UC-AFT Leadership Conference 2019...Becoming an Assertive UC-AFT Leader

Dear UC-AFT members,

I want to thank everyone who attended, presented, and participated in our leadership conference at UC Irvine on October 26. It was a great day and I hope that we all learned a lot!

Communications Workshop
Special thanks to Matthew Hardy, who despite some tech challenges, gave an excellent presentation on Communicating from a Place of Strength. Attached here (katie-final.mov) is an edited video of UC-AFT Local 2023 President, Katie Rodger's, speech at the recent UC Davis Student Debt Cancellation Town Hall. Matthew drew on Katie's speech to demonstrate how powerful it can be when we locate our fight against injustice at work within our love for and dedication to our work and students. Thank you Katie for communicating from your place of strength!

Alllies and Partners...The Orange County Labor Federation
The Orange County Labor Federation (OCLF) gave an inspiring talk about labor solidarity and what we can accomplish working together. OCLF had a major role in flipping OC blue in the last election cycle. It was a great reminder of the importance of developing and maintaining our connection to labor councils. OCLF Executive Director, Gloria Alvarado, challenged us to do three things: Send delegates from our locals to Labor Council meetings, know the political process they use for candidate endorsement and engage in this work with them, and celebrate with the larger union family when it's time to celebrate.

Becoming an Assertive UC-AFT Leader
Practicing and encouraging assertive leadership was a major theme throughout the day. As we move forward from the conference, we'd like to develop a program that supports assertive leadership from individuals, within locals and statewide. Please share your responses to the questions below and let us know what other ideas you have about creating a kick-ass organizing culture within our union! Response to the questions below can be sent to: vporganizing@ucaft.org

• What are the barriers to assertive leadership you've experienced individually or within your local?
• Do you have stories of leaders in your local who you admire who demonstrate assertive leadership?
• What types of support or training would be most helpful for developing and encouraging assertive leadership in our locals?

Raising Money for the Movement!
Lastly, I'm excited to announce that the total we raised in the Solidarity Raffle was $190, which will be added to the UC-AFT Militancy Fund. Our most recent contribution from the Miltiancy Fund was a $500 donation to the Chicago Teacher's Union during their recent and very successful 11-day strike for public education!  Thanks to everyone who donated prizes and purchase tickets. And a special shout-out to CFT organizers Charlotte and Lyndsey for helping organize the raffle!

In solidarity,

Daniel Schoorl
Vice President for Organizing, UC-AFT
Librarian and Associate Editor, Hispanic American Periodicals Index, UCLA