DPE is deeply committed to providing its affiliate unions with practical resources they can use to grow and strengthen their unions. Resources include individually tailored assistance, opportunities for collaboration, printed resources, and trainings. DPE continually works with affiliates to develop new resources that serve their needs. Many DPE resources are only available to affiliates. Examples of our resources are listed below.
Those interested in our resources should contact us.
DPE provides comprehensive advice and resources to help affiliated unions organize professionals. Examples of how DPE supports affiliates organizing efforts include:
Digital campaigns - DPE partners with affiliates to develop and run digital campaigns, which include paid advertising, to generate organizing leads from professionals. Recent examples include: the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU), Pittsburgh Association of Tech Professionals (PATP), Insurance Professionals United, and Energy/Pipeline Inspectors United.
Organizing presentations - DPE provides organizing presentations covering the basics of organizing and strategy development to affiliated unions.
Digital resources - DPE has created a suite of organizing resources to help affiliates connect with non-union professionals and make a convincing case for union membership. These resources include our Guide to Organizing Professionals, Engaging Professionals in their Union: A Guide, and Growing Your Union: Engaging Professionals Through New Hire Orientation.
Attitudinal survey data - DPE has worked with research firms since 2000 to survey nonunion professionals on their attitudes toward unions. The survey has been designed to help affiliates craft organizing messages for a wide range of professionals.
DPE assists affiliated unions with communications - including talking points, media relations, website creation, social media strategy, digital advertising, branding, etc. - to help them reach professionals and spread the word about the benefits of joining together in union. Here are some examples of DPE’s communications resources:
Website support - DPE helps affiliated unions build websites that include strategic messaging to engage professionals. Examples of websites created by DPE include NPEU (IFPTE), Insurance Professionals United (OPEIU), and OPEIU Local 153.
Social media training - DPE provides in-person and virtual social media training for union members, leaders, and staff. The training includes: social media basics (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram); why your union/local should use social media; tips for strategy, messaging, and content; and other recommendations.
Digital advertising training - DPE offers training for staff of affiliated unions on how digital advertising can be used to generate organizing leads.
DPE knows a strong union of professionals depends on an engaged membership. DPE assists affiliated unions with members engagement through written guides, roundtable discussions, and trainings, to name a few examples. Here is a more detailed overview of our member engagement resources:
Roundtable discussions - DPE regularly convenes meetings of affiliate leaders and key staff around member engagement strategies and initiatives. These convenings offer DPE affiliates the opportunity to share best practices, discuss emerging trends, workshop new ideas, and trouble shoot challenges. As a result, DPE affiliates are up-to-date on the most effective member engagement strategies across industries and sectors. Past roundtable topics include deploying new member orientation programs, developing strategic plans for local unions, and improving communication with members.
New member orientation guidance - In addition to the research-backed resources and outlines available for affiliates, DPE provides tailored, strategic advice, and feedback aimed at improving the effectiveness of new member orientation programs, including both the formal, group presentation and individual follow-up.
New member packets - DPE has helped develop materials for affiliate unions about the value of joining a union and getting involved. These packets are designed to be used during new member orientation programs and follow-up engagement to educate new members and encourage membership sign-ups. DPE develops the packets and the materials in them using the latest research and experience-tested best practices on recruitment and member engagement.
Member engagement training - DPE provides affiliated unions with training presentations to enhance member engagement and internal organizing skills. DPE tailors each training to the specific circumstances of a union’s members and the industry and sector in which they work. DPE has made training presentations to the leaders, members, and staff of AGMA, IBEW, IFPTE, and OPEIU.
DPE facilitates connections among affiliates on a range of shared priorities, including organizing at common employers, bargaining, member engagement, and PAC development. Collaboration efforts include:
Arts, Entertainment and Media Industries Coordinating Committee (AEMI) - DPE facilitates regular meetings of 12 affiliates representing members in the arts, entertainment, and media industry. Discussions are focused on shared priorities, including legislation and policy, industry updates, bargaining with common employers, and workplace harassment.
AEMI broadcast coordination - DPE convenes regular meetings of AEMI unions with members working for the same employers in broadcast, cable, and network television and radio. These meetings offer affiliates an opportunity to coordinate on shared challenges and check-in around common industry dynamics affecting their members.
Member engagement roundtables - DPE holds quarterly member engagement roundtables regularly attended by a majority of DPE affiliates. These roundtables result in robust information sharing among affiliates.
Detailed research - DPE conducts original, detailed analyses of economic conditions relevant to professionals and their unions, including demographic shifts, developments in compensation and benefits and changes in union membership rates. This research is designed to help affiliates gain a better understanding of professionals’ attitudes and changes in corporate behavior, as well as identifying opportunities for organizing new groups of professionals and pursuing new issues in collective bargaining.
DPE also prepares industry and occupation-specific reports to help affiliates understand trends in sectors that are already represented, including reports on the utility industry, federal-sector employees and librarians. DPE staff often summarize these analyses for articles in union magazines, blogs and other publications, helping affiliates communicate with their membership about important economic trends. Affiliates with questions about customized reports can contact us.
DPE understands professionals prepared for collective bargaining negotiate stronger union contracts. DPE offers trainings, contract language, and other support to affiliated unions to help their memberships negotiate contracts with higher salaries, better benefits, and improved working conditions. Here is more information about DPE’s collective bargaining resources:
Preparation resources - DPE created two trainings to prepare professionals for collective bargaining that can be customized by affiliates and their locals. One training is tailored to first contracts and the other to contract renewal. The trainings include strategic and practical advice needed to form a negotiating committee, create a communications strategy, engage membership, and develop proposals.
Union contract checklist - DPE developed a union contract checklist for professional units bargaining a first contract.
Sample contract language - DPE reviews professional union members’ contracts to gain a better understanding of professionals priorities when they are negotiating with their employers. Through this process DPE has been able to collect the best contract language on a variety of topics. DPE also stays on top of emerging issues that professionals are addressing through collective bargaining, like student loan repayment assistance, and is able to provide affiliates with sample language and frameworks for bargaining on these issues.
