Liberty Bear
New but not Naive
Not long ago, shop stewards in my building distributed free T-shirts that read "October 1 or we're done," or something like that.
It was a little lame (and perhaps just a political stunt), but political T-shirts may be one of our best strategies for getting the word out about the contract. I've been researching the topic, and here are some ideas I came up with.
Unfortunately, we have desperately little time to have shirts printed and distributed. I've just confirmed that my local, at least, is sending out ballots on October 25. (See D-Day = October 26!)
However, it isn't hopeless. It will take a few days for everyone to receive their ballots, which don't have to be returned until November 16. Some members will spend a few more days studying the contract, and we can target more apathetic colleagues who don't plan on voting right up to the bitter end.
Still, we're going to have to act fast if we want to get some political clothing out there. I took the liberty of creating an online store hawking such shirts at http://www.cafepress.com/Rep5/ (If it looks a little crappy right now, give it a little time. I'm just learning how to work with it, and I should get it squared away tonight.) An alternative is to have shirts printed locally.
CafePress is pricey, and you also have to allow for shipping time. Indeed, you'd probably have to order a shirt no later than Monday morning and pay next day shipping charges if you want to receive it by October 25 - and there's still no guarantee you'll get it that soon. This is what they wrote in response to my question regarding shipping time:
I typed the following into Google...
I think this is the best way to go, but SOMEONE is going to have to organize it, city by city, hub by hub. They need to find local companies that do this sort of thing, choose a design that most co-workers are likely to accept, and contact the company TODAY (Saturday, October 20) to make the preliminary plans. Then they need to try and find, say, three co-workers who are willing to pay $25 for such a shirt and go for it. If they can find more people who are interested, so much the better.
Another possibility is to simply shell out $100 for four shirts or about $150 for a dozen, then bring them to work and offer them to co-workers for whatever you paid for them. As a part-timer who just started double-shifting, I think I can afford a dozen shirts. I'm thinking of doing that, then perhaps get a second shirt (a different style), either from CafePress or locally, whichever is cheaper. (I'm not sure if you can get shirts with messages on both sides from CafePress; I'll check into it.)
I think the best design would be a black T-shirt with white lettering (or perhaps UPS brown with yellow lettering), sporting the following message on the front:
The back could be left blank, or it could repeat the same message, but I think it would be more effective to add a unique message. Or you could simply place a single design on the front (e.g. VOTE NO!) with a brief message below it.
Below are some of the secondary messages I've been playing with:
Feel free to copy or modify any of the designs I've created at http://www.cafepress.com/Rep5/ for local printing and distribution. There are no copyrights or other legal protections involved. Go for it.
Remember, it's not too late to fight back. The battle isn't over until the last ballot has been returned or November 16, whichever comes first. Indeed, mailing out the ballots ten days EARLIER when we were already under pressure is just one more sleazy stunt that we can use to our advantage. This isn't just about getting a fair deal from UPS. [evil]It's about holding the Teamsters accountable and letting them know we aren't going to put up with their BS.[/evil]
It was a little lame (and perhaps just a political stunt), but political T-shirts may be one of our best strategies for getting the word out about the contract. I've been researching the topic, and here are some ideas I came up with.
* * * * *
Unfortunately, we have desperately little time to have shirts printed and distributed. I've just confirmed that my local, at least, is sending out ballots on October 25. (See D-Day = October 26!)
However, it isn't hopeless. It will take a few days for everyone to receive their ballots, which don't have to be returned until November 16. Some members will spend a few more days studying the contract, and we can target more apathetic colleagues who don't plan on voting right up to the bitter end.
Still, we're going to have to act fast if we want to get some political clothing out there. I took the liberty of creating an online store hawking such shirts at http://www.cafepress.com/Rep5/ (If it looks a little crappy right now, give it a little time. I'm just learning how to work with it, and I should get it squared away tonight.) An alternative is to have shirts printed locally.
CAFE PRESS
CafePress is pricey, and you also have to allow for shipping time. Indeed, you'd probably have to order a shirt no later than Monday morning and pay next day shipping charges if you want to receive it by October 25 - and there's still no guarantee you'll get it that soon. This is what they wrote in response to my question regarding shipping time:
I haven't yet asked for details about "processing time," so I still don't know exactly how long it would take to receive shirts from them.
LOCAL SHOPS
I typed the following into Google...
...and got a list of local places that print shirts. I contacted one place, and the owner promised he could have a shirt ready for me by Thursday (October 25). I'm thinking of springing for it, even though it's going to cost me nearly $60 (including an extra $9 for a message on both sides). He offers big discounts for bulk purchases, as follows:
I think the above prices are for shirts with a design on the front only, but an additional design on the back doesn't add much to the cost unless you're buying just one shirt ($9) or a small quantity. It adds an extra 85 cents to the price of a shirt when ordered in quantities of 50.
I think this is the best way to go, but SOMEONE is going to have to organize it, city by city, hub by hub. They need to find local companies that do this sort of thing, choose a design that most co-workers are likely to accept, and contact the company TODAY (Saturday, October 20) to make the preliminary plans. Then they need to try and find, say, three co-workers who are willing to pay $25 for such a shirt and go for it. If they can find more people who are interested, so much the better.
Another possibility is to simply shell out $100 for four shirts or about $150 for a dozen, then bring them to work and offer them to co-workers for whatever you paid for them. As a part-timer who just started double-shifting, I think I can afford a dozen shirts. I'm thinking of doing that, then perhaps get a second shirt (a different style), either from CafePress or locally, whichever is cheaper. (I'm not sure if you can get shirts with messages on both sides from CafePress; I'll check into it.)
DESIGN
I think the best design would be a black T-shirt with white lettering (or perhaps UPS brown with yellow lettering), sporting the following message on the front:
VOTE NO!
The back could be left blank, or it could repeat the same message, but I think it would be more effective to add a unique message. Or you could simply place a single design on the front (e.g. VOTE NO!) with a brief message below it.
Below are some of the secondary messages I've been playing with:
- $8.50 an hour is tyranny.
- $8.50 an hour in 2013, my ass.
- Solidarity, not Globalization
- United We Stand
- Teamsters = Traitors
- International BROTHERHOOD of Teamsters?
- WHAT International "Brotherhood"?
Feel free to copy or modify any of the designs I've created at http://www.cafepress.com/Rep5/ for local printing and distribution. There are no copyrights or other legal protections involved. Go for it.
* * * * *
Remember, it's not too late to fight back. The battle isn't over until the last ballot has been returned or November 16, whichever comes first. Indeed, mailing out the ballots ten days EARLIER when we were already under pressure is just one more sleazy stunt that we can use to our advantage. This isn't just about getting a fair deal from UPS. [evil]It's about holding the Teamsters accountable and letting them know we aren't going to put up with their BS.[/evil]
