Use When
Agencies demand rapid data handovers through administrative subpoenas or by purchasing location data to evade courts.
Curfews stifle assembly, comply minimally, and refuse enforcement help
Loyalty pledges and speech autonomy are required
Instructions
- 1
Review statutes to define the line between mandatory compliance and discretionary help.
- 2
Draft "lawful-process-only" policies and standardized scripts to ensure professional, consistent staff refusals.
- 3
Designate trained contacts to handle government interactions and maintain a secure, time-stamped request log.
- 4
Rehearse protocols for verifying credentials, requiring written directives, and escalating ambiguous "gray area" demands.
- 5
Align with unions and vendors to set shared conduct standards, preventing agencies from bypassing resistance.
- 6
Publish plans showing how core services will continue, proving the goal is resisting specific abuses.
- 7
Track costs and delays, releasing weekly summaries to document the burden of unjust directives.
- 8
Set non-negotiable conditions, like independent oversight, for returning to standard operational procedures.
Historic Parallels
- France, various years, railway “work‑to‑rule” inspections slowed schedules and forced negotiations on staffing and safety.
- Canada (Ontario), 2015, teachers’ work‑to‑rule campaign escalated pressure and advanced contract bargaining.
- United Kingdom, 2025, land registry staff adopted work‑to‑rule, compelling engagement on attendance rules.
France, various years, railway “work‑to‑rule” inspections slowed schedules and forced negotiations on staffing and safety. Modern Examples
- A municipal records office adopts “written order only” processing.
- A delivery or logistics company follows every safety and labor rule to the letter, removing discretionary rushes that authorities try to exploit for surveillance or crowd‑control goals.
- University administrators satisfy lawful reporting but decline extra analyses.
Participants
Individual
Yes
6–12 core coordinators—legal counsel, policy lead, training lead, communications, digital security, and site points of contact—plus union or professional liaisons in large workplaces. Ideally need 15-20% of staff in a "bottleneck" department, like logistics, records, or data compliance.
Helpful Materials
- Door and desk signage stating “lawful process only”
- Staff cue cards
- Refusal scripts
- Template letters demanding judge‑signed orders
- Privacy impact and risk‑assessment checklists
References
Use of Action Playbook educational materials must adhere with Unruled Masses’ Terms of Service.
Stay Nonviolent. Coordinate Strategically. Take Back Your Power.