I Just Got Elected--Now What?: A New Union Officer's Handbook

Updated in 2014, this plain-spoken guide will help leaders evaluate their goals and revitalize their unions. Intended for officers who are committed to doing things differently than their predecessors, Just Elected walks the reader through steps that will mobilize members and breathe vitality into the union. The labor movement isn't about servicing workers, Barry says, it's about building a sustainable workers' organization- and he shows you how to do it. In straight-forward language the author explains how to create a union that can be strong, grow and thrive in any environment. Chapters explain the organizing model (vs. the servicing model) of unionism; how to do the kind of strategic planning needed to build your union; analyze the various functions of the union and its finances, and build a communications network that involves and rallies the members. It explains the laws you have to look out for, how to deal with other officers and union staff, and how to organize yourself to do what needs to be done to pull it together and make it all work. Bill Barry is a veteran union activist and, until recently, labor studies program director at the Community College of Baltimore County's Dundalk campus, where he taught leadership skills, organizing, labor law, political action and other core subjects. If you're a local officer who seriously wants to see your union become more effective, this book is a good place to start.