How To Lose Your Next Election — A Step-by-Step Guide

Editor’s note: Dan Campbell has been a co-chair of Teamsters for a Democratic Union, a union organizer, a business agent, and an assistant to local presidents. Here he gives advice to new officers elected on a platform of reforming the union and mobilizing the members.

Put these suggestions to work for you and it’s guaranteed: you’ll have no problem coming in dead last in your next election. These not-too-carefully guarded secrets have been tried and tested by many well-meaning former leaders.

• SELL OUT TO THE EMPLOYERS

  Life will be so much easier. Make side deals. When you get tossed out of office, at least you’ll have a few employer friends to call.

  Every little compromise or concession you give leads to the dark side. Avoid meeting with employers without a steward or member present. Ban the “sidebar” unless you do it with members present or with the knowledge and consent of the members, which should include a detailed report.

• FAIL TO PLAN

  Who needs planning? Run from one crisis to the next.

  You may be great at dodging icebergs, but why not make a plan to sail a little further south and avoid them altogether? Make planning a priority over all else. Get someone from outside to help, because you’ll be too busy with day-to-day tasks. Someone from outside will bring perspective and tell you things you don’t want to hear.

  Do a big planning event once a year with your staff and key supporters. Then put someone in charge of scheduling check-up meetings three or four times a year.

• NEVER LEAVE THE OFFICE

  Tell the members you’re at the office every day from sun-up to sun-down. Fool yourself into thinking that’s what they want.

  You know the members’ complaint: “We never see anyone from the hall unless there’s an election.” Make shop visits a top priority. Make a schedule to visit all your workplaces. Call supporters and let them know you’re coming so they can prepare the members and meet you at the entrance. When you arrive (on time), don’t visit the boss first.

  Do cookouts in the parking lot or bring a cooler of cold drinks. You won’t need much of an election campaign next time because you will have been on a nonstop campaign simply by doing your job.

• TRY TO DO IT ALL

  Members want you to personally take care of their problem, so tell them you’ll take care of it. When they call you again, tell them you’re working on it. Or have your receptionist say you’re in a meeting.

  Unless you’re in a very small local, don’t try to be everyone’s business agent. When you talk to members, listen, take notes, ask questions, and hear them out. Try to find areas of agreement.

  Don’t debate, listen. Tell the member you will see that his or her concern is looked into by the appropriate person. Ask them to call you if they’re not satisfied with what’s being done. Assign the task and ask to be informed of progress and outcome. Members will not respect your staff if you don’t.

• NEGLECT YOUR BOARD

  You only have to see them once a month. They’ll surely go along with whatever you want even if you don’t keep them informed. If they get out of line, denounce them as disloyal.

  Communicate, consult, and delegate tasks to e-board members. In the case of a split e-board where you hold a majority, conduct a meeting with your supporters ahead of the regular meeting. Discuss upcoming business and informally decide how it will go. Then do your meeting. Give the opposition their right to speak on all items, take the vote, and move on.

  If you have a split e-board where you’re in a minority, focus on the most reasonable opposition members. Win them over to your program. If that’s not possible, go to the members. Organize for the membership meetings and pass your program over their objections. Put the opposition board members on the defensive.

• RUN A BAD MEETING

  Your opposition is going to ask embarrassing questions and wait for you to make mistakes at meetings. Don’t disappoint them. Wing it!

  

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  Prepare for membership meetings by scripting various parts. Stick to the script until you’re comfortable working from an outline. Prepare your supporters in advance of meetings.

  Build attendance by changing meeting times and places. Distribute flyers to generate interest in the topics to be discussed or special guests attending. Cut down on boring reports.

  Serve food and beverages. Offer short educational programs. Show videos. Invite guests to report on victories. Give informative handouts and occasionally give door prizes.

• NEGLECT YOUR OFFICE STAFF

  These people work for you. Tell them you want them seen but not heard.

  These staffers can make or break you. If the members get a crabby reception, no help with their problem, cut off, or put off, you’re in major trouble. Special care must come especially from your health, welfare, and pension persons. If members don’t feel taken care of in this area, you get the blame.

  Establish a policy for office staff: when a member has a problem, look for ways to be on their side instead of focusing on areas where you disagree.

• DON’T HIRE GOOD STAFF

  Hire your relatives. Or better yet, hire your opposition. Tell yourself that will make them loyal to you.

  There are four criteria for hiring staff.

  1. Loyalty to the reform movement along with demonstrated actions.

  2. Loyalty to the reform movement along with demonstrated actions.

  3. Loyalty to the reform movement along with demonstrated actions.

  4. Competence.

  Loyalty is defined as loyalty to the members and the reform program.

• HAVE AN OPEN-DOOR POLICY

  This is how you establish trust—by letting members visit you at their convenience.

  The ideal is to give members adequate but not unlimited access. If you have a total open-door policy, you will find yourself reacting to situations rather than leading and working on priorities that will benefit all your members. It’s akin to operating without a plan.

  There is no substitute for a good secretary and a voice mail system that lets you control when to respond to calls.

• DON’T CONVERT TO THE MOBILIZING MODEL

  Run the local the same way it’s always been.

  The members didn’t elect you to be simply a more honest, cheaper, harder-working version of the group you replaced. The mobilizing model is the key to success, so bring the members into the game. Get help with this.

For more detail on beginning a new union administration, including checklists, a stewards survey, and an assignment sheet, see chapter 6 of Democracy Is Power. Most of the advice applies to established officers as well.