Join us on Wednesday, May 26th at 8pmET/5pmPT for EWOC’s event on pre-majority unionism. We’ll hear from:

• Auni Ahsan, a member of the Alphabet Workers Union
• Jim Wrenn, UE150 Cummins member
• Dave Cohen, retired UE International Rep and President of UE Local 264 in Holyoke, MA
• Rebekah Ward, executive board member with GA United Campus Workers-CWA

Pre-majority unionism is one name for a strategy where workers organize for improvements at work, before reaching the majority of the workforce required for union recognition. This is particularly relevant for large employers with tens of thousands of workers or more, and where the traditional strategy of shop by shop workplace elections is particularly challenging. This also applies to areas where workers don’t have legal collective bargaining rights, such as public sector workers in many states.

Workers can win gains in wages, benefits and working conditions with this strategy, but it has different challenges and dynamics. This discussion will feature several veterans of these kinds of organizing campaigns. What led them to try this strategy? What was won, and what are the lessons learned from organizing in this way? Should unions embrace this strategy on a large scale?