October  2007

 
 

Workers Minority Caucus Executive Committee.
 

Please join us in welcoming both Brother Gary Parker  and Sister Charlotte White to  the  Electrical

 

 
 

New Executive Committee Members

 
 

Gary Parker is a journey level electrician and has worked in the electrical industry for 8 years.  He is a member of IBEW LU 11.  He is a member of A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) and President of the local chapter of EWMC.  In February 2007, he joined the staff of IBEW LU 11 as an Organizer. 

 

Charlotte White started in the labor movement 25 years ago as a member of  IBEW LU 15.  She has served as Chief Steward for over 15 years.  In 2000, she was hired as a Temporary Organizer for the Sixth District.  In 2002, she joined the staff of IBEW LU 15 as a Business Representative / Organizer.  Charlotte is also an active member with APRI and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionist (CBTU).

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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APRI: An Effective Voice in Labor and the Community

    By Charlotte White

 
 

AFL/CIO mobilizes                Steward Army

The idea behind the stewards army is simple, but powerful: Create a movement-wide network of stewards—the union official closest to the members, who works alongside the rank-and-file members—to educate, organize and mobilize members around key issues. Unions such as the Communications Workers of America (CWA), Electrical Workers (IBEW), United Steelworkers (USW) and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) already have put the process into motion with revamped steward training and mobilization.

The stewards army includes both active union members and retirees. Its action program will be directed sometimes at an employer or workplace and other times will be focused more broadly on an industry goal or even a national issue such as health care. Actions can range from sending an e-mail message to participating in rallies, meeting with elected officials and mobilizing thousands for mass action.

Speaking to the AFL-CIO last December, CWA President Larry Cohen, who chairs the AFL-CIO Executive Council Committee on Organizing, laid out the case for the stewards army:   

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 


EWMC Officers and Members held an IBEW Caucus at the conference where the topics of discussion were “EWMC’s Mission  Statement, Objectives, New Strategies and Tactics, Resolution, and Voters Registration”.
 
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The APRI 38th Annual Conference was held on August 1st thru August 5th in Oakland, California.  A gracious and warm welcome was given to all members by APRI President, Clayola Brown along with an overview of the conference program.  The schedule of events included a special screening of the movie “Sicko” by Michael Moore and the HBO acclaimed movie “Life Support” highlighting the impact of HIV/Aids in our communities. Informative discussions on training track topics included “Obesity”, “Heart Disease” and “Diabetes”.  Workshops were held on “Sickle Cell Anemia”, “HPV/Cervical Cancer”, “Grief Management: Mental Health”, “Media Messaging”, “Making the Most of Your Health Plan”, and the “Importance of Supplemental Benefits”.  EWMC Officers and Members held an IBEW Caucus at the conference where the topics of discussion were “EWMC’s Mission Statement, Objectives, New Strategies and Tactics, Resolution, and Voters Registration”.  The Caucus also discussed IBEW President Ed Hill’s Report on the April 2nd, 2007 Meeting with the EWMC Board Members, which was given by Carolyn Williams, Director of Human Services for the IBEW.  All APRI Members enjoyed a very gratifying and informative conference and returned to their locals with a wealth of knowledge to share.

 
 

“Being a steward can no longer mean, as  important as it is, that I know the contract, that I’ll protect the rights of my fellow workers, that I’ll handle a grievance, that I’ll help lead a contract fight. We need a stewards’ army in every union…so we’re there for each other’s fights…so we can talk to each other quickly and turn out hundreds of thousands of people. So that corporate management knows at every company in this country, in every organizing fight, in every strike, in every bargaining fight, the stewards’ army will be there”.

 
 

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