Sustaining Your Campaign

Creating a petition on Coworker.org is just the first step in your campaign. The information below will help you navigate the rest of the process. 

I created my petition. What happens next?

Congratulations! This is a great first step to changing your workplace.

One of the most important things you can do is document everything that happens in the campaign. Maybe keep a daily log or journal, with dates and times, about what happens. You may need to refer to these notes later.

Your employer may ask to have a meeting about your petition. That’s okay. You have the right to talk to anyone at work about conditions you’d like to improve. If you would feel better bringing a colleague who supports the campaign to the meeting, you should plan to do that (but be aware that you don’t have the right to demand that a coworker be present). You can prepare by getting clear on your protections under the law, keeping track of who has signed the petition to support you, and being clear about your request(s).

The media might call you to learn about your story. The Coworker team is here to help you manage press requests. We’re also available to help you develop a press outreach strategy and provide training and coaching to prepare you to engage with the press. Reach out to us for help at any time.

How do I get more people to sign my petition?

Share it! While publishing your petition is an important first step, it’s unlikely you will gain any signatures without sharing it with people who you think might be interested in supporting your efforts.

Talking about it with your coworkers and sharing the petition link with them is a good place to start. Are you in an employee group chat? A Facebook group? Subreddit? All of these are great places to collect signatures. Just make sure not to use communications channels associated with your workplace (such as your work email address or Slack, or anything else your employer might have access to) and avoid talking about your campaign on the job.

Our petition platform also allows you to collect and upload written signatures. You can access this feature from the manage page.

For more information about privacy and your rights as a petition creator, click here.

My employer is offering a deal. It’s not everything we asked for, but it’s more than we have. What should we do?

It’s your petition—and ultimately your decision. If you’re not sure how to proceed, talk to your coworkers about the offer. Feel free to reach out to the Coworker team for advice.

If you elect to declare “victory,” don’t forget to send a message to your petition signers with an update. Explain why you decided to close the campaign and thank them for their support. By following up with your supporters, they’ll be more likely to support you in future campaigns.

My employer appointed me to a committee to fix this problem. Now what?

Wonderful! A committee assignment can be a critical step towards achieving your goal.

Send an update to petition signers about your committee assignment and your plans on how to best achieve your goal. You may also choose to contact the media at this time.

Stay in touch with your supporters as committee work proceeds—and remember that if you hit a roadblock, you can ask them to take action.

Some of my coworkers are angry with me for starting a campaign. How can I talk to them about it?

This is normal. Not everyone is going to agree on a proposed solution to a problem at work (or even that the problem exists). You should be ready to explain what the issue is and how you think the change you’re proposing will improve the workplace for everyone.

If your coworker agrees that there is a problem, but has a different idea about how to fix it, be open to their suggestions. Include them in meetings and consider their ideas objectively. That doesn’t mean you need to change your mind and do what they say—it just creates a larger team who can work together, instead of separately, to find the best possible solution to a problem.

If a coworker is angry with you for using a petition to recruit support, it may just be best to not discuss it with them. Not everyone is going to agree that a petition campaign is the right approach. Focus on the coworkers who are open to working with you. Either the others will come around or they won’t.

For additional support for talking to your coworkers about workplace issues, check out our resource library.

My coworker wants to support the campaign but she’s worried about losing her job. Are there other ways she can be involved?

If she’s worried about showing her public support for the campaign, she can always help in the background with strategy and discussion. But be sure to let her know that it’s illegal under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to fire an employee for signing a Coworker.org petition to improve working conditions. The more workers who are willing to sign their names on a request for workplace change, the more likely it is that management will pay attention. And we’re all stronger when we’re working together.

I feel like giving up. How long is this supposed to take?

This is hard work. There is no getting around the fact that some days you’ll feel tired, frustrated, and angry at the pace of progress. Some campaigns will go fast—your employer might recognize your innovative idea and move immediately to implement it. But some campaigns can take months, even years, to win. Each campaign is different, and the path to victory is determined by many factors. If you’ve been at it for a while and don’t feel like you’ve made much progress, check in with your group and see how they feel. Maybe a change in tactics would help. But don’t give up!

If you’re feeling stuck, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Coworker team for advice.