"Salts" Can Rebuild The Labor Movement

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.