Social Media Spotlight

by | Jan 7, 2011 | Labor Relations Ink

We mentioned in our Social Media Strategy Call a couple of weeks ago that companies should set up social media “listening” tools, and spend some time researching the kinds of sites and sources that might provide ammunition for organizing drives and/or corporate campaign tactics. We pointed out a recent site that tracks subsidies provided to businesses, and mentioned how information provided by that sight could be used in this fashion. This story highlights how the information has already been used against one such company (IKEA). In a Canadian court case, after an 18-month tussle, a settlement was reached between Walmart and the UFCW over trademark infringement on a UFCW-managed web site. The only visible impact on the web property was the elimination of a mark that looked similar to the Walmart logo – the rest of the site remains pretty much as was. Even though the details of the settlement remain undisclosed, UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley called it “a huge victory for Walmart workers and their ability to freely communicate on the Internet.” In New York, workers at a plant decided to take their organizing efforts underground to circumvent any counter-organizing tactics by the company, so they set up a private blog to communicate strategy and plan their campaign. The anonymous nature of the site allowed employees to comment and discuss without having to disclose their real names. Sam Fratto, a business manager for the local involved, said about the site, “This was basically like having a 24-hour-a-day union and campaign meeting. It got the workers involved and allowed people to weigh in with questions and concerns before or after their shifts.” The company eventually found out about the blog and began to monitor its contents. They also launched a site of their own, but unfortunately it did not allow for dialogue, which only seemed to serve the union’s interests. Labor pundits and organizations have picked up on the success and highlighted the effort, holding it up as a model organizing strategy.

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