Notes from Washington, D.C.

About 60 union members from locals in such cities as New York, Boston, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Toledo and, of course, Milwaukee, are meeting at the Multi-Council Meeting in Washington, D.C., this weekend.
Topics have ranged across the board, from a discussion about an exciting new program designed to help journalists keep pace with the quickening pace of technology to the attempts to unionize parts of the disintegrating Tribune Co.
The new program will offer credit courses through the CWA/NETT Academy that focus on digital photography and editing, basic videography, Web design, and the use of Flash 8. The classes will be offered online and in some cases, equipment needed for the class will be shipped to the student. Information on the classes will be available through The Newspaper Guild and the Communication Workers of America.
During a discussion about organization and mobilization, the value of the internet was noted time after time. It has been a valuable tool for organizers trying to keep in touch with potential union members in the Los Angeles areas, where scheduling meetings is tough because travel times are so long. Steve Yount, the president of the IAPE segment of The Newspaper Guild, said he used email extensively in his efforts to keep in touch with workers about the organizing efforts at Dow Jones.
Roz Pelles, director of civil, women's and human rights, for the AFL-CIO, discussed the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) working its way through Congress (with the threat of a veto hanging over it), which would strengthen penalties for retaliation against union members. She also talked about the AFL-CIO's efforts to increase the number of women and minorities in leadership positions, noting that 42% of union members in the U.S. are women and 32% are minorities.
Toledo representatives thanked locals from around the country for the generous outpouring to help the 215 workers locked out at the Toledo Blade. Locals around the country -- including Milwaukee -- have contributed $60,000 to help the locked-out workers pay for health insurance premiums.