Tuesday, June 18, 2002 6 PM at AFSCME DC 1707
Meeting of the NYCLAW Committee to plan a fall conference
Brenda Stokely opened the meeting by distributing a copy of an e-mail she had sent to fellow NYCLAW co-convenors Larry Adams, Ray LaForest, and Michael Letwin, “proposal for fall conference”:
“I am submitting a rough sketch for our proposed conference:
I. Objective: A. 1)engage in exchange of progress and obstacles in organizing, internally in our unions.
2) get an update nationally and internationally of the war(s)
3) get an update nationally and internationally of the labor efforts against the war and other progressive organizations’ efforts
4) identify joint activities between unions under the auspices of NYCLAW
5) identify support activities for other organizations’ work against the war, i.e. anti-detention work, anti-racism/national discrimination work, violation of civil liberty work, etc.
II. Format suggestions: Plenary session that allows for concise but brief speeches that set the tone and speak to organizing and give us an update nationally and internationally, work session by unions to discuss internally organizing with a facilitator, but no speech making. Mainly work to come up with specific internal organizing methodology. Closing session: sharing of a meal with cultural activities and an inspiring speaker.”
Our primary projected audience, the people we want to activate, are all those who have signed the NYCLAW statement.
Our subject will be HOW to ORGANIZE in UNIONS and WORKPLACES.
Our responsibility is LABOR but we want to involve a broader coalition, in particular immigrant and other oppressed nationality working class community organizations — especially those under attack (Southeast Asian, Colombian, Filipino, Afghani, Palestinian).
We will invite the other national Labor Against the War groups: San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, Seattle, D.C., upstate New York, and international groups.
It will be an all day conference. We want to maximize dialogue and participation, the few speeches will be concise.
We are proposing Saturday, October 19.
The SCHEDULE we agreed to propose is [approximately]:
Registration 9:00 – 9:30 A.M.
Welcoming Plenary (what we expect that day, NYCLAW history) 9:30 -10:00
a Debate (defined and limited) (to attract, excite, involve people) 10:00-11:30
Questions and Answers 11:30-12:15 P.M.
Lunch 12:15 – 1:15
Workshops 1:15 – 2:45 grouped
by unions,
by sectors
of non-unionized workers (public workers, service workers, mfg, etc.)
of working class immigrant etc. community organizations, workers centers
NOT divided by nationality
(we need to look into translating equipment)
Break 2:45 – 3:15
Report back from Workshops 3:15 – 4:15
Dinner and final speaker, with cultural component 4:15 – 5:45
We established the following committees:
Logistics (place, food, registration):
Outreach (methods of contacting people: media, flyer, dividing signers by unions (address, phone, workplace, e-mail), identifying and outreaching to supporting groups):
Program (speakers, cultural groups, film):
The Planning committee met again on Monday, July 15, July 29 and August 12 at 6:30 PM at DC 1707. Next meeting: August 28
