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Event

Pod Squad: Building Union Power

Five short listens. One great conversation.
By: NEARI
Published: October 1, 2026

Event Overview

Dates and Times

  • Tuesday, December 8, 2026
    5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (EST)

Location

  • NEARI Union Hall | 99 Bald Hill Rd. Cranston

Pod Squad: Building Union Power

Listen on your own. Learn together. 

Before we meet, participants will listen to a short series of Labor Notes podcast episodes exploring key lessons from Secrets of a Successful Organizer—including how to beat apathy, identify organic leaders, and turn workplace issues into union-building campaigns.

Then join us on December 8 to discuss the ideas, share experiences, and explore how these organizing lessons can be put into practice in your local.

 

REGISTER TODAY

Secret 1: Your Co-Workers Actually Care About Making Your Workplace Better

We often hear that people just want to clock in, keep their heads down, and go home—even if it means putting up with lousy conditions. But what gets dismissed as “apathy” is usually something more complicated: frustration, fear, burnout, or doubt that speaking up will change anything. That’s where organizing begins. Strong one-on-one conversations give workers a chance to talk honestly about what is broken, what they want to change, and what it would take to act together. Those conversations surface shared concerns, build trust, and lay the groundwork for collective action.

Secret 2: Your Workplace is Already Organized and There Are Natural Leaders Waiting to Step up!

A workplace is never just a collection of individuals. It already has relationships, loyalties, friend groups, informal networks, and people others naturally look to when something goes wrong. The trick is learning how to see that organization and identifying the people who can move others into action. You can spot natural leaders by asking questions like: Who do people turn to with problems? Who commands respect on the job? Who can get others to listen? Once you find those leaders, the work becomes bringing them into the organizing process and helping them reach the people who already trust them.

Secret 3: Use the Issue Your Co-Workers Care Most About To Build the Union

Every union-building campaign starts with an issue workers feel in their bones: short staffing, automation, unpaid overtime, unfair discipline, or whatever else is making the job harder than it needs to be. But the secret isn’t just choosing a good issue. It’s learning how to use that issue strategically. That means identifying the right target, choosing actions that put pressure where it matters, and matching your tactics to the strength your co-workers have actually built. As workers flex their organizing muscles, they can take bigger risks, escalate their demands, and start racking up wins.

Bonus Episode 1: Why Your Favorite Soup Movie is about Organizing, Actually

This episode is for soup lovers, soup haters, and everyone in between. By digging into movies like The Birdcage (1996) and Ratatouille (2007), we reveal how some key organizing lessons about power and collective action simmer just beneath the surface of the plot.

Bonus Episode 2: Your Union Isn’t Working Like it Should. Now What?

If you’ve ever felt shut out of bargaining, pressured to vote for a contract that didn’t sit right, or watched grievances disappear into the void, you’re not alone. More importantly, you’re not out of options. Rank-and-file workers have been building power by organizing inside their unions, not just at the workplace. Their lesson is simple: members win more when they have a real voice in the union. Our guide on creating a union reform caucus breaks down what this looks like in practice.

Downloads

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Our Association is a remarkable blend of union and professional organization, with a proud history of serving Rhode Island. Since its inception in 1845, our members have been at the center of every struggle to advance the finest of American dreams: the promise of a quality public education for every child. One in every 100 Rhode Islanders is a member - chances are, you know us already!
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