That’s a wrap on our Intensive Membership Drives (IMD) for this school year!
Our IMDs are valuable opportunities for volunteers to learn chapter building skills, make new connections and practice telling their union stories. More than 100 OSEA members turned out this year, hailing from 22 different chapters who now have more members with the skills to launch their own membership drives.
Over the course of the drives in Beaverton Chapter 48, North Clackamas Chapter 71 and Eugene Chapter 1, our volunteers had more than 1,100 conversations with current and potential members – 1,100 opportunities to practice organizing.
Half of our volunteers were new to organizing new members. They learned how to approach employees about issues in their worksites, how to relay those concerns back to chapter leadership and how to encourage potential members to think about joining our union.
Mitzi Hurt, of Centennial Chapter 113, said that during one of the drives, she and her team were able to have the chapter president and field representative come and address a problem on the spot.
“It lets them know that their voices are heard,” she said. “They voiced a complaint and we acted on it, right there. It’s good that they see that when we call on our union, they react.”
Having a presence in each worksite is one of the best ways to show employees how our union helps them. Eugene Chapter 1 President Lisa Jenkins-Easton said the IMD helped elevate the union’s presence in the district and allowed for a lot more one-on-one connection with classified.
“I encounter a lot of employees who don’t understand or know what the union does for them and I think being visible in a membership drive capacity allows us to engage with our members one-on-one in meaningful ways,” she said. “It helps build the solidarity with one another.”
Worksite organizers (WSO) are vital to establishing our union’s presence throughout the year. Members were inspired to step up to the plate during the IMDS -- at least seven members registered for WSO training after participating in an IMD.
“I have a better appreciation now for how important an effective and outgoing WSO can be in getting new people to join our union,” a Eugene volunteer reported.
Volunteers come away from IMDs feeling energized to return to their chapters. Some Eugene volunteers said they’re ready to get membership drives underway in their own chapters. And as we add members, our strength grows along with our power at the bargaining table. We are always stronger when we stand together. Thank you to everyone who made our membership drives a success!