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Union Scrapbook
Local 1549 activist invigorated by Harvard program

For Carmen Flores, the union is about more than winning grievances and enforcing the contract in the workplace.

Bread-and-butter issues are important, of course, but the mission of the union is much broader, said Flores, the recording secretary of Local 1549. "Our job is about helping mankind and improving our quality of life," she said.

Last year, Flores attended the six-week Harvard University Trade Union Program, which she said deepened her commitment to the labor movement and offered important lessons on how to strengthen unions during a time in which they are under fierce attack.

"It was awesome. I learned so much," said Flores, who chairs the DC 37 Latino Heritage Committee. "It's crucial for unions to develop their mission and to have a clear message.

We learned tools to help us take the message back to the members to encourage greater activism." The program covered strategic planning, leadership and organizational change, lessons from labor history, union governance, dispute resolution and arbitration. Seminars dealt with such topics as labor law, labor and the global economy, new tactics for organizing, public sector labor relations, unions and new technology and using the media to improve the image of unions.

The program offered a chance to learn from the war stories of other activists from around the country and the world, including trade unionists from Canada, Germany, Australia and the United Kingdom. Participants went through self-assessments to learn about their own personal strengths and weakness so they can improve their leadership skills.

Flores, who describes herself as a union organizer at heart, said she was most intrigued about strategic planning. The instruction helped her see the "big picture" and how the union can better organize new members and mobilize existing members. Ultimately, the strength of DC 37 depends on organizing and encouraging greater participation, Flores said.

"Although our institution is not perfect, we have a strong foundation to build on," said Flores. "We need to really engage our membership. We have a lot of people at DC 37 with good ideas but we have not used all of our resources."

Flores said what she learned at Harvard will be useful as the union undergoes its own changes under the new administration led by DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido.

"I look forward to the changes ahead," Flores said. "It's a new beginning."