Solidarity Sunday: Hope and Renewal
On this Easter weekend we're reminded of the ultimate sacrifice…about life, death, and rebirth. About standing for what you believe in no matter what the consequences, and about inspiring the entire world as a result. About rising up and conquering any situation, even death itself. About hope and renewal.
Hope and renewal are powerfully inspiring concepts and they are universally applicable whether you are a Christian or not. Because hope and renewal are universal phenomena, they can be in our business lives as well as our personal lives.
Having just spent a few days at the Alabama State Electrical Workers, we heard many inspiring stories of hope and renewal. One of our IBEW Brothers shared a gut wrenching story of one of the worst weeks in his life, having lost both his best friend and mother in the same week, a devastating blow by anyone's measure. But he also talked about the hope and renewal he found in his union. On the business front, 5th district VP Brian Thompson talked about a renewed sense of optimism around organizing, sharing good news of new member growth in many areas of the country.
There has been more talk about organized labor and the growth of union jobs in the media than at any time since the early 60's. Organizing wins at Starbucks and Amazon are dotting the headlines in states where it may have seemed unfathomable just a few years ago. Couple that with fact young people have never been more open to the idea of belonging to organizations with a purpose greater than themselves, and you have a recipe for fertile organizing and recruiting strategy if your messaging is right. It's cliché to say "there's never been a better time" for anything, but these are surely good times to develop a well-crafted organizing plan for your Local.
We must focus on the things that make our Locals great, craft stories to arrest and engage the attention of those with whom we want to communicate, deliver those stories in media where they spend lots of time, and have a system to make those stories come alive inside the Local. The opportunities to build and grow a successful career are a given for any field, but the message of doing it with a Local Union, an organization that stands for something and believes in more than just dollars and cents, is inspiring and ready to be received.
Hope and renewal indeed.