Unite and Win - (Paperback)

About the Book

This guide, based on the collective experience of organizers and workers in non-unionized workplaces, is a critical tool to help you and your coworkers organize for justice at work.

Book Synopsis

Overworked? Underpaid? Frustrated with your boss?

This guide, based on the collective experience of organizers and workers in non-unionized workplaces, is a critical tool to help you and your coworkers organize for justice at work.

Unite and Win covers the core elements of organizing at work -- developing an organizing committee, having organizing conversations, taking collective action, and inoculating yourselves against the boss's inevitable response.

The Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC) provides support and training to non-union workers organizing for better working conditions, with a goal of building a stronger, worker-led labor movement. EWOC was founded in March 2020 as a joint project of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE). Since its founding, EWOC has trained and supported thousands of workers who want better working conditions through their Foundational Training Program. This book is a companion to that program, along with other online and video-based resources.

Review Quotes

"It seems like more people than ever are interested in joining a union, which is fantastic news for the labor movement and the working class in general. Unfortunately, the process of actually doing so is still murky and littered with red tape, and it can be tough for folks to figure out how to get started. That's where EWOC comes in, and their latest project has arrived at the perfect moment. This guide lays out all of the most important steps of organizing, winning, and building up a strong union, and is written in clear, concise, and accessible language. There's something in here for every union-curious worker, seasoned organizer, and spitfire revolutionary out there. Grab a copy for yourself or your favorite coworker, and get to work!" --Kim Kelly, author of Fight Like Hell: The Untold Story of American Labor

"People often contact me asking how they can unionize. I always point them towards EWOC. This publication shows why. In easy-to-understand language, it tells you everything you need to know about the union organizing process, taking you from 'mildly curious' to 'marching on the boss' in less than 50 pages. A lot of people never get around to organizing simply because they don't know how. This guide is all you need to illuminate the path." --Hamilton Nolan, author of The Hammer: Power, Inequality, and the Struggle for the Soul of Labor

"EWOC's new handbook for organizers is a critical resource for the new labor movement. And it could not come at a better time. In a moment when workers most need a groundswell of rank-and-file leadership to fight for democratic workplaces, this guide provides a clear how-to. In four concise lessons, workplace organizers will learn to build power with their coworkers and take action to win improvements on the job." --Daisy Pitkin, author of On the Line: Two Women's Epic Fight to Build a Union

"Unite and Win is a godsend. Organizing a union is intimidating for many workers, the majority of whom have never been in a union, much less formed one themselves. This guide from EWOC demystifies the process, addressing many of the questions, both big and small, that workers will encounter along the path to unionizing. EWOC has done heroic work these past few years, filling a gap in the existing labor movement by supporting unorganized workers of all kinds as they take their first collective actions; their use of that experience as a basis for this organizing guide is a gift to us all. Finally--a comprehensive, accessible resource that I can send people who ask me how, exactly, to unionize their workplace." --Alex Press, staff writer, Jacobin

"EWOC has produced a magnificent, concise, and readable text directed to and for workers who want to organize against injustice. The booklet uses clear examples and has specific suggestions on what can be done to fight the power of the employer class." --Bill Fletcher, Jr., trade unionist and writer

"Indispensable reading for anybody thinking about organizing their workplace. A lively and accessible step-by-step guide to unionizing, Unite and Win can help turn today's labor uptick into a national working-class upsurge. Get a copy for yourself--and a handful for your co-workers." --Eric Blanc, author of Red State Revolt: The Teachers' Strike Wave and Working-Class Politics

"EWOC is a bold and innovative labor project that has racked up an incredible number of organizing wins among workers of all kinds throughout the country. The lessons they have learned along the way that are collected here add up to more than just a guide or a manual. This is a blueprint for how to transform your life and those of your coworkers, to reshape conditions at the place where workers spend the majority of our lives: the workplace." --Micah Uetricht, co-author of Bigger Than Bernie: How We Can Win Democratic Socialism in Our Time

"Talking to your co-workers is the first step to gaining power on the job. When the pandemic hit, EWOC started helping workers build unity and power on the job, from bus drivers to baristas. This book is for anyone thinking, 'We need a union around here!' It helps you get started and figure out what to do next." --Luis Feliz Leon, staff writer and organizer, Labor Notes

About the Author

The Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC) is an organization supporting worker self-organization. It was founded in 2020 by the United Electrical and Radio Machine Workers (UE) and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
Daphna Thier is the labor educator on staff at EWOC, where she organizes trainings for hundreds of workers new to organizing each year. She, with the help of many experienced labor organizers, created the organizer's handbook based on the EWOC training program.