Don’t Panic—Organize!

The Trump administration has swept into office with a volley of attacks: Gutting programs that acknowledge race and gender inequality. Freezing funding for a wide swath of programs (though that order has already been rescinded). New work rules. Immigration raids. Replacing career civil servants with political lackeys. A mass email inviting federal employees to resign.

The firehose of bad ideas over the past week is alarming and overwhelming. It’s never been more important for organizers to remember: workers do have power.

The shock and awe is well underway. That is the new administration’s main goal. It’s straight out of the employer playbook:

• They’re creating confusion across federal agencies and the many state and local agencies that rely on federal funding, as well as across research and university systems.
• They’re sowing division, pitting workers against one another by asking them to report on each other, or compete over who will have a job if departments are downsized.
• They’re sowing fear that even longstanding workplace protections won in union contracts and guaranteed under existing laws are no longer enforceable.
• They’re using a show of force and bravado to inspire hopelessness, making workers feel powerless to stop their takeover of all aspects of our government.

This is classic boss behavior, used to disorganize workers—the same tactics outlined in the book Secrets of a Successful Organizer. Bosses create these feelings on purpose to maintain control. When working people are scattered, intimidated, and demoralized, the boss has the upper hand.

They want us to react fast, and individually. They want us to type “resign” into the email. (Attorneys and unions agree: don’t do that!)

The new administration is thick with billionaires who want to bring their greedy tactics into the federal government to enrich themselves even further. They’re eager to attack the gains that organized working people have won over generations, like Social Security, a minimum wage, the 40-hour work week, and healthy and safety protections on the job. Many of our victories have already been eroded (including the purchasing power of the minimum wage), but this new administration is piling on to directly attack the workers who keep these programs and laws in operation.

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Resist the urge to panic. Instead, think like an organizer. Our job is to help our co-workers recognize what the boss is doing and find a path forward together. Here’s the chart we use in Secrets of Successful Organizer:

This chart from Secrets of a Successful Organizer shows four common boss tactics and how you can help your co-workers get past them.

The same principles still apply. As a shop floor organizer, you are more prepared for this moment than you may feel.

• When confusion erupts over a new work rule, find the real source of the information. Question whether new rules comply with existing laws. Then check your contract, if you have one. It’s still in force! Share these findings with your co-workers.
• When fear bubbles up, connect with your co-workers. Make sure they know they’re not alone. You and others will have their back to act with courage.
• When divisions threaten, find unity of purpose—perhaps in your work itself. Use that as a starting point to build bridges and get on the same page.
• When hopelessness threatens to overwhelm, get people together—even a small group—to make a plan for both the short and long term.

Federal workers organizing across unions through the Federal Unionist Network (FUN) are connecting activists to share information and strategies and make plans about how to fight. If you’re a federal worker you can get connected with them here and join their next meeting on Monday, February 3.

Remember: Organized people have power! Don’t act alone.

Are you a worker pushing back against new federal policies? We’d love to hear from you. Write to editors[at]labornotes[dot]org.