Community Support

If the Local has no Community Relations Committee, a special Subcommittee of the Publicity Committee should be responsible for organizing support outside the Local.

Suggested contacts for this Committee:

Locals of all the other unions in the area.
The Mayor.
The City Council.
Local Congresspeople.
Prominent citizens.
Community organizations (religious, fraternal, etc.).
Neighbors — by house-to-house canvassing.

Those who respond favorably to the committee's presentation should be asked to support the Union in any way that may be appropriate; for example, by writing to the company urging it to settle the strike, passing a resolution in support of the union, or providing financial or material assistance.

The Subcommittee should contact everyone, including those who in the pas might have had a negative attitude toward UE or the labor movement in general. This is especially true for elected officials for three reasons:

Sometimes, people do change their minds.
If you don't contact them, they can weasel out by saying, "Oh, nobody got in touch with me."
If they were getting ready to come out against the strike, sending a delegation just might make them think twice about it.

This Subcommittee should arrange for distribution of special strike literature in downtown areas and neighborhoods. It should organize community meetings to which the townspeople are invited.