We have no control or ability to advocate for ourselves regarding terms and conditions of our employment. This includes setting realistic expectations for work loads, travel, expense reimbursement, vacation allotment, or health and retirement benefits. 

Some of the above are tiered benefits within our own ranks. International Reps have preferential retirement benefits including pension calculations, death benefit, and access to retiree medical.

Currently, our retirement benefits are bargained for us under the OPEIU contract. Yes, another union negotiates our benefits.

We lack substantial job protections. Our industry is driven by human connection and emotion. Often, big egos follow. Emotions run high and those in leadership positions can, at times, take out their frustrations on those beneath them. We need just-cause protections. A legitimate process for potential disciplinary actions to be processed thoroughly and with an advocate. 

We are tired of being treated as “less than” compared to our Rep counterparts. 

There will always be issues that develop within our organization that have an impact on our employment. We do not have a path or process to resolve anything. We have asked, damn near begged, for a labor management committee going back to President Stephenson. Every time we ask, we are given lip service, and are promised to have meetings at our District Progress Meetings and MD conferences. But those rarely, if ever, happen. 

We were hired as professional organizers but we are rarely given the tools and resources we need to help grow strong organizing cultures in the jurisdictions we cover. Leadership relies on our existing relationships and our skill for research and strategy but, rather than recognizing those relationships and skills by providing tools and resources, they give us vague policies that we have little to no authority to implement. We are held accountable for these policies but they are, in a sense, unfunded mandates. 

Even if everything were perfect, we just don’t get any real say in the direction of the membership development department and any change that comes through, does so without our input. Leadership has made positive changes in the past few years, but those changes only happened because of our organizing activity. The reps are accounted for in the Constitution, but we organizers exist at the pleasure of the International President alone, as was made very clear at the last convention.