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Center for Labor Education and Research |
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University level education programs for workers and their representatives |
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CLEAR Report |
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On my desk sits a jar containing oil from the spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Ironically, the oil -- scooped from the beach at Gulf Shores -- is in a jar labeled for chocolate gelato, and the oil-soaked sand looks just like a melting scoop of dark chocolate ice cream. |
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Tar balls on Gulf Shores Beach |
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The Gulf oil disaster and worker health |
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Volume 31, issue 2 |
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Upcoming Programs |
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Administering the Local Union, Wednesday, November 17, 2010. Running a local union has practical, political, and legal challenges. Join us November 17 to discuss these topics: 1. Legally-required reports and filings 2. Record-keeping 3. Planning and budgeting 4. Working with committees 5. Running meetings 6. Communicating with members, the international union, and the public The workshop will be held at CLEAR, Jefferson State, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The cost is $75. Questions? Call (205) 856-8030 or email csturgis@jeffstateonline.com. Register by phone, online, or by using the coupon below. Safety and Health Meetings. The second Friday of each month. For over 30 years, members of the United Steelworkers have met every month at CLEAR to discuss safety and health topics. These programs are open to members of all unions – just drop by! We meet from 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.; pay $4 at the door. See our web page – www.jeffstateonline.com/clear -- for topics and photos. September 10: Workplace violence October 8: Confined space November 12: Cold weather safety and electrical safety December 10: End of year wrap-up |
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To remove your name from our mailing list, please click here. Questions or comments? E-mail us at csturgis@jeffstateonline or call (205) 856-8030 |
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Workshops meet in the Fitzgerald Student Center in the Conference room on the 4th floor. |
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Social media sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs are new tools for you and your local union to communicate, for better or worse, with the outside world. Before you begin, however, you may want to ask a few legal questions. |
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What legal questions do I need to ask before I start to tweet? |
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At the end of July, Judi King will retire, capping a 29-year career with CLEAR. |
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Newsletter Spotlight |
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Social media sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs are new tools for you and your local union to communicate, for better or worse, with the outside world. Before you begin, however, you may want to ask a few legal questions. The legal concerns associated with online media are not very different from the concerns that arise when using print media. But, unlike a newsletter, Twitter and Facebook allow us to communicate instantaneously to almost everyone with an internet connection, anywhere in the world. It may feel like casual conversation, but such communication has the permanence of books. Now, you wouldn’t give a speech or write a newsletter article without a little reflection and preparation. The same is true for social media: at the very least, you should consider what you want to say and whether it is wise to broadcast that message to the entire online community. You might also want to consider these common sense guidelines for internet communication: 1. Have a strategy before you start. The model policy in the Social Fish white paper on social media is a good place to start, and it’s an easy read. Check it out at www.socialfish.org/whitepaper. 2. Set rules about what you are going to put online and who has access to the organization’s social media sites. Make sure everyone knows and supports these rules. 3. When you communicate on the internet, do so openly under your own name or that of your organization. Avoid anonymous communications and don’t say anything that you wouldn’t say if you had to put your name behind it. 4. Remember: everything you say online is potentially on record forever! If that information is libelous or defamatory, posts and blogs will probably be allowed in court as evidence. 5. Don’t tell secrets online -- ever! Determine what is confidential and keep it that way. You should know that the use of social media will almost certainly constitute speech and publication for legal purposes. When you tweet or update your Facebook page, you reproduce and distribute your communication – which means that you effectively “publish” your speech. Proof of publication is a requirement in most legal suits alleging defamation, injurious falsehood, and product disparagement. Once you push the “share” button, comments that are false or cause harm will cause you trouble. Even the unintentional or negligent release of misinformation could make you or your organization liable for damages. Keep in mind that while truth is a defense to defamation, the veracity of your communications may well be decided in court, at great expense to your organization. The best defense: avoid publishing information that is potentially injurious or libelous. There are other aspects of social media usage – trademark and copyright infringement, harassment, and discipline – that also deserve mention. To read more about these particular issues, we have a longer and more comprehensive article on our website. Check it out at www.jeffstateonline.com/clear. —Marc Cryer |
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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – known to most of us as “health care reform” – is a massive document signed into law March 23, 2010. It is comprehensive: it provides consumer protections, makes changes in the tax code, and encourages changes in all parts of the health care system. |
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Health care reform: what’s happening right now |
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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – known to most of us as “health care reform” – is a massive document signed into law March 23, 2010. It is comprehensive: it provides consumer protections, makes changes in the tax code, and encourages changes in all parts of the health care system. It is also one of the most misunderstood policies ever to be enacted, surrounded by lots of rhetoric and very few facts. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – known to most of us as “health care reform” – is a massive document signed into law March 23, 2010. It is comprehensive: it provides consumer protections, makes changes in the tax code, and encourages changes in all parts of the health care system. It is also one of the most misunderstood policies ever to be enacted, surrounded by lots of rhetoric and very few facts. Important parts of the legislation go into effect for insurance plan years beginning after September 23. For many of you, that means that these changes will appear in January 2011, although a few insurance companies are already implementing the changes. What you can expect: 1. Pre-existing condition exclusions for children under 19 will be eliminated. 2. Parents will be allowed to keep their children on their family coverage until they reach age 26. The adult children do not need to be students, nor dependent upon their parents for support, nor living at home. 3. Lifetime caps on the amount spent for an individual or family will be eliminated. 4. New individual and group plans will provide free preventive services. 5. Recission, the practice of dropping someone’s insurance because of prior illnesses, will be eliminated. This practice has been prevalent in the individual insurance market. 6. Tax credits to help defray the cost of employee insurance will be available for certain small businesses. One other change to expect this year: by the end of 2010, Medicare recipients who reach the prescription drug “doughnut hole” will receive a rebate of $250. The doughnut hole will be completely eliminated by 2020. Other important changes will be phased in over the next several years. We have posted significant dates and changes on our website: www.jeffstateonline.com/clear. You can also find solid, reliable information at these sites: --Judi King |
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In June, more than 400 people attended Next Up, the AFL-CIO’s first conference for young union leaders. At the meeting, participants recommended holding a youth summit every year, opening up seats for younger members at all levels of the labor movement, investigating the use of new media to reach young members, and searching for ways to carry the message of the labor movement to a wider audience. The young attendees identified access to information about the labor movement, in schools and in unions, as a top issue for them. Read more about the conference at www.aflcio.org/aboutus/youthsummit. |
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Parting Shots |
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Parting Shots |
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CLEAR at Jefferson State Community College csturgis@jeffstateonline.com |
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Miss Judi hangs up her markers |
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When Judi King came to CLEAR in 1981, more than 20% of Alabama workers were union members, and the bulk of CLEAR’s programs centered on collective bargaining and grievance administration. The labor movement has changed, the mix of courses has expanded, and CLEAR is even at a new location – but one thing, she says, remains the same: “CLEAR has always had a strong and dedicated staff, committed to our students.” |
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When Judi King came to CLEAR in 1981, more than 20% of Alabama workers were union members, and the bulk of CLEAR’s programs centered on collective bargaining and grievance administration. The labor movement has changed, the mix of courses has expanded, and CLEAR is even at a new location – but one thing, she says, remains the same: “CLEAR has always had a strong and dedicated staff, committed to our students.” At the end of July, Judi will retire, capping a 29-year career with CLEAR. When she arrived with new baby in arms, she could not have anticipated that she would eventually serve more years at CLEAR than any other staff member. During her tenure she worked with every director of CLEAR and every president of the Alabama AFL-CIO. She also served as CLEAR’s director for more than six years. While director, she never decreased her teaching schedule, but chose to juggle her added administrative duties with what she loved most: teaching. Judi came to CLEAR with a Master’s in Labor Relations, but she attributes her success as a labor educator to the union members she met in class. “It was the students,” she says, “who taught me all I know about the real world of workers and their union experience, and who helped me transform theory into practice. They were very patient with me.” Over the years, Judi taught most of the subjects offered by CLEAR, and helped develop many of the expanded offerings CLEAR teaches today: FMLA, Violence in the Workplace, Health Insurance and Pension Bargaining, and Work-Family Bargaining. She was also involved in the Southern School for Union Women for 25 years, serving as its Alabama coordinator twice. She wrote several articles about the Southern School. What comes next? Judi intends to travel, something she’s always loved to do, and to spend some time writing. Will she end up in the classroom again? She wouldn’t be surprised. She’d also love to keep in touch; you can reach her at One thing is certain: CLEAR will never be the same without Judi’s wit, wisdom and expertise. “I’ll miss her seemingly unlimited knowledge of the personalities, organizations and history of the Southern labor movement and our Center; Judi was the institutional memory, and when necessary, the conscience of CLEAR,” says the current Center director, Marc Cryer. We’ll all miss her – but we also wish her the best. —Melody Izard |
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Judi King and Melody Izard, Gulf Shores, AL |
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Oil clean-up on Gulf Shores, AL |
