|
2003 Union Women's Summer Schools
Reports and pictures from the 2003 Union Women's Summer Schools will be posted on this page as we get them. If you have any good shots of one of this year's summer schools that you would like to post here, send them to tess.ewing@umb.edu. Northeast Union Women's Summer School UALE Northeast Regional Summer Institute for Union Women 2003 “Working Collectively to Protect our Rights at Work and in Our Communities” Coordinators: • UALE Coordinator: Dale Melcher, University of Massachusetts/Amherst Location: George Meany Center/National Labor College Participants: • 108 women attended, (including 12 commuters) Staff: There were 23 staff (see the list below) The 2003 Northeast school was a huge success, in spite of (or perhaps because of) shortening the school to 4 days and running it immediately after the July 4th holiday weekend. We filled up all available rooms at the Meany Center and had 12 commuters. Energy was high and students gave a high rating to workshops, plenaries, staff, facilities, and food. We always do well at the Meany Center. It is ideally set up to accommodate our needs and goes a long way to building a sense of community and being a part of a larger labor movement. The downside was that as the University coordinator, I put in the time without bringing students to the UMass campus. Planning for the 2003 school went smoothly. We are a seasoned group who work well together, and have been able to pull in new women as staff and on planning committee. Once at the Meany Center, the staff takes over a range of tasks beginning with registration and running through graduation. The Meany Center staff was, as usual, wonderful to work with. Recruitment for summer school went well. About 12,000 brochures were sent out through state federations, UALE programs, Field Mobilization staff, former students and staff, current staff, the labor press, etc. Targeted recruitment was done following the evaluation of the 2002 summer school. Our student distribution was more varied – by state, union and industry - this year than in recent years. There was no one local or district council that predominated, though we had significant numbers from large unions, such as 1199/SEIU, TWU L.100, New York State Nurses Association, and PSCcuny. We limited the number of members any one union could send to 15. The theme this year was a response to both the threats to civil liberties and union rights and the economic crisis, and participants really engaged with the issues. The General Issues session, which developed the theme, ended with small groups working on action plan Workshops/Staff: NE Regional Summer Institute for Union Women 2003 AM Workshops 1. Basic Grievance 2. Collective Bargaining 3. Legal Rights 4. Introduction to Computers 5. Building the Union in Your Workplace 6. Public Speaking 7. Adv. Grievance Handling PM Workshops 1. Conflict Resolution 2. Conduct/Participate Union Mtgs. 3. Labor and the Internet 4. Mobilizing Members around Contract 5. Teaching Techniques 6. Writing for Union Work 7. Safer is Better: Mobilizing For Workplace Health and Safety Mini Workshops 1. Building Labor/Community Coalitions 2. Teaching Labor To Children & Ourselves 3. Energizing Your Union 4. Moving Up in Union Leadership 5. War on Terrorism and the War 6. Domestic Violence is a Union Issue 7. National Labor College Leadership Skills 1. Marsha Anderson (returning)
Southern School for Union Women
The 2003 Southern School for Union Women - “Solidarity Without Borders”July 13-17, 2003 Submitted to the AFL-CIO/UALE Prepared by Tracy F. H. Chang Assistant Professor Center for Labor Education and Research - University of Alabama at Birmingham The 2003 Southern School for Union Women with the theme of “Solidarity without Borders” was held July 13-17 at the Alta Vista Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama. This year's school is hosted by the Center for Labor Education and Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. There were sixty-three registered participants, sixteen instructors, and eleven speakers (see attachment “Program Agenda” for details). The participants came from 11 local unions and 8 international unions, they came from 12 southern states. In addition, two women came from Mexico and one from Honduras. The instructors included seven university-based instructors (University of Alabama at Birmingham, Florida International University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Missouri at Kansas City, and George Meany Center), seven union-based instructors (IBB, UE, AFSCME, UAW, and IBT), and two instructors from STITCH and Birmingham YWCA. The AFL-CIO and UALE funds of $3,500 were applied toward nine scholarships ($3,285) and the bus transportation to the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum ($215). The school received favorable evaluations.... The instructors were outstanding. The participation of union women from Mexico and Honduras and the bilingual classes have generated an exceptional dynamic learning environment and sisterhood across cultures. The art and music classes, workshops, activities, and exhibition of students' work also inspired enthusiasm among students. The visit to the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum was a powerful learning experience. The photos of the school are posted on-line at .
Some comments from SSUW participants: - I think these type of classes build solidarity and understanding faster than most any other type of education and certainly produce interesting results. - The newsletters were outstanding. - I think the international women added to our conference by their sharing stories - Salsa and African dance was great - The Civil Rights museum was a definite high point! - The women were grand coordinators, instructors as well as students - Great sessions - Wonderful instructors
For the SSUW program, click here For a detailed budget, click here
2003 Midwest Women's Summer School for Women Workers
School for workers Education For A Democratic Workplace I. INTRODUCTION The Midwest School for Women Workers is an annual, residential labor education program for women workers from ten states. In 2003, the Midwest School for Women Workers (MSWW) was held in Madison, WI and sponsored by the School for Workers The MSWW afforded women the opportunity to take classes and workshops, to hear a variety of speakers, to actively support fellow unionists, and to participate in social functions. The women at the 2003 MSWW returned to their union locals and communities energized to carry on workers’ and women’s struggles. The success of the 2003 School is due to the instructors and speakers, donors, volunteers and staff who, together, made the MSWW possible. We gratefully acknowledge the United Association for Labor Education, the CWA Wisconsin Political Action Council, the Milwaukee Chapter of the Coalition for Labor Union Women, and AFSCME Council 40 and the Legal Affairs Department of the National AFL-CIO. Special thanks to the Regina Polk Foundation which assisted many women who would not have been able to attend without scholarships. Donations in kind came from the South Central Federation of Labor and the institutions and unions represented by the instructors at the MSWW. Several graduate students donated hours of their time and the School for Workers staff efficiently and tirelessly looked after countless details. II. LOCATION AND DATES Residential and meeting facilities were located on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The dates of the MSWW were June 28th to July 2nd. III. THEME The theme of the 2003 Midwest School for Women Workers was, “Who Cares? Labor’s Role in the Health Care Crisis.” The theme was coordinated with a campaign by the Wisconsin AFL-CIO to promote health care reform. The theme was timely, given recent developments in health care and the desperate need for reform, and generated strong interest among participants.
IV. PARTICIPANTS Attendance was respectable at the MSWW, despite a late start in advertising and a depressed economy. There were 67 participants: 34 from Wisconsin, 20 from Illinois, 4 from Indiana, 4 from Minnesota, 3 from Kentucky, and 2 from Michigan. One participant was male. AFSCME and SEIU sent the most participants to the School. The following table shows participants by union.
V. PROGRAM, INSTRUCTORS, AND SPEAKERS Program The program consisted of opening and closing sessions as well as five labor education classes, fifteen workshops (nine topics, some of which were repeated), a plenary session, a job action, a health fair, church services with the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice, and a cultural event. The labor education classes were: 1) The "Nuts and Bolts" of Collective Bargaining: Or What Every Women Needs to Know About Negotiations, taught by Cathy Lundy, Michigan State University Labor Education Program and Kate Kline, Minnesota Nurses Association; 2) Union Leadership, taught by Michelle Kaminiski, Michigan State University Labor Education Program; 3) Grievance Handling, taught by Helena Worthen, University of Illinois, Chicago Labor Education Program and Jean Troutman-Poole, University of Indiana Labor Studies; 4) Body and Soul, taught by Marjani Dele with Into Afrika and Rae Sovereign, University of Indiana Labor Studies; 5) Organizing, taught by Robin Clark Bennett, University of Iowa Labor Center, and Joy Roberts, CWA 4603. The workshops topics were: 1) What I Didn’t Learn in the Men’s Locker Room and Other Reasons I Can’t Say No, taught by Jan Swingshakl, IBEW; 2) Caring for Family: You and the FMLA, taught by Cindy Oleson and July Burnick, OPEIU 35; 3) Successful Mobilizing for Fun and Profit, taught by Ann Crump, CWA; 4) Shout it Out! Women Using Media, taught by Ellen LaLuzerne and Ann Eagan-Wauka from the WEAC; 5) Media Workshop, taught by Ellen LaLuzerne, WEAC 6) Honoring Our Common Differences, Parts I and II taught by Kathy Germann; (two concurrent workshops) 7) Workers’ Rights (scheduled in Spanish but delivered in English), taught by Sarah Schatz from the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice; 8) Art in Action: The Image as a Message that Sticks, taught by Therese Agnew; and 9) Gender Differences in Communication, taught by Corliss Olson, School for Workers, University of Wisconsin, Extension-Continuing Education Instructors A hallmark of the Women’s School is the high caliber instruction offered primarily by women labor educators and union leaders. The talents of the women who instructed were a major factor in the School’s success. A total of 20 instructors taught at the MSWW. Eleven were from Wisconsin, two each from Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and one each from Illinois, Iowa, and Washington, D.C. Nine instructors came from various labor education programs (Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin), nine came from various unions in Wisconsin, three were independent (one artist, one ordained minister and one diversity specialist), and one instructor was with the Interfaith Coalition on Worker Justice in Madison, WI. Speakers Opening Plenary In addition to the instructors, a number of speakers addressed the conference. The Director of the School for Workers, John Lund, the President of the South Central Federation of Labor, Jim Cavanaugh, and the President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, David Newby, welcomed the participants. Three presentations were also made at the opening session. Therese Agnew presented a magnificent print of a quilt block depicting a woman at her sewing machine in a sweat shop in Bangladesh (an article and picture are attached). She spoke on using the arts in organizing and mobilizing. Three UFCW strikers from the Tyson plant at Jefferson addressed the group. The Union President, Mike Rice and two strikers attending the conference, Shannon Fitzpatrick and Debra Prust, told of the Company's demands for concessions and its refusal to bargain, and of the workers’ determination in the strike which was then four months old. Jean Ross, a participant from the Minnesota Nurses Union, also addressed the opening plenary, talking about Contraceptive Equity and how health insurance companies have been illegally denying women coverage of contraception. Health Fair Sunday evening was dedicated to a Health Fair, spectacularly coordinated by Kathy Rohde, a graduate student in the Industrial Relations Research Institute. Local vendors, service providers and service organizations were on hand with information, samples, and – the biggest hit – chair massages. Numerous prizes were also given out, thanks to the generosity of many local donors. Health Care Forum A highlight of the conference was the Sunday afternoon panel on health care. Presenters were Darcy Haber from Wisconsin Citizen Action, Dr. Linda Farley with Physicians for Universal Health Care, David Newby, President of the AFL-CIO and Candice Owley, President of the Nurses and Health Professionals Union (AFT). All of the speakers addressed the urgent need for health care reform in compelling presentations. The Right Wing Assault Joanne Ricca of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO presented several years of research documenting the concerted right wing attack on labor and workers, including evidence of manipulation of issues to entice workers to vote against their own interests. Union Support Two bus loads of conference participants, joined by School for Workers faculty and staff and several other supporters, traveled the 45 miles to Jefferson to support UFCW Local 538. Women’s Cultural Night Marjani Dele from Washington, D.C., in addition to teaching a class, took charge of the Women’s Cultural Night. Poetry, song, story-telling, and dance were all a part of the evening which featured powerful presentations by the participants themselves. Marjani was assisted by Jean Sele, a master drummer from Senegal. Jean brought another drummer and, led by Marjani, every woman was on her feet in a traditional, exuberant African dance which closed out the lively evening. Closing Plenary Four speakers addressed the closing plenary: Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin State Senators Judy Robson and Gwendolynne Moore, and the President of the American Nurses Union, Cheryl Johnson. Each woman has advocated improvements in health care and each made a powerful presentation to close the conference on an enthusiastic note. |
