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Recognized as an Effective School-to-Work Practice,
November, 2002
Educational and Career Development
Teamsters Local Union 96
Washington, D.C.
Overview of the Project
Teamsters Local Union No. 96 represents public
utility workers in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia,
and West Virginia. The Washington, DC Gas Company, where
more than 800 Local Union 96 members are employed, has
provided career exploration opportunities for students
where they learn about the utility industry and how
local unions operate. The career exploration program
consists of two major components: (1) participation in a
job fair sponsored by the Metropolitan Washington
Central Labor Council; and (2) a job shadowing program
for high school students. These strategies have been
actively supported by Local 96’s members, Washington Gas
Company management and employees, local high school
teachers, and career counselors.
The job fair, established by the Metropolitan Washington
Central Labor Council, is offered annually, typically in the
fall of each school year, for high school youth in the
Washington, DC metropolitan area. A wide range of
businesses, labor unions, and community-based organizations
participate in this day-long event. Approximately 750
students from 12 high schools participated in the job fair
in 2002. An estimated 75% of the students who participated
are students from diverse, multicultural backgrounds,
predominantly African American youth.
The job fair provides Local 96 an opportunity to share
information about unions and talk with students about their
future career interests. A booth is set up with materials of
high interest to students. In addition, Local 96 members are
present to speak individually with students about the
benefits of being a union worker and to provide specific
information on Local 96 and the Teamsters.
Washington Gas Company also supports the job fair in
several ways. A display about the company is used throughout
the day and a Washington Gas Company recruiter participates
along with Local 96 members in distributing information and
answering students’ questions. This also provides an
opportunity for the Washington Gas Company to convey
information to students directly about career opportunities
within the company. The display booth is positioned next to
the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) display.
The IBT Education Department also participates in the job
fair by distributing information about the Teamsters and
career opportunities across a wide range of Teamster
occupations. Overall, the job fair provides high school
students with important, high-interest information on a
range of jobs, and also, through Local 96’s and the
Education Department’s participation, shares information on
the benefits of being a union worker.
At the job fair, students are given an opportunity to
sign up for a job shadowing experience in a career area that
interests them. This activity is coordinated by the AFL-CIO
who maintains the list of students interested in
participating in job shadowing and the industries in which
they expressed an interest. Those students interested in
utility industry occupations are then referred to Local 96.
Local 96, in turn, provides these high school students with
an opportunity to shadow and observe its members who work at
the Washington Gas Company.
Local 96’s job shadowing program has been in operation
for only a year, but it has provided unique learning
opportunities for more than a dozen high school students
within the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Through this
program, students learn about the utilities industry,
different types of workers and occupational classifications
that are found at the utility company, and the specific job
responsibilities and duties performed by Local 96 members.
Students also develop an important, beginning understanding
of the role of unions in the workplace and learn about the
collective bargaining process and the rights of workers
protected by unions.
During the day-long job shadowing experience, students
observe and receive hands-on experience in a variety of
occupations. High school students learn about the history of
the Washington Gas Company, listen to Local 96 members talk
about their job duties and responsibilities, and tour the
company’s training facilities. Students also receive
hands-on experience in one of the training programs where
they teach the techniques of how to stop gas leakages.
Throughout the day, students are exposed to job areas such
as radio communications, gas meter repair, vehicle
maintenance, warehouse, and other careers at the Washington
Gas Company. The event ends with a field trip to the
company’s propane storage location that is an underground
cavern where propane is stored.
Students also have an opportunity to learn about the
benefits of being a union worker. Several Local 96 members
spend the entire day answering students’ questions about the
company, as well as what it is like to be a union worker. In
addition, students are accompanied by representatives from
the Metropolitan Washington Central Labor Council and IBT
Education Department. Students learn how unions represent
their members in the workplace and about the benefits union
workers receive over non-union workers. According to Phillip
Alter, Local Union 96’s Recording Secretary, “One of the
most important aspects of the job shadowing experience for
students is the opportunity for informal discussions with
Local 96 members, IBT staff, and representatives of the
Metropolitan Washington Central Labor Council throughout the
day.”
The Need
Local Union 96 recognizes the important role unions
can play in providing high school students exposure to
specific careers, as well as communicating the value and
benefits of being a union worker. The local also
acknowledges that many high school students do not
receive information in their high school courses on the
role organized labor has played throughout history. Many
students leave their high school programs unaware of how
unions operate in the workplace and the important role
they play in supporting workers and their families. The
job fair and job shadowing programs provide Local 96 an
opportunity to get the message out to a large group of
future workers concerning these and other important
understandings about organized labor. Local 96 also
wants to reach out to students not going on to college
and university training programs. For these students,
they stress the importance of technical training and the
importance of securing employment in union workplaces as
an important consideration for their future. Students
need to know the difference between union and non-union
employment options. They need to know how unions protect
their rights, advocate for livable wages and benefits,
and how unions play a central role in supporting their
communities. This message was conveyed during both the
job fair and job shadowing programs.
Washington Gas Company also recognizes the need and
importance of educating high school students about future
careers. The company, in addition to Local 96, acknowledges
that many young people leave high school with little
knowledge of the types of occupations and careers they can
pursue following high school. Because of this, far too many
young adults flounder in the labor market wasting sometimes
several years in low paying jobs. Washington Gas Company’s
participation helps to familiarize high school students with
specific careers in the utility industry as well as the
training requirements associated with these occupations. The
company also recognizes the importance of reaching out to
its community by building relationships with public schools.
Meeting the Need
This section describes the basic strategies and steps
taken by Local Union 96 in getting involved and
supporting the Metropolitan Washington Central Labor
Council’s job fair and initiating the job shadowing
program. The strategies and steps included:
- Identifying Local 96 member interest in
participating. During this initial step, Local 96
introduced its members to the opportunity of participating
in the job fair and developing the job shadowing program
for high school students in the Washington, DC
metropolitan area. Information was presented on the
importance of working with high school students to
familiarize them with the value and benefits of being a
union worker as well as to convey specific information
about utility industry careers. Volunteers were identified
for both the job fair and the job shadowing programs.
Getting the membership behind these activities was an
important initial step in the overall process of moving
forward.
- Developing partnerships with others to support the
local union’s efforts. For Local 96, the partnership
with the Metropolitan Washington Central Labor Council was
important for several reasons. The Central Labor Council
assumed the primary responsibility for setting up and
advertising the job fair event. This helped to lower Local
96’s expenses, staff time, and other resources to initiate
such an event. This larger event also gave Local 96 access
to students that they would otherwise seek out on their
own through independently sponsored events. In addition,
the cooperative relationships with the Washington Gas
Company in carrying out both the job fair and job
shadowing programs also helped to provide high school
students with other important information about specific
utility industry careers.
- Carefully plan out the message you wish to convey
to students. Local 96 stressed the importance of
thorough planning for both the job fair and the job
shadowing programs. This included: (a) meeting with
volunteer members to discuss the message that was to be
shared with students about unions; (b) carefully planning
the activities students would be engaged in; and (c)
determining the information and materials that would be
needed to interest students in learning more about Local
96 and the utility industry.
- Developing strategies for effectively communicating
with students during the job fair. For the job fair,
”high interest give-aways” were distributed by Local 96 to
students. For example, a Frisbee advertising the Teamsters
and Local 96 were produced and distributed to any student
stopping by the display booth. Other high interest
materials were also distributed, including brochures,
company information, and other communications. Local 96
also recommends taking an assertive, upbeat posture when
talking to students at the job fair. That is, Local 96
recommends coaching volunteer members before the event on
how to approach students and engage them in a discussion
about unions and the utility industry.
Several additional steps were taken in establishing the
job shadowing program. One initial step was to meet with the
executive officer of the Washington Gas Company to introduce
the idea and discuss the role that Local 96 members and the
company could play in establishing a job shadowing program.
During this initial step, emphasis was placed on the
positive public relations it would create for the company
and the union, as well as the overall importance of this
learning opportunity for high school students. The second
step was to carefully plan out the full day’s agenda to
ensure that the experience would be informative and
motivating for students. Local 96 members were requested to
volunteer in the job shadowing program and share information
about their jobs and the Teamsters as students toured the
facility. It was important to offer students the greatest
exposure possible to the industry to maintain their interest
levels. Local 96 also worked with its members to prepare the
union message that would be shared with students during the
job shadowing event. Students were also provided an
opportunity to debrief and ask Local 96 representatives
questions during the return trip from Washington Gas Company
to their high school. This informal period of discussion
provided an additional opportunity to talk with students
about the benefits of working in a union shop.
The Results
Overall, a total of more than 750 students from 12
Washington, DC area high schools participated in the job
fair. Local 96 estimated reaching out to several hundred
of these students. While it is difficult to predict the
long-range impact of this event on students directly,
Local 96 acknowledges that many students received
important information about union workplaces that will
no doubt influence their future career decisions.
Students were particularly surprised about the wage
differences between union and non-union workplaces.
Local 96 will be an ongoing participant in future job
fairs sponsored by the Metropolitan Washington Central
Labor Council. This will provide future opportunities
for the union to share information and perspectives
about the union with other high school students. In
addition, the positive feedback from students, teachers,
and the community as a whole also provided evidence of
the importance and value these types of events hold in
promoting the overall career development of high school
students.
Even though this was the first year of Local 96’s job
shadowing program, the event was viewed as highly
successful. A total of twelve students received an intensive
day long learning experience supported by union members and
Washington Gas Company representatives. Through this
experience, students were able to observe specific
occupations and ask questions of union workers. This is an
opportunity that many students simply do not receive during
their high school instruction. The job shadowing program
also had an impact on Local 96 members. The program helped
connect Local 96 to several local high schools where they
can increase their involvement. A strong message was
conveyed to Local 96 members through their participation in
this program; a message emphasizing the critical importance
of helping young people understand unions and why they
should consider union workplaces in the future when making
career decisions. Participation in the job fair and job
shadowing program has also been beneficial for the
Washington Gas Company. The positive recognition received
for their involvement in these events help to promote a
positive view of the company within the community.
Reflections
Local 96 is committed to continuing its participation
in both the job fair and the job shadowing programs.
Local 96’s commitment to youth was further expressed by
Phillip Alter, Recording Secretary, “These young people
are the union’s future. If unions are going to survive,
they will need to reach out and educate students about
the value and benefits of working in a union workplace.
Locals, no matter how large or small, need to get the
word out to these young people to influence the career
decisions they will make in the future.”
While the job fair and job shadowing programs were highly
successful, Local 96 offers several additional observations
and suggestions to help strengthen the program in the
future. First, there is an ongoing need to educate more
Local 96 members about the importance of getting involved in
these programs. Additional volunteers, particularly
volunteers who represent the multicultural diversity of the
Washington, DC students need to be identified and involved
in the programs. Second, consideration needs to be given to
the total number of students who should participate in job
fairs. One strategy would be to limit job fair student
participation to schools with an emphasis in
vocational-technical education and schools with historically
low rates of college attendance. This may help to ensure
that students with a specific interest in vocational and
technical careers would attend the job fair. Attempting to
reach out and communicate with 750-1,000 students, for
example, may not be effective or efficient. With this many
students participating, it is difficult to spend enough time
with individual students to provide them with adequate
insights and information about unions and specific
occupations. Finally, Local 96 feels that one change could
be made in how students are selected during the job fair to
participate in job shadowing programs. That is, the AFL-CIO
currently has a list of interested students and then shares
this list with Local 96. It may be more efficient for Local
96 to develop its own list while communicating directly with
students at the job fair.
Local 96’s involvement has helped to promote additional
interest in expanding its efforts to reach out to more high
school students. Phillip Alter suggested, “The job shadowing
program may not be enough. We need to expand our efforts to
take the union message directly into high school classrooms.
This could be an important next step for this local.”
More Information
For additional information about Creating Career
Exploration Opportunities through Labor and Business
Collaboration, contact:
Mr. William B. Gibson, III, President
or
Mr. Phillip Alter, Recording Secretary
Teamsters Local Union No. 96
2120 Bladensburg Road NE #106
Washington, DC 20018
Telephone: (202) 832-2073
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