A Rather Curious Job Ad For An "On-Call," Part-Time Union Organizer
It appears that home visits would be likely, it is unclear about union salting.
By Peter List, Editor | April 11, 2024
The Vermont AFL-CIO is hiring. The Vermont AFL-CIO appears to be looking to hire an on-call, part-time union organizer or, perhaps, a union “salt.” The ad is not really clear.
According to a job posting, the Vermont AFL-CIO is looking for a part-time, “as-needed” union organizer to give “short-term assistance to various organizing campaigns.”
Though the job promises $20 per hour, there is no mention of benefits to be provided to the successful candidate.
“You will work under the direct supervision of the Union Local leading the campaign with additional support from the VT AFL-CIO,” the ad states. “You may do anything from writing phone banking scripts to canvassing to supporting organizing committees.”
However, among the job’s “responsibilities and duties” listed, there includes such tasks as:
Perform basic campaign research, including probing, list building, and worksite mapping
Identify, recruit, and develop leaders
Educate, engage, and motivate workers to take action
Learn the workplace’s work life, training, governance structures, terminology, and roles
While there are some similarities to other job listings for “organizers,” and it appears possible that all of these “duties” could be done from the outside of a workplace, it would seem that some of these duties are those often performed by internal undercover union organizers—also called union “salts.”
In addition, the job ad lists specific skills/abilities a candidate must have:
The job ad also stated that the job has physical requirements that infer visiting workers’ at their homes:
Prolonged periods of sitting in a car or at a desk and working on a computer.
Prolonged periods of standing and walking
Must be able to carry organizing supplies, such as flip charts, markers, boxes of literature, etc
In addition, while the ad states that the Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO “is an equal opportunity employer,” it also states that the “Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO is committed to creating an organization representative of the diversity within the working class.”
Go here to view the entire job ad.