HONOLULU—The 8th ILWU Labor Institute, a five-day long leadership training program for rank and file leaders, is scheduled for October 15-20, 2007, at the ILWU Hall in Honolulu. All delegates, including Oahu, will be housed at the Ala Moana Hotel across the street.

Top labor educators from the mainland and Hawaii have been recruited to teach workshops on the skills and practical knowledge needed by rank and file union activists.

A highlight of this year’s institute will be workshops and panels by Robert M. Schwartz and Marsha Niemeijer. Schwartz is an attorney and author of a number of labor books, including Strikes, Picketing and Inside Campaigns: A Legal Guide for Unions. Marsha Niemeijer is a writer for “Labor Notes” and contributed to the writing of A Troublemaker’s Handbook 2 - How to fight back where you work — and Win.

The two books are important and powerful tools for labor activists and union leaders. These tools can help unions develop more creative and effective strategies to win improvements when a contract expires and also help union activists in their everyday struggle on the job. All participants will receive a copy of the two books.

The Institute will begin at 10:00 am on Monday October 15. Classes will run from Monday through Friday, and delegates will return home on Saturday, October 20, 2007. Units on Oahu may send additional delegates for shorter periods of one or more days.

Sending Delegates 
Units are encouraged to take this opportunity to improve the skills and education of their unit leaders. The Local will pay for all instructional costs, materials, travel, room and board for all delegates. Units are responsible for paying lost wages for any delegates they may send. Units will need to hold membership meetings to choose delegates and get membership approval to spend unit funds for this purpose.

Units should work with their Business Agents to submit names of delegates and alternates to their Division in July 2007. The Division will make the final selection of delegates. The deadline for Divisions to submit names to the Local for the Institute is September 1, 2007.

A total of 120 participants will be accepted into the Institute. Following are the number of delegates allocated to each Division: Hawaii - 28; Maui - 47; Kauai - 12; and Oahu - 33.

For more information contact your business agent. ◆

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