As labor changes, so too will labor organizations. Many unions are still trying to understand exactly how.
This weekend, the 3,000 member delegates of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the organization’s highest governing body, gathered together in Detroit for a convention the union hosts every four years. At the meeting, the SEIU sets its goals and priorities. One of those new goals, agreed upon through a floor vote, includes, “Becoming a Technologically Advanced Organization.” The SEIU also plans to hire a “Strategic Technology Director” and build a network of thought leaders, which it has termed “the Innovation Center,” to experiment with new ways to organize labor.