Although just over 50% of the workers voted yes for union representation in the election, in an open shop state the union begins from the point of recognition with no members. So the big task before UNITE was to sign up as many of these workers as possible as quickly as possible. When the company agreed to begin contact negotiations, the union set a goal of going to the table representing over 50% of the unit workforce in order a secure a quality contract.

The organizers were skeptical about whether emphasizing benefits could make an effective contribution to the success of the campaign. Initial efforts to collect cards at plant gates did not include information about the Union Plus benefits. In certain areas of the plants, the response from workers to these efforts was low - at several plant gates no one would join.

Due to the bitter and long history of the campaign, many workers did not want to be the first to sign a card in their unit. There was strong fear of retaliation by their supervisor. However, after the introduction of Union Plus benefits programs, there was a substantial increase in the number of workers signing cards. In addition to their intrinsic appeal, the benefits have the added advantage of providing workers with a non-confrontational explanation for joining the union.

Some workers, especially in a strong anti-union community or workplace, find the benefits to be more palatable explanation for signing a union card, because this reason is perceived as less of an affront to one's supervisor or employer.

After seeing the increased response of workers, UNITE's first step was the development of a local benefits committee. The committee approached local merchants and developed a package of more than 40 discounts on products and services in the community. Research indicated there was particular interest in local programs, such as childcare, NASCAR discounts, etc. As a result, a range of discounts at area merchants on everything from clothing to video rentals was developed.

The local benefits programs were introduced by distribution of special materials at plant gates. Because the benefits were such a central focus to the campaign, it was been very important to keep and safeguard them for members only. A temporary member benefits card that listed all of the discounts and how to access them was developed and distributed by UNITE to the members.

Our analysis indicates the benefits provided an important boost to the campaign. When UNITE entered negotiations, they had reached their targeted goal of more than 50% of the workers having signed cards.