September 2009 Courses
All Southwest Organizing School classes are held in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Santa Fe is a worldclass tourist destination and the second oldest city in the country, now celebrating its 400th anniversary. Three of Santa Fe's eight City Councilors come out of the labor movement. The Mayor was a CWA Local President. Santa Fe also has the country's highest minimum wage ($9.85 per hour), the strongest affordable housing ordinance, and a highly successful immigrant rights movement.
Pro-Labor Local Economic Development:
New Union Strategies
September 11-12
This course will help students understand traditional corporate-oriented local economic
development policies and develop strategies to support “good jobs” alternatives. It will also address how to take advantage of the new federal stimulus monies and other new federal funding. Students will learn how a focus on their local communities can create better jobs, strengthen unions, and make communities more livable. NLC Course LBPE3020. $348*
Instructor. Cam Duncan has been a labor educator and union researcher for over 23 years. From 1998 to 2006, Cam was Regional Director for the Americas of Public Service International (PSI), the global federation of public service unions. PSI represents over 20 million public employees worldwide. Cam also has worked for the AFSCME Research Department, the AFL-CIO Workers Institute for Safety and Health, and the AFL-CIO International Department. Besides teaching for labor groups, Cam taught economics at the American University and the University of Buenos Aires. He served as Chief Economist for the U.S. House Committee on Small Business between 1986 and 1988. Cam received his Ph.D. in labor economics from American University.
Classes. Classes start at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. on Friday, September 11th and continue from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 12th. There will be homework at night. All classes will be held at CWA Local 7076, 460 St. Michaels Drive, Building 1000, Suite 1001, Santa Fe, NM 87505.
Negotiations Strategy & Tactics
September 13-17
Students develop collective bargaining strategy and improve their skills in conducting face-to-face negotiations. The class will also look at proposals to address concession bargaining and examine the impact of the recent Penn Plaza Supreme Court decision. The course will focus on establishing an effective bargaining team, using Excel spread sheets for costing out, and developing membership and community pressure to impact the negotiations process. NLC Course LBUS3860. $522*
Instructors. Morty Simon and Carol Oppenheimer each have more than 35 years of experience as labor attorneys doing arbitration and labor litigation. They have both been listed in The Best Lawyers in America. They have taught trial advocacy and tactics in law schools and to groups of attorneys. They teach arbitration, advanced arbitration, workers' rights, grievance handling, and negotiations for the Southwest Organizing School. They teach employment law at the main campus of the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland. They also serve as the Directors of the Southwest Organizing School. Richard de Vries is a business agent at Teamsters Local 705, Chicago, the second largest Teamsters Local in the country. Richard has been on Teamster staff for 14 years and has bargained a variety of contracts. He will be working with participants to develop Excel spread sheet cost analysis for bargaining.
Classes. Classes start at 7 p.m. on Sunday night, September 13th, and continue from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, September 14th to 17th. There will be homework at night. Students should bring laptops, calculators and their collective bargaining agreements. All classes will be held at NEA-New Mexico, 20078 Botulph Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505.
Housing for both courses. If you need housing, we have made arrangements with two hotels. The Lodge at Santa Fe, 750 North St. Francis Drive, is near downtown Santa Fe. The Plaza Rael, 125 Washington Street, is in the heart of downtown. Both are not within walking distance to classes and the rates vary during the year. The rates for a single or a double during the days of this class are $115 per night at the Lodge and $145 per night at the Plaza Rael. Call 888-563-4373 for the Lodge and 877-901-7666 for the Plaza Rael and ask for the special rate for the National Labor College. The cut-off date for holding our block of rooms at the special rates is 30 days prior to class. There is a $14 per night/per vehicle parking fee at the Plaza Rael.
* Southwest Organizing School is a project of the National Labor College (NLC). The NLC is an open enrollment institution. AFL-CIO subsidies make it possible for the NLC to offer affordable tuition rates to individuals who are members or staff of AFL-CIO affiliated unions or other eligible unions, are members of state federations and central labor councils, are members of Working America or have an immediate family relationship with a member of an AFL-CIO affiliated union, or other eligible unions. Tuition is $174 per credit hour, plus a $174 Administrative Fee, for AFL-CIO affiliated or other eligible union and Working America members and family; $233 per credit hour, plus a $233 Administrative Fee, for non AFL-CIO affiliated union members; and $1,137 per credit for others. If you submit a post-class paper, you will receive an extra credit and will not be charged an additional amount. For more information on courses, call Morty Simon, Carol Oppenheimer, or Robin Gould at 505-992-8477 or email them at sworganizing@nlc.edu. For a printable registration form, go to http://www.nlc.edu and click on Southwest Organizing School. For all registration questions, contact Carol Rodgers at 301-431-5440 or crodgers@nlc.edu.
200909_Courses.pdf
