90-Day Launch Schedule
90-Day Campaign Launch Schedule
Respect the Craft — Pay the Standard
Prepared for: Joint campaign coordinating committee — IBEW Locals 1, 2, 309, 453, 649, 124 Period: Day 1 through Day 90 of public campaign launch Status: Working master schedule. All dates relative to Launch Day = Day 30.
PART 1 — Reading This Document
This is the integrated calendar that sequences every asset in the campaign packet — the press kit, Bridge Fund, federal complaints, direct mail, ads, journalism pitches, intake page, labor council resolutions, and documentary — into a single 90-day rollout.
The schedule is built around three principles:
- The infrastructure lands before the message. The intake page, phone line, Bridge Fund administrator, and Transition Fund dollars must be operational before anyone runs an ad or pitches a reporter. A campaign that generates demand it cannot serve is worse than no campaign.
- Earned media leads paid media leads direct outreach. The first investigative story (if it lands) magnifies every subsequent dollar. Paid ads are timed to amplify, not substitute.
- One narrative through-line. Every action in every week reinforces the same message: the carpenters’ contract pays below the area standard; there is a real, funded way home; we are not going away.
Each week below specifies: focus, owners, deliverables, budget tranche, and decision gates.
PART 2 — Days -30 to 0: Pre-Launch Foundation
Week T-4 (Days -30 to -23) — Infrastructure stand-up
Focus: Get every piece of the back-end working before anyone outside the committee knows about it.
| Workstream | Owner | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Bridge Fund trust | Local 1 BM + International counsel | Trust agreement signed; first $X committed to escrow |
| Bridge Fund administrator | Trustees | Third-party administrator (TPA) selected and contracted |
| Intake page | Local 1 (digital lead) | Page live in staging at staging.respectthecraft.org |
| Phone line | TPA + CallRail vendor | Toll-free line answered by human within 4 rings, 7am–9pm |
| Press kit | Communications lead | Final version reviewed by counsel, PDF and web versions ready |
| Worker consent forms | Counsel | Signed by all named workers willing to speak on record |
| Actuarial report | Independent actuary | Final executive summary delivered |
| Vendor selection | Digital lead | Geofence ad vendor + creative shop contracted |
Budget this week: ~$45K (TPA setup, actuarial finalization, vendor retainers, legal review fees)
Decision gate (end of week): Trust agreement executed, TPA operational, intake plumbing tested with three internal “ghost” intakes. If any of these is not green, delay launch by one week. Do not improvise.
Week T-3 (Days -22 to -15) — Quiet validation
Focus: Test every piece with low-risk real users before anyone is watching.
| Workstream | Owner | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Intake live test | TPA | 3–5 already-known prospective transitioners walk through the full intake; bugs caught |
| Direct mail test | Print vendor | 50-household variable-data proof printed and delivered; intake response rate measured |
| Geofence ad creative | Creative shop | All three concepts (Number / About You Too / Real Door) approved, captioned, in multiple aspect ratios |
| Legal sign-off | Counsel | Privacy notice, ad creative, leaflet copy, and press kit all signed off |
| Press kit advance | Communications lead | Embargoed advance shared with one trusted reporter |
| Carpenter dissent | Organizer lead | Initial Signal channel created with 5–8 verified UBC sympathizers (see carpenter_dissent_toolkit.md) |
Budget this week: ~$30K (test mail run, ad creative production, legal final pass)
Decision gate: Intake response rate from the 50-household direct mail test must exceed 3% within 14 days, or the personalization layer needs review before scale-up.
Week T-2 (Days -14 to -8) — Stakeholder alignment
Focus: No one in the IBEW family hears about this from the press before they hear about it from us.
| Workstream | Owner | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Six-local briefing | Campaign director | All six BMs briefed in person on full launch sequence |
| International briefing | Campaign director | IBEW International leadership briefed and aligned |
| NECA briefing | Each local | All signatory contractor partners briefed on Bridge Fund and what to expect at job fairs |
| Labor council pre-brief | Communications lead | Greater St. Louis Labor Council and St. Louis Building Trades Council leadership pre-briefed (no resolution ask yet) |
| Political pre-brief | Government affairs | Top 5 friendly electeds in the six-local footprint briefed, embargoed |
| Worker network | Each local | All named on-record workers fully prepared: media training, story practice, family briefed |
Budget this week: ~$15K (media training, travel for briefings)
Decision gate: All six BMs sign a written affirmation of the launch sequence. No public action until this exists.
Week T-1 (Days -7 to 0) — Final pre-flight
Focus: Move from staging to live. Confirm every channel.
| Workstream | Owner | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Intake page | Digital lead | Production deploy at respectthecraft.org; final load and accessibility testing |
| Direct mail Wave 1 | Print vendor | Wave 1 mail (top 25–40% of household universe) in postal stream, scheduled to land Day 1–3 |
| Geofence campaign | Ad vendor | All fences loaded, creative trafficked, set to begin Day 1 at 06:00 |
| Embargoed reporter | Communications lead | If a reporter took the embargo, they are 48–72 hours from publication on Day 0 |
| First federal complaint | Counsel + researcher | First Davis-Bacon complaint package final, certified-mailed Day 0 |
| Press release | Communications lead | Bridge Fund launch release final, distribution list confirmed |
Budget this week: ~$110K (Wave 1 mail postage, geofence ad spend deposit, first complaint legal cost)
Decision gate: Final go/no-go meeting on Day -2 with campaign committee. Any single critical-path item not green = 7-day hold.
PART 3 — Launch Window: Days 1 to 14
Week 1 (Days 1–7) — Public launch
Focus: Bridge Fund announcement, first federal complaint, ad campaign live, direct mail landing in homes.
Day 1 (Monday) — Bridge Fund announcement
- 06:00: Geofence ads go live across all platforms
- 09:00: Press release distributed
- 09:30: Embargoed reporter publishes (if applicable)
- 10:00: Bridge Fund announcement on campaign URL and all six locals’ social
- 11:00: Phone bank staffed: 8 trained staff for inbound intake calls
- 14:00: Six BMs available for press interviews (one BM per major market outlet)
- Throughout: Direct mail Wave 1 lands in homes
Day 2 (Tuesday) — First federal complaint filed publicly
- 09:00: Press release confirming Davis-Bacon complaint at WHD
- 10:00: Project owner and GC formally notified
- 11:00: Available for trade-press interviews
- Throughout: Monitor intake volume, allocate additional phone bank staff if intakes exceed projected hourly rate
Day 3–4 — Second wave of media outreach
- Pitch the next tier of outlets with “the story everyone is now covering” angle
- Local TV markets begin to pick up the story; have B-roll ready
- First documented intake-to-conversation conversions reported internally
Day 5–7 — First adjustments
- Kill bottom 30% of underperforming ad creative
- Increase budget on top 20% performing creative
- First weekly metrics report to campaign committee
Targets for Week 1:
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Intake form submissions | 75–150 |
| Phone line calls | 50–100 |
| Walk-ins at six locals | 15–40 |
| Web traffic to respectthecraft.org | 25,000–50,000 sessions |
| Earned media placements | 8–15 (regional + trade) |
| Major investigative story published | 1 (the embargoed pickup) |
| Geofence ad impressions delivered | 1.5M–2.5M |
| Bridge Fund coordinator calls outbound | 100% of submitted intakes contacted within 4 business hours |
Budget this week: ~$50K (ad spend, additional phone bank capacity, additional press support)
Week 2 (Days 8–14) — Stabilize and broaden
Focus: Convert Week 1 attention into structured organizing pipeline and political follow-through.
| Workstream | Action |
|---|---|
| Intake | Continue 4-hour response SLA. Begin scheduled second conversations and skills verifications. |
| Federal complaints | File complaint #2 (different project, different prime contractor) |
| Political | Friendly electeds publicly comment on Davis-Bacon filings |
| Labor council | First formal pre-briefing at Greater St. Louis Labor Council executive board (no vote yet) |
| Direct mail | Wave 1 follow-up to non-responders queued |
| Ads | First creative refresh: replace lowest-performing 30% with second-batch creative |
| Worker organizing | First 5–10 verified intakes invited to “transition cohort” briefings (small groups, in person) |
| Carpenter dissent | Internal Signal channel expanded to 15–20 vetted UBC carpenters |
| Documentary | Director shortlist finalized; first meetings with top 3 candidates |
Targets for Week 2:
- Cumulative intakes: 200–300
- Verified transitions in progress: 8–15
- Second investigative story in development at a different outlet
- First “what is Local 57?” search queries showing up in Google Trends regional data
Budget this week: ~$40K
Decision gate (end of Week 2): Assess whether intake volume justifies expanding to Year 1 maximum budget or holding at current burn rate. The 30-day measurement at Day 30 is the formal review; this is a directional check.
PART 4 — Build Phase: Days 15 to 45
Week 3 (Days 15–21) — Institutional expansion
Focus: Move from public announcement into the institutional and political layer.
| Workstream | Action |
|---|---|
| Labor council | Resolution submitted for first reading at Greater St. Louis Labor Council |
| Federal complaints | Complaint #3 filed. Begin pattern: 1 per week through Week 12. |
| Political | First friendly elected official issues public statement supporting area electrical standards on public projects |
| Direct mail | Wave 2 mail (remainder of identified universe) enters postal stream |
| Ads | Expand geofencing into Tier 2 (vocational schools, career fairs) |
| Documentary | Director hired; pre-production begins |
| Press | Pitch outlets that passed on Week 1 with “the story now has legs” follow-up |
Targets: Cumulative intakes 350–500; verified transitions in process 15–25; one new earned media beat per week minimum.
Week 4 (Days 22–28) — First transitions complete
Focus: Convert pipeline into outcomes that can be told as stories.
| Workstream | Action |
|---|---|
| Bridge Fund | First 3–8 workers complete transition to IBEW dispatch; first paychecks at new rate |
| Communications | Begin “spotlight” content cadence — short videos of transitioned workers (with consent) |
| Federal complaints | Complaint #4 filed |
| Labor council | First adoption vote scheduled at most-prepared council (preferred: a smaller CLC outside the central metro where opposition is lower; build momentum) |
| Workshop | First Bridge Fund informational night at a neutral venue (community center, not a union hall) — invitation-based, low pressure |
| Documentary | Director and producer begin scout / pre-interview phase |
| Direct mail | Begin variable-data refresh for Wave 3 (90-day re-mail) |
Targets: First successful labor council resolution adopted (yes/no decision point — if it fails, regroup before scaling); first transitioned-worker spotlight video published.
Week 5 (Days 29–35) — 30-day review
Focus: Honest assessment, public anniversary moment, structural lessons.
Day 30 review
Full campaign committee meeting. Mandatory metrics review:
| Metric | Target | Actual | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total intakes | 600–900 | ||
| Verified intake conversations | 80% of intakes | ||
| Verified transitions in progress | 30–50 | ||
| Verified transitions complete | 8–15 | ||
| Federal complaints filed | 4–5 | ||
| Earned media placements | 25–40 | ||
| Investigative stories published | 1–2 | ||
| Labor council adoptions | 1–2 | ||
| Cost per verified intake conversation | <$400 | ||
| Bridge Fund dollars disbursed | $X | ||
| Bridge Fund dollars committed (forward) | $Y |
Outputs of the 30-day review:
- Updated narrative: what the first 30 days taught us about which workers respond to what
- Updated targeting: which segments are under-converting, which are over-converting
- Updated creative: kill, refresh, double-down
- Updated political map: which CLCs and electeds are moving, which need more work
- Budget decision: hold, increase, or rebalance across workstreams
Anniversary moment
If launch had national press, mark the 30-day point publicly with: a transition count, dollar disbursed total, federal complaint count, labor council adoption count. One press release. One social cadence. Then back to work.
Week 6 (Days 36–42) — Scale and second movement
Focus: Take the lessons from Week 5 and apply them at higher volume.
| Workstream | Action |
|---|---|
| Direct mail | Wave 3 begins — 90-day re-mail to non-responders, with updated personalized numbers |
| Ads | Concept refresh: produce second-generation creative based on Week 1–4 performance data |
| Federal complaints | Complaints #5 and #6 filed; first WHD investigation acknowledgment received and amplified |
| Labor council | Second adoption vote at the next most-prepared council |
| Documentary | First filming days — observational coverage of intake conversations (with consent) |
| Worker organizing | First “transition class” cohort graduation: 10–20 workers completing skills verification together, with photo op (consented) |
| Press | Second tier of outlets brought into the story; trade press now covering it |
Targets: Cumulative transitions complete 20–35; cumulative labor council adoptions 2–3.
Week 7 (Days 43–49) — Carpenter dissent moves public
Focus: The internal UBC dissent network moves from private to selectively public.
| Workstream | Action |
|---|---|
| Carpenter dissent | First on-the-record carpenter speaks publicly (with consent and legal protections) |
| Press | Coordinated story drop with the carpenter dissent angle |
| Labor council | Third adoption vote |
| Federal complaints | Complaint #7 filed |
| Bridge Fund | First federal compliance finding — back wages assessed (if WHD timeline cooperates); amplify |
| Documentary | First major filming sequences captured |
This is the week the campaign shifts from IBEW is fighting carpenters’ leadership to carpenters are fighting their own leadership too. Strategically, this is the highest-leverage moment in the entire 90-day window.
Targets: First named carpenter on record; cumulative earned media 60+ placements; first WHD finding (if it lands).
PART 5 — Consolidate Phase: Days 46 to 90
Weeks 8–9 (Days 50–63) — Day of Action
Focus: Coordinated regional day of action across all six locals.
Pre-Day-of-Action (Days 50–55)
- All six locals confirm turnout commitments
- Permitting and notifications complete
- Signage produced (synchronized across the six locals)
- Worker speakers confirmed and prepared
- Community ally speakers confirmed
- Press packets prepared for distribution at events
- Live-streaming logistics confirmed
Day of Action (around Day 56)
Following the structure in the original campaign thread:
- Early morning: leafleting at targeted jobs
- Midday: outreach at UBC facilities (disciplined, peaceful, member-to-member)
- Late afternoon: central rally in St. Louis (Local 1 as anchor)
- Evening: amplification across digital channels
Post-Day-of-Action (Days 57–63)
- Earned media wrap-up
- Compile day-of-action assets for documentary
- Direct outreach to every Local 57 worker confirmed to have attended or observed
- Public progress report from campaign
Targets: Combined regional turnout 800–1,500 IBEW members and allies; double-digit media placements within 48 hours; intake form submissions spike +50–100% vs. weekly baseline for the following 14 days.
Weeks 10–11 (Days 64–77) — Political escalation
Focus: Convert public momentum into political and procurement wins.
| Workstream | Action |
|---|---|
| Political | At least 5 elected officials publicly call for ending substandard electrical agreements on public projects |
| Procurement | First municipality or county adopts a procurement clause requiring electrical work at or above the IBEW area standard |
| Labor council | Fourth and fifth adoption votes |
| Federal complaints | Complaints #10–12 filed; first IRS § 45/48 filing on an IRA-credit project |
| Documentary | Sustained filming through this window; institutional access expanding |
| Bridge Fund | Cumulative transitions complete 50–80 |
Decision gate (Day 75): Assess whether 90-day end-of-window celebration should include a formal “we are here to stay” press event, or whether escalation should continue without pause. Default: continue.
Week 12 (Days 78–84) — Compounding effect
Focus: The campaign is now self-reinforcing. Maintain cadence; resist the temptation to over-celebrate.
| Workstream | Action |
|---|---|
| Federal complaints | Sustained 1-per-week cadence |
| Labor council | Sixth or seventh adoption attempted |
| Direct mail | Wave 4 to refreshed universe; consider including newly identified pre-apprentice prospects |
| Ads | Third-generation creative produced from full quarter’s performance data |
| Press | Sustained earned media; pitch “the campaign at 90 days” retrospective angles |
| Documentary | Mid-production check-in with director; first rough-cut moments visible |
| Bridge Fund | Trustees meet to assess Year 1 disbursement pace and Year 2 capitalization |
Week 13 (Days 85–90) — 90-day review and transition to Year 1 cadence
Focus: Formal review, public report, and pivot from launch sprint to sustained campaign.
Day 90 review (the formal one)
Required outputs:
- Total transitions complete and in progress
- Total Bridge Fund dollars disbursed and committed
- Federal complaint outcomes — filed, acknowledged, under investigation, findings issued, back wages assessed
- Labor council adoptions by name
- Procurement wins (municipal or county clauses adopted)
- Earned media placements (organized by outlet tier)
- Investigative stories published (long-form)
- Documentary status (filmed sequences, completion estimate)
- Carpenter dissent network: members, public voices, internal UBC actions
- Lessons learned, by workstream
Public 90-day report
Length: 8–12 pages, professionally designed. Sent to: every IBEW local in the region, every labor council in the region (whether they have adopted or not), every elected official briefed, every press contact still active, the IBEW International, the AFL-CIO, the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council (with a cover letter inviting dialogue), and the worker-subject community (transitioned workers, current intakes, allies).
The report is honest. It includes things that didn’t work. The credibility of the Year 1 ask depends on the honesty of this document.
Transition to sustained cadence
By Day 90, the campaign should have moved from launch tempo (multiple new initiatives per week) to sustained tempo (every workstream operating at a defined weekly cadence, with major milestones every 4–6 weeks).
Recommended sustained cadence:
- Federal complaints: 2 per month
- Labor council resolutions: 1 per quarter, in new jurisdictions
- Direct mail: Quarterly waves to refreshed universe
- Ads: Always on, refreshed every 6 weeks
- Bridge Fund: Targets reviewed quarterly; capitalization annual
- Earned media: 1 major beat per month
- Documentary: On its own production timeline through ~month 18
PART 6 — Budget Summary
| Phase | Days | Budget tranche |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-launch foundation | -30 to 0 | $200K |
| Launch window | 1 to 14 | $90K |
| Build phase | 15 to 45 | $180K |
| Consolidate phase | 46 to 90 | $230K |
| 90-day total | $700K |
Excludes:
- Bridge Fund disbursements to workers (separate trust capitalization, ~$1–3M Year 1)
- Documentary production (separate ~$1M financing, 50% expected from co-production partner)
- IBEW local existing organizing payroll (already in local budgets)
A serious 90-day campaign costs serious money. The number above is honest. Trying to do this on a quarter of that budget will produce a quarter of the impact, in a fight where partial impact is worse than no impact (because UBC adapts).
PART 7 — Critical Path & Risk
Critical path items (any of these going wrong delays everything else)
- Bridge Fund trust execution and capitalization
- Intake page operational with privacy posture validated
- Phone line staffed and responding within SLA
- First federal complaint filing-ready
- At least one investigative reporter committed (or, alternately, accepted “no embargo, run when ready” posture)
- Six BM written sign-off on launch sequence
Risk register (top items)
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| UBC retaliates with personal attacks on named workers | Legal aid retainer in place pre-launch; rapid response media plan ready |
| Intake volume exceeds capacity | Phone bank scaled in advance; second TPA bench on standby |
| Investigative story gets killed at the outlet | Always have a second outlet 7 days behind; never put all eggs in one outlet basket |
| Labor council declines first resolution | Pivot to second council; reframe defeat as “ongoing dialogue”; do not concede publicly |
| First federal complaint is rejected without investigation | File second complaint immediately; legal review the rejection grounds; do not make first complaint a public-narrative load-bearer |
| Bridge Fund disbursement runs ahead of capitalization | Cap monthly draw, communicate transparently, capitalize earlier |
| Worker subject withdraws consent mid-campaign | Their story is pulled, no questions, no public mention; another worker’s story moves forward; the trust of the worker network is more valuable than any single story |
PART 8 — Owners Matrix
This is who does what, by workstream.
| Workstream | Owner | Backup | Decision authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge Fund | Trustees + TPA | Counsel | Trustees |
| Federal complaints | Researcher + Counsel | International Govt Affairs | Counsel |
| Direct mail | Print vendor + Digital lead | Local 1 staff | Digital lead |
| Geofence ads | Ad vendor + Digital lead | Creative shop | Digital lead |
| Intake page + phone | TPA + Digital lead | Local 1 IT | TPA |
| Press relations | Communications lead | International Comms | Communications lead |
| Labor council resolutions | Council liaison (assigned per CLC) | Campaign director | Campaign director |
| Political | Government affairs | Local BMs | Campaign director |
| Worker organizing | Each local’s organizing director | Campaign director | Local BMs |
| Carpenter dissent | Dedicated organizer (one) | Campaign director | Campaign director |
| Documentary | Director + Producer | Communications lead | Director (final cut) |
| Day of action | Joint committee | Each local | Campaign director |
Campaign director: [Name]. Final coordinator across workstreams. Convenes weekly. Reports to the joint campaign coordinating committee (one rep per local + International + NECA).
This document is a working master schedule. All dates and budget figures are placeholders pending committee adoption. The schedule should be reviewed and updated at the end of each phase. A schedule that is not updated is not real.