My involvement with virtual picketing was limited to those times when in-person picketing was cancelled or delayed due to weather. Therefore, my experience is limited in comparison with those who relied more extensively or completely on virtual picketing opportunities.
Having stated that, from my perspective virtual picketing worked extremely well. For those members who were periodically unable or never able to participate in in-person picketing this method was essential to their ability to participate in the strike and to collect strike pay. For those like me who carried out in-person picketing as often as possible, virtual picketing proved most helpful in making up time lost on in-person picketing due to weather or personal factors (such as family responsibilities, appointments, etc.). If we were to go on strike in future, I would be very disappointed if a virtual picketing option was not available.
In terms of the process itself, once I was logged on to each Zoom session it went quite smoothly for me. Online picket captains did an excellent job of welcoming us, explaining procedures, and assisting newcomers to the process. The linked task lists that were provided to members were very helpful. I could see what tasks were available and which of those were prioritized by the union. I especially appreciated the flexibility to work on some tasks that may not have been listed specifically but which were along similar lines to those that were. In my case, these activities were cleared with the picket captains.
Again, my more limited experiences with the process make it harder for me to offer much in the way of substantive constructive criticism. The one issue that I can think of involves accessing the Zoom sessions themselves. I did find it a bit awkward searching through various emails for the Zoom links (sometimes having to go back through several days of email to find those links).
Perhaps there could be a clearly labelled section on CUPE’s website for virtual strike activities where Zoom links for each university could be posted. Such a section of the website could be password protected so that non union members could not view or enter it. Aside from presenting the Zoom links themselves, such a section of the website could also serve as a central point of access to information on eligibility for participation in virtual picketing, scheduling of virtual picketing activities, and other information. This might be helpful for everyone, and especially to those like me who engaged in virtual picketing on an infrequent basis. If such links did exist on CUPE’s website, my apologies for overlooking them.
An alternative to providing a dedicated page on CUPE’s website for virtual strike duties could be to include Zoom links and the online picketing schedule in each email update from leadership, perhaps toward the end of each update or message. That way, we would only ever have to look at the last communication from leadership for virtual picketing information and Zoom links for each school. This method might also ensure that we are viewing the most up to date information about virtual picketing, as during the final week of the strike some of the original picketing plans were changed as the situation developed (although these changes seemed to affect in-person picketing more than virtual picketing).
If I understood the situation correctly, in the earlier stages of the strike Zoom links for virtual picketing were shared only with those members who were signed up for online strike duties. This was done to encourage any and all members who could potentially picket in person to do so. If this is correct, then I understand entirely why that approach was taken (so as to maximize numbers on the in-person picket lines and minimize the degrees to which some might take advantage of, or even abuse, the virtual picketing option). I have to admit, however, that during the strike I don’t recall anyone complaining about, or even mentioning, any awareness of abuse of the virtual picketing option. If that perception accurately reflects the situation, then it’s an excellent comment on the honesty and dedication of our union membership.
As time went on, and after a couple of sessions when virtual picketing was opened up to all members due to the delay or cancellation of in-person picketing, there seemed to be a transition toward all members having access to the Zoom links for each school. At that point, the kinds of measures suggested above (for easier access to Zoom links and virtual picket scheduling) might have been taken.
Although the volume of description above may make it appear as if I’m harping on the issue of access to information about and Zoom links for virtual picketing, I’m really not. At the end of the day, I was always able to get the information and the links that I needed after some searching through emails and other communications. These suggestions are made only in a spirit of support and gratitude for all of the hard work undertaken by our leadership team, including online picket captains and all those who made virtual picketing a successful reality. I think it was a great asset to the strike and hope that it will remain a part of our union’s “toolkit” moving forward.