The group discovered that no actions had been planned. They decided to write a collective letter to the company explaining the CLC's two recommended symbolic acts to commemorate the day: lowering the flag to half-mast and one minute of silence. Realizing that a minute of silence would not be possible at the plant, the unionists requested only that the flag be lowered.

The company, responding positively, asked the group to make posters to inform the workers of the significance of the day and the flag at half-mast. The resulting posters were displayed on bulletin boards and walls throughout the workplace.

The participants then took up a suggestion in the materials to get more information from their local union health and safety representative. During a meeting with the rep, members of the group identified issues in their own departments to be considered by a joint health and safety committee. They documented their concerns individually in letters to the rep, who took them to the joint meeting. Shortly after, the company took action on one of the issues identified by the group.

With growing experience and confidence the group wrote a collective article for the union newsletter explaining to their fellow workers the significance of the National Day of Mourning and the lowering of the flag.

Going out to the community, they also wrote to the local newspaper about the memorial day and the activities at Heinz on April 28. A special feature in the newspaper made the wider community aware of the workplace issue and of the symbolic act.

Finally, the participants wrote individually about the personal meaning of the day for them. One wrote a particularly insightful and moving essay that has become part of the BEST kit of materials used for the National Day of Mourning.

This series of activities illustrates the upward and outward spiralling that best characterizes methods (such as the participatory method) that grow out of collaboration. The workers developed reading, writing, and oral skills by exploring information of immediate importance to them. They gained confidence in dealing with the local union, management, and joint committee representatives. By collective examination of an issue, voicing their concerns, and engaging in action with their co-workers, this group of workers contributed to making a difference in their workplace and community.

Workplaces moving to a high-performance model are shifting from hierarchical, top-down management to more decentralized team management, in which the distinct division of job tasks is disappearing. Employees used to a single-discipline job may need not only training for other job tasks but also education for a new style of management that makes them more central to decision making.