We are excited to announce the International's first virtual education conference: Smarter is Stronger!

The conference will take place on Tuesday, November 17 and Wednesday, November 18 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST. 

This education conference will consist of nearly 100 different training sessions about representation, officer duties, health and safety, and many other topics that reinforce the great work of our union and provide you with practical knowledge to take back to your local and workplace.

There will also be district breakouts and opportunities to socialize with others from our activist groups like Veterans of Steel and Next Gen. 

Registration for the conference will open on Oct. 1, 2020, and is free to all USW and SOAR members. Use the code your local provided when prompted in the password field.

WORKSHOPS

This conference will be structured like in-person USW trainings. You will choose the classes you want to attend, register for them (coming soon!) and once the class you have selected begins, just push the attend button --much like you would walk into the room at an in-person conference. 

The schedule and full list of workshops is here. Here are a couple of examples of topics and workshops that will be available during the conference. 

Health and Safety: Hazard Mapping: Assessing Hazards at Work

This training will help members map areas of health and safety concerns within their workplace, especially in regards to new guidelines to protect workers against the coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19. 

Collective Bargaining: The Laws of Collective Bargaining

In this workshop we’ll review the most basic aspects of the National Labor Relations Act with respect to the employer’s duty to bargain. We’ll briefly look at the Union’s right to information; mandatory, permissive, and prohibited subjects; and the different types of strikes and lock-outs. 

Steward Training: Investigating Grievances

Sharpen your grievance handling skills by learning how to thoroughly investigate a possible discipline or contract violation. Participants will learn how to gather and document facts and practice interviewing techniques. 

Advanced Steward Training: FMLA

Since it was signed into law, The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has become a key tool for working people when life takes unexpected turns. This workshop will include a basic overview of important provisions of FMLA. 

Union Basics: Labor History

The history of working people is absent from popular culture and much of what we learn in school but working-class people have been key movers and shakers throughout U.S. history. We will talk about that history and how it built the middle class. 

There will be many other workshops on these broad topics as well as New Media and Communications; Building Power through Legislation; Local Union Administration; Civil and Human Rights; and Building Solidarity. 

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For complete, and updated information about this event, visit: https://www.usw.org/events/virtual-education-conference. 

If you are interested in attending any of the workshops, contact jwalker@usw.org for more information.