Conducting Successful Building Visits
Instruction to Leaders Conducting School Visits
These instructions are provided to leaders who take leave from their regular work assignments to visits members and potential members at other worksites for the association.
- Check arrangements with your supervisor prior to leaving to make sure he/she understands you absence and a substitute has been arranged.
- Leave sufficient lesson plans or directions-you might want to check with the substitute daily if you are to be out more than one day.
- Call the building representative the night before your scheduled visit to:
- Find out what time employees arrive in the morning and the beginning and ending time of the lunch hours and Prep time for employees, the end of the student work day and the time employees usually stay until.
- Also ask where groups of employees can be located (i.e., lounges, and groups of employees who have coffee in a particular classroom)
- Find out who are the non-members, including competing organization leaders, where will they be; are they in one of those previously mentioned groups, in another room___, or are there lone non-members who stay just in their room. If possible ascertain their reason for non-affiliation so that you can be prepared.
- Finally, arrange a time to talk to the association rep after your visit is completed.
- If the rep is unsure of employee arrival times, plan on arriving at least one half hour before employees must be present.
- Upon arriving at school--park in an unreserved parking space.
- Check in at the office immediately upon arrival. State who you are and that you are from the Association. Do not let yourself be held up in the office.
- Wear a name tag.
There are two ways to canvass the building, walking the halls and visiting a lounge.
Walk the Halls
- Either in pairs or individually. The school visit team may try to talk to non-members who are in their rooms by themselves or in small groups by going door to door. Where possible it is helpful for the Faculty Representative to introduce you to non-members. Always introduce yourself-state that you are from the local association, give the specific name. Tell the individual your purpose and ask their name if you have not been introduced the Faculty Representative.
- If he/she indicates/or you know they are a non-member begin to discuss membership. "Sally, I'm working to help LEA achieve 100% membership so that we can increase our effectiveness in obtaining better benefits and improving education. Dyes are $___per month or ___a year if you pay in cash. I know you believe in what we are doing so the only question is how would you like to pay your dues by check or payroll deduction?" If they answer "I don't want to join." Ask "What is it that we do that you don't support?"
- Many objections are based on faulty information, so listen carefully as you discuss reasons they should join the association.
- If the individual is a member, explain your reason for visiting and ask if they can volunteer to phone potential members, conduct home visits, or talk to certain individuals in their school. Give them some "glories", good association news, for their own information and to share with non-members.
Lounge Visit
- Join already formed groups in the lounge. Identify yourself and begin to sell the Association. Someone will have to point out non-members. Try to engage a non-member in a one on one conversation away from the group. When you are working as a team, one person can talk to the larger group while the other carries on a private conversation.
- Keep the conversations as short as possible.
- Don't be pulled into an argument.
- If someone wants to discuss a subject you know nothing about, don't fake an answer. Tell them you don't have that information but you will get the answer/explanation back to them shortly. Make sure you follow up.
- Note every person you talk to along with their concerns, questions and requests for information. Do not take notes in front of anyone or allow anyone to see notes you have made about others.
Skills and Beliefs Needed for Staff to Make Successful Building Visits
The primary activity of any organizer -- whether it be working with one of our solid locals, soliciting members, starting an organization from scratch, preparing for a strike, or organizing a card drive -- is working the buildings or "factory gate" work.
Building work is perhaps the most difficult aspect of Association work; yet at the same time, it is the most important! No organizing drive, no representation election, no card drive, no bargaining crisis, no membership growth, hardly anything we have to do in our business can be accomplished without this building visitation work. Without this type of activity, an association will eventually die! Staffs, who are successful, are competent in this type of work and some of their basic thoughts and skills include:
- A solid belief in our Association, what we stand for, and our ability to represent our members better than anyone else ? anyone!
- A sincere empathy with our rank and file and an awareness of the difficulty of teaching as a lifestyle.
- A good feeling about oneself and one's ability, determination to help the rank and file solve problems.
- A comprehensive knowledge of our Association, its policies and positions on all issues of the day and the willingness to forthrightly argue/defend those policies, positions to anyone.
- An understanding of the immediate task or reason for working the building. Know your facts. Know why you are there.
- An acceptance of confrontation as routine in building work ? whether it is with administrators, opposition members or angry agnostics.
- Patience and ability to listen, really listen to what people are saying to you.
- An ability to remember what folks tell you, what you overhear, names that are given as possible leads, orders and rules that are "barked" out by an administrator, and all other forms of intelligence you collect during a building visit and record it in writing for inclusion in file or report.
- An ability to tough, if necessary; to understand that the image of our staff working a building is the image of our Association in the minds of any onlookers.
- The willingness to "take on" the hard nose or loud mouth who tries to run us from a faculty lounge or meeting. As again the onlookers, the ones who we think aren't interested or paying attention, are watching our every move! And, they will vote or move to join what they see, hear!
- The courage to admit, "I don't have that answer;" but the resolve to say, "I will get an answer for you and get back." And do it!
- The knowledge that a promise unkept, or an answer undelivered, or a situation evaded will cost credibility, votes, members.
- A skill at maneuvering the discussion to those areas of benefit to our Association. Don't talk their platform ? talk ours!
- The ability to recognize and recruit followers as workers ? and find meaningful work for them to accomplish.
- During certification elections, a thorough knowledge of the election rules and procedures as well as the general labor law in the state and local school district policy.
