Howard Wells, President of Local 676, along with his officers and staff, hosted the Teamster Leadership Academy on Organizing, November 17-21 in Collingswood, New Jersey. Local union participants from coast to coast benefited from a comprehensive curriculum, as well as the camaraderie of a diverse group of union activists. Claudia Galloway, Senior Training Coordinator for the IBT Training and Development Department, facilitated the program.
Fred Potter, International Vice President-at-Large, offered some words of encouragement to the participants and praised their dedication to learning effective organizing skills. Other guests included Michael Clark, IBT International Representative, and Christina Montorio from the IBT Port Division.
The program agenda included subjects such as “Building a Strong Organizing Local,” “Strategic Targeting,” and “The IBT Organizing Model.” Participants learned how to develop effective organizing committees and also gained a better understanding of internal organizing. 
The program drew on the expertise of Leonard Smith, Organizing Director for Local 117 in Seattle, Washington and Representative of the IBT Warehouse Division, and Leah Ford, Staff Attorney for the IBT Legal Department. In addition to other workshops Smith conducted, he also gave the participants a roadmap to building a strong organizing local union. Ford, a former union organizer, presented a session on “Organizing and the Law.”
Kara Deniz from the IBT Communications Department presented a session on “Effective Communications for Organizers.” All of the topics presented throughout the program featured a variety of role plays, exercises and other interactive instruction tools.
“Having expert instructors, like we had during this program, is essential if we are to offer quality information that hone the skills of current and future organizers,” said Galloway. “Their commitment to our program has been outstanding.”
The participants enjoyed the program and had many positive comments about the sessions. “The details of a comprehensive campaign from start to finish made sense and has been proven effective,” said Tom Muller from Local Union 671. “It was great to learn how a successful program is put together from an insider’s view.”
“I appreciated the roll plays— it keeps you involved and thinking,” said Gary Kumpa from Local union 1205. “It’s also a good motivating tool because people get into the roles and want to do it right.”
Chris O’Donnell from Local 384 agreed. “The program gave me some great information to use at the local,” he said. “This training will allow me to give the rank and file a better understanding of how difficult it is to organize and the need for structure during an organizing campaign.”
