Union Newsletters & Labor Communications
Presented by The University of Iowa Labor Center,
in cooperation with the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
Oakdale Hall, The University of Iowa Oakdale Campus, Coralville, IA
Monday April 28-Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28: Nuts and Bolts of Local Union Newsletters
8:30-9:00 Registration
9:00-9:15 Welcome and introductions - Jen Sherer, Labor Center
9:15-10:30 The labor press and union values in Iowa labor history
10:30-10:45 Break
10:45-12:00 Building your union throught the local newsletter: Case studies and ideas for features, interviews, and local coverage
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-2:15 Concurrent workshops
*Newsletters 101: Starting or reviving a newsletter in your local - Matt Glasson, Labor Center
*Advanced writing seminar for experienced editors - Jen Sherer and Lance Coles
2:15-2:30 Concurrent workshops, cont'd
3:00-4:15 Layout, graphics, and photo workshop - Jen Sherer and Lance Coles
4:15-5:00 Web sites and e-mail lists: Does your local need to go electronic? - Angel Gonzalez
Tuesday, April 28: Integrating State and National Labor Issues into Your Newsletter
8:30-9:30 National Trends: Common Sense Economics - Angel Gonzalez
9:30-10:30 State Trends: The State of Working Iowa - IPP
10:30-10:45 Break
10:45-12:00 Integrating key labor issues into the loval newsletter
* Sources for content on economic and political issues
* AFL-CIO Toolkit resources for newsletter editors
* "Localizing" borrowed stories
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-1:30 The political program of the Iowa labor movement - Ken Sagar, President, Iowa Federation of Labor
1:30-2:00 The power of local union communication: Effects of labor political education programs in recent elections
2:00-3:15 Newsletters as the heart of a loval mobilixing and political education program
* Ingtegrating your newsletter into a leafleting and mobilization program
* Designing and distributing leaflets and fliers
* Setting up a local communication network
3:15-3:30 Wrap-up and evaluations