Local 888’s Emerson College chapter used a “Staff Forum” to stage an online show of solidarity. The Zoom assembly included all kinds of Emerson employees — whether they were in Boston or not, unionized or not.
The meetings, usually in person, include financial updates remarks from the president and reports from various people and programs. One key issue: The college argues staff can’t get raises. Meanwhile, the Local 888 chapter is gearing up for contract negotiations.
“Unlike at a normal Staff Forum, Local 888 members could not make a show of arriving while wearing matching shirts — or standing outside together,” said Shaylin Walsh Hogan, the chapter’s vice president. “So, we went virtual.”
She said that members changed their Zoom names to include such additions as “SEIU Member” and “Proud Union Member.”
“Looking at the participants’ list alone was a sight to behold,” Walsh Hogan said. “And there was a sea of purple and yellow across the screen.”
“Perhaps my favorite moment was everyone seeing the ‘host’ of the meeting, one of our members, quietly change his profile picture to make it look like our union owned the room,” she said. “Honestly, we kind of did.”
Walsh Hogan added: “This is what solidarity in the digital age looks like."