Trilogy Knows Labor

Labor unions are leveraging the power of digital tools more than ever — and the biggest unions are teaming up with Trilogy to do it. We’re the trusted strategic partner for a wide range of unions: SEIU, AFSCME, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC), the United Steelworkers (USW), and more. From the International down to a single tire plant in rural South Carolina, we’ve helped each of our union clients push the boundaries of digital organizing.

Organizing Across Generations

We’ve been helping unions establish and nurture their relationships with current, past, and prospective members online for years. In 2020 alone, we ran 14 unique ad campaigns to engage the 1.9 million members of SEIU’s Together We Rise program, reaching members on multiple platforms and in multiple languages. More recently, we built a digital ad program for SEIU to welcome new members to the union and build its brand among new hires who have yet to join.

We recognize the power of retired union members, too. Our strategy team pioneered online organizing among union retirees, starting with AFSCME Retirees (now a fundraising powerhouse) and progressing with SEIU’s Union Forever program. Many retirees are former leaders of their local unions who have relocated in retirement, and our digital programs help them reconnect to the union and use their advocacy and organizing skills to continue fighting for progress.

Breaking New Ground

In the months leading up to the 2020 election, we helped several unions run political digital ad campaigns for the first time. We targeted ads specifically to union members, serving millions of impressions to working-class voters in swing states. Our online messaging led to offline action: For instance, through the Union Forever email program, we recruited hundreds of SEIU retirees to send postcards and texts to voters in swing states, inspiring them to turn out. 

While our Strategy Team leads email, SMS, and advertising campaigns for our union clients, our Technology Team designs and manages their websites, including web apps that bring the benefits of union membership to life. Our web developers built a wage calculator app to illustrate to AFSCME members the Union Difference — that is, the difference in wages between union and non-union workers with similar demographics. After Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, we built an app to show AFSCME members how they benefit from it, whether their representatives voted for it, and how the union helped win it. Trilogy also designed USW Voices, a tool initially created to educate members on the United Steelworkers’ decision to endorse Joe Biden and empower them to vote. It is still being used to raise awareness among members of how political developments affect them.

A Tailored Approach

Every union has a unique membership, and we approach our work accordingly. For instance, we tailored our SMS and social media programs for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters to suit the habits of union carpenters, timing text messages and emails to go out at times when they’re most likely to be online (which isn’t most of the day).

Whether for a service worker union, a trade union, or any facet of the labor movement, we build engaging, relevant, and authentic digital programs true to each union’s brand. We have earned a seat at the table in planning major events, like union conventions, and we regularly train members and staff on how to use digital tools to promote their union and its values.