Union Approach to Health and Safety: - United Steelworkers

their sense of solidarity with fellow members?
• Does the technique support or promote the idea that labor and management have the
same goals and therefore undercut the concept of independent and separate union goals?
• How does the technique affect the members' and the union's sense of what the
"problem" is that needs to be solved? Is competitiveness seen as the overriding issue?
Do union issues, concerns and problems get on the table?
• How does the technique affect the union's and the members’ concrete ability to "act like
a union" in its dealings with management?
• Does the technique promote judging people based on "merit," with merit defined by the
needs of management?
• Does the technique undercut union activities and culture?
• Does the technique affect identification with other workers outside the union? For
example, are people who work for competitors or suppliers seen as competitors? Will
this affect peoples’ willingness to engage in organizing or solidarity activities? In other
words, does the technique build a culture of “company unionism”?
Remember that the techniques described below can be used in involvement programs ranging
from the most openly anti-union to the most "union-involved." While their power may be less where
the union is active, their purpose and the threat they pose to the union remain the same.
The Techniques
In this section, we will discuss some of the techniques that are used in involvement programs
and offer ideas for a union response.
1) Nine Dot Exercise
The Nine Dot Exercise is one example of a brain-teaser that is sometimes used at the beginning
of an involvement session. There are many others that are very similar.