Why I'm An Organizer
Union organizer talking about why she loves what she does.
High spirits at Sutter Solano strike.
Union organizers help people who work secure union representation at their worksite. A union organizer informs people (mostly nonunion workers) about their rights, identifies and develops leadership skills among workers, explains the union organizing process and helps the workers campaign for union recognition. The organizer builds relationships based on what those workers do on their jobs, the problems they face at work and challenges and inspires them to get involved with their co-workers to have a say on the job by organizing a union. The ultimate goal is for workers to build power in their workplaces by winning a binding agreement with their employer that makes real improvements in their living and working conditions.
The AFL-CIO Organizing Institute offers several training options for those interested in becoming a union organizer and includes hands-on campaign work with unions. The 10-week AFL-CIO Law Student Union Summer program for law students combines front-line labor-related public interest legal work with grassroots campaigns by AFL-CIO-affiliated unions throughout the country.
Union organizer talking about why she loves what she does.
James Gilbert is director of the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council.
Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer. Many Americans will enjoy a day off with family and friends, perhaps at a barbecue or baseball game. Those times and the memories that are created are precious and should be celebrated. Since 1868, this holiday has served as a moment when Americans remember the men and women of the military who lost their lives to preserve our freedom.
In that spirit, I ask that you take time this weekend to do something with your family to pass along the tradition of remembrance. All across the country, there will be ceremonies at many of the 131 Department of Veterans Affairs cemeteries. The National Cemetery Administration honors veterans with final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service to our nation. To find out where and when a wreath-laying is happening in your area, go to the National Cemetery Administration’s website.
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