> Sender: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > From: Sam Lanfranco <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: A Checklist for Effective Campaigning > > PREFACE from LABOR-L listmanagement. The following is an excellent > checklist and should be glued to the coffee/lunch space wall in every > activist site on our small and cosy globe. LABOR-L listmanagement would > like to underline one theme in the checklist, and correct one minor > oversight. > > The theme is simple. Know what the other social action/social justice > groups are doing in your 'proximate zone of focus'. That way we can all > engage in a sensible and effective strategy of 'zone play' and 'strategic > hand-off' for maximum impact. This electronic venue is the opportune > social process space for knowing who is doing what. It is easy here and > involves a couple of simple steps. > > 1. Report out and remain transparent in what you do so that others can > keep aware of when to call on you, when to 'hand off' a query or task > to you, and when to offer help. > > 2. Keep aware of the groups most relevant to your work. They are not your > competitors and if that is the relationship - somebody between those > in your proximate zone of activity 'have a problem' > > This way, if A knows B, and B knows C, and C knows D, effective handoffs > of strategic tasks can happen between A & D with little effort and minimal > burden. > > I will use a simple example. Everybody and her sister is jumping on the > 'micro-credit' bandwagon. In the abstract it sounds good. In the concrete > it is a 'contested space' with both social justice and global financial > forces engages in strategic moves. For example, do you know the difference > between 'micro-credit' efforts and 'micro-finance' efforts? The later has > to do with building sustainable micro-credit capacity from the bottom up. > The former includes everything from bottom-based (grass roots strategies) > though to how to incorporate micro-credit into the strategies of global > financial institutions (top-down). > > Since this is a 'contested space' in terms of conflicting agendas > surrounding a common activity (who controls micro-credit operations) it is > better to 'hand off' the strategic response when asked for opinion and or > evidence. Not only can a well-meant innocent response be off target, it > can anger and injure a sister/brother initiative. Of course, this presumes > that we take time to find out what our 'zone of proximate activity' > colleagues are actually doing. That is probably a good idea in its own > right and helps with whom to point to and whom not to point to. > > So, in short, we need to behave a bit more like we are stuggling in common > cause. That doesn't mean I buy in to your agenda or you buy in to my. It > does mean that our strategies and logistics are better informed as to what > others are doing. For a short discussion of this issue you might look at > at: http://www.yorku.ca/research/dkproj/o2i.htm (4 pages) > > [Lastly, a word about language. The term "gypped" used in the following is > unfortunate. The Romany (Gypsies) from (probably) western India are a > wandering caucasian peoples - and named Gypsy because of the early > erroneous belief that they came from Egypt. The Gypsies have been the > subject of terrible treatment over history. If we need a term for being > cheated we should use 'cheat', coming from escheat, which refers to the > property (of peasants, serfs, etc.) being confiscated by the lord of the > manner. Or maybe, today, we should call it being 'gapped'!] > > ----------- forwarded article --------------------------- > Following article was scanned from "Fighting the Global Sweat Shop" - > A Newsletter for Workers and Activist [Issue #1, Spring - 1997]. > > For Comments, suggestions, and inquiries write to the Editorial > Collective, Fighting The Global Sweatshop, 30 Seaman Ave., #3F, New > York, NY 10034, Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED], Ph:1-212-645-5230 > > ================================================================= > A Checklist for Effective Campaigning > > [ *Fighting the Global Sweatshop* has received the following list of > suggestions from the National Labor Committee (NLC), based on > strategies that have worked for that organization in its campaigns. > The list was compiled by Maggie Poe.] > > NLC is a non profit human rights organization which organizes > corporate campaigns around the issue of worker rights, focussing on > the maquila industry in Central America and the Caribbean. Our recent > tussles have been with the Gap, Kathie Lee Gifford, and the Disney > Company. These campaigns were quite different, but I've checklisted > some of the strategies we commonly use: > > * GET THE FACTS STRAIGHT > > An editor of a major mainstream magazine was keen on doing a piece on > overseas sweatshop labor, but needed the facts and figures. It just so > happened that we knew how much the sewing worker got paid per hem, how > many garments were sewn each day, and plenty more of this kind of > minutia. We knew how much rice cost, how much a dose of malaria > medicine cost, etc. We also had hard evidence. We could provide all > the information the editor- could want. We all know the oppression is > out there, but nothing shows that we know like numbers. > > * AVOID THE BIG PICTURE, FOCUS ON THE UNDERSTANDABLE > > The NLC's work deals with racism, sexism, globalism, neoliberalism, > and a dozen other "ism's. But many people are not enlightened by these > terms. Why talk in general terms when we can say, "Look, you're paying > $19.97 for this shirt. The worker received $.06 for sewing it. She > can't afford to live and you are being gypped." The flip side of this > is: > > * DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE PUBLIC > > Keep your message clear and fact-laden; the public will "get it." I > presented to a group of high school students from a depressed area of > Staten Island. I just put the facts on the table and we talked about > power. These kids GOT IT in a big way. No one needs to spell out > manipulation, racism, or power imbalance to them. > > * GO MAIINSTREAM > > Worker rights is one issue on which almost everyone can agree. We very > intentionally reach out to ''mainline'' religious groups, labor > unions, women's groups, and schools. > > * LET OTHER GROUPS DO THEIR "THANG" > > Disney recently had a shareholders meeting. The NLC doesn't know the > first thing about stocks strategy. Fortunately, Progressive Asset > Management does, and they did a fantastic job of pushing forward a > resolution about sourcing guidelines. Now everyone working on > sweatshop issues with Disney has more leverage. > > * PICK TARGETS CAREFULLY > > We need to have access to reliable facts and details about the working > conditions and daily lives of the workers, and also information about > the companies. Kathie Lee Gifford donated some of her profits to > children's charities, which made the child exploitation that much > worse. Disney CEO Michael Eisner earned $97,000 / hour in 1993, a > startling contrast to the $.35/hour earned by Haitian workers sewing > Disney garments. > > * PICK TARGETS WHERE THE IMAGE IS IMPORTANT > > Image, much more than sales, is what they'll lose in a well-run > campaign. The NLC never calls for boycotts; it's enough for Disney > to know that there are now thousands and thousands of - - > elementary students who understand that it is not just about fun and > family values. Our hope is that when enough of the image M conscious > big names are on board they will force the other companies, who do not > care about their image but only about the bottom line, to adopt > similar fair practices. > > * ONCE YOU CHOOSE A TARGET, STICK WITH IT > > Our campaigns are much more effective when we concentrate on one > target until progress is made. We receive calls asking our opinions on > Nike and Reebok, or domestic sweatshops. Other groups, however, have > targetted them, so we send the callers to those partners. > > * KEEP IT FRESH > > Demonstrations, rallies, petition signings, and media work are the > backbone, but fresh ideas move the work. The maquilla workers' U.S. > tour as part of the Gap campaign, videos such as Zoned for Slavery and > Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti, workers personally confronting Kathie Lee > Gifford were all instrumental. Use humor as much as possible. Be open > to inspired creativity. > > * FOCUS YOUR WORK > > The NLC was recently invited to speak at a local high school > conference on media technology and the global economy. Sadly, we had > to turn it down. One of our resources in scarce supply is time. Every > speech, media contact, and conference should be about the campaign. In > short, a wise use of what you have in short supply-which is probably > time and money-combined with a liberal and dedicated application of > facts and people will be our strongest strategy in campaigns. Good > luck'. >
