Organizer/Union Representative

Job title: Organizer/Union Representative

About the Role The SEIU UHW Organizer/Union Representative builds a workers’ organization of motivated, empowered and mobilized leaders who act collectively, strategically and powerfully to protect their rights, to improve the quality of their work lives and the care they provide, to fight the boss, and to win. The Organizer/Union Representative provides effective leadership to carry out the goals of the Union in training and leadership development, new organizing, internal organizing, and political action.

What You'll Do

• Design and implement organizing campaigns to win Union recognition for unorganized workplaces, building organizing committees, identifying issues, leadership identification and development, and preparing workers for NLRB, MMBA and other elections, and/or strategic and recognition campaigns.
• Exercise leadership, training and motivation to build and maintain a steward system designed to empower and mobilize workers through contract negotiation, contract enforcement, and other issues and disputes affecting workers.
• Assign tasks to stewards, be responsible for directing stewards with respect to developing and implementing Union policies on all workplace issues.
• Educate workers and others on how power relationships work and how workers can/should use that knowledge.
• Communicate with workers including listening, framing issues and motivating them to participate actively.
• Visit work sites on a regular basis covering all shifts.
• Listen to workers concerns, determine when to file grievances, determine on what basis to settle grievances or prepare grievances for arbitration.
• Organize rallies and demonstrations; provide strike support including organizing workers and members involvement, support actions, pressure campaigns on employers and building community support.
• Develop written materials including newsletters, training materials, other literature, and press releases, etc.
• Participate in lobbying at State, Federal and local levels and educate and mobilize members around the Union’s political program.
• Lead workers in community issues and build relationships with relevant people/groups/organizations outside the Union.
• Recruit rank and file members to sit on Political Action Committees and participate in organizing legislative and electoral campaigns.
• Represent the Union as assigned in community and labor coalition activities.
• Lead other organizer(s) and be responsible for a program of the Union when assigned.