Meet the Elected Human Relations Committee. Members of the Elected Human Relations Committee will be available to discuss general human relations issues with conference attendees. Sessions will be held after the last breakout each day on:
- Monday, January 23
- Tuesday, January 24
More than 30 breakout and Special Interest Sessions focused on a variety of important topics and trends in human relations. Workshops will address:
- Behavioral Health
- Building Union Solidarity
- Challenging Racism
- Conflict Resolution
- Cross-Cultural/Generational Communications
- Current Trends in the Labor Movement
- Diversity in the Workplace
- Establishing and Maintaining a Diverse Local
- Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Issues
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- Harassment
- Human Relations Committees
- Joint Labor-Management Initiatives
- Legal Issues
- Mentoring Programs
- Outreach Programs
- Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse Workforce
- Serving Diverse Communities
- Work/Life Balance
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Ernest A. “Buddy” Mass, one of the founders of the Human Relations Committee, devoted himself to improving human relations within the IAFF. He served as president of San Antonio, TX Local 624 and was later elected 11th District Vice President. Until his retirement in 2004, Buddy Mass tirelessly served IAFF members in Texas and Oklahoma for 22
years. He was instrumental in passing the resolution that established the first “Minority Affairs Conference” 24 years ago and went on to serve as the first Chairperson of the IAFF Civil Rights Committee (now known as the Human Relations Committee). The IAFF continues to advance his commitment to equality for all fire fighters through education, research, technical assistance and the biennial Ernest A. “Buddy” Mass Human Relations Conference.
The Ernest A. “Buddy” Mass Human Relations Conference isn’t just for members of local human relations committees. The conference offers a wide breadth of workshops on topics that are helpful to affiliate leaders seeking guidance on preventing and handling human relations issues among their membership, members aspiring to improve their conflict resolution skills, and other fire service/EMS representatives who strive to create a harmonious working environment.
