Worker centers are becoming an important element in labor and community organizing and the struggle for fair pay and decent working conditions for low-wage workers, especially immigrants. There are currently more than two hundred worker centers in the country, and more start every month. Most of these centers struggle as they try to raise funds, maintain stable staff, and build a membership base. For this book, Kim Bobo and Marien Casillas Pabellon, two women with extensive experience supporting and leading worker centers, have interviewed staff at a broad range of worker centers with the goal of helping others understand how to start and build their organizations. This book is not theoretical, but rather is designed to be a practical workbook for staff, boards, and supporters of worker centers.Geared toward groups that want to build worker centers, this book discusses how to survey the community, take on an initial campaign, recruit leaders, and raise seed funds. Bobo and Casillas Pabellon also provide a wealth of advice to help existing centers become stronger and more effective. The Worker Center Handbook compiles best practices from around the country on partnering with labor, enlisting the assistance of faith communities and lawyers, raising funds, developing a serious membership program, integrating civic engagement work, and running major campaigns. The authors urge center leaders to both organize and build strong administrative systems. Full of concrete examples from worker centers around the country, the handbook is practical and honest about challenges and opportunities.

1 Worker Center Background and Vision PART I Starting a Work Center 2 Surveying Your Community 3 Recruiting a Leadership Planning Team 4 Holding Initial Planning Meetings 5 Raising Start-up Funds and Donations 6 Hosting Workers' Rights Training Sessions 7 Creating Early Programs and Actions 8 Hiring Great Staff 9 Doing the Legal Stuff PART II Building the Work 10 Reaching Workers, Building Leadership 11 Mastering Direct Action 12 Organizing a Wage Theft Campaign 13 Focusing on a Sector 14 Organizing around Health and Safety Issues 15 Working with Faith Communities 16 Partnering with Unions 17 Building Multiracial Organizations PART III Building the Infrastructure 18 Being Mindful of Opposing Forces 19 Taking Fund-raising Seriously 20 Managing Money Well 21 Using Data for Growth 22 Nurturing an Awesome Board 23 Fostering a Strong Staff Team 24 Developing a Communications Program 25 Buying your Own Property PART IV Taking the Work to Scale 26 Combining Services and Organizing: Functional Organizing 27 Building Membership Structures 28 Helping Workers Organize Work-site Committees or Unions 29 Partnering with Lawyers 30 Engaging and Honoring Ethical Employers 31 Integrating Civic Engagement Appendix A Books and Articles Appendix B Worker Center Networks Appendix C Worker Centers Appendix D How Worker Centers Can Keep 501c3 Tax Exempt Status, by Brian Glick Appendix E Popular Education Training Resources