Submitted on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 8:56pm

Each branch is requested by the Organizing Department to elect an Organizing Department Liaison (ODL), an officer position of great importance. The ODL is a branch’s connection to the broader union, both to share what the branch is doing and get campaigns the support they need. As such, having a strong ODL is essential for building a strong, connected, fighting branch and union.

Who should be an Organizing Department Liaison?

The most important part about a branch’s Organizing Department Liaison is that they are a solid wobbly who is strongly connected with their branch, its organizing campaigns, and understands the crucial nature of reporting for building an ever more powerful IWW. They should also have time to do their duties well.

Ideally, an ODL should have significant organizing experience, be a chair of a branch organizing committee, an organizer trainer, an active organizer, delegate, or long time, trusted branch member.

What do Organizing Department Liaisons do?

• 1. Serve as an ‘Organizing Liaison’ for your branch, connecting your branch to ODLs around the union and the Organizing Department. To do this ODLs will submit a monthly ODL Report Form containing the following:
  • What organizing campaigns exist and how they are going
  • What your branch is doing to support organizing
  • How your branch could use support from other organizers or IWWs
  • Note: these reports can be bi-monthly if a branch has no active campaigns—see attached ODG Report Form.
• 2. Be a ‘Campaign Liaison’ for your branch ensuring that each campaign submits a quarterly Workplace Report Form. To do so ODLs will:
  • Keep in touch with branch campaigns
  • Connect them to relevant organizers and resources around the union
  • Help us build a stronger culture of reporting, to better support campaigns and where reporting challenges campaigns to be more systematic in their efforts.
  • Note: campaigns should submit reports more often if particularly active—see the attached Workplace Report Form. Also, if for some reason campaigns are unable to report, ODLs should get the relevant information and submit a report for them.
• 3. Train in your replacement Organizing Department Liaison by going over this sheet with them and sharing your experiences on how to be an effective ODL.
• 4. Share what is going on in the broader IWW with your branch, and help people in your branch who want to connect into broader organizing or IWW projects to do so.

Organizing Department Liaison Report Form

(Submit monthly to the Organizing Department, bi-monthly if no active campaigns)