District Council 90's Education
Conference Update
Fernwood Resort
August 10-12, 2007

After registration and lunch, the conference began on Friday with a General Session which included:

Welcome and Introductions, DC 90 Council Director Mary Schwanger
"State of the Union," Council 13 Executive Director Dave Fillman
Political/Legislative Report, Assistant Director Bill Dando
Counselor's Corner, Amy Rosenberger, Esquire
Worker's Compensation, Mike Dryden, Esquire

We had some free time before the reception and seafood buffet held that evening.

After Saturday's breakfast, we had another General Session with discussions by:

DC 90 Council Director Mary Schwanger
Assistant to the Executive Director, Karen Black
C-13 Director of Public Relations, Patricia Bauer
Mental Health Consultants, Ed Haaz

The day's workshops were:

Treasurer's Training
Investigating Indoor Air Quality
Know Your State Benefits
Leadership Through Active Listening
Accelerated Grievance Procedure
Non-State Grievance Handling

Council Director Mary Schwanger told us that DC 90 has 5,077 state employees, 2,495 which are fair share payers - - we need to work on getting that number increased to dues paying members!  During the Delegate Assembly this Fall, awards will be given to the top five Locals who have the highest increase in membership. 

Of that number, we also have 1,088 PAL members; 186 of which are at the MVP level.  What is PAL?  Our Political and Legislative program.  By State Law, dues cannot be used to support political candidates.  By donating a mere $1 a pay, or more, your money can be used to elect or re-elect candidates or legislators sensitive to AFSCME's needs.

The MVP/VIP Program is for members who can give a little more.  As a VIP at $50 a year, or MVP at $100 a year, in addition to being at the forefront of our union's fight to improve and protect our members' interests, you will receive gifts such as a VIP jacket your first year.

A contest is being held to see if we can increase our MVP level to 323 by December 2007.  See any officer to become a dues paying member, a PAL member, or to increase your contribution.

Saturday evening we relaxed while attending a bar-b-que and listening to music provided by a DJ.

Comments from Local 3101 attendees follow:

Submitted by Ellen Harrington, Local 3101 Treasurer

Being the treasurer of local 3101, I elected Treasurer's Training as one of my classes. As treasurer, it is required to have a refresher course every 2 years. Al Winey, Council 13’s business manager, gave an overview of what a treasurer does and how the system of checks and balances work, along with the job of the trustees.  There were several new treasurers and some new trustees in the class, so he took a little more time talking about their duties to the Local.

The big change for treasurers is happening in January 2008 when all Locals will be required to file a 990-N form with the IRS. Up to this point, you only needed to file with the IRS if your Local had received $25,000.00 in dues and fair share payments. This new form will be required to be done through the web, no paper submission, and as of now, that was about all he could tell us on this subject. He said his office will be sending  treasurers information as they get it and hopefully it will be before January 1, 2008.

The other class I chose was Know Your State Benefits.  I believe that either one of the two men who spoke would be great at a Local’s monthly meeting; they said they do a shorter version of the class. To me the class was too long for the amount of information they were sharing.

Since this was not my first educational conference I noticed a lot of new people attending the conference.

Submitted by Dot Latin, Local 3101 Vice President

I attended the Leadership Through Active Listening workshop presented by Ty Smith.  I learned that research suggests nonverbal communication is more important in understanding than words alone and communication is broken down into:  55% body language, 38% the tone of our voice, and just 7% is words spoken.

When talking with someone, if you don't quite understand what is said, simply say "so, what I hear you saying is . . . ."  This should help clarify what might be confusing you.  Also, sometimes we "hear," but we don't "listen."

Depersonalize -- our work is what we do, not who we are!

Here's a good thought -- no one can make you mad but you; you hold your emotions.

And, there's a difference between doing the right thing, and doing things right.

This class was fun, informative, eye-opening, and too short!

I also attended Know Your State Benefits.  PEBTF is the tax-exempt, non-profit trust fund providing our medical and supplemental benefits such as prescription, vision, dental, and hearing aid.  For questions or info about your benefits, check out their updated web site at www.pebtf.org.

Capital BlueCross can be accessed at 1-800-889-3863 or www.capbluecross.com.  You can contact them if you have questions about your PPO or HMO plan, the BlueCard Program, how to read your Explanation of Benefits claim forms you receive in the mail, and more.  Also from their web site, you can use their Find a Doctor page and the Hospital Quality Comparison page.  The conference was worth the time invested. 

Submitted by Ginny Martin, Local 3101 Executive Board Member

On Know Your State Benefits, I learned that when you travel you can get a list of doctors who participate in Capital BlueCross, and when you travel out of the country you have access to the BlueCard Program, where you'll be able to find doctors and hospitals in more than 200 countries and territories around the world.  For info, call BlueCard at 1-800-810-BLUE (2583) or visit the BlueCard Doctor and Hospital Finder at www.BCBS.com.

In the Leadership Through Active Listening session, I learned that sometimes you can perceive something different than the person means; they might be having a bad day, and you don't know it.

Submitted by Karen Saunders, Local 3101 Member

I attended the workshop Know Your State Benefits on Saturday morning.  Both speakers gave out detailed information and were able to answer specific questions.

On Saturday afternoon, I was involved with the Leadership Through Active Listening class.  The instructor was very interactive and motivational.

I always get a lot out of the courses that are offered.  I try to attend different ones each time.  I wish I could attend them all.  They have so much to offer.  Thank you for the opportunity.

Submitted by Pat Manning, Local 3101 Member

My comments are also about the Leadership Through Active Listening class.  Tyrome Smith was the speaker/teacher.  I thought his class was unique.  Not only did I learn about communicating by using his class hand-out, which contained guidelines to improve communication skills by reading body language and facial expressions, I learned by watching him and how he presented his material: 

He stayed energized throughout the session, and we felt it.
He used comedy to keep us laughing and interested.
He shared personal stories to help us relate to him, thereby relaxing us.
He encouraged class involvement by meeting any and all of our comments with a positive response.

That was the type of class that I think most of us took something away from that we won't soon forget.

Submitted by Cheryl Brown, Local 3101 Recording Secretary

ABC’s of Leadership

Ask for Advice

Be Objective

Coach

Delegate

Empower People

Foster Trust

Get Customer Service Focused

Handle Conflict

Invest in People

Just Communicate

As always, we encourage attendance by dues paying members in
good standing.