Venai Raniga | CUPE Research
As a democratic, member-driven organization, CUPE’s ongoing success is built on dialogue with our members. A key tool we use to engage is a membership survey. Through surveying, we are able to solicit input and inform bargaining priorities. Often this is a vital point of contact between members and their union, so it is important that we make this interaction as smooth as possible.
A coherent and concise survey will help members feel comfortable about sharing positives and negatives about their workplace. It also allows us to gather evidence to support key demands and engage our members on the issues. With that knowledge in hand bargaining committees can speak with authority when they negotiate with the employer.
While bargaining surveys are a common tool, many locals are unaware that CUPE has tools available to help with the process. CUPE Research uses LimeSurvey, a free open-source online survey tool. With LimeSurvey we can design, collect, and analyze surveys that will best meet the needs of our members and your local’s bargaining team.
LimeSurvey offers easy functionality and robust customization. The software is easy to use. Any modern browser can access the survey and surveys can be circulated and promoted via email.
Sometimes online surveys suffer when respondents do not complete a survey they started. Incomplete surveys are frustrating for surveyors and respondents alike, and decrease the effectiveness of your efforts. That’s why LimeSurvey allows for minimum survey abandonment, meaning members are able to save unfinished surveys and return to them later. Survey administrators can also set end dates on surveys so that when a survey period is over, additional responses are cut off.
Some of the more interesting features of LimeSurvey include skip logic and branching logic. These features allow you to set conditions for questions depending on earlier answers, and make it easier for respondents to bypass questions that are not meaningful to them.
Based on many years of experience with the software, CUPE Research has developed best practices to ensure high response rates. We also have a library of preformatted questions for multiple sectors which can be used as a starting point for your bargaining survey. These resources will help get your survey up and running quickly.
Once the survey is complete, results are analyzed and presented to you. Or if you prefer, we can provide the raw data directly.
If you would like to use LimeSurvey for your next round of bargaining, contact your CUPE national servicing representative.