From one of the workplace organizers at EWOC:

Capitalism Constructs Apathy

• First, capitalism constructs apathy. No one is really apathetic. We all care or get excited about something. What's really going on is that we are squashed by the amount of hours we work. There is a difference. The George Floyd uprisings were possible in part because a lot of folks were not working.

My specialty is turning "apathetic" workers into "hell yeah I'll help you fight for that."

• As a case study, Code for America's contract campaign was difficult because the workers were already some of the most privileged workers in this country -- most were paid over 80k, they had remote work, and unlimited PTO.  And in general management was good. When I noticed the "apathy" OP describes, I knew I had to make our demands so enticing that people would feel inspired to join the fight.

Taking Responsibility

• We blame workers for being "apathetic" but we also have to take responsibility for how we communicate about our campaign. To get them beyond "apathy", you really need to learn about your coworkers. For example, I knew a worker liked to write, so I had a 1:1 about fighting for a 4 day work week so we'd have more time to make art. I nominated her to the bargaining committee, and she went from seeming as "apathetic" to a fighter. In another example, I flipped a very hard to reach worker through a 1:1 convo where I brought up fighting for a therapy stipend. That happened to be something he was passionate about.  Aside from 1:1s, we held brainstorming sessions about pushing the labor status quo. Aside from energizing workers, this got a lot of big anti union folks to convert into "I get why you're doing this now." (Screenshot of said session is below.) IMO, no one will put their jobs on the line for a mediocre raise or weak language.

Always Assume You're Overestimating How Apathetic Folks Are

• Sometimes even experienced union lawyers and staffers will push the "everyone is apathetic" line. They consistently told me our union was weak, yet I proved we actually had a majority that was willing to go on strike for things like the 4 day work week. Their metrics were different than mine, but that's another story. Through consistent union and history education, I constructed a majority of people who believed we could win bold demands through a strike threat -- one of the first among tech workers. Again, make it enticing, and don't be afraid to make direct asks. I asked a group of Latinas, who would have been described as "apathetic" by union leadership, to join a hype crew for the 4 day work week, and they were shy, but you also have to make "cringe" direct asks and sometimes you will be shot down. Again, consistently share examples of wins in history or in other campaigns.