The Internet as a Battleground for Internal Union Politics

Last week, I posted about two unions taking their war against each other to the Internet.

Well, I just got done watching a video that popped into my mail box (thanks to Chuck Lezette) which demonstrates how internal union politics is going online as well. The video chronicles an apparent revolt against Doug McCarron, the head of the Carpenters union, by some carpenters in British Colombia, Canada.

Now, whether or not you are for or against McCarron, the video raises a lot of questions about the future conduct of union business and debate in a more connected, transparent world.

One thing is certain, the carpenter's video clearly demonstrates that the Internet is a game changer. You can be pretty certain this video is spreading fast around the Internet amongst carpenters all across North America and is probably generating a lot of debate and discussion. If this same event happened just three years ago, the pre-YouTube era, no one would have known about it. Or, if they did hear about it, it certainly wouldn't have had the same dramatic impact as this video does.

So clearly, the Internet is injecting a whole new dynamic into internal union politics. So what will come out of it? The only thing certain is that there will be change. Unions and leaders will have to think hard about how to best manage the change.

Some unions and leaders might try to resist and adopt policies to try to control and manage the communication of their internal politics. For example, they may begin restricting the use of recording devices at union meetings. However, unions aren't corporations so they can't fire anyone for talking union business online after a meeting. Besides, it's likely illegal for unions to try to restrict member speech. So any policies they do try to implement will just be thumbs in the dam.

Other unions and leaders will see the technology as an opportunity to become more open and transparent. But this option comes with its own set of problems. Publicizing your internal strife obviously isn't going to give you a strategic advantage over management.

What do you think? Will the Internet result in a stronger labor movement, a weaker one, or just a different one? How can unions and their members best turn these new communication technologies to their advantage?