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Recognized as an Effective School-to-Work Practice, June, 2000
Community Relations with the Teamsters
Teamsters Local Union 696
Topeka, Kansas
Overview of the Project
The approach of Local Union 696 to conduct School-to-Work activities is one that is marked by the use of multiple strategies based on the creativity of its members to impact students at many different levels of the educational system. For example, Local 696 sponsors a scholarship program to help students continue their education at the postsecondary level, participates in Career Day activities at local high schools, provides presentations to high school and university students, and provides internships for summer employment to students. At the community level, members serve on school boards, parent teacher organizations, youth sports programs, and are represented on the Mayor’s Literacy Council. At the state level, members are involved in the Workforce Investment Council, the Governor’s K-12 Advisory Council, and the Kansas Business Education Coalition. Through these various efforts, Local 696 maximizes its resources to broadly impact the northern Kansas area, particularly the schools and diverse communities where union members live.
Even though members of Local 696 participate in a wide range of activities related to School-to-Work, many of its efforts are concentrated on providing presentations to students in the junior and senior high schools. Members visit local schools to discuss a variety of topics related to unions, including an introduction to unions, job rights, and the roles students will assume in the future work environment. In conducting these activities, Local 696 relies on the personal creativity of its membership to make presentations both interesting and informative for students. In fact, a major feature of the Community Relations with the Teamsters project has been to help members identify personal skills and strengths they can use to make a contribution to School-to-Work.
With a jurisdiction that covers a 52 county area of northern Kansas, Local 696 consists of about 3,000 Teamsters who are employed in meat packing and processing, warehousing and distribution, public service (e.g., road and bridge maintenance, parks and recreation), freight and parcel delivery.
The Need
According to President Bill Moore, the need for Local 696 to actively pursue School-to-Work goals primarily arose as a result of: (1) employer concerns about the lack of preparation with which students arrive in the work environment, and (2) union concerns about the lack of knowledge students are provided about unions as part of the educational curriculum. President Moore observed that "schools are not teaching students about unions." As a result, many students do not know what a "Teamster" is, nor have they developed an awareness of why unions came to exist and their long history of protecting the rights of workers. Also, on a broader scale, Local 696 saw a need to make an impact beyond the school setting by reaching out to youth through community events (e.g., parades) and member involvement in various local and state organizations, advisory boards, and committees. In adopting this multiple strategy approach, Local 696 believes it can address the School-to-Work needs for students representing a wide range of age and grade levels.
In addition to increasing knowledge and awareness among students about unions and the Teamsters, another need addressed by the Community Relations with the Teamsters project is promoting the involvement and participation of union members in community and school activities. According to President Moore, there is a wealth of talent and skills within the membership that can be used in different ways to pursue the local’s School-to-Work goals. As such, there is a need for union leadership to cultivate linkages between the skills and interests of its members and how they can be used to achieve School-to-Work goals. Supporting the individual efforts of members to become more involved in local school and communities is particularly important for unions responsible for covering large geographic areas where the membership is more disperse.
Meeting the Need
As exemplified by its diverse approach to School-to-Work, Local 696 members have engaged in various types of information and dissemination activities to different types of student groups. Most typically, presentations are in five junior high and senior high schools, where local members inform students about the history and purpose of unions and the future role that unions will likely play in their future work experiences. Quite often, these presentations are enhanced by the creativity of members who add value to the learning experiences of students. For example, one Local 696 member skilled in the area of auto restoration developed an idea to restore a 1953 panel truck emblazoned with Teamster logos and other informative signage. This member’s idea was financed by the local and now the truck frequently accompanies members to school presentations and is also used to promote Teamster activities at community events (e.g., parades). Brochures and promotional items with Teamster logos (e.g., rulers, drink cups) are also used to heighten student awareness and interest in presentation activities. Occasionally, Local 696 members are invited to speak at colleges and universities, including Kansas State University and the University of Kansas. Although their target audience largely remains to be students in secondary and postsecondary schools, President Moore indicated the local is interested in extending its School-to-Work efforts to earlier grade levels in the future. Currently, the local’s office manager helps to coordinate the array of activities of the 12-15 members who regularly participate in the delivery of school presentations.
While presentations to students comprise the majority of Local 696’s current efforts, members also sup-port School-to-Work activities through their involvement in local and state advisory boards and commit-tees. Whether through involvement as a member of a local school board or as a representative on the Kansas Workforce Investment Council, members of Local 696 are immersed in a large network of activities in which School-to-Work issues can be raised and the concerns of unions can be expressed. This network continues to evolve as more Local 696 member participate in educational and community organization activities. Currently, members of Local 696 can be seen on parent-teacher organizations, the Kansas Business Education Coalition, the Mayor’s Literacy Council, Educate America Council, and the Governor’s K-12 Advisory Council. These various committees and organizations in all represent different ways in which Local 696 members contribute toward School-to-Work.
In addition to the efforts aimed at informing students about unions and participating on various local and state committees, Local 696 also sponsors a scholarship program for students of Hispanic families working in the Monfort Packing Plant. Currently, the local provides 4-6 scholarships annually to Teamster families to help their children finance their postsecondary education at Garden City Community College. The local also provides summer internship opportunities to students so they are able to obtain direct experiences working in Teamster jobs.
The Results
With regard to efforts to increase knowledge and awareness of unions within schools, President Moore indicated that students frequently provide members with positive feedback about what they have learned and how it has applied to their own experiences. For example, school presentations that have included the topic of sexual harassment have particularly resonated with high school women who have just started their first job and were completely unaware of any rights they had in this area. President Moore indicated that students have developed "an amazing network" that has helped to spread positive comments about the presentations within the schools. Within the last year, more than 1,000 junior high, senior high, and postsecondary education students were provided with information from members of Local 696.
In addition to the positive feedback from students, members have also been able to contribute to School-to-Work efforts through their involvement in local and state advisory boards and committees. For example, as a result of participation on a state advisory board, President Bill Moore has been able to raise issues related to School-to-Work policies in the implementation of the state’s School to Careers program. Similarly, others who have been appointed or elected to various school and community positions have also helped to ensure that School-to-Work is incorporated in the planning and implementation of state and local programs. According to President Moore, the recognition received from the schools and community and the positive feedback received from employers and policymakers, have all helped to promote community relations, build union credibility, and serve as a catalyst from which other opportunities for union involvement and participation have emerged. For example, Local 696 is represented on the Kansas Workforce Investment Partnership Advisory Board which oversees funding and functional operations of the state’s School to Careers program which has adopted a "one-stop" approach to enable employers and workers to access state and community programs through a "one door" system. This advisory board also oversees state funding and federal grants for apprenticeship programs within the state. This is just one example of how the local’s efforts to promote relations within the community and schools has helped it to gain a voice in policymaking that will directly impact the experiences of students in relation to the workplace.
The local’s scholarship program has also met with success. Members representing Hispanic cultural and linguistic groups working at the Monfort Packing Plant have expressed a high degree of satisfaction with this program, one that supports student efforts to attend the local community college. In many cases, these families are recent immigrants whose own educational opportunities were extremely limited and are highly motivated to see that their children are able to pursue their postsecondary aspirations.
Reflections
According to President Moore, the most important advice for other unions in replicating Local 696’s School-to-Work efforts is to "let the members guide the program." Although a core planning team of 3 or 4 persons will be necessary to assess community needs and provide some direction for School-to-Work activities, it is essential that leaders at the local level cultivate member involvement by encouraging them to engage in activities that build on their strengths and interests. A hobby, specialized skill, or expertise in a specific area (woodworking, music, sports, etc.) can give a member a "ready-made" entry point that can be used to become involved in School-to-Work activities. Union leadership can facilitate this process by helping members to understand how their skills can be used to address School-to-Work goals. For example, the member mentioned earlier who had the idea of restoring the panel truck did not initially think of it as a way of conducting School-to-Work activities. When it was completed, however, it was only natural that the truck accompany members on school presentation activities, also giving the member an opportunity to meet and speak to students. In order to build on the strengths and skills of its members, it is also important that the planning team avoid setting too specific School-to-Work goals, since this may tend to "limit the type of people or miss ideas that might be available."
To encourage members to participate in School-to-Work activities, Local 696 includes information about opportunities in its periodic mailings to its membership and also requests suggestions from the Local’s Board of Directors. Because of the wide geographic area covered by Local 696, members are encouraged to look for opportunities within their communities that are based on their interests. Compensation is generally available for those who are involved in school visitations and presentations and the local is very willing to consider providing support to initiatives proposed by its members. To help coordinate the wide range of School-to-Work activities in which Local 696 members are involved, primary responsibility for intake, scheduling, and overall logistics is assumed by the local’s office manager.
Based on the experiences of Local 696, President Moore believes that many of the activities designed to build positive relations with schools and communities does not require an excessive amount of financial resources. For the most part, many of the School-to-Work activities conducted by Local 696 involve only incidental costs. President Moore stresses the importance of using available resources in strategic and creative ways to gain maximum effect, suggesting that even a modest amount of money can have a large impact in helping unions to promote School-to-Work activities.
More Information
For additional information about Community Relations with the Teamsters, contact:
- Bill Moore, President
- Teamsters Local Union No. 696
- 3600 NE Sardou Avenue
- Topeka, Kansas 66616
- Phone: 785-232-3866
- E-mail: upsdate@aol.com
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