How Can the Union Mobilize for Fair Pay?

Winning pay equity takes more than just proving pay inequities exist. It requires education and organizing within the union, coalition building, public outreach and political clout.

Internal education and organizing

In order to make pay equity an issue at the bargaining table, union members and leaders first need to learn about pay equity and how to correct pay inequities. Then they will be more willing to work together to support it. Pay equity advocates should also consider running for a position on the bargaining team so that they can make sure that pay equity is a priority at the bargaining table.

To get started, make sure that pay equity information is available at union events and in union publications. It is also important to discuss pay equity at union meetings so that questions or concerns can be addressed openly. You may even want to anticipate questions that will come up and address them early on so that misconceptions won’t occur.

It is also important to discuss with employees at the beginning of the pay equity process which problems a pay equity study can address and which it can not. Employees may face a variety of on-the-job problems related to their job classification and pay, such as being assigned to the wrong classification, pay disparities between their jobs and comparable jobs with other employers, unfair distribution of workload, and perceived inequities based on seniority or work performance. These are all legitimate problems for which the union can work toward solutions, but these issues are not typically addressed in a pay equity study. It is important to educate AFSCME members about what they can—and what they can’t—expect from pay equity so that expectations are realistic.

AFSCME members in San Jose, Calif., went on strike to win pay equity in 1981. This successful nine-day strike was the first time workers had walked off the job to demand pay equity. The San Jose success is attributed in large part to the local union’s extensive internal education campaign. Each phase of the struggle—study, bargaining, impasse and strike—was carefully explained to the members, and union leaders called repeated votes to assess the level of support.

The union made it clear that pay equity for female-dominated jobs meant raising the wages of those jobs—never lowering or freezing comparably rated male jobs. It also stressed the issue of fairness, the “discriminatory hold employers have over wages for "women's work'"... and “the struggle to bring dignity to the workplace,” as its leaflets described the struggle.

Coalition building

Building a broad base of support is critical to success in winning pay equity, particularly in the public sector. Elected officials, who are sensitive to public opinion and pressure, must sign off on any pay equity agreement. This is so regardless of whether pay equity is addressed through law or a collective bargaining agreement. From the outset, building a broad coalition of forces that support pay equity can be instrumental in organizing the public pressure needed to win pay equity.

The primary strength of a coalition is in the diversity of its membership. Whereas a union may be seen as self-serving in fighting for pay raises for its members, civil rights groups and religious organizations have credibility and lend moral authority when they speak out for pay equity. Women's organizations, including women’s business groups, are also important allies who often have good working relationships with business leaders and pro-business legislators.

In the state of Wisconsin, AFSCME and other labor, women's, religious, civil rights and professional organizations formed a very effective coalition that helped ensure pay equity implementation. The coalition, which organized around the slogan “Justice is Worth It,” lobbied legislators and issued fact sheets addressing important aspects of the issue. Each fact sheet was written and distributed by a different member of the coalition and sent to state legislators and the media, showing the breadth of the coalition. Beginning with 35 groups, the coalition grew to 55 groups by the time the state legislature voted to pass Wisconsin’s pay equity initiative in 1985.

Public education

The public can also be an important ally in winning pay equity. Citizens may be concerned about the impact of a pay equity settlement on their taxes (see “Common Arguments…”), or they may have negative attitudes about public employees. The union can play an important role in educating the public by getting their message out in the media and to community groups.

In the state of Minnesota, the union and the state were both aggressive in making sure that pay equity was well understood in the general public. They issued press releases, held press conferences, met with the editorial boards of newspapers, wrote op eds, and spoke to community groups that were interested in hearing about pay equity. These activities were aimed at trying to lessen any fears the public might have had about pay equity, countering arguments raised by the opposition, and appealing to the public’s sense of doing the right thing.

Political action

In the public sector, where most pay equity settlements have been achieved, the success of any pay equity initiative ultimately depends upon political support. Even the most comprehensive study will not be implemented if the local legislative body does not approve it and allocate the necessary funds. While pay equity is being considered by the legislature, a well-planned lobbying strategy is needed. It is important to consider which pay equity advocates or groups have the closest relationship with each legislator. For example, if the union does not have much clout with a particular legislator, a women's organization or a religious group may. Pay equity coalition members play a key role in the lobbying process.

In some situations, the legislature is unwilling to support pay equity despite aggressive lobbying. In these cases, the union may have to wage a multi-year strategy to elect candidates who will support pay equity. In Washington state, the union’s work in screening, mobilizing support for, and electing state legislators who supported pay equity was instrumental in achieving a bi-partisan settlement to the AFSCME lawsuit.