2011 Conferences

This agenda is subject to change

AFSCME State Convention   Hershey, PA  

CLEAR Lobby Day,  Harrisburg Capitol

AFSCME/UNA National Nurses Congres

Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, Washington, DC

Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) Convention

Mirage Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, NV

AFSCME Council 13 Next Wave Conference

Hershey Lodge & Convention Center, Hershey, PA

AFSCME International Next Wave Conference

Hyatt Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

July 17-21

PA AFL-CIO Community Services Institute

Crowne Plaza, Pittsburgh South, PA

Northeast Region Union Women’s Summer School

Rutgers University, NJ

AFSCME Council 13 Biennial Leadership Institute

National Labor College, Silver Springs, MD

CLUW – National Convention   Orlando, FL

District Council 85 Leadership Conference

Ambassador Banquet & Conference Center, Erie, PA

AFSCME Chapter 13 RPEP Convention

Holiday Inn, Grantville, PA

C13 2011 Scholarship Apps Now Being Accepted

1/11:  2011 AFSCME C13 Member-Only Scholarship Guidelines and Applications for C13 members, their children and grandchildren.

Embracing its mission to enhance the value of union membership and support a stronger labor movement, Union Privilege has developed a scholarship and mentoring program to help more women and people of color become union leaders.

The Union Leaders of the Future Scholarship provides annual awards up to $3,000 to help future union leaders with the cost of continuing their education or training in order to pursue their union career goals and leadership skills.

The Union Leaders of the Future Scholarship Program is offered through the Union Plus Education Foundation.

How to Apply

Visit the Union Plus site for more information and to download an application.

 

Eligibility

• A current union member from the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, Guam and the Virgin Islands of a union participating in any Union Plus program.
  
  
• Complete an application form with a recommendation letter from a union leader who has knowledge of the applicant's leadership potential.
  
  
• Applicant must be female and/or a member of a racial/ethnic minority, defined as American Indian or Alaskan, Asian or Pacific Islander, African American, Hispanic, or multi-racial.
  
  
• Scholarship recipients can re-apply for future awards.
  

Award Usage

• Applied toward the completion of an accredited degree, coursework or seminar at an accredited educational institution (college, university, community college, recognized technical or trade school). Important note: Not all union-sponsored leadership training courses are accredited. This program is offered under the Union Plus Education Foundation Trust, which means the program is restricted to granting awards for degrees/courses/seminars that are accredited.
  
  
• Financial need includes the cost of tuition/seminar fees, and related travel and expenses.

Evaluation Criteria

Applicants for scholarships are evaluated for union leadership potential. Important factors include career goals, social awareness and financial need.

Scholarship applications will first be judged by a Union Privilege consultant who is a career professional with extensive experience in union scholarship programs. The consultant will make selections and determine award amounts. The AFL-CIO Civil Rights & Women's Committees will ratify selections and award amounts.

Award Amounts

The amount of the award ranges from $500-$3,000. These are one-time cash awards sent and paid directly to individual winners for study and related expenses within the following 12 months. In addition, scholarship winners will be matched with current union leaders to participate in a special mentoring program.

The Union Leaders of the Future Scholarship Program is offered through the Union Plus Education Foundation. Visit the Union Plus site for more information and to download an application.

This scholarship is for dues-paying union members or staff employees of an AFL-CIO affiliated organization interested in enrolling in the National Labor College. With the National Labor College at the George Meany Center for Labor Studies in Silver Spring, Md., America's unions have their own college: a national center that provides continuous labor education for all union activists.

Union Privilege is the largest contributor to the Union Plus National Labor College Scholarship, administered by the National Labor College. Union Privilege offers a full array of educational services, from scholarships and loans to financial planning tools for college.

For more information visit the Union Plus website.

Awarded annually to AFSCME members and their families

The Union Plus Scholarship program, sponsored by the Union Plus Education Foundation, helps union members and their families defray the cost of higher education. Since 1992, the program has awarded over $2.4 million to deserving students.

Application

Download the Union Plus Scholarship application now.

Eligibility for Scholarships

Current and retired members of unions participating in any Union Plus program, their spouses and their dependent children (including foster children, step children, and any other child for whom the individual member provides greater than 50% of his or her support) can apply for a Union Plus Scholarship. (Participating union members from Puerto Rico, Canada, Guam and Virgin Islands and U.S. citizens are eligible.) Members do not have to purchase any Union Plus program product or participate in any Union Plus programs to apply for the scholarships and scholarship awards are not based upon participation in a Union Plus program.

The individual must be accepted into an accredited college or university, community college or recognized technical or trade school at the time the award is issued. Note: Graduate students are now eligible.

Evaluation criteria

The scholarship program is open to students attending or planning to attend a college or university, a community college, or a technical college or trade school. Applicants for scholarships are evaluated according to academic ability, social awareness, financial need and appreciation of labor.

Scholarship applications are judged by a committee of impartial post secondary educators.

Scholarship award amounts

The amount of the award ranges from $500 - $4,000. This is a one-time cash award sent to individual winners for study beginning in the fall of the same year.

Below is a list of scholarship opportunities administered by AFSCME's Education and Training Department.

Knowledge Is Power

Looking for financial support for college?  Each year the AFSCME Family Scholarship Program provides ten $2,000 scholarships to high school seniors that will be renewed for $2,000 each year for a maximum of four years, provided the student remains enrolled in a full-time course of study. The scholarship may be used for any field of study.

Download the brochure and application now. [2.7MB PDF]

Are You Eligible?

To apply, you must meet all eligibility requirements as identified above. Make sure your complete application, with all support documentation (essay, transcripts, letters of recommendations, SAT or ACT scores, proof of AFSCME membership, etc.), is mailed together in one envelope, POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 31, to:

AFSCME Family Scholarship Program
Attention: AFSCME Advantage
1625 L Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036

If you have any questions, please call us at (202) 429-5066

AFSCME members and staff enrolled in the National Labor College (NLC) Bachelor's degree program may be eligible for a Nadra Floyd Memorial Scholarship worth up to $2,000 per year. Full-time AFSCME local, council or international staff and local union officers with substantial organizing responsibilities may qualify for a $10,000 Joey Parisi Memorial Scholarship.

Nadra Floyd, a dedicated trade unionist committed to her union, her family and the civil rights movement passed away in November 2001. To honor her memory, the Nadra Floyd Memorial Scholarship was established and continues today as a tribute to her legacy of commitment to the labor movement.

Joey Parisi was an organizer's organizer. He worked for the International Union for more than 20 years. To honor his memory and to enhance the role of organizing, the International Union has established the Joey Parisi Memorial Scholarship.

The deadline to submit completed applications for the AFSCME Scholarships is November 15. For more information, download the brochure (4.8MB PDF)

NLC Degree Programs

The College Degree Program has been developed to fit the needs of union leaders who want to earn a degree in labor studies but who are unable to attend classes regularly in traditional colleges because of work schedules and the unpredictable nature of union assignments.

After enrollment, participants come to the National Labor College every six months for a week-in-residence where they will attend classes and meet with the faculty to plan a course of study. Students then return home to do the reading and written assignments, mailing them in to their instructors. Two courses each term are customary.

Special features of the College Degree Program include credit for past education, credit for experiential learning and counseling during each week-in-residence.

The National Labor College degree programs provide:

Labor-based curricula designed to meet your needs as a union leader;

Low residency and a flexible format so you can earn while you learn; and

Credit for prior learning, military service and other training.

Take an AFSCME Course and Gain College Credit

If you are enrolled in or have taken any of the following AFSCME training programs, you may be well on your way to earning your Bachelor's degree:

Co-Creating Mobilizing Education (1/2 credit)

Member Educator Program (4 credits)

National Educators Exchange (1 credit)

Public Speaking (1/2 credit)

Safe Jobs: Health & Safety Training (1/2 credit)

Stewards in Action (1 credit)

Strategic Campaign Planning for Building a Stronger Union (1 credit)

Volunteer Member Organizer (1 credit