14th District Conference

COMMS 101: Communications for Local Leaders
Discover how communication strengthens unions. Internal engagement activates members, while external outreach builds your public image. This session enhances internal and external communication strategies, offering practical insights and best practices from successful locals across the U.S. and Canada. Students will have a chance to review their current communication tools and plans and receive feedback from facilitators.

Local Union Administration – Officer Duties
This course provides an overview of the essential roles and responsibilities of local union officers in an engaging and informative format. This session will cover the key administrative, financial, and representational duties required to effectively run a local. Topics will include governance structures, officer responsibilities, meeting management, financial stewardship, membership engagement and much more. Participants will gain practical knowledge and strategies to ensure their local operates efficiently, transparently, and in the best interest of its members. Whether you are a new officer or looking to refine your leadership skills, this course will equip you with the tools to strengthen your local and advocate effectively for your members.

A Road Map for Winning: Developing a Strategic Plan
Does your Local tackle obstacles in a systematic, thoughtful, and collaborative way? Or does your daily workload push you into a place where you’re always reacting to the next crisis? In this class, students will learn the importance of engaging in deliberate strategic planning. We’ll talk about defining your mission as an organization, creating parameters to determine your strengths/weaknesses and opportunity/threats, and obtaining buy-in from members for the process. Students will engage in strategic planning exercises dealing with specific issues impacting their Local.

Increasing Membership Participation
The strength of a local depends on the active involvement of its members. Whether it’s a committee meeting, political campaign, or public relations effort, your members make the difference between success and failure. This workshop provides methods to increase member participation and build an effective union.

Understanding Union Leadership
This workshop will address many facets of being a union officer, including the responsibilities associated with each role. This workshop will also address how to be a union advocate, using the skills of the executive board, and how to organize members and increase their participation to build a stronger local.

IAFF Union Leadership: Union Culture, Communications, and Coalition Building
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.