print this page

This is the fun and creative part of mobilization and member involvement. The best collective actions:

• Allow members to participate directly in an activity.
• Send a visible message to management, elected officials or legislators.

Some collective actions are also designed to attract media coverage so that we can explain our message to the community and/or put indirect pressure on management.

Collective actions should be planned so as to escalate pressure on the employer or public official as the contract is nearing closure or crucial votes near. The following are examples of actions that Health Care Workers Council locals have developed:

• Same color t-shirts or scrubs (shows depth of support)
• Postcards to the employer
• Buttons, stickers or a "Balloon" day ("Employer is full of hot air!")
• One-to-one contacts
• Petitions to specific targets, e.g., Board of Directors, CEO, CFO
• Lunch time rallies, brown bag lunches, marches
• March into work together or to the boss to deliver a petition or support cards
• Moments of silence at the same time in each unit and in the break room.
• A sign in the employee's car window ("We want a contract now!")
• Boycott the cafeteria
• Health care action days (Everyone wears Band-Aids, or hobbles on crutches, etc., to declare "We're sick of attempts to cut our benefits!")
• Candlelight marches, vigils, mock funerals (good for TV news)
• Postcards/petition/pledge card campaigns (Every worker agrees to sign up 10 supporters per week in the campaign.)
• Holiday activities -- holiday themes ("The boss is a turkey!" on Thanksgiving, "Have a heart!" on Valentine's Day.)