Relationships Beat as the Labor Story Pulse

Business writers don't get as many chances to write about real people as when they're covering the labor beat.

Here are real people working hard, searching for work and assembling to argue for better benefits and pay.

And in the case of Northwest, British Airways and potentially Qwest, here are real people willing to bet their futures and livelihoods on those very benefits and pay.

Recent high-profile strikes have placed unions squarely in the middle of the media map. And yet, it's still just as tough to cover them, especially now that the biggest source of sources -- the AFL-CIO -- has suffered splintering within its own group.

But maybe that's all well and good. For instead of focusing on inside baseball and politicking, we should think more about the bigger-picture labor questions that will help decide what workers will face in the next decade. And instead of talking heads, which are perhaps better left by the wayside, we should keep our eye on those real people.

Covering labor and unions relies mostly on relationships -- strong ones that take time to build.

"Labor unions have people who have really been burned a lot," says Jane M. Von Bergen, a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter who covers labor and the workplace. "They are really suspicious of reporters, so having a history helps."

What also helps -- avoiding what Von Bergen calls "inflammatory language." Like "union boss" or the fact that the union is "squabbling" with management. Or even "labor dispute," because as Von Bergen adds, it could very well be a management dispute.

Some of that is framing issues from the worker's point of view. For instance, Von Bergen points to general contractors that set up stalls and stages at the local convention center for trade shows. Those contractors then hire union help themselves, and can often report high union-related fees to do so. But what they fail to report is their own price markup to manage the contract for the convention center. That's a story to pursue too.

As always, a clean reporting track record -- with no black marks of bias or inaccuracy -- will add some glue to those bonds with sources as well. If union members can see that you treated their colleagues fairly in the last 10 stories, they'll more want to talk to you for your 10 next ones.

Attend any union meetings or gatherings that allow reporters, not just the ones that have strike plans on the agenda. Again, in this beat more than any other, your sources need to see you to believe you.

And when it comes to the union ranks, lay on the lower side. Like organizing directors. "The organizers do all of the work of bringing new members in," Von Bergen says. "They're the foot soldiers of the union movement."

Not unlike reporters, they go door to door to meet new members, she says. They're involved in everything from sign-ups to strategy.

Even calling local union headquarters and asking for the director of organizing can work, she says. And if it doesn't, and you never get a return call, then see who within the union can play messenger for you. Sometimes a request to call the labor reporter or go on the record sounds better from the mouth of a particularly helpful source of yours, and a union pal of theirs.

"I ask (another union member) to make a phone call for me. That can sometimes work," she says. "This is a very clannish crowd."

And with the AFL-CIO coming apart at the seams, reporters can often find themselves with more sources with more points of view. At the same time, Von Bergen suggests peering behind the curtain at a little known limb of the once-massive labor group -- its well-stocked research arm. It incorporated first-rate economists, business strategists and other experts who delve into every aspect of certain industries, from its major players to its laws to its challenges and its promises. A smaller AFL-CIO may mean less money for that kind of expertise, which may mean fewer sources for labor reporters.

Then again, sometimes documents can speak louder than any words, bullhorn or no bullhorn. Von Bergen says especially good ones come from the National Labor Relations Board -- petitions, complaints, charges and financial statements that list top paid union officials, loans and property held. There are court documents and labor news sites.

But again, records and experts aside, a labor reporter's pen should still be dedicated to the everyday employee. Stories about the most ordinary workers can often have the most extraordinary effect.

"Too often, we're interested in writing these broad sweeps of things," Von Bergen says. "But the dreams, the disappointments, the struggles, the triumphs -- these are important stories."

Find them, and you find the pulse of the labor beat.

Copyright © 2008 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism