union structure, they have a difficult task.
Human Resources & Positive Employee Relations Leader & Consultant, SHRM-SCP certified
7 年Thanks Walter! You recently solicited our thoughts about the #1 labor challenge in 2017. Employers need to effectively anticipate and respond to unions' adaptations, experiments and innovations, both within their organizations and in the political and civic spheres.