Developing the Next Generation of Union Members
One of the breakout panels at the AFL-CIO Convention this afternoon focused on the critical issue of leadership development among the next generation of union members. Delegates chose from eight breakout panels focusing on issues key to building a stronger union movement, stronger economy and stronger America. Here’s what a few of the participants in the next generation breakout panel had to say:
Liz McLoone of the Southeast Minnesota Area Labor Federation said she was interested in the discussion of how more experienced members can reach out to new members.
“I went to the panel on how to recruit and encourage younger people to get involved with the leadership of the labor movement, because that‘s something I’m going to take back to my leadership, because they’re always asking me, how do I get new people involved?
“I want to propose to them that they take on a new member, in their local, because they have that access to them on the job, day by day, and monitor and mentor those people.”
Williams, Gage, Sullivan Re-Elected, Urge Fast Action to Rescue America’s Workers
Saying the best is yet to come for working people, three affiliated unions called for teamwork and urged their members to take advantage of the new political landscape in Washington to help working families.
Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) President James Williams, AFGE President John Gage and Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA) President Michael Sullivan, who all were re-elected at their unions’ conventions, echoed AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka’s call for union members to work together to take back the country. Trumka spoke at all three conventions.
Williams said the challenges facing working families will require unity and teamwork.
It’s all about team…we can’t overcome the challenges ahead of us all alone, we need each and every one of you to help us.
Painters’ Corporate-Style Annual Reports Keep Union Growing
Over the past four years, Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) President James Williams has taken a page from the playbook of employers and the way they do business. Each year, his staff produces an annual report for the international union and for each of the 34 IUPAT district councils in the United States and Canada that looks like a corporate balance sheet.
Now, IUPAT leaders at all levels, from Williams on down, are thinking in terms of market share, annual reports and audits, and at the same time they are considering organizing and contract negotiations.
While other unions use similar formats, few are as detailed as the IUPAT reports. The annual reports measure everything from loss or gain in total membership to the ratio of apprentices to regular members, average age of members and apprentices, ratio of elected staff versus appointed staff, net assets and liquid reserves. The international union staff evaluates the reports and then works with the councils to build an action plan to correct weaknesses and build on strengths. The data also includes trends in the industry where members work so that contract negotiators can have the information they need to better bargain for contracts.
Get the Latest on Pulte Homes
 |
|
Keep up with the latest news about Pulte Homes, one of the nation’s largest home builders, on Building Justice’s updated website, http://poorlybuiltbypulte.info/. The site also enables homeowners to complete a survey about their experiences with Pulte.
Building Justice is a partnership of the Painters and Allied Trades union (IUPAT), the Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA), the AFL-CIO, Pulte homeowners, community members and elected officials to improve conditions at Pulte developments.
Workers in three Western states employed by contractors hired by Pulte report unpaid wages and overtime, pressure to work through break periods and pressure to bypass safety precautions. They report sexual harassment and discrimination on the job. Some workers also report that appropriate construction materials, safety equipment and potable drinking water are not available.
Workers, Homeowners Deliver Lemons to Pulte Exec
 |
||||
|
||||
A Pulte Homes executive got a special delivery this morning, when 50 angry workers and supporters delivered lemon awards to him at a state board meeting. The workers and homeowners in three western states say buyers should beware before they purchase a home built by Pulte or its subsidiaries.
The protest at the Nevada State Contractors Board meeting in Las Vegas came on the same day that Building Justice released a report that shows nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of respondents to a survey of owners of homes built by Pulte and its Del Webb subsidiary reported their homes had construction defects. Building Justice is a partnership comprised of the Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA), the AFL-CIO, community members, Pulte homeowners and elected officials to improve conditions at Pulte developments.
