NEA-Alaska Solidarity Summit

Conference Strands

New Treasurers Training: Led by NEA-Alaska Chief Financial Officer and Membership Program Coordinator, this training will cover the ins and outs of managing local association finances. From basic budgetary practices to audit preparation, this course will cover everything local treasurers need to know to keep their unions in strong financial shape.

Rights 101: Participants will learn how to determine when to advocate for and represent a member versus when to involve their UniServ Director, advise members on potential contract violations, and identify and explain the early steps of the grievance process. The session also focuses on establishing effective best practices for rights work at the local level and developing the skills to assess issues thoughtfully to identify when multiple solutions may be available.

Local Presidents Training: This strand will offer both new and returning presidents the opportunity to learn about the fundamentals of governing a local union, including the responsibilities, expectations, and requirements of the office. Participants will work together and have time to work in groups of returning and new presidents. If you’ve attended in the recent past, you are welcome to join again, or you may want to consider choosing a different focused stand where you’d like to build your skill set. 

Strengthening Your Building Rep Bench: In this strand, participants will learn how to recruit, train, and utilize a network of Building Representatives (BR’s) to strengthen their local. From 10-minute meetings to basic rights support, attendees will leave with the skills they need to build or strengthen their existing BR structures.

Building a Bargaining Campaign: This session is designed to prepare members to develop and implement a bargaining campaign to support their negotiation team in the community to win a successful bargain. Attendees will hear from other locals who recently settled contracts and engaged in collective action to reach a negotiated agreement. Locals who are preparing to bargain or are currently bargaining but could use additional support are encouraged to attend.  

Building Local Capacity: Participants will learn how to build a strong local association by employing skills and strategies to engage and activate members. This strand will incorporate the effective use of communication, identifying organizing opportunities, developing leaders, organizing tactics, and an overview of NEA and NEA-Alaska grant programs to support local efforts.

Avenues of Advocacy: From local school boards to the halls of Congress, public education is a political issue. Participants in this strand will learn about how educators can use their collective voice to influence the outcomes of elections and policy decisions. This session will also provide an overview of how to be an effective advocate at the local and state levels of government.