Public Employee Press

Union on the move

Leadership training enters cyberspace

By GREGORY N. HEIRES

In a novel approach to union organizing, DC 37’s parent union has launched a leadership-training program in cyberspace.

The virtual program is part of the 21st Century Initiative of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which aims to set up a nationwide army of 40,000 informed and committed union activists.

“This is the first time our union has developed a major program that harnesses the Internet to help members learn about vital issues affecting the labor movement,” said Barbara Kairson, administrator of the DC 37 Education Dept., which is encouraging locals to get members and leaders to participate.

“It’s an exciting sign of the times that you can learn about unionism while accessing the Internet from a computer at home or a wireless laptop in a neighborhood café,” Kairson said.

Initially, the AFSCME Leadership Academy will offer activists four hour-long, online training sessions. The minicourses include Advocating for Health Care Reform, AFSCME’s Financial Standards Code, Effective Communications and AFSCME’s Power to Win Plan. The Power to Win Plan adopted last year maps a strategy for expanding the union through collective bargaining and political power.

To read course descriptions and register for an AFSCME Leadership Academy course, log on to www.afscme.org/academy. For additional information, you may also contact James August at jaugust@afscme.org or 202-429-1233.

When registering, you are asked to create a password and download the software needed for the courses. The courses, which are conducted live with an instructor and allow for interaction among participants, are offered during the day and the evening.

AFSCME aims to educate members about critical issues and to inspire them to get active in organizing drives, contract campaigns and political action.

“Hopefully, this new way of training and organizing will help us reach out to a new group of union activists. Through the Internet, we are taking the union to the members’ homes,” Kairson said.

The 21st Century Initiative calls for establishing a $60 million war chest to increase worker power and help end the Bush administration’s assault on labor rights. With the help of the 40,000-member army of volunteers, AFSCME wants to ensure that 90 percent of its members are registered to vote. AFSCME also hopes to encourage 20 percent of the membership to give $100 annually to its political action fund, PEOPLE.

AFSCME also wants to enlist the 40,000 activists for campaigns aimed at organizing a total of 70,000 new members each year.