Thank you Dale Melcher for My Aha Moment

Hello Sisters,

I hope all is well. I would like to share my "aha moment.”   Also, send out much love and thanks  to Dale Melcher.

               July 2011 was my first experience of UALE Summer School.  Dale was my Leadership Skills instructor.  We had a discussion on “How to engage members in volunteering.”  I was one of the players and convinced my sister to volunteer.  I just knew it was going to be as easy as pie.  Wrong.

I worked over a year trying to get the members to volunteer for union activities.  The turnout was low or no one showed.  What was I doing wrong?  I had my list.  I had given the date and time. 

Aha!!!  What was it that Dale said?  “A member may say yes but, the steward still must follow through.”   

Maybe there were childcare issues, or work issues that caused a change in their schedule.

Participation has increased.  Although, I may know, a members schedule, I remember Dale's instructions;

follow up.

Thanks again, UALE Summer School for Dale and my aha moment.

 

In Solidarity,

Peggy Johns

Elizabeth Gurley-Flynn Leadership Skills Class

 

 

This picture is an example of just some of the great things we discussed in our Leadership Skills class. The focus was organizing. The trainers, Susan Tindall and Sarah Hughes assisted in showing us an easier and more efficient way to structure the process. This was a great class. I can’t wait to sharing what I have learned. Thank you, UALE Summer School 2013.

Wellness for Women Leaders - contributed by Oneshia Shade-Portlette

NE Summer School for Union Women's very first Wellness class taught by the extremely Educated, Motivational and Inspirational Kim L. Guillory, AFA/CWA.

My Union Sisters,  this is the class to take, it's not only beneficial to the Body, Mind and Spirit ...  It's also good for the Heart and Soul!

Help United University Professions

Help United University Professions keep affordable public healthcare in Brooklyn as well as providing high quality affordable medical education downstate.

Go to: uupinfo.org/legislation/advocate.php

Click on: "Send letter to SUNY Downstate"

Please share with others

These women are SERIOUS!!

Meet Maritza Casarez and Carolina Portillo who work for ROC - Restaurant Opportunities Center.  ROC was born in Chicago in 2007. After 9/11, a New York Chapter was organized to provide support to the restaurant workers who were displaced. ROC-NY leads restaurant workplace justice campaigns, provides job training and placement, conducts research and policy work --- and even has its own cooperative restaurant!

ROC educates restaurant workers all over New York City and advocates for improving working conditions. There are free training courses for restaurant workers in “Front of the House” – including Customer Service, Server Training, Specialty Coffee /Barista and NYC Food Protection Course and Certification  as well as “Back of the House” – Pastry Arts, Basic Cooking, Edible Arrangements  and NYC Food Protection Course.

It is responsible for winning 13 workplace justice campaigns against restaurants and gaining millions of dollars in improvements in workplace policies for restaurant workers.

Did you know? The minimum wage for food industry workers has been the same for 22 years! 

Learn more about ROC – a Coalition Agency at:     http://rocny.org/

As I sit here waiting for Women's Labor History night to start, there is a title on the screen. "We Were There". History is a great motivator, and reminder how some things just haven't changed. Don't you get that feeling that instead of moving forward we are moving backwards. Today, we are still fighting for equality, and democracy in our workplace, our country and our world. So lets take that in while we learn about our history. Can we make our own? Can We change the World? I think we can, I know we can. We just need to remember OUR history and change the title on the screen "We Are Here"

MOTHER JONES Leadership Skills group

The 38^th UALE Summer School for Union Women

MOTHER JONES Leadership Skills workshop taught by Angela Ferritto & Linda Donahue!

Great night at Turning Up The Fire

Hello All, This is my first post. I had a wonderful time at the World Cafe this afternoon. What an experience!!! Knowledge, power and the level of energy in the room was beyond words. I am so happy to be a part of UALE Summer School. This is my second year and I am still loving it.

The Alice Cook Leadership Skills Class

The dynamic Alice Cook Leadership Skills class! No sister lets another sister walk alone. More about Alice Cook and her vast contributions to labor can be found here.

Brookwood College for Union Workers

[JH1] Mom at Brookwood

In 1921, the International Lady’s Garment Workers Union and the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union established a college for Union workers.  It was called “Brookwood College.’”  The reason I know this is a real story.

Brookwood College, Katonah, NY circa 1936

 

 

..

Back in 1985 I was attending the annual membership meeting of a coalition called “Women’s Alliance for Job Equity” with my Mom in tow because she was visiting to have her eyes checked at the Wills Eye Hospital.  She was 75 and had macular degeneration which had left her legally blind.  At that meeting, the documentary “The Women of Summer” was shown. The movie depicted the summer programs at Bryn Mawr College in the 20’s.  What to my surprise, my Mother knew one of the professors!   When questioned, we found that she had attended the Brookwood College during two semesters from 1935-36.  She had never told any of her children because my father ridiculed her often when younger about all the “commies” associated with the school. 

About 5 years later, when we had the Summer School at the Cornell in Ithaca, I searched the archives at Cornell for information about Brookwood School and my mother.  I found several pictures of her in ad books but nothing that she wrote while in school.  (This year when I went to the archives I found out that the student records are at the Walter Reuther library in Detroit.)   I made copies of the ad books and blew them up and took them to my Mom.  Yes she confirmed that the pictures were of her.  She lit up like a child getting candy when my sister and I went through each page.  We would not allow my Dad to ridicule her.  Amazingly, she knew the names of all the Professors and students in the ad book as well as all their stories.  It was plainly the biggest thing that happened to her up to that time and she remembered every minute.  It changed her life as well.  She thumbed home to Quakertown after her last class and managed to talk her younger sister in to moving to Philadelphia and getting an apartment. 

I was amazed that, even though I had been teaching Summer School, she never talked about this event with us.   But, I do know that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  Her independent spirit and her progressive politics live on.  My mother said that the students went around New York state performing “tableaus” while organizing.  They made their own props and curtains.  The pictures below show the class of 1936 as well as one of the stage scenes.  The third picture is of students making curtains.  My mom was good at sewing as she was pulled from a picket line in Quakertown during a strike at the shirt factory where she worked since she was13 years old.  Her name was Hallie Hagan.

Judy Hoover, AFSCME DC47, Philadelphia, PA


At right is the Brookwood Class of 1936
My Mom Hallie Hagan is 2nd from left.  You can click on it to enlarge the picture.


Below is scene from an organizing tableu. 
Hallie Hagan is the 5th one from the left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At right is a picture of the female students
sewing curtains for their organizing shows.
Hallie Hagan is the one who is bending over the sewing machine instructing one of the other students,

 [

the 38th NE Union Women's Summer School Student Council

Every Leadership Skills class elects a class member to be part of the Summer School's Student Council. The Council represents their sisters by bringing concerns and suggestions to the coordinators attention and gives input on the graduation ceremony. They are a vital and essential part of every Summer School!

Memorable Moments

I saw many tired faces today at the Conference. We have been working hard for two and a half days.  Leadership had my head spinning and I whirled through “You’d Better Know Your Rights” and “Retirement For All”. Suddenly it was 5 PM. Time for some warm summer air and dinner off campus.

The optional movie night was well timed. We headed towards the clock tower and surprisingly the music poured out. One hundred and sixty one steps later, the melodies and the view entered our souls.

On towards Collegetown, our purpose was to find The Moosewood Restaurant. Apparently, many of our sisters had the same idea! We shared lively and energetic conversation about our day and enjoyed fabulous food and drink!

Pictured: Eva Bermudez, SEIU 2001 CSEA – New Organizer; Liz Kavanah – President SEIU CSEA 2001 Council 760; Barb Segura – Steward – SEIU CSEA 2001 CSC Unit

Excelsior!

I have an idea for another post brewing but it’s not quite there yet.   My poor sleep deprived and over-stuffed brain is still catching up and digesting all the great information and ideas we have been discussing this week, particularly one item that was repeated several times today.  It started in Leadership Skills but no matter which class or workshop I was in or who I was speaking with the theme kept popping up:   “Why did you become involved in your union?”

 

Everyone I spoke with talked about feeling frustrated, discouraged, or disappointed with their union in some respect and that’s what got us involved.  We found our voices by not taking “no”, or “I don’t know”  for an answer. When we discovered nothing was going to be handed to us, we reached out to help ourselves.

 It’s a wonderful thing to realize our own power to make something happen.  

Having a Great Time

Hello All, This is my second attempt to post. I attempted to post last night. I am having great time, learning a lot and most importantly, feeling all of this good energy from my sisters. Much Love

Shout it!

This week many strong and beautiful sisters are meeting each other for the first time while others are renewing their connections with each other. Their beauty glows from the inside, as their hearts, minds and actions are full of great passion for improving the lives of working people. SHOUT IT! I’d like to introduce a sister whose passion is aglow! 

Meet Oneshia Shade-Portlette, Chairwoman of The Transport Workers Union of America Local 100 AFL-CIO Transit and Railroad Division.   

Oneshia got involved in the union after she was seriously hurt on the job and ‘fell through the cracks’ with no representation. She has been an advocate for workers for over five years.

This is her first summer school. Her favorite part is ‘meeting new union sisters as we learn to share and empower one another’.  She thanks her union sisters for getting her to summer school and sends a SHOUT OUT to sisters Celeste Kirkland and Crystal Lee Smith – both TWU International Divisional Working Women Committees.

A book that has influenced her work as a zone rep is The Art of War by Lao Tzu

You’ll find Oneshia wherever there is serious discussion about sisters’ rights.

She is pictured here with this blogger.

World Cafe /Panel de Experiencias

Día 2

Entre interesantísimas clases, movernos de un edificio a otro y compartir muchas risas, hoy vivimos la experiencia de escuchar las vivencias de hermosas hermanas empoderadas en sus distintas luchas convencidas de que sus voces tenía que ser escuchadas. Cada una de ellas expusieron sus experiencias de cómo fue que se cansaron de esperar que le fueran resueltas sus situaciones y se involucraron en la búsqueda de la solución. “Enough is Enough” fue la mayor consigna en esta discusión, que les dio el convencimiento de que sus voces podía ser escuchadas. Lograron el sentido de pertenencia, la empatía y el compromiso que necesitaban para poder comenzar en sus luchas sindicales.

El resultado, extraordinarias mujeres que con sus vivencias y con la frente en alto lograron hacerse sentir.

En mi caso personal me siento sumamente orgullosa de Tania Lopez, una diviva hermana de lucha sindical que con su consciencia de justicia se ha convertido en la VOZ de los que han decidido mantenerse en silencio.

Shoulder to Shoulder

Ok.  I admit it.  I was a little late to the poster making class this evening, but for the best of reasons… I was doing my homework for the Union Building workshop and had got caught up in the nonsense intricacies of my local’s constitution and bylaws.    

The cynical voice inside my head was mocking the arts and crafts-iness of the program.  But then  I started looking around at what the other women were creating from some colored paper and markers.  It was looking pretty nifty.  I got into it.  I embraced my inner kindergardener, the one who loved to color and paste.  I made my sign, it wasn’t too bad.  Cool, I thought.  Fun.  What the amazing artists back at my local could do with this!  I thought.  The cynical voice had dulled down to a low whisper and was muttering on about how my sign wasn’t really that great.  I started getting a little down about my sign.The colors were wrong, it should be more creative, it wasn't perfect. Then everyone gathered up in the front of the room for a photograph with their signs and the light bulb went on!

We are, none of us, all that great on our own.  But standing together, shoulder to shoulder, with these signs we had literally just whipped up in an hour, what an impact!  What a beautiful thing, a cohesive whole from many disparate, imperfect parts.  

We are Union!

Solidarity Forever (in Spanish)

Solidarity Forever was led by our Puerto Rico Sisters at morning plenary!

Raising My Voice

This blog post was emailed to me from a sister at Summer School and I am posting it on her behalf:

Welcome to the very first entry of my blog.  I am a university professor, a feminist, and a union activist-- hence my pen name, University Sister.  It’s time for me to put my pen where my mouth is.  A workshop on social media I am taking today has given me the opportunity to start a blog.

When I signed up for the Summer School for Union Women sponsored by the Northeast UALE (United Association for Labor Education) a few weeks ago, I had no idea how intense it would be.  The theme of the summer school this year is “Raising Our Voices: Union Women Leading Democracy in Our Work, Our Country and Our World!”  This is the third day of six and I’m struggling to absorb all of the information coming our way as well as getting to know dozens of women we are meeting in our classes and other sessions.  School starts at 8:15 every morning and goes until after p.m. each night.

I can imagine all kinds of applications of what I am learning and I’m anxious to share these strategies with other leaders in my union, United University Professions, where the statewide Executive Board has just been feminized by the May 2013 elections.  For the first time in its history, the board contains more women than men; twelve of its twenty members are female.  It is incumbent upon the women stepping forward in their unions to use all their considerable skills in support of the mission of higher education unions.  Unions need the power of women more than ever, especially in the public employee unions which are under violent attack. Women’s life experience ideally suits them to understanding the challenges and rewards of democracy.

Of the three “courses” I am taking, the “Union Building: Tools for Strengthening Your Union from the Inside” taught by Angela Ferritto has impressed me most.  Some of Angela’s pointers are shockingly counter-intuitive.   I can see that practices I had assumed made sense, really don’t. There are better ways to engage our members.  I wish every delegate in my union could take this course.  Angela is an Organizer for Council 13 of AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in Pennsylvania).  All I can say is, AFSCME is really lucky to have her.

- University Sister (Anonymous)