New Leaders Develop Their Skills

The International Union (IU) held two New Leaders programs this year, the first from August 13–17 at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, and the second from September 17–21 at the Hilton Washington DC Capitol Hill. A total of 37 new leaders from across the United States and Canada participated in these programs.

A key educational program since 1974, the training offers an extensive orientation to the IU’s programs, resources, and personnel for recently appointed or elected Local/ADC officers and staff. The programs consisted of a hybrid of online and in-person sessions. Attendees participated in online training sessions on the Action Builder organizing tool and on identifying and tracking projects before the intensive 5-day in-person session.

During the in-person training, participants learned about the union’s core functions and structure, organizing tactics, project tracking using the Construct Connect construction project database, time management, Microsoft Excel, IMI and IMTEF, and IU departments and programs. The training centered on organizing, covering topics such as organizing basics, tactics, and how to talk with non-union workers, as well as a Construction Organizing Membership Education Training (COMET) train-the-trainer and an overview of steward training.

“It was great to see all of the new and upcoming leadership working to build a better BAC. I learned so many skills for organizing — to promote BAC membership to workers inside and outside the industry that don’t have the wages, benefits and safety conditions that we have,” remarked Local 1 OR/WA/ID/MT President Shawn Lenczowski, who attended the August program.