“Organizing is Our Lifeblood” - SPEEA/Local 2001 WTPU Organizing Campaign Results in Huge Membership Increases

SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001’s Wichita Technical and Professional Unit (WTPU) Contact Action Team, tasked with increasing WTPU membership through internal organizing, successfully surpassed the 50% mark this week, up from 28% before the campaign launched.  

Equally impressive is that the membership increase occurred in a ‘right-to-work for less’ state—Kansas—and occurred before the WTPU negotiating team goes to the Main Table for contract negotiations the week of December 8th.  IFPTE SPEEA Vice President/SPEEA Treasurer, Matthew Joyce, who himself signed up hundreds of new members, commented on the organizing drive:  “Like a Union, organizing is our lifeblood.  It is no secret that the more Union members we can call SPEEA members, the stronger we are at the bargaining table.  While we are all pleased that we hit the 50 percent mark in membership, we will continue signing up members as we quickly approach the start of bargaining next week.” 

All total, 40 activists and SPEEA staff participated in the 11-week membership drive.  Congratulations to the WTPU organizing team!