The American trade union SEIU has become famous for the successful cleaners a unionisation of cleaners and migrant workers in Los Angeles. One of the union organisers is Triana Silton. She describes the Union’s strategies.
The American trade union SEIU’s new strategies arose as a direct consequence of restructuring in the labour market. During the mid-1980s, the level of union organisation amongst cleaners diminished. This was a group largely consisting of migrants from Central America. These trends were particularly clear in Los Angeles whereTriana was a union organiser.
“We realised that we had to redefine ourselves. The Union had forgotten to recruit new groups on the labour market and was not involved with conditions for migrant workers.”
The breakthrough for the new ideas came when SEIU began actively organising cleaners in Los Angeles. The cleaners were linked to particular buildings, owned by private companies or public authorities, where anti-union feeling was strong. Many were sacked if they joined a union.
“The employees were afraid. If they lost their jobs, they risked being sent home to El Salvador or Nicaragua. This involved mortal danger, particularly for those who had left their countries for political reasons. So the Union was under a great deal of pressure. It was a case of breaking the deadlock.
The Union’s answer was brazen, extrovert campaigns. They also went out to the residential areas where the migrant workers lived and knocked on doors.
“To begin with, the union representatives arrived in suits and ties. The workers immediately pulled the curtains and locked their doors; they thought they were getting an official visit by officials who were after them. We change our style and made increasing use of Spanish-speaking organisations.”
SEIU also looked up the migrant workers’ cultural associations and football supporters’ clubs. The Union also handed out brochures outside Catholic masses.
“Slowly, slowly we made more and more contacts. A particularly important group to recruit was those with union experience from their home countries.
The next step in the strategy was to investigate which companies were the biggest tenants in the buildings where SEIU was trying to organise cleaners.
“Our plan was to first try and organise employees amongst the largest employers. We figured that the smaller employers would then follow suit, which is what actually happened.”
In 1997, SEIU commenced a campaign under the slogan of “Fair play for cleaners”. Suddenly, there was an enormous breakthrough. A number of large demonstrations were arranged. On one occasion, Union members were attacked by the police.
“The media were there and filming. It was clear to everybody that the police were completely on the side of the companies. This was embarrassing for many politicians, who were dependent on winning votes. The Catholic Church also started overtly sticking up for migrant workers. At the same time, there was a turnabout within the entire American trade union movement, and migrant workers’ conditions were taken seriously.
What definitively forced the employers to change their attitude was the strike held in 1987. When it was over, companies were compelled to recognise the unions and raise wages. Soon, a majority of cleaners in Los Angeles were unionised.
“Spirits were high. The workers felt they had won their tug-of-war with the employers. This created a new self-confidence, and an entirely new generation of Spanish-speaking union leaders and organisers grew up.”
Triana has continued working as a union organiser in other parts of the US. She maintains that other unions should also be able to take a lesson from SEIU’s work with migrant workers.
“The degree of union organisation within the private sector in the US is now down to 8%. If the trade union movement is to remain a vital force, new faces and a more open attitude is needed,” concludes Triana.
(SEIU stands for Service Employees International Union. For more information, see: www.seiu.org.)
MATS WINGBORG