Over the past few months, I’ve briefly mentioned the concept of Workers Data Trusts, and in this article I want to expand on it a bit more and explain why I believe the union movement must urgently grapple with this concept. What are Data Trusts? Simply put, a data trust is a trust that exists …
The strategic urgency of building Workers Data Trusts Read More »
The coronavirus pandemic has changed everything, and campaigning & organising is no different. Every union is rapidly working on new tools and techniques to adapt to the public health restrictions caused by coronavirus. In this newsletter, I’m going through some headline “best practice” for your union’s campaigning and organising during this crisis. For years, I’ve …
Campaigning & organising in the time of coronavirus Read More »
As Australia (and the world) grapples with the coronavirus crisis, we are already seeing that the Liberal Government and business lobby are trying to exploit the crisis to further push through extreme neoliberal policies. The brutal tactic of “Shock Doctrine”, the exploitation of choas, public disorientation and the enrichment of oligarchs, must be resisted. Wait …
Resisting the Shock Doctrine in the age of Coronavirus Read More »
There’s always a union somewhere that’s redeveloping its website, or creating a campaign-specific website, and it’s been a long time since I last pulled together a list of well-designed union sites. It’s fair to say that since 2013, union design standards have significantly improved, driven largely by Vic Trades Hall and the ACTU — both …
Five union websites worth getting inspired by in 2020 Read More »
In this issue, I want to address the question “Should unions fundraise?” This is a question that occasionally gets debated, and for many (most?) union leaders, the answer is “no”. The reasons vary, but mostly come back to the notion that it’s not right for unions to ask for money from members who already pay …