Turning Crisis Into Opportunity
May 30
Laney College, Oakland
Click here to see a map of Laney College.
Corporate America has created the biggest crisis for workers in
decades. How do we face these challenges?
Join experienced unionists, activists and labor educators in panels, workshops and face-to-face discussions to understand the roots of this emergency, learn creative strategies to fight back, and sharpen the hands-on skills we need.
Special Opening Session: The Economic Crisis and Bay Area Workers
Workshops including: Nuts & Bolts Organizing Skills; Youth in the Labor Movement; Aggressive Grievance Handling; The Fight for Single-Payer Health Care; Community-Labor Alliances. Scroll down for a complete list!
Special Evening Session: Crisis & Opportunity: What Can We Learn from SEIU-NUHW and the other Current Struggles within Labor?
For more information: Call (510) 658-1147 or email
REGISTRATION
Register at the door!
Regular registration: $20
Regular registration plus a 1-year subscription: $40
Low-income registration: $10
On Friday, May 29, register your group by calling (510)658-1147.
Agenda Highlights
Registration: 8:30 am
Lunch (provided): 12:15 pm
Reception and snacks: 5 pm
Evening program: 6:30 pm
Spanish and Chinese interpretation provided for plenaries and selected workshops. Call for info.
Childcare: Childcare will be available from 9 am to 12:15 pm and from 1:45 pm to 5:15 pm if arranged in advance. Please call 510-658-1147 and provide names, ages, any allergies, and times required.
Workshops:
(More descriptions coming; keep checking. There are three workshop slots.)
Fighting Concessions in a Recession [Panel & Discussion]: In February of this year, after an 18-month battle with the University of California, service and patient care workers won significant wage and contract improvements during an economic downturn. Come hear what the members of AFSCME Local 3299 did to beat one of the worst public employers in California. Kathryn Lybarger, bargaining team member; Maricruz Manzanarez, executive board delegate; Kandi Piper, steward; Joe Pulido, steward, former executive board delegate
Community-Labor Alliances [Panel & Discussion]: This workshop will examine how building enduring community-labor coalitions can enhance labor's power and facilitate union organizing. The workshop will examine living wage, community benefits, immigrant rights, and worker organizing campaigns in Emeryville, the Port of Oakland, and Petaluma. Martin Bennett (Executive Board, North Bay CLC), Brooke Anderson (Deputy Director, EBASE), Nikki Bas (Executive Director, EBASE), Reem Asil (Community Benefits Organizer, EBASE)
Fighting for Single-Payer Health Care [Panel & Discussion]: The fight to win single-payer is a fight to win real healthcare--lifelong high-quality healthcare for everyone regardless of the ability to pay. This workshop will consider the current healthcare policy debate, strategies to support the national and California state single-payer bills, and the power of labor and community activism to create an effective healthcare system in the United States. Martha Kuhl (RN, CNA, and Labor for Single-Payer), Sue Bergman (SEIU 1021, Vote Health), Michael Lighty (CNA Director of Public Policy). Chair: Nan Brasmer, President, California Alliance of Retired Americans; retired past president of California School Employees Association
Understanding the Economic Crisis [Slide Show & Discussion]: Are you angry that bankers get bailed out and workers get sold out? Workers know better than anyone that our economy’s in free-fall. What can the government do to pull us out? That depends on the goal: Are we looking to save the financial system or to save good jobs? How can unions make a difference here in California and across the country? This workshop will discuss what a real recovery would look like, why our bosses are fighting tooth and nail against it, and what labor needs to do in response. Mark Brenner, Director, Labor Notes
Aggressive Grievance Handling [Panel & Discussion]: Fighting grievances isn't only about how well you argue your case. It's about organizing members to put pressure on management. This workshop for stewards and union reps will focus on how to win creatively without going to arbitration, or sometimes without even filing a grievance. Jose Escanuela, President, SEIU Local 2007
A Conversation about the Contradictions and Conflicts of Being a Staffer in the Labor Movement [Facilitated Discussion]: Working as a union staffer can be exciting and meaningful, but it can also be filled with frustration and disappointment. We’ll compare the staff experiences and culture in different unions, and discuss the role that staff unions can play to make constructive changes--and sometimes not so constructive changes--in the labor movement. Craig Merrilees, Communications Director, ILWU
Solidarity Unionism [Participatory Workshop]: What are alternative models to business unionism and staff-centered approaches to organizing? Participants will share their stories and learn about "Solidarity Unionism" as a method to win victories and build worker power in both organized and unorganized workplaces. Facilitator: Adam Welch (IWW)
Recruiting and Maintaining Members’ Involvement: Jorge Moreno, Carpenters Local 405, San Jose
Young People in the Labor Movement [Facilitated Discussion]: We will discuss the challenges, expectations, and problems that confront young people as they begin to get involved in the labor movement, whether as union staff or rank-and-file workers. Adrian Maldonado (NUHW) and Sean Abbott
The Nuts & Bolts of Workplace Organizing [Participatory Workshop]: Whether your goal is to organize new members, fight the boss, or reform your union, you need to be an effective organizer. Learn basic organizing skills to build real power in the workplace and make your campaign a success. Zev Kvitky, former President, SEIU 2007
The Struggle Is One: Fighting For Immigrant and Worker Rights [Panel & Discussion]: Diana Rashid, EBASE
Talking Taxes [Presentation & Discussion]: Creating a more decent society depends on overcoming obstacles to, and developing new opportunities for, progressive tax policy. We need a campaign for rational approaches to funding government services. Redistribution of the wealth starts here. Fred Glass, CFT Communications; Cathy Campbell, President, Berkeley Federation of Teachers
Democracy Is Power [Panel and Discussion]: Democracy isn’t just a nice idea but the key to an active organization that fights for members. Exchange ideas on how to get members involved in running your local or organization. Some do's and don'ts about local bylaws and structures. Lisa Kermish, UPTE; Lisa Tomasian, NUHW; Mike Parker, co-author, Democracy Is Power
Finding the Bosses’ Money: Fighting Givebacks [Participatory Workshop]: When an employer claims it has no money, if we’re not accountants how do we identify available funds in its financial records and budgets? And how do we use the information to build alliances in our communities? Bring your own situations for analysis. Paul Worthman, Robert Lehman, SEIU 1000
Democratic Reform and Progressive Political Efforts in Two "Local" Unions [Panel & Discussion]: We review the last 20+ years of progressive impulses and reform efforts in SEIU 790/1021 and in the United Educators of San Francisco [AFT/NEA] (1989) and its predecessors. Discussion will review reform caucuses, creating internal union transparency/leadership accountability, building broader solidarity efforts (labor and political)—and what the future may hold in these times of fiscal austerity, bureaucratization, and limited labor vision and clout. Tom Edminster (UESF), Adrienne Johnstone (UESF), Ed Kinchley (SEIU 1021)
Bargaining for Power: Strategies to Win Good Contracts and Build Union Power [Panel & Discussion]: Learn strategies to win great collective bargaining agreements, raise contract standards across an industry, and strengthen the union through the process. Come discuss the important role collective bargaining plays in building workers' power. John Borsos, interim vice-president, NUHW
Building Solidarity County by County: Central Labor Councils and Organizing [Panel & Discussion]: How Central Labor Councils use community coalitions and advocacy to assist unions in moving and coordinating organizing campaigns. Panelists will address the fight for the Employee Free Choice Act and organizing efforts at the Port of Oakland, among others. T.C. Wilson, Alameda CLC, Martin Bennett, North Bay CLC, Lisa Maldonado, North Bay CLC
The War in Iraq, U.S. Foreign Policy and the Future of the Labor Movement [Presentation & Discussion]: Any effort to rebuild and revitalize the labor movement must overcome the legacy of Cold War thinking. Organized labor's response to globalization of capital must be rooted in globalization of solidarity with workers and labor movements around the world. Michael Eisenscher, US Labor Against the War
Running for Office in Your Local Union [Panel & Discussion]: Running for Local Office can be a daunting task, requiring strong organizing skills, good media strategy, legal knowledge, vision and leadership. Share experiences with union members who have run for office to learn what's worked and what hasn't, and prepare yourself for the challenges of candidacy in your local. Catherine Cox (SEIU 24/7), Andy Libson (UESF). Chair: Zev Kvitky, former President, SEIU 2007
Better Flyers, Snappy Newsletters and Successful Internal Communication Strategies for Unions [Participatory Workshop]: Together, we’ll evaluate some of the best—and worst—examples of internal union communication materials. We’ll talk about layout and design, themes and messages, and common mistakes as well as keys to success. Bring enough copies of your newsletters and flyers to share with the group. Craig Merrilees, Communications Director, ILWU
Media Strategies for Unions [Participatory Workshop]: Why do so many unions remain less popular than we’d like with the general public – including many working class communities? Besides blaming the corporate media for their share of our problems, we’ll look at the ways unions fail to communicate with the public, and develop ways to win public support. Craig Merrilees, Communications Director, ILWU
What the &@#$ Is Going On? Using Popular Education to Talk About the Economic Crisis [Participatory Workshop]: This workshop will introduce popular education as a framework for doing political education inside unions and community organizations. The workshop will focus on participants' experience with and analysis of the economic crisis. Tenaya Lafore (HERE Local 2) and Sean Abbott
Building Power on Campus: Students and Workers United [Panel & Discussion]: Students are a key link in the struggle for workers' rights both on our local campuses and around the world. Presenters will discuss how students are organizing on Bay Area campuses in support of labor, addressing the strengths and challenges involved in building alliances with unions and the broader movement for social justice. Beth Tellman & Richard Alexander (SCU), Lea Rosemurgy (CaPA/CNA), Jillian Marks (UCB/HERE 2850)
Labor and the Housing Crisis: [Panel & Discussion] The foreclosure epidemic has shed light on the perpetual crisis of housing in the United States. This would be the time for labor and community organizations to join forces to shape a city from below and stop displacement of working class communities. However, differing agendas often place labor and community groups at loggerheads around the housing question. This panel will explore ways to build alliances and what a unified fightback might look like. Luis Baharona, Jamestown Community Services; Angelica Carbande, SOMA Community Action Network; Jane Martin, Pride at Work; Michael Theriault, SF Building Construction Trades Council; Tom Wetzel, Z-net contributor & SF Community Land Trust. Chair: James Tracy, Community Housing Partnership
Organizing Made Modern: Using the Internet and Social Networking to Build Power [Panel & Discussion]: The internet and new technologies are changing the way we communicate and organize. Find out how labor activists are using new technology to network, organize, and build power for workers with blogs, social networking sites, video sharing, and open source software. Tim Dennis (CUE), Kevin Christensen (AFSCME 3299), Lisa Tomasian (NUHW)
