6 Lessons from Organizing Our Workplace
Organizing has the power to change you forever
My very first post on Substack was about how my coworkers and I used social media to unionize and secure our first contract. Now, I want to dive deeper, comparing what I noticed during our Los Angeles office's union drive to that of our comrades in Seattle, who unionized just weeks after we went public.
The Los Angeles office was the first to unionize out of a $30-million international nonprofit. Because of this, I believe the president—guided by an infamous union-busting attorney (who now represents Amazon)—planned to make an example of us to stifle further union efforts.
Unfortunately for us, they had help. There were about four incredibly anti-union, bootlicking, low-life scabs in our office. In fact, during our initial talks about organizing, I had successfully named each of them as a potential class traitor (unfortunately, I was proven to be 100% right). These workers actively undermined our efforts, leaked private union emails to management, made up lies, sent confusing emails at midnight arguing about why we even needed a union (after we won our election), refused to meet with us, and even refused to reschedule a union meeting when both our union representatives had covid and our coworker’s father died of covid in one week. In fact, one coworker said “I’m so sorry about your father, but it’s important we meet. We cannot reschedule.”
This same worker refused to attend a union meeting because it was the anniversary of her father’s death.
I always joke with my comrades that if I ever saw those individuals in person again, it would be on sight. To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m joking or not. I guess time will tell.
And look, there’s a difference between being scared to organize or aspiring to be a “boss” someday and being an outright piece of crap, scum of the earth, scab. These individuals were scabs. They even questioned my integrity during one of the most traumatic bargaining moments.
Trigger warning, sexual violence language: During bargaining, the union-busting attorney representing our employer told me that my coworker would rape me.
And for context, we worked with immigrant children—many of whom were survivors of sexual assault. I have been in this field for nearly seven years, writing declarations for our clients and dealing with the secondhand trauma that comes with this work.
When I shared this horrifying experience with the scabs, tears streaming down my face, they responded by saying, “Well, there are two sides to every story.”
Our president then sent a nationwide email saying conversations in bargaining “were misunderstood” and workers were “taking words out of context.”
How is rape taken out of context? We were discussing discipline and discharge and management’s language was so broad when our union rep asked for an example, the attorney said, “let’s say Gabe rapes Alejandra.” We were both members of the bargaining committee and were present in the call along with the vice president.
Let that sink in. These were the people we were up against. Enemies at every angle made organizing in Los Angeles incredibly difficult.
Seattle’s experience, however, was vastly different. Their solidarity was unmatched. At their first captive audience meeting, every single worker stood up and publicly told the president they supported unionizing.
That’s power.
Their boss knew they were united, and their fight reflected that strength.
Reflections from Both Campaigns
After our contract was signed, I received a fellowship from Cornell to conduct a year-long research project. I chose to do a reflective series on both the Los Angeles and Seattle Union drives. With the funding, I returned to LA to interview former coworkers and flew to Seattle to meet with workers who had also unionized.
Here’s what I learned from those interviews:
Workers leave with knowledge. Every single worker involved in a unionizing effort gains a deep understanding of workers' rights—and they carry that knowledge to their next workplace.
Solidarity is contagious. All workers in union campaigns, regardless of their level of involvement, recognize the importance of solidarity and are more likely to show it to fellow workers in the future.
Engagement breeds radicalization. Workers who were highly engaged in the organizing and bargaining process developed a stronger understanding of class struggle. These workers overwhelmingly said they’d unionize again, while less-engaged workers often said, “It depends.”
LA workers are ready to fight again. The majority of Los Angeles workers I interviewed said they would unionize their next workplace without hesitation.
Seattle’s approach was more issue-based. Seattle workers were more likely to say, “It depends on the issues,” except for those who served on organizing and bargaining committees—they’d unionize again in a heartbeat.
Union experiences shape perspectives. Workers either become deeply radicalized and active in their unions, develop a favorable view of unions, or remain neutral if they weren’t as engaged. But one thing was clear: unionizing changes how workers view their role in the labor movement.
Closing Thoughts
Organizing a union is messy, emotional, and incredibly challenging, but it’s also transformative. My coworkers and I in Los Angeles fought through hell and back—and yet, we’d do it all over again.
The lessons from Seattle remind me that solidarity is everything. It shifts the balance of power. It’s the one thing bosses fear most.
So, whether you’re part of a scrappy group fighting to form a union or in a workplace where solidarity already exists, remember: every effort—big or small—moves the labor movement forward.
If you’re organizing right now, I hope this post encourages you to keep going.
Because when we fight, we win & we must fight like hell these next few years
Solidarity forever with workers.
-Alex