How to Build a Union Reform Caucus
Workers gather at the Labor Notes Conference. Photo: Jenny Brown
Over the last decade, almost every corner of the U.S. labor movement has experienced an exciting revitalization. Educators have brought a new fighting spirit to their unions, from Los Angeles to Chicago to Massachusetts.
Rank-and-file members have overthrown corrupt leadership in the Teamsters and the United Auto Workers. Grocery workers and letter carriers have rebelled against subpar contracts, and building trades workers are turning around their locals.
What do all these fights have in common? Union reform caucuses. A reform caucus is simply a group of union members who are organizing together to improve their union, and build its power to effectively fight the boss.
To that end, we have assembled a resource packet for union members seeking advice on transforming their unions: how (and when) to build a union reform caucus, and how to navigate the challenges of developing a caucus.
New reform caucuses are sprouting across the labor movement, and they are learning many lessons along the way. For that reason, this packet is intended to be a living document— stay tuned for ongoing updates!
If you are making use of it, we want to hear from you (and maybe include questions or lessons from your experience in the next edition!). Please reach out to us at labornotes[at]labornotes[dot]org with any questions or feedback.
It's an exciting time to be a union reformer, and we hope you'll find this guide useful!
Click here to access the packet.
We've also put together a caucus decisionmaking flowchart. You can access that here.
For additional resources on reform caucus organizing, check our events page for upcoming trainings. For a review of organizing fundamentals, check out Secrets of a Successful Organizer. For inspiring stories of reformers grinding it out over the long haul, check out our new book Keep Going: A Guide to Organizing When It's Hard.
