District Council 5 members Chris Bryant of Local Union 1094 (Seattle), Robert Rahkonen of Local Union 300 (Seattle) and Jack Johnson of Local Union 10 (Portland) recently completed the IUPAT Leadership Training Series held at the Finishing Trades Institute in Hanover, Maryland. The Leadership Training Series is jointly administered by the IUPAT, North America’s Building Trades Unions and Michigan State University. It is a non-consecutive eight-week course spread out over a year-and-a-half. The course brings together representatives and organizers from the United States and Canada to learn about a wide range of topics including organizing, labor law and contract negotiations.
This group of DC 5 members began their training in January 2016. Their final week of class took place from July 9 – July 14, 2017. Utilizing what they have learned, the representatives and organizers built an organizing campaign during this series. The training also gave them the opportunity to learn about effective organizing strategies from members in different geographic areas.
Since returning home, DC 5’s representatives are now assisting the organizing department by going on job blitzes and helping them gather information about jobs in their area and potential new signatories. They plan to use some of the negotiation strategies learned during the training in upcoming meetings.
Continuing education goes beyond our skills with the tools, it is about taking the classes to build our union as well. Find out more on what is available for your future by contacting your district council.