Build Your Skills at the National Labor College
The National Labor College (NLC) is offering a new round of skills-building courses, beginning in January, in areas ranging from negotiation and organizing to working with new union staff.
New offerings in the NLC’s Bonnie Ladin Union Skills program include the following courses: Contract Negotiations in the Private Sector, Arbitration Preparation and Presentation 1, Secretary-Treasurers LM-2 Requirements, Organizing 1, Negotiating and Writing Contract Language and New Union Staff. Click here to register today.
All classes take place at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Md. More information is available here.
Sign Up Today for Skills Classes at National Labor College
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Time is running out to get into classes to build your union skills and learn how to be an effective union organizer and contract negotiator. The Bonnie Ladin Union Skills Program at the National Labor College (NLC) offers a series of online courses to provide tools for building a stronger union movement. The first five union skill courses set for September are filling up, so click here to enroll today.
The skills courses that begin next month include Organizing I, Contract Negotiations in the Private Sector, Grievance Mediation, Arbitration Preparation and Presentation Level I and Secretary-Treasurers LM-2 Requirements. Click here for the complete Bonnie Ladin Union Skills calendar, online registration, complete course descriptions, tuition information and more.
300 Join Labor College Fundraising Gala
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Lara Manzione of the National Labor College reports on last night’s “Time to Build” fundraising gala at the college.
Following the first day of the AFL-CIO Executive Council meeting held at the National Labor College (NLC) in Silver Spring, Md., the college hosted a “A Time to Build” gala last night. The gala honored Mark Ayers, president of the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD), and the presidents of five entertainment unions: Ray Hair, American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM); Ken Howard, Screen Actors (SAG); Matthew Loeb, Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE); Roberta Reardon, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA); and Nick Wyman, Actors’ Equity (AEA).
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says he selected the NLC as the location for this Executive Council meeting because “education is such an important part of the future of the labor movement, and a key way for us to transmit labor’s values during a time of change in our economy and our society.”
It’s Not Too Late to Enroll in Labor College’s Online Union Skills Courses
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If you want to sharpen your union skills or learn how to be an effective union organizer and contract negotiator, the National Labor College (NLC) has the courses for you. The Bonnie Ladin Union Skills Program offers a series of online courses to provide tools for building a stronger union movement. The first five union skill courses being offered in September are filling up, so enroll today here.
The skills courses being offered next month include Organizing I, Contract Negotiations in the Private Sector, Grievance Mediation, Arbitration Preparation and Presentation Level I, and Secretary-Treasurers LM-2 Requirements. Click here for the complete Bonnie Ladin Union Skills calendar, online registration, complete course descriptions, tuition information and more.
The courses are named in honor of the late Bonnie Ladin, who for 30 years usied her talent for helping members and staff to train generations of organizers and other leaders for SEIU. She served in several SEIU leadership positions, including director of the Office Worker Division, the “Dignity” Nursing Home Organizing Campaign and the Healthcare Division. Prior to her death earlier this year, she worked as an educator at the Labor College.
This year NLC also is offering a new degree program just for union members and their families. You can earn a degree in Labor Studies, Business Administration, Construction Management or Emergency Readiness and Response. Register today for the fall semester at www.nlc.edu/new-students/degree.
New: Finish Your Degree Online at Labor College
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Whether you need one more class to get your degree or two years’ worth, now is the time to look into the National Labor College’s (NLC) online bachelor’s degree programs. This year NLC is offering a new degree program just for union members and their families.You can earn a degree in Labor Studies, Business Administration, Construction Management or Emergency Readiness and Response. Register today for the fall semester at www.nlc.edu/new-students/degree.
These new programs offer union members the convenience and flexibility of online study. Union members get a big discount on tuition and Union Privilege also sponsors a number of scholarships to help with tuition. By taking advantage of the special union member rates and scholarships, NLC students can complete their degrees for less than $10,000 in two years. Additional learning from work experience and apprenticeships can earn union members credits toward completing their degrees.
55 Students Graduate From National Labor College
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Bridget Benjamin was unemployed for the entire two years she attended the National Labor College (NLC) and wasn’t sure from day to day where the money was going to come from for tuition. Dennis Miller balanced a full-time job, a family of four and traveling across country for classes at NLC.
Despite these obstacles, Benjamin and Miller are now college graduates. Last weekend, they joined 53 other union members who received degrees during NLC’s 13th commencement.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka paid tribute to the graduates, saying:
Today, the labor movement confronts challenges everywhere we turn.
That’s why it’s important that we have graduates who understand the world that we live in and how to effectively respond to these challenges.
Transport Worker Wins Seidman Prize
The Alliance for Retired Americans Educational Fund has awarded its sixth annual Bert and Annabel Seidman Prize for Advancing Social Policy to National Labor College (NLC) student Gary Schaible. The prize, and its accompanying $3,000 honorarium, encourages NLC students to research and analyze social policies that affect the older population.
A member of the Transport Workers (TWU) from Lewisville, Texas, Schaible received the prize for his senior project entitled “Retirement? Not In This Lifetime: How Retirement for Aircraft Mechanics Is Becoming a Dream of the Past.” Runners-up were Craig von Collenberg, Carl Simons and Nicole Baker, all members of the Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA).
Schaible’s paper discussed the ongoing struggle to secure a dignified retirement and addressed an issue to which every working American can relate. Specifically, he mentioned how easily defined-pension benefits and jobs can evaporate in this era of uncertainty.
Great Labor Arts Exchange Kicks Off June 17
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Don’t miss the explosion of arts and activism at the 2011 Great Labor Arts Exchange June 17-19 at the National Labor College (NLC) in Silver Spring, Md. The three-day festival brings together union and social justice activists who combine union mobilization and outreach with songs, skits, art, poetry, theater, posters, cartoons and film.
The festival will be topped off Sunday, June 19, with a public gala concert with conference participants and national and international artists, such as Anne Feeney, Bev Grant, Pam Parker and Charlie King. Members of four labor choruses—D.C., New York City, Solidarity Notes and Charm City—and others will perform in the concert in the NLC auditorium.
Also check out the the Creative Organizing Conference, where activists discuss the best ways to use art to help spread the union message.
For more information on either event, click here.
Register Now for Online Courses at National Labor College
Lara Manzione, vice president for marketing and communications at the National Labor College, reminds union members there’s still time to register for college courses.
If graduation season is making you wish you had completed your college degree, now is the time to do something about it. The National Labor College (NLC) is the labor movement’s own institution dedicated to educating union members and families. The college is currently registering students for the fall. If you apply before June 1, 2011, the application fee ($60 value) is waived. The tuition is highly discounted for union members (about $250 per credit) and many union classes or apprenticeships are eligible for automatic credit. Union Privilege also sponsors a number of scholarships to help with tuition.
Courses are taught online so you can schedule time for school when it’s convenient for you. So, whether you need one more class to get your degree or two years’ worth, now is the time to look into the National Labor College’s bachelor’s degree programs in Labor Studies, Business Administration, Construction Management and Emergency Readiness and Response at www.nlc.edu/new-students/degree.
Green Labor Journal Highlights Seattle Training Program
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| Frank Benish, apprenticeship coordinator for the Western Washington Cement Masons, instructs a student in the SODO program. | |
South Seattle Community College’s Georgetown campus is creating new training programs to meet the growing needs for job training with a focus on environmental sustainability. The Georgetown campus also houses the largest regional apprenticeship training program in the Pacific Northwest, representing more than 25 programs with strong labor and management commitment.
The April 2011 online edition of the Green Labor Journal spotlights the Georgetown campus for its green jobs training programs in construction and manufacturing, ranging from weatherization training to commercial energy auditing.
In partnership with the apprenticeship training programs, the college also has created new opportunities for disadvantaged youth and adults to learn about the trades and receive industry-valued safety certifications through the Seeking Opportunities Developing Occupations (SODO) program.
