Union Organizing Health Check: Enhancing Efficiency and Growth Opportunities | SWOT Analysis

1. Union Analysis A Health Check to Organise Effectively

2. SWOT Analysis • Identify our strengths • Be honest about our weaknesses • Assess our opportunities to grow and build effective union organisation for the future • Know the threats which are out there and could prevent us from achieving our goals

3. What is it that we currently do that: • Helps us grow and represent members more effectively? • Hinders growth, and is no longer relevant or an effective way of working?

4. Membership Coverage and Density • Number of union members versus number of workers who could be in transport unions • What is the membership density: • By size of company • By sector • By worker demographic (age, gender) • Where are our transport union members e.g. in specific cities, companies, types of jobs? • Who are they? • Why are they members? • Past trends e.g. higher numbers of union members, no unions

5. Industrial Relations What are the history/attitudes of: • Employers/Employer Associations • Job security/job losses • Industry issues • Collective bargaining • Management attitudes/methods • Other unions e.g. competition between unions • Types of things covered in collective bargaining agreements

6. Membership data and subscriptions • Do we have an accurate and up to date union membership system? Paper or Electronic • Do union membership forms collect the right sort of information and is it easy for workers to fill out? • Do we have adequate methods to collect union subscriptions? Are we dependent on one method? • Do we have adequate information on workforces and potential members?

7. Current Union Structures • Do our rules, union names and structures stop workers joining our unions? • How do workers get access to unions? Are there other ways to get access to unions we need to think about? • Are our unions easily accessible to all workers e.g. shift workers, workers in different workplaces • Do our current union structures support our goals and priorities and enable an adequate focus on recruitment and organising?

8. Our Public Profile • Are our unions important players in our sectors? • Do we utilise the media to improve our profile? • Do unions have good reputations and well known in our industries and sectors? • Do workers know which unions are the relevant ones to join?

9. Cooperation, Coordination and Competition • Is there adequate coordination of recruitment and organising efforts? • Where and why do we compete for union members?

10. Planning • Do we know enough about our industries and sectors we have union membership in? • Do we make plans to grow our unions? • Do we implement and monitor our plans?

11. Resources and Training • How do unions resource recruitment and organising activities? Are they adequate? • How do unions train union officers and members to build and strengthen their unions? • Do our union officers and representatives receive any or enough training to be effective leaders and fulfil their duties and responsibilities? • How much time do our union officers and representatives spend on activities which are not recruitment and organising?

12. Organising • Do we have union committees which actively recruit and organise workers? • Do we adequately evaluate and review all aspects of our union work including organising campaigns? • Are our bargaining and organising strategies integrated? Do they make each other stronger? • What resources are currently allocated to recruitment and organising? What percentage of our union finances goes to organising activities? How do we know if it is enough? • How do we effectively support our workplace union representatives and local workplace union organisation? Do we encourage them to involve members in all areas of union activities?

13. SWOT Analysis • Union density and coverage • Industrial Relations and Bargaining • Membership data and subscriptions • Current Union Structures • Cooperation, coordination and competition • Public Profile • Planning • Resources and Training • Organising