The Lodge at Gulf State Park, A Hilton Hotel

IAFF 14th District Conference

May 17-18, 2023 • Gulf Shores, Alabama

The 14th District Conference welcomes all members in both the 14th District and the 12th District.

This collaborative effort will bring in local leadership from Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Don’t miss the opportunity to network with a diverse group of affiliates and learn new skills and resources for facing your local’s unique challenges.

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.

Registration is now open to all leadership in both the 14th District and the 12th District. The registration fee is $150. Registration is capped at 40 participants per track, so early registration is strongly encouraged.

View details on the event agenda.

Register Online

For more information, contact the IAFF Department of Education at [email protected].

Tuesday, May 16 (Travel In)
4-5 p.m.Registration 

 

Wednesday, May 17
7-8 a.m.Registration
8-11 a.m.General Session
11-11:15 a.m.Break
11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m.PEP Workshop Breakouts
5-6:30 p.m.14th District Hospitality Reception

 

Thursday, May 18
7-8:30 a.m.Breakfast
8:30-10:30 a.m.PEP Workshop Breakouts
10:30-10:45 a.m.Break
10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.PEP Workshop Breakouts
12:45-1:30 p.m.District Roundtable

IAFF UNION LEADERSHIP TRACK

IAFF Union Leadership: Self-Awareness (2 hours)
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. Participants will identify their own leadership styles and will learn how those styles are perceived by and impact the members that they lead.

IAFF Union Leadership: Leading Organizational Change (2 hours)
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 prioritize union resources and use leverage to achieve results. This includes engaging in strategic planning to establish and achieve effective organizational goals.

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.

STRENGTHENING YOUR LOCAL TRACK

Strengthening Your Local: Organizing, Communicating, & Activating Your Membership in the South.

Internal Organizing in the South (2 hours)
This interactive course will focus on signing up members in the southern/right-to-work/ non-collective bargaining environment. Participants will be able to immediately implement an effective internal organizing drive within their own local. We will cover:

  • The steps to conducting a systematic internal organizing drive
  • How to use your duty roster to assess and track non-members
  • How to more effectively communicate the return on investment of union dues
  • How to conduct an effective station visit with non-members

How to Effectively Communicate with Your Members (2 hours)
Communicating with your members isn’t just sending an email every month. It should be viewed as a long-term campaign, and the first step in building an engaged membership. In this course, we will discuss ways to more effectively communicate with your members. We will not only review communications tools but discuss best practices for internal messaging as well as the importance of face-to-face communications.

Overcoming Apathy and Getting Your Members Engaged (2 hours)
Have you ever had to cancel a union meeting because you didn’t have a quorum? Have you ever been embarrassed because of low member turnout at public events? How many times have you said, “My members just don’t care?” In this course, we will discuss specific ways to overcome apathy and get your members more engaged. This course is about steps we can take to win hearts and minds over to the union cause!

The Lodge at Gulf State Park, A Hilton Hotel

21196 East Beach Blvd
Gulf Shores, AL 36542
(251) 540-4000

Book your room here.

The discounted group room rate starts at $219/night, plus tax. The group rate cut-off date is April 17, 2023.

Call-in reservations are processed exclusively through the Central Reservations Department at (800) 618-4350. Guests wishing to book by phone should mention the group code “IAFF” when calling. Extended dates are based upon availability and are not available via the booking link. Guests wishing to check availability to extend their stay should reach out to Central Reservations at (800) 618-4350 and mention the group code “IAFF.”