Unions are being organized at Starbucks, Amazon, Apple and elsewhere. Applications for union elections this year are on pace to approach the highest level in a decade.
The people who are organizing are college students, who are taking jobs with the intention of organizing workers. Years ago, unions used college students to help with the groundwork in unionizing companies, and these individuals were referred to as “salts,” and their use as “salting.” This practice was started in the 1860s when the Rochester Trades used “salts” to organize construction jobs. The “salts” educated the less-informed and scared employees of how their work and bodies are being exploited to make the owners wealthy.
Once a targeted company has been identified, a college student obtains employment with the company with the full intent of organizing it for a union. According to the National Labor Relation Board, it is illegal to fire a “salt” or refuse to hire a person who makes it know their intentions. Unions used “salts” to gather inside information that was used in the efforts to organize employees.
The term is still being used today. Today, the Knights of Labor, a labor federation, and the Industrial Workers the World (IWW), also known as the Wobblies, are both using this “salt” method. The IWW are using “salts” in their Starbucks unionizing campaign.
These academics are very good at organizing, using zoom calls to tell the workers how to set in motion a union contract. These wins are what have inspired workers at Trader Joe's and Apple. The “salts” can be paid for their efforts by unions while also collecting a pay check from the company.
Having college educated workers helps to get the ball rolling, but also they’re skilled at hiring bringing together a diverse group of people. The more traditional workers are good with talking to non-college educated people. So, we need the workers and the academics working together to push unions, which will push wages up for all.
Now, we are waiting for the trade unions to re-start the “salting” program? It will work if we use the right people as “salts.” “Salting” helped build the labor unions and it is and can be used to rebuild the large unions today.
Unions’ long game is to get all union contracts to expire on the same day nationwide. The United Auto Workers combines contracts ends on April 28, 2028. This could then result in a mass national strike starting on May Day beeginning that year. This could then put enormous pressure on employers, but also on lawmakers. It’s the muscle and sweat of the workers that keeps this country great, not the individual company or corporations. This May Day strike would be the time to change the workers’ world for the better by negotiating for a 32-hour week with the same pay, and the U.S. adopts a healthcare for all with no out of pocket costs. This would also help the employers as they would no longer have to provide healthcare. By striking, the UAW won same pay for new workers, all UAW contracts will end on the same date, a 25-percent pay increase, a cost of living adjustments, a guaranteed right to strike over potential plant closures, and also the right to vote to unionize through the card che
Comments
Post a Comment