MASSACHUSETTS NURSE NEWSLETTER :: July/August 2007

Mapping: coming soon to a bargaining unit near you!

Many of you may already have heard about "mapping," although some of you who have not yet heard of it may think we are talking about a GPS unit, like a Tom-Tom. But, for the MNA's purposes, mapping is a tool that lets you communicate more effectively with your members and lets your members more effectively communicate with you.

Mapping your bargaining unit lets you identify your union members and learn about them, including where they work, when they work, how much they work, their job title and how to contact them. This is done for each unit/work site in an organized fashion. Once the information is compiled in a data base, worksheets are distributed to contact people in each unit/work site. The "map" then becomes a simple way to know which contact person is responsible for which workers and provides a tool for that contact person to keep track of their one-to-one communications. It keeps everyone involved, avoids confusion, helps focus effort and energy, and underlines the concept that every member is an important part of the union.

In recent MNA job actions, the bargaining unit leadership has credited mapping the facility with the success of these events. Mapping provides the leadership with an accurate assessment of their strengths; it helps mobilize the members for a job action; and it provides a communication tool that keeps the members informed.

Mapping is essential to a successful job action, and it is important to maintain the mapping process in good times and bad. The more organized the facility, the easier it is to mobilize members when there is a need.

If you are interested in learning more about mapping or want to know how your facility can be mapped, please contact the MNA associate director assigned to your unit. The organizers and your associate director will work together to help you map your facility.