The Partnership Education Program (PEP) training event for the 5th District, representing Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, will be held on May 24-25, 2022 at Hilton Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN.

COVID-19
Please see our COVID-19 Guidance for more information on attending this in-person event. Our members health and safety is our number-one priority. We continue to monitor COVID-19 risks and are in constant communication with the 5th District leadership team to prepare for an in-person event this event.

The IAFF mobile app has everything you need to guide you through this training event, including the agenda, workshop times and rooms and online evaluations. Download the IAFF mobile app.


COVID-19 Guidance


Follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidance on Facemask Usage:

  • Class organizers can ask if attendees are vaccinated but cannot ask for proof or vaccine cards.
    • If attendees or instructors are vaccinated:
      • You do not have to wear a facemask for the event. As we navigate this new normal, vaccinated individuals may continue to wear a facemask if more comfortable wearing one around others.
    • If attendees or instructors are NOT vaccinated:
      • These individuals, based on CDC guidance, must continue to wear a facemask and social distance for the duration of the event.
      • Signage in event areas will reflect what unvaccinated attendees should do, including facemask usage, social distancing, handwashing/sanitizing and daily monitoring for COVID-19 signs and symptoms. 

U.S. Domestic Travel Guidance:

  • Fully Vaccinated:
    • During travel: Follow all travel recommendations, including wearing a facemask while traveling and self-monitoring for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
    • Post travel: You do not need to be tested or self-quarantine if you are fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 in the past three months.
  • Not Fully Vaccinated:
    • During travel: Wear a facemask, social distance and practice preventive measures.
    • Post travel: Get tested with a RT-PCR test three to five days after travel and stay home/self-quarantine for a full seven days after travel.
      • If you test negative, stay home and self-quarantine for the full seven days. If you do not get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.

International Travel Guidance:

  • Fully Vaccinated:
    • During travel: Follow all travel recommendations, including wearing a facemask while traveling and self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
    • Post travel: Get tested with a RT-PCR test three to five days after travel. If your test is positive, isolate to protect others from getting infected. Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms, isolate and get tested if you develop symptoms.
      • Follow all state and local recommendations or requirements after travel.
    • Not Fully Vaccinated:
      • During travel: Follow all travel recommendations, including wearing a facemask while traveling and self-monitoring for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
      • Post travel: Get tested with a RT-PCR test three to five days after travel and stay home/self-quarantine for a full seven days after travel.
        • If you test negative, stay home and self-quarantine for the full seven days. If you do not get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.
      • Follow all state and local recommendations or requirements.

 Attendees and Instructors:

  • Whether an individual is vaccinated or not vaccinated, it is important to highlight that if anyone is experiencing any COVID-19 related signs and symptoms, DO NOT ATTEND THE EVENT.
  • Signs and symptoms include:
    • Fever or chills
    • Cough
    • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
    • Fatigue
    • Muscle or body aches
    • Headache
    • New loss of taste or smell
    • Sore throat

In registering for this event, you will be asked to provide information about whether you are vaccinated against COVID-19. The IAFF will maintain this information confidentially and will only disclose this information as required by law. By registering for this event, you agree that we may disclose your COVID-19 vaccination status as needed to comply with applicable law, including local COVID-19 orders.

The registration fee is $135. Tracks are capped at 50 participants and early registration is strongly encouraged.

Register Online

For more information, contact the IAFF Department of Education at [email protected] or (202) 824-1533.

View or download the Event Agenda.

Tuesday , May 24
8:00 – 11:30 a.m.Registration | Conrad Foyer
12:00 – 2:30 p.m.PEP Breakouts

Leadership Workshop Track | Conrad C
12:00 – 12:30 p.m.
Introduction – Tom Thornberg, DVP 5
Brief Introductions – Vendors

Negotiations & Union Administration Track | Conrad B
12:35 – 1:05 p.m.
Introduction – Tom Thornberg, DVP 5
Brief Introductions – Vendors

2:30 – 2:45 p.m.Catered Break 
2:45 – 4:45 p.m.PEP Breakouts
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.5th District’s Reception| Brit’s Pub, 1110 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN, a couple of blocks away from the hotel.

 

Wednesday, May 25
7:00 – 8:00 a.m.Breakfast | The Gallery
8:00 – 10:00 a.m.PEP Breakouts
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.PEP Breakouts

The following workshop tracks are offered over two days (May 24-25).

    • Leadership | Conrad C
    • Negotiation and Union Administration | Conrad B

All PEP workshops are designed to be interactive and engage students. Workshops are delivered by IAFF PEP instructors who have a vast amount of knowledge and experience on union skills.

Review the Workshop Descriptions to help you choose your workshop track.

When you register for the 5th District PEP event, choose one of the workshop tracks listed, each with a total of eight hours of instruction offered over two days. Go to Register.

LEADERSHIP TRACK | Conrad C


Tuesday, May 24

12:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Generational Differences

2:30 – 2:45 p.m.
Break

2:45 – 4:45 p.m.
IAFF Union Leadership: Self-Awareness

Wednesday, May 25

8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
IAFF Union Leadership: Leading Organizational Change

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
IAFF Union Leadership: Union Culture, Communications and Coalition Building

NEGOTIATIONS AND UNION ADMINISTRATION TRACK | Conrad B


Tuesday, May 24

12:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Conducting Negotiations: Collective Bargaining

2:30 – 2:45 p.m.
Break

2:45 – 4:45 p.m.
Fundamentals of Costing Contract Proposals

Wednesday, May 25

8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Municipal Financial Analysis

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Negotiating Strategies for Tough Economic Times

LEADERSHIP TRACK

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.

NEGOTIATIONS AND UNION ADMINISTRATION TRACK

Conducting Negotiations: Collective Bargaining (2 hours)
Actively negotiating a contract is one of the most important functions IAFF affiliate leadership can perform for members and is the key ingredient in fire fighter–employer relations. In this workshop, you will learn how to create ground rules that benefit unions, participate in mock negotiation sessions and learn how to apply bargaining techniques.

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.

Municipal Financial Analysis (2 hours)
This workshop is designed to educate affiliate leaders about municipal financial analysis (FMA). In order to ensure proper staffing and reasonable wage and benefit increases, a local must know the basic financial condition of its government, as well as what monies are available to fund its needs. Municipal financial analysis is a service provided by the IAFF that examines a jurisdiction’s financial records and determines its financial condition. The value of the analysis is dependent on affiliate leaders effectively understanding the key indicators of a government’s financial condition and knowing how to use the information appropriately.

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.

Hilton Minneapolis

Hilton Minneapolis for 2020 5th District PEP Event

1001 S. Marquette Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 376-1000

Book your hotel room for the 5th District PEP Event

The discounted group standard guest room rate is $189/night, plus tax. The cut-off date to book your room is Friday, April 22, 2022.