Don Craig can teach you (almost) anything about AFSCME
You could say Don Craig is a fountain of knowledge of all things union. After all, he has worked for AFSCME for half of his life and he has learned a lot over those 27 years.
So it is that Craig, 54, as Field Education Coordinator for AFSCME’s Western Region, spends much of his time instructing and talking with others on a wide variety of union-related subjects.
He is responsible for training programs in California, Oregon, Alaska and Montana as well as Washington. He works out of the AFSCME offices in Olympia.
Craig’s commitment to AFSCME and the labor movement began when he joined Local 1072 at the University of Maryland in College Park where he was a library assistant. There, he served in the Local for more than eight years filling the positions of steward, vice president and recording secretary over that time.
He developed a strong desire to see working people generally and AFSCME members in particular being treated fairly and with dignity and respect on the job. This desire moved him to join the full-time staff of the International Union in Washington, D.C.
After working for a couple of years in public affairs, he transferred to education. In May 1997 he was appointed to a field education position in Olympia.
“I didn’t come from a union background and so just about everything I know has come first from being a member and also from working with the International,” Craig says.
Today Craig teaches union members on a wide variety of subjects. The most requested topics are steward training, officer and leadership training and contract negotiations. Other training topics have included communication and visibility in the workplace, internal organizing, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and motivating member involvement in the union.
“All the programs we do involve a lot of discussion and interaction with the participants,” Craig explains. “As a result, people have discussions and conversations where they share their ideas, knowledge, and experiences. We learn from each other.”
Craig has also worked with local executive boards on doing strategic planning to set goals and objectives and to develop an action plan for their local. “It’s far better to be pro-active instead of only being re-active to what management does,” he points out. “I’m excited about next year,” Craig says. “We are developing some new programs and new approaches, including a new steward certification program.”
Craig says this multi-day program will focus not only the technical aspects, like grievance handling, but will place a much greater emphasis on stewards organizing members to play a more active role in their local union.
“After all,” Craig notes, “the strength of any union is the membership and we’ve got to tap into that power.”
Local unions that want to schedule training programs should first talk with their staff representative. Depending on subject matter and interest, programs can be conducted for individual locals or on a regional basis.
“Building a strong union requires commitment from local leaders,” says Craig. “If they have the commitment, I’ll do all I can to provide the training to help them realize their goals. |
