Strong communication with our members and potential members is key to growing our union family. This year, locals in Region 5 have been using a combination of peer-to-peer texting, blast text, and email to connect with workers during organizing campaigns, contract negotiations, and voter registration efforts. Hustle is the UFCW’s peer-to-peer platform that allows two-way conversations with workers and is a great tool to add to member communications in addition to blast text and email.
When you utilize peer-to-peer text, blast text, and email, you greatly increase your one-on-one member communications and are able to reach members across multiple platforms in multiple ways. Hustle is the conversational gateway to learning more about members, and when combined with blast text, a tool for sending out quick updates, notices, and email, and a platform that allows for longer, more informative communication, you have the essential tools needed for successful, ongoing communication with members. You can learn more about blast texting here.
In the past few months, UFCW Locals 455, 540, 1000, 1529, 1625, 1995, 1996 and 2008 have been using Hustle to communicate with members who work for Kroger, Danone North America and other employers about upcoming negotiations, health and welfare updates, and voter registration. These locals have also reached out to potential members about the benefits of belonging to our union family through peer-to-peer texting. Some locals within Region 5 have updated their member and potential member databases by 50 to 70 percent because of their combined peer-to-peer texting, blast text, and email campaigns.
“Region 5 locals have successfully utilized Hustle on organizing campaigns and contract bargaining updates,” said Director of Region 5 Scott Vinson. “It has been a very effective tool to reach a large portion of our members and potential members in a very quick timeframe. The ability to quickly update them on bargaining and engage them one-on-one has benefited the local unions tremendously.”
The UFCW has been using a combined strategy of peer-to-peer, text blast, and email since 2016, and the International’s Communications Department has trained hundreds of representatives and organizers to use peer-to-peer texting as part of their organizing campaigns. Since our launch of the peer-to-peer text messaging platform, we have helped locals communicate with hundreds of thousands of workers across the country.
If your local union would like to start using peer-to-peer and/or blast texting, contact Ashley Zanchelli in the International’s Communications Department at azanchelli@ufcw.org.
