Labor in Illinois

More Details:

1. WHAT'S GOING ON WITH G-MAIL?

The last CLEP UPdate was returned via a UBC Business Agent whose mail
server is g-mail. A live link had been embedded in it that linked to an
anti-union website. G-mail (or Google) apparently AUCTIONS off keywords
(in this case, "labor" and "union") and links those keywords to the
website of the highest bidder. Please send along any examples of this
that you encounter.

2. SOME JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Field Education Coordinator – Western Region

This position is based in AFSCME’'s western region, preferably in
Oakland, CA. The primary responsibility is to develop and conduct
educational programs for AFSCME councils and locals in the region. As a
national union, our priorities are growth, political action, and
building affiliate capacity, so all our training programs are focused in
these three areas. Candidates must have significant union experience as
organizers, staff representatives, and/or rank and file leaders.
Interested candidates should contact Carol at canderson@afscme.org or
202-429-1250.

Education Coordinator – Washington, DC

This position is based in AFSCME’'s headquarters office in
Washington, DC. This position is focused on curriculum design and
development. The person in this position will serve as AFSCME’'s
liaison to the National Labor College. We are looking for someone with
excellent teaching, facilitation, and curriculum development skills who
has significant union experience as an organizer, staff representative,
and/or rank and file leader. Interested candidates should contact Elissa
at emcbride@afscme.org or 202-429-1250.

3. BASIC and ADVANCED CERTIFICATE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING CLASSES START
MARCH 6 and 7. Call 312-996-8733 if you do not already have a brochure
to send in.

THE MORNING BASIC SEQUENCE WILL START WITH THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
CLASS ON MARCH 6.

4. SHORT COURSES. Labor Literature begins Feb 13; ADA and Collective
Bargaining begins Feb. 20.

5. NATIONAL LABOR COLLEGE CLASSES START D

National Labor College classes are a partnership between the University
of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the National Labor College in Silver
Spring, Maryland (George Meany Center Campus). Each class costs $490
plus books. Evening classes run for 10 weeks; weekend classes typically
run three full days.

LBST2021.EMPLOYMENT LAW. February 4, Saturday, and February 18, March
4, 9 am to 4 pm. Statutes, cases and governmental agencies that affect
organizing and collective bargaining will be explored in this class. In
Chicago. Instructor: Ed Hertenstein.

LBOR 2180: Organizing and Representing the New Workforce. February 9,
Thursdays for 10 sessions, 6:00 - 9 pm. The complex relationship between
minorities - including women - and the labor movement; the phenomenon of
minority caucuses within the labor movement; the issue of minority
leadership. In Chicago. Instructor: Joe Berry.

LBST 2990, Educational Planning. February 24-25: Friday evening 6-9 pm
and Saturday 9-4. This is the portfolio class in which you learn how to
claim college credit towards your BA in Labor Studies. Instructor:
Helena Worthen

JUMPSTARTS. These are brief (4-hour) sessions for people who have taken
LBST 299, the Portfolio class, to answer questions, do some guided
computer research, identify course descriptions for claim-for-credit
essays, manage documentation, read over each other's work and critique
it and generally stay in touch. These can be organized whenever 2 or
more people ask for them. Call 312-996-8733.

5. POLK PROGRAMS: On April 21 we host a conference for nurses and
student nurses: "NURSING UNIONS IN ILLINOIS: FORMULA FOR THE FUTURE."
Spokespeople from INA, NNOC, AFSCME, SEIU and AFT - all the unions
representing nurses - have confirmed their participation. Suzanne
Gordon, author of "Nursing Against the Odds," will be keynote speaker.
Cost $50 includes lunch, materials. CEU's are being applied for.

The Regina V. Polk Women's Conference will be held May 17-20 at Pheasant
Run. The focus of the conference will be collective bargaining and
relevant skills and knowledge. This conference is fully funded with
scholarships from the Polk Fund. Scholarship applications will be mailed
soon.

On June 8th the Working Women's History Project will present it's
ten-year anniversary Readers' Theater production of "Come Along and
Join." This event is free. We are looking for live readers and
performers. It's a play about Mother Jones, Lucy Parsons, etc.

The Midwest School for Women Workers will be held here in Chicago July
16-21. Unions through the MidWest are being asked to sponsor women for a
week of intensive basic union education. Cost is $750 for full tuition,
room and board.

CACOSH, the Chicago Committee on Occupational Safety and Health, is now
located at Casa Aztlan at 1831 South Racine Street. Call organizer
Emanuel Blackwell to bring him to your union for a class, 708-359-3303.
You can support CACOSH by checking it when you contribute to Community
Shares of Illinois through your payroll deduction system.

Helena Worthen
NEW EMAIL: hworthen@uiuc.edu
Chicago Labor Education Program
Suite 110 The Rice Building
815 West Van Buren Street
Chicago, IL 60607
312-996-8733