NABET-CWA New Activist Training Yields Latest Class of Energized Union Leaders
Mar 19, 2012
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| The NAT Training Class of 2012, as well as Sector Officers and Staff at the MITAGS Training Center in Baltimore, MD |
NABET-CWA conducted its third New Activist Training (NAT) program from March 9 through March 12, as fourteen students from Locals throughout the country participated in intensive instruction covering everything from improving collective bargaining skills to effective grievance and arbitration processing to learning about Local officer responsibilities. This year’s training was held for the first time at the Maritime Institute for Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) in Baltimore, MD, representing a change in venue from prior NAT sessions which were held at the AFL-CIO’s National Labor College.
Students arrived on Friday, March 9 in time for an introductory session at 4pm. For the next three days, attendees received formal classroom training and participated in practical exercises, such as simulated negotiations utilizing realistic collective bargaining scenarios. The various training components were taught by NABET-CWA Staff Representatives Carrie Biggs-Adams and Bill Murray, Sector President Jim Joyce and Sector Vice President Charlie Braico, and Sector Counsel Judiann Chartier, Esq. Participants were provided with a number of training materials for classroom work, as well as being provided with a number of resource manuals for them to utilize upon returning home to conduct their union work.
This year’s NAT training, for the first time, was held conjunction with similar training being conducted by The Newspaper Guild-CWA, also at MITAGS. NABET-CWA and TNG-CWA held two joint sessions over the weekend, including a Friday night session where students from both Sectors listened to welcoming remarks from TNG-CWA President Bernie Lunzer and NABET-CWA President Joyce. At that session, all of the students discussed their backgrounds and learned that media workers in broadcast and print have much in common in terms of the challenges we face with technology advances and job convergence. On Saturday morning, the joint session featured a presentation from CWA President Larry Cohen, who had traveled straight from participating in the civil rights march in Selma, AL the night before.
When the NAT Training concluded, each NABET-CWA participant received a Certificate of Training, and seemed eager to put their new skills to work as they returned home. “I deeply appreciate the dedication of this year’s class of students. They spent a long weekend away from their families to improve their skills to better serve other members”, stated NABET-CWA President Joyce. He continued, “I know members from every Local will benefit from the efforts put in by the students in learning, as well as by efforts put in by Carrie, Bill, Charlie, Judi, and our office staff in preparing this event. We hope our Locals will continue to provide us with students as eager as this year’s class.”
Congratulations to this year’s class:
Sean Finn and Darryl Moment-Local 31, John Green-Local 212,Tom Carr, Kent Culpert and Michael Moore-Local 43, Mike Strotman-Local 44, Jeff Jenkins- Local 48, Kari Konopliv-Local 411, Randy Brase-Local 51, Arturo Davila, Eduardo Pulido, and William Putnam, Jr.-Local 53.
The Signal: March 16, 2012