Lead With Your Head

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

"You must act quickly, if you hesitate, you die," Ray Abernathy said Friday morning at the Council's Organizing Roundtable on "Handling Decerts & Raids." "This is hand-to-hand combat; if someone throws a bucket of mud, you sling back manure." Before a rapt audience of nearly 50 area organizers and activists, Abernathy used a case study of an actual recent decertification campaign to illustrate effective tactics for building membership solidarity to defeat decertification campaigns. Recognizing that the problems often begin within the union itself is critical, according to Abernathy, who says that respecting union members and apologizing for mistakes is key to transforming unions. “You’ve got to lead with your head, not with your heart,” added Abernathy.