“Sit down and read. Educate yourself for the coming conflicts.”
Mother Jones
Welcome to the AFGE staff education and training web page. The purpose of this page is to provide you with the tools and resources to help you perform your job and to advance our union’s vision:
“To promote and protect the best interests of workers in government service by ensuring that the principles of Justice, Equality, Fairness and Dignity flourish in our nation.
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Here you will find:
Find a Local Click here to find almost everything you need to know about an AFGE local including the local number, number of members, agencies represented and the contact information for the current Local President.
Spread the News -- Share Your Success Stories with Other AFGE Staff. Contact the Education Department at 202-639-4013 or by email at education@afge.org.
Lunch and Learn Fact Sheets and Flyers
Lunch and Learn resources for setting up the event, publicizing the event, recruiting members and volunteers, and educating on workplace issues with Lunch and Learn attendees.
Setting Up the Event
Publicizing It
Recruiting Members and Volunteers
Educating Members
National Security Personnel System
- DOD Flyer: Help Make NSPS Fair
1-page mobilization flyer on NSPS directed towards DOD employees asking for their involvement to make NSPS a fair system.
- NSPS Operation Fairness Postcard
Print this out to give to members asking them to make a phone call to their Member of Congress protesting the NSPS taking away fair play on the job.
Social Security
- Social Security Action Postcard
Downloadable postcard opposing privatization of social security. Members just fill in their addresses and sign the post card.
Airport Screeners: TSA
- TSA Professional Development Survey
This is a great tool for talking with TSA employees about the employment and training gaps at TSA and to identify what training services they would like to have from AFGE.
Voting Rights
- Hatch Act Do’s and Don’ts
Downloadable flyer that describes what political activities are permissible for federal employees and which ones are not.
Privatization and Contracting-Out
- A-76 Appeal Rights
2-page document outlining federal employees’ rights to appeal a contracting out decision.
Base Closing Realignment Commission BRAC
Member-Only Benefits Information Flyers
Use these resources to help you incorporate benefits in your organizing campaigns and increase your membership. One way is to download, copy and distribute one flyer of each benefit to your bargaining unit every week or every month. There are currently 40 flyers for you to use. Just click on your area of interest: Money, House and Home, Legal, Education, Computer, Careers, Discounts, Travel, Auto, Law Enforcement, Health, Insurance, Access Booklet.
Resources for Representation
Basic Stewards’ Skills
The Legal Rights of Union Representatives: Slide Show
How to File an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP)
Steward’s Update
Published by Union Communications Services, the Update distributes steward advice, labor news, graphics and books that help progressive union leaders rally their members and build their unions.
The Union Steward’s Complete Guide
Edited by David Prosten. A survival manual for union stewards and union representatives from the publishers of Steward Update Newsletter.
The Legal Rights of Union Stewards
by union attorney Robert M. Schwartz is the most popular legal manual in use today by U.S. labor unions. It explains rules that apply to grievance investigations, employer information requests, Weingarten Rights, fair representation duties, midterm bargaining rights, and other important labor law topics.
Grievance Handling
TSA Grievance Procedures
Promulgated in March 2005, this document sets forth policy and procedures on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) grievance procedure.
AFGE CaseTrack
A web-based grievance tracking system application that allows AFGE Local Presidents to access up-to-the-minute reports and case information at any time. Local Presidents can register by signing on to www.afge-casetrack.org.
Standard Grievance Form
Many of our master agreements have a standard grievance form. Click here if you need a template.
Grievance Handling: 5 Steps
These handouts will assist you in troubleshooting workplace problems.
Negotiating with Management
Collective Bargaining Web Sites and Publications
A resource list of web sites and publications on collective bargaining including information from the FLRA and FPMI, Cyberfeds, labor relations newsletters, and federal labor relations legal experts.
Form: Request for a Briefing on Management Initiated Change in Conditions of Work
Form: Demand for Mid-Term Bargaining
Mid-Term Bargaining Checklist
A good tool for preparing to bargain over a management initiated change in working conditions.
AFGE Collective Bargaining Manual
This manual is a how-to guide for locals and bargaining councils in bargaining labor agreements more efficiently while maximizing member participation.
AFGE Contract Terms Handbook
Provides guidance and model contract language to AFGE locals and councils concerning the terms they negotiate into their labor agreements.
AFGE Rep Wing
A publication by the AFGE Communications and Field Services Departments that presents news, tips and resources on representation and arbitration.
Administrative Research and Writing
A guide on legal research and writing legal briefs.
Discovery in Merit Systems Protection Board Proceedings
Includes guidelines and examples of discovery in merit systems protection board proceedings.
AFGE A-76 Handbook
This Guide focuses mainly on the contracting-out rules contained in a government policy document called Circular No. A-76, as revised on May 29, 2003 (“the Circular”) and provides a step-by-step strategy for keeping federal jobs.
Worker Rights
The FMLA Handbook
By Robert M. Schwartz. A practical guide to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 for union members and stewards.
Fair Labor Standards Manual
This manual provides a working overview and practical guide to investigating, evaluating, and arbitrating overtime pay claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Worker’s Compensation Booklet
This booklet is a concise explanation of what to do when you are injured at work or become ill as a result of your work. It is meant to help you understand the system and how it works, as well as your rights and responsibilities.
Women’s Rights and Fair Practices
The Equalizer
Newsletter produced by the AFGE Women’s and Fair Practices Departments that provides up to date information on EEOC reorganization and other policy changes, EEO advocacy and current trends in EEO representation
EEO Workbook – Fighting Discrimination in the Federal Government
A guide for AFGE representatives on fighting discrimination in the federal government.
Women/Fair Practices Coordinator Guide
This manual describes the role and duties of local and district women’s and fair practices coordinators, outlines the Human Rights Committee structure within AFGE, and describes the EEO representation process.
Stop Sexual Harassment Before It Stops You
A Guide for AFGE Members and Representatives
Communication Skills
Writing
- Brush Up Your Business Writing and E-Mail Writing Skills!
Can I use “And” at the beginning of a sentence? Does the pronoun “everyone” take a plural or singular verb? Is it okay to use ALL CAPS in an email? Click here for tips on: writing memos, emails, proofreading, meeting minutes and general writing rules.
Presentation and Public Speaking Skills
- Training Presentation Tips
Suggestions for making training programs or group presentations more effective!
- How to Handle the Fear of Presenting
Great suggestions for what to do when you don’t know what to say.
- 5 Effective Ways to Make Your Body Speak
When your actions are wedded to your words, the impact of your speech will be strengthened. If your platform behavior includes mannerisms unrelated to your spoken message, those actions will call attention to themselves and away from your speech. Below are five ways you can rid yourself of distracting mannerisms.
Organizing and Mobilizing Tools
AFGE Local Officers Resource Guide
This guide includes resources designed to help AFGE Local Presidents educate and lead the local union. It contains information on the roles and responsibilities of local union officers as well as useful tools for helping develop union activists and mentor them in their union work. Keep this guide handy and use the resources in this book in one-on-one education sessions with officers, stewards, and members. Order Form to obtain printed copies.
AFGE New Employee Orientation Guide
New Employee Orientations are one of AFGE’s best kept membership secrets. This booklet will assist you in helping Local leaders develop and conduct dynamic New Employee Orientation Programs that will bring the local good publicity and, hopefully, lots of new union members.
The Nuts and Bolts of Issues Organizing
A primer from the M&O Department that reviews the steps involved in organizing federal employees around workplace issues.
Mobilization Strategy 101: 5 Key Questions to Ask
One of the most important parts of effective advocacy is having a strategy – a clear vision of where you are, where you want to go and a plausible plan of action for getting there. Five key questions can help.
How to Create a Winning Mobilization Strategy
A thorough guide to determining what the issue is, who is the target, who are your allies, and how will you pressure the opposition to do what you want.
Organizing and Developing New Leaders
A thoughtful reading on how leadership has less to do with attributes and more to do with what relationships you build. Provides sound material on what leaders do; how we develop them.
Power Point Slides Boost Lunch and Learn Success
National Organizer Bill Lyons has this suggestion for boosting recruitment figures at Lunch and Learns – use a prepared power point! At a recent metro in District 8, Bill credits the high recruitment outcome to a slide show prepared by Local 3639 which he points out was easier for employees to focus on, showed AFGE as serious and credible, and produced membership results. For a look at the slide show which you can easily adapt for lunch and learns you are coordinating, click here.
Mobilization: Tactics Versus Strategy
A common misstep in mobilization planning is equating “tactics” with mobilization “strategy.” Tactics are specific actions -- circulating petitions, writing letters, staging a protest – that are part of the mobilization strategy. Strategy is something larger, an overall map that guides the use of these tools toward clear goals.
Mixing Mobilization with Representation
National Representative Susan Dyer shares these ideas for using a mobilization strategy to pressure agency supervisors to resolve a workplace issue. The situation in this case is workplace discrimination. Read on….
Delegation Checklist
A checklist of items to remember when delegating responsibilities to volunteers and other staff.
Developing a Mobilization Strategy: Steps for Conducting a Power Analysis
If you haven’t identified your problem or issue in the form of the solution you desire, or think of targets as an amphorous group of unknowns (like “Congress”) than this guide is for you. A great tool for truly analyzing the power relations inherent in any mobilization campaign you wage.
Success by Design: Working with Volunteers
Volunteers are the lifeblood of non-profit organizations like AFGE. This article spells out why a plan for recruiting, training, and supporting volunteer activists is key for growing the volunteer base in your organization.
Army Corps of Engineers: Locks and Dams Operations and Mechanics
This AFGE white paper outlines economic and security risks in the Army Corps of Engineers outsourcing plan.
Aid for the Road Warrior
Ten Tips to Be More Productive at Work
Suggestions for de-cluttering your work life.
Get Better at Time Management
Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals in Everyday Work
Ten Tips for Today’s Mobile Workers
Suggestions for keeping organized out of the office.
Business Travel Check List
More suggestions on how to stay organized on the road including how to schedule your days, prepare your briefcase, and arrange for communications while you are gone.
Training Classes and College Programs
The UALE (University and Labor Educators Association) sponsors a training and networking conference each year for labor educators and staff. The website also provides a comprehensive listing of university based labor education continuing education and degree programs.
The National Labor College offers continuing education classes and both undergraduate and graduate degree programs in labor studies, public administration, legal ethics, and organizational development. AFGE staff are encouraged to attend and apply for financial support from the JNS Scholarship Fund.
Techno Tutorials
Pick up short-cuts for maximizing your PC’s Software.
Labor Links
What follows is a sampling of materials about labor history and culture – including films – which you may find useful in working with individual locals or just entertaining yourself!
Labor History Web Links
AFGE TIME Capsule – 5 Articles from the Govt Standard
AFGE: Lifting Us Higher Highlights
AFGE: A Proud Past, A Bright Future
20th Century Triumphs of American Workers
AFL-CIO Labor History Links
The Federation provides numerous labor history links in its section, “Labor History on the Web.”
African American Labor History
Women's Labor History
Labor History
Wholly Mother Jones
Peter Agnos. A two-act play with music that celebrates the legendary union organizer.
All-American Anarchist: Joseph A. Labadie and the Labor Movement
Carlotta R. Anderson. Chronicles the life and work of the prominent Detroit labor leader, anarchist and poet (1850-1933).
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives
Debra E. Bernhardt, Rachel Bernstein. A pictorial history of working people in New York City.
Pit of Infamy
Bill Yund. The illustrated story of the 1909 Pressed Steel Car Company Strike at McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.
What Sid Did
Bill Yund. The illustrated story of Sid Hatfield of Matewan. Also includes the Battle of Homestead.
Work & Labor: A History in Story & Song from the Stone Age to the Information Age
Judy Gail. A creative textbook for junior high & high school.
Labor Films
American Dream
Barbara Kopple's second Academy Award-winning documentary focuses on the 1984 strike at the Hormel processing plant in Austin, Minnesota. (1992, 98 min.) VHS $25
At The River I Stand
Documents the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers' strike and the historical forces which came together with the death of Dr. Martin Luther King. (1994, 58 min.) VHS $49
Bread & Roses
(Director: Ken Loach, 2000, 110 min). Maverick British filmmaker Ken Loach personalizes the plight of countless invisible service workers through the struggle of Rosa and her fellow office cleaners to gain dignity and respect on the job. Though the story is fictional, it is based on the real Justice for Janitors campaign by Los Angeles janitors, organized by SEIU, to win recognition and a contract.
Cradle Will Rock
Tim Robbins wrote and directed this based-on-a-true-story account of political attempts to stop the production of a Federal Theatre Project musical drama in the 1930s. The cast includes Hank Azaria, Joan & John Cusack, Bill Murray, Susan Sarandon. (1999, 134 min.) VHS $15 DVD $30
Dreadful Memories: The Life Of Sarah Ogan Gunning
Intersperses Sarah's most affecting songs with rare documentary film clips, photographs, and interviews with friends such as Pete Seeger. (1988, 38 min.) VHS $25
Grapes of Wrath
Henry Fonda stars in John Ford's Academy Award-winning film about Dust Bowl refugees who lose their farms in Oklahoma & become migrant laborers in California. (1940, 129 min.) VHS
Harlan County USA
Barbara Kopple's Academy Award-winning documentary about a United Mine Workers strike in Kentucky. (1976, 103 min.) VHS $30
Harlan County War
Holly Hunter stars as a coal miner's wife who fights for her community during the Harlan County strike. (2000, 104 min.) VHS $20
How Green Was My Valley
Winner of 5 Academy Awards, Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara and Roddy McDowall star in John Ford's classic about a Welsh mining town. (1941, 118 min.) VHS $25
The Inheritance
Still the greatest! Originally produced by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers in the 1940's this film captures the dramatic story of immigrant workers in search of the American Dream. While focused primarily on the needle trades, this film speaks to the general story of America's working class struggles to organize and win improved wages and working conditions. VHS, B&W, 55 min., Institutional $50.00
Justice In The Coal Fields
The story of the Pittston coal strike.
The Killing Floor
In 1917 a young black man from rural Mississippi comes north to work in a Chicago meat-packing plant and joins the union. (1985, 118 min.) VHS $35
Lewis County: Hope and Struggle
(Filmmaker: Anne Fischel, 2005, 90 min). This film is a work in progress about a community's attempt to come to terms with a suppressed history of labor struggle. In 1919, in the town of Centralia, Washington, members of the American Legion attacked the union hall of the Industrial Workers of the World. 4 Legionnaires were killed in the battle and in its aftermath, an IWW organizer, Nathan Wesley Everest, was tortured and lynched.
Matewan
John Sayles' movie about the struggles of coal miners in post-World War I West Virginia. (1987, 130 min.) DVD $25
The Molly Maguires
Sean Connery is the leader of a secret society of militant miners; Richard Harris is the undercover detective working for the coal operators. Directed by Martin Ritt. (1969, 123 min.)
Newsies
Disney musical based on a 1899 newspaper boys' strike in New York City against Joseph Pulitzer (played by Robert Duvall). (1992, 125 min.) VHS $15 DVD $30
Norma Rae
Sally Field won an Oscar for her performance as a textile worker in the South who organizes a union in her mill. (1979, 113 min.) VHS $20 DVD $25
The Proud Valley
Paul Robeson stars as a black stoker who finds work in a Welsh coal-mining town and sings with the local choir. (1940, 77 min.) VHS $25
Roll On Columbia: Woody Guthrie And The Bonneville Power Administration
Documentary about the most prolific moment in Guthrie's extraordinary career, during which he 26 songs in 30 days. (2000, 56 min.) VHS $25
Salt of the Earth
Classic 1953 film about a New Mexico miners' strike with most of the roles played by the strikers and their families. (94 min.) VHS $35
The Wobblies
(Directors: Deborah Shaffer & Stewart Bird, 1979, 89 min). Careful documentation of the cultural, political, labor and legal events since the founding of the IWW in 1905 make this work an invaluable record of an unforgettable era of American history.
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