Join us for our Summer Leadership Institute, a series of virtual workshops for local leaders and members to refine their leadership skills as well as to promote participation and initiative in our union! We have a range of different classes and with this institute we aim to come together across the state for conversation and learning.
“Over the last year, we’ve seen clearly just how important unions are for working people. By joining together through our union, we can win safer working conditions, earn better pay and benefits, and advocate together for public policy changes that we would never get on our own,” says AFT Massachusetts President Beth Kontos. “Our success as a union depends on individual members joining together to win changes in their communities. We’re excited to bring our Summer Leadership Institute back this year to train and engage union members and leaders across the state.”
“The Summer Leadership Institute helped make me a stronger and more engaged union activist,” says Kim Luz, Fall River Federation of Paraprofessionals. “It’s a terrific opportunity to connect with union members and leaders from across the state, learn new skills, and develop strategies to bring back to my union.”
Follow the link and complete the form to register for the workshop. Sign up for one or as many as you'd like!
Sharing Your Story with the Press. Value, Problem, Solution and Answer Saves the Day!
Thursday, July 8 at 10 am via Zoom.
This spokesperson training will teach attendees how to effectively tell their own stories for the purpose of social change. This is crucial because educators and librarians are the real experts of their lived experiences, yet are often bypassed in lieu of spokespeople to whom members of the press are more familiar. The training will cover the elements of a good story, tools for crafting your story, ample time for practicing your story and receiving feedback, and an overview of the types of outlets where you can share your story.
Union Power and the Role of the Building Rep/Chapter Chair
Thursday, July 8, 2021 10:00 am via Zoom
Explore what is the source of the union's strength and power and the role of the building representative. This training would be appropriate for rank and file members who are interested in becoming more involved in their union, as well as existing building reps and library chapter chairs.
Para to Teacher Pipeline
Monday, July 12 at 3 pm via Zoom.
Para Educators are an integral part of the education system in every school. Some Para Educators are interested in transitioning into a teaching position. Explore opportunities available within the state and within your school district to develop a pipeline from Para to Teacher within your local union.
Organizing conversations and signing up new hires
Tuesday, July 13 at 10 am via Zoom.
Coming out of this health crisis of Covid 19 and with un-presented amounts of federal and state dollars coming to our districts. Having good organizing conversations with our co-workers and signing up new hires into our unions has never been more Important. This summer is the perfect time to train on rocking back to school, reaching out to new hires, and signing up new union members. In this training we will discuss the new implications of ground breaking pro-union legislation passed in Massachusetts and how it gives us space and rights to organize with our co-workers. Our local unions fought so hard for safe schools and for the funding to reach out to districts. Now it is up to us as local union members to tell that story to new hires and ask them to join with us and our unions going forward. We can do that best through 1 on 1 conversations and empowering our building reps at the school and library level.
AFT Plus Member Benefits
Tuesday, July 13 at 4 pm via Zoom
AFT + Member Benefits add value to union membership and can be an important tool in engaging both members and prospective members. AFT + Member Benefits has over 40 member programs, many of which offer unique features or discounts not readily available to others. This webinar will give you information on the individual benefit programs, tell you how to get more information if you need it, and spark some ideas about how to use the benefits in your local. In addition, we’ll touch on the benefits your members received through the AFT which were created to help local unions and save them money. We'll also discuss two important voluntary local-paid benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment and the Occupational Liability Insurance.
Know Your Legal Options
Wednesday, July 14 at 3 pm via Zoom
Description A seminar for Local leaders to understand the legal options and the services provided by the State Federation Legal Department. This will cover arbitrations and unfair labor practice charges and the difference between these approaches. We will look at when the Local is obligated to represent a person and what services are provided only to dues paying members. We will also review teacher license cases, DCF fair hearings, and regular pension appeals.
Weingarten Rights and Investigatory Meetings
Thursday, July 15, 2021 10:00 am via Zoom
Learn about our rights on the job and in investigatory meetings. What is the role of the building/union representative in investigatory meetings? This training would be appropriate for rank and file members as well as building reps/library chapter chairs.
Techniques and Tactics for Effective Communication Online and in Print
Thursday, July 15 at 4 pm via Zoom.
In this training attendees will focus on applying some of the principles from the first training to written communication, particularly social media posts and letters to the editor. Social media platforms are some of the most effective spaces to organize and influence your communities, and this training will walk you through best practices from digital organizers across the country. We will cover Facebook and Twitter.
Building Power for Education Justice
Tuesday, July 20 at 4 pm via Zoom
Join us on July 20 for an exploration of the steps, organizing structures and actions needed to build strong union-community partnerships to win for our schools and communities
Roles and Responsibilities of Local Treasurers
Wednesday, July 21 at 4 pm via Zoom
The roles and responsibilities of local treasurers will be explored and topics include:membership records and reporting, budgets, records of the union’s finances, setting and collecting dues from members as well as agency fees from non-members (if applicable), filing requisite forms with the government, payroll (the union as an employer).
Introduction to Grievance Handling
Thursday, July 29, 2021 and Thursday, August 5, 2021 both at 10:00 am via Zoom
This is a two day training. We learn how to identify what is a grievance, the principles of past practice, and tips for interviewing a potential grievant. You will also learn the top tips on documenting, writing and presenting a grievance. This training is good for rank and file members who want to learn more about the grievance process, as well as building reps/library chapterchairs and elected leaders.
Organizing conversations and signing up new hires
Wednesday, August 4 at 4 pm via Zoom.
Coming out of this health crisis of Covid 19 and with un-presented amounts of federal and state dollars coming to our districts. Having good organizing conversations with our co-workers and signing up new hires into our unions has never been more Important. This summer is the perfect time to train on rocking back to school, reaching out to new hires, and signing up new union members. In this training we will discuss the new implications of ground breaking pro-union legislation passed in Massachusetts and how it gives us space and rights to organize with our co-workers. Our local unions fought so hard for safe schools and for the funding to reach out to districts. Now it is up to us as local union members to tell that story to new hires and ask them to join with us and our unions going forward. We can do that best through 1 on 1 conversations and empowering our building reps at the school and library level.