12th District Partnership Education Program

Crisis Communications (2 hours)
Effectively addressing a crisis requires organization and planning. This workshop will address how to plan and organize in the case of a crisis and how to communicate with the public and media when crisis occurs.

Media Strategies and Messaging (2 hours)
It is important for affiliate leaders to have a media strategy, which should be a part of the overarching public relations campaign. This workshop will address components of media strategy, including understanding why a local should have a media strategy; knowing the considerations when developing a media strategy; constructing appropriate messaging based on delivery type and source; and understanding the importance of building coalitions.

Building Better Business Relationships (2 hours)
Communication skills are essential for effectively conveying ideas. Those skills are sometimes challenged when interpersonal communication is used to address differing opinions. By conscientiously employing rules of civility, leaders can rise above mere communication to achieve stronger working relationships. This workshop will explore the meaning of civility, distinctions made by different generations and strategies for employing civility in everyday situations.

Organizing and Implementing a Community Outreach Program (2 hours)
One of the most important things a local can do is to organize and implement an effective community outreach program by reaching out to elderly, faith and community-based organizations. Through a community outreach program, affiliates can create and foster good community relations, which can develop a reciprocal relationship between the fire service and the public. This workshop will provide participants with an understanding of the benefits to both the community at large and the local, as well as how an effective program can reinforce the positive image of fire fighters. This workshop will use case studies from effective community outreach programs developed by other locals.

Generational Differences (2 hours)
Currently, there are as many as four generations employed and working side by side in fire departments throughout the U.S. and Canada. Each generation brings its own individual values and behaviors and these can be a source of conflict in the workplace. This workshop will examine each of the four generations in a humorous way, providing a better understanding of generational behavior, the value that each generation brings to the workplace, why conflict exists among them and identify communications styles that work for each.

IAFF Union Leadership: Self-Awareness (2 hours)
What Kind of Leader Am I and What Kind of Leader Do I Want to Be? This workshop will help IAFF affiliate leaders learn what kind of union leaders they are and will provide them with several tools to become more effective leaders. During this workshop, participants will identify their own leadership styles and will learn how those styles are perceived by and impact the members that they lead. This is the first workshop in the IAFF Union Leadership Series.

IAFF Union Leadership: Leading Organizational Change (2 hours)
How Can I Help Our Union Become More Effective? This workshop will provide tools to help affiliate leaders become more effective as IAFF locals continue to evolve to meet the serious challenges facing our union and our members in the 21st century. During the workshop, participants will learn how to assess and to prioritize union resources and leverage and how to engage in strategic planning to establish and achieve effective organizational goals. This is the second workshop in the IAFF Union Leadership Series.

IAFF Union Leadership: Union Culture, Communications and Coalition Building (2 hours)
During the workshop, you will identify and learn how to effectively model union values while communicating with the membership, building an effective culture of union solidarity, and creating and working with coalitions to achieve local IAFF political and legislative goals. This is the third workshop in the IAFF Union Leadership Series.

Overview of Employment Law (2 hours)
This workshop will provide you with an overview of the employment laws that affect fire fighters and emergency workers. You will learn how the courts define harassment and discrimination in the workplace and how to respond to members who believe their rights have been violated. This workshop will help you better serve the needs of your membership..

Overview of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) (2 hours)
The FMLA is a U.S. federal law passed in 1993. It provides for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to bond with a child or for serious health conditions, or take care of a parent, spouse or child with a serious health condition. This workshop will give you an overview of the FMLA so you can help your membership take advantage of its provisions.

Understanding Pregnancy and Parental Rights and Accommodations (2 hours)
Members who become parents face increased demands on their time and resources. Local leadership need to help ensure that the local employing agency complies with applicable federal, state/provincial and local laws, allowing these members the leave time and medical accommodation they need as they build their families. In addition, this workshop reviews how local leadership can advocate for family-friendly local policies and laws.

Social Media Legal Issues and Best Practices (2 hours)
While social media can be a powerful tool for positioning your local within the community and generating goodwill, it only takes one mistake or one bad apple to hurt your brand. Explore the social and legal issues pertaining to proper and improper use of social media, as well as the legal ramifications, limitations, and policies that can affect your members and your department.

Negotiating Healthcare Benefits (2 hours)
As the cost of healthcare continues to rise, employers may attempt to offset these increases by reducing benefits, raising employee contributions or switching to more restrictive health plans. This workshop reviews other strategies available that may help departments maintain their existing level of insurance in a manner that benefits both the employees and management..

Fundamentals of Costing Contract Proposals (2 hours)
Wages represent a significant portion of contract negotiations, but to successfully negotiate improvements to compensation, affiliate leaders must thoroughly understand their contracts and the true economic cost of their current agreements. Before presenting management with proposed improvements at the negotiation table, affiliate leaders need to have a firm grasp of how the improvements they seek will impact the totality of a contract’s costs. This workshop will introduce students to the key concepts required to conduct a successful contract costing exercise and the fundamental processes of costing base salary, fringe benefits and proposed increases for a multi-year contract.

Negotiating Strategies for Tough Economic Times (2 hours)
We are a union regardless of the status of the economy. Therefore, when we are in tough economic times, we may adjust our mission but not change our vision to continually advance. These challenges may be in the form of decreased tax revenues, cuts in state aid to local government or cuts in other sources of revenue. The reductions in revenue that result in municipal budget cuts have affected IAFF locals by influencing wages, benefits or operational resources. This workshop will provide an understanding of how fiscal crises impact the negotiation process, as well as providing insight on how to address wages, benefits, working conditions and staffing issues in tough times. The workshop will specifically address the above outlined issues for locals with collective bargaining agreements or a formal negotiation process.

Managing Consultant Reports (2 hours)
It is important for affiliate leaders to know how to protect wages, benefits and working conditions for their members. While attacks on public sector unions continue to increase, jurisdictions are often relying on consultant reports to guide where cuts can be made. This workshop addresses how affiliate leaders can take preemptive action to mitigate consultant reports and how to address the negative impacts, specifically relating to consolidation, the creation of fire districts, PSOs and station closures..

IAFF Resiliency Training (8 hours)
The IAFF Resiliency Training is an eight-hour, in-person training focused on building individual and organizational resilience in the fire service. Through a combination of self-assessment, didactic instruction, group discussion, and video, participants will learn essential factors that contribute to personal resiliency and gain practical stress management skills to be applied on and off the job.