Strike & Crisis Comms Guide

Before you post — is this crisis comms?

Normal comms can be steward-led. Crisis comms needs a short chain of command so members are not reading five conflicting voices.

• Strike or lockout live. Use this guide. One comms lead, one spokesperson, president approves every public post.
• Bargaining countdown. Use the bargaining section and the three-messages rule. Share only what the bargaining team cleared for release.
• Layoffs or restructuring announced. Calm, factual tone. Point to stewards and EAP. No guessing about who is affected.
• Routine local update. Use The Blueprint and channel guides instead. Crisis rules are heavier than you need for a meeting reminder.

Who does what

Write names on a sticky note before the picket line opens. Volunteers rotate; roles do not.

• President. Final yes on every public post, media callback, and correction. Can delegate drafting, not approval.
• Comms lead. Owns the draft queue, Brand Kit exports, and the website strike page. Does not improvise bargaining facts.
• Spokesperson. One or two people for media and member questions at the gate. Everyone else sends reporters to them.
• Servicing rep. Legal and bargaining context. Not usually the daily poster — but clears language about rights and process.

Strike action comms

Members need schedule, safety, and pay questions answered from one place. Management will test whether you fracture in public.

• President approves every post. Draft in Graphic Maker or Flyer Maker, export, then send the PNG/PDF to president before it goes live.
• Daily picket schedule. Gate locations, start times, and weather/safety reminders. Board Notice at each gate; same facts on the website.
• Safety first on the line. No member addresses, no dare posts, no live-streaming confrontations. Incident? Follow emergency protocol before you post.
• Photos with consent. Solidarity shots need the Photo Consent checklist. Wide crowd frames beat close-ups when consent is unclear.
• Follow sector materials when coordinating. Use division or national campaign hashtags and graphics when you are aligned — do not invent parallel branding.
• Pay and return-to-work questions. Send to the strike committee or spokesperson — not comment threads. Link the official FAQ when you have one.

Bargaining countdown comms

Build urgency without leaking table language. Members should feel informed, not briefed on confidential proposals.

• Factual priorities only. Job security, workload, wages — in member language. No article numbers or counter-proposal figures unless the team cleared them.
• One visual system. Same Brand Kit colours and hashtag on every graphic so members recognize official posts instantly.
• Meeting times early. Information meetings need two weeks’ notice when you can. Flyer + board + social + website with identical times.
• Bargaining team clears releases. If it did not come from the team, it does not go public — including enthusiastic stewards paraphrasing from memory.
• Ignore management bait. One pinned correction beats twenty angry replies. See management pushback below.
• Link official bargaining pages. Point to national or divisional bargaining hubs rather than retyping updates that may change overnight.

Layoffs and restructuring

Members are scared. Your job is calm routing to stewards and facts — not speculation about who is on a list.

• Acknowledge fear. Short, human posts. “We know this is stressful” beats false certainty.
• Route to stewards and EAP. Phone numbers and meeting times in one pinned post. Repeat on boards where affected members actually walk.
• Employer and union facts only. Quote confirmed letters and local executive statements. Screenshot management email for the file — do not forward member names publicly.
• Unified local voice. Quote Card from president or chief steward. One statement, not five officers venting.
• Document offline. Save employer comms for consultation and grievance records. Public posts are not the archive.
• No naming individuals. Unless a member asked to be identified. Layoff fear spreads faster when people see a coworker tagged.

Management pushback and misinformation

Employers post to spook members. You respond once, factually, then return to your schedule.

• CA language and dates. Quote the agreement or the employer’s own letter. No personal attacks on managers.
• One correction post. Brief Quote Card or graphic. Pin it. Do not thread-war with the college account.
• Escalate threats immediately. Harassment, surveillance, or legal letters go to president and servicing rep the same hour — not after the shift.
• Screenshot for the file. Send problematic employer posts to executive offline. Public clapbacks are not evidence.
• Member issues stay private. Discipline, medical, and bargaining details belong in steward channels — never in a public reply.

Three messages a day

During strike or late bargaining, members check phones constantly. Give them a predictable rhythm instead of panic posting.

• Morning — schedule and safety. Picket gates, weather, any line protocol change. Board Notice PDF plus one social post.
• Midday — only if facts changed. Skip if nothing new. Silence beats noise when the facts are stable.
• Evening — recap and tomorrow. Thank members, confirm tomorrow’s schedule, link website FAQ. No new bargaining details unless cleared.
• Draft queue in one doc. Comms lead holds drafts; president batch-approves. Prevents duplicate posts from well-meaning volunteers.

Worked walk-through: strike day 3 after a management memo

Management emailed a misleading return-to-work offer at 7 a.m. Picket line opened at 6:30. The Facebook group is spiraling.

1. 7:15 — hold the channel — Comms lead posts “Hold for official local update” in the group. Mute notifications on bait comments. President and servicing rep read the memo.
2. 7:30 — one correction — Quote Card with three approved bullets. Pin to group. Same text on website strike page. No negotiation analysis.
3. 8:00 — gates — Board Notice at each gate: today’s schedule + “Ignore management memo — read pinned post.”
4. 10:00 — executive sync — Servicing rep joins a 10-minute call. Decide if a second post is needed. Default no unless facts changed.
5. 14:00 — member story — Graphic Maker spotlight only after written consent. No employer logos in frame.
6. 17:00 — boards — Pull expired meeting flyers. Leave contacts strip up overnight.

When to escalate immediately

Some events skip the draft queue and go straight to president and servicing rep.

• Media calls. Route to spokesperson. Never “just answer one question” without president aware.
• Legal threats or injunctions. Stop posting. Forward the letter. Wait for legal guidance.
• Line or workplace safety incident. Emergency protocols first. Comms only after members are safe and leadership agrees on facts.
• Leaked confidential documents. Do not share. Alert president and servicing rep. Public speculation helps the employer.
• Viral misinformation. One coordinated correction from the local account. Tell stewards to share the pinned post, not invent their own rebuttal.