August Meeting Information

Hello Green Caucus! We are on for a meeting Thursday August 11 at 6:00 pm. You can join the meeting by teleconference and video conference. We are broadcasting the meeting from WFSE HQ.

• If you'd like to join via teleconference and video-conference and have not received an email with the link and login information, please call WFSE HQ by 5:00 pm Thursday and ask for the Green Caucus video-conference login information.

• If you'd like to join via teleconference, call 1-866-921-2203 at 5:30 pm. To enter the room respond with *1651542* (include the stars).

• The WFSE HQ and Spokane Field offices will be open for caucus members to attend in person.

TENTATIVE AGENDA
• Approval of July 2011 Minutes
• Chair Report
• Subcommittee reports
• Convention Planning
• Sustainable Practices
• Political Action and Networking

Draft Minutes, 7/14/11

WFSE Council 28 Green Caucus 
Meeting
July 14, 2011, 6:00 PM

Meeting Minutes:

There is one correction regarding the WFSE policy on deciding governance.  Liz Larsen will make corrections to Web blog copy of minutes.

Convention Committee Reports:

• Podium Time at Convention:  Time is pretty limited at this late stage in planning.  Carol offered to find us 10 minutes on the last day of the conference.  Dan Petruso and others pointed out that we can use “Good of the Order” time during floor sessions to promote the Green Caucus.
  
• Welcome Table:  Green Caucus will have a Welcome Table at the convention.
  
• Workshops:  Current plans call for one session with a guest presenter on sustainability and the union; and another session that will function as a working session on legislative priorities of the Green Caucus.

• Logistics: 
• Hotels: Debbie Haigh reported that several area hotels will agree to some sustainability policies and actions during the convention to send the right message to all conventioneers, even those not staying at the host hotel.
• Bottled Water:  It’s out, pitchers are in.
• Information Table:  Green Caucus will stock a display table at the convention with green actions/programs literature.
• Tours:  Jim Wavada offered to organize a green building tour for the Friday afternoon portion of the convention schedule (after formal sessions and before receptions).
• Buttons:  Caucus will buy 300 Green Caucus buttons to distribute at the convention.
• Incentives/Tokens:  It was recommended that the Green Caucus give away a limited number of State Parks Discover Passes to parties who join the Caucus at the convention and at the proposed face-to-face planning meeting.  This idea met with widespread approval.  They could also be distributed with Green Caucus buttons to new Green Caucus members at the Convention and elsewhere.

Green Caucus Governance: 

Carol Dotlitch asked the group to remember that they are first and foremost a union organization.  She listed several jobs-related challenges that could fit inside the mission of WFSE and the charge of the Green Caucus.  She reminded the Caucus that at this critical time in the history of organized labor, we are under attack as never before and that includes natural resource jobs that are critical to protecting and enhancing our environment.  We should never forget that union jobs are attached to these environmental priorities.  Carol also encouraged the Caucus to focus like a laser on the challenge of getting the rest of the union to recognize and participate in the work of the Caucus.

External Outreach Committee Report: 

• Issues Agenda Development:  Kerry Graber asked Carol Dotlitch and Liz Larsen for funding to put together a face-to-face meeting of the Caucus specifically focused on developing issue papers.  Wavada suggested the agenda be expanded slightly to include strategies for outreach to sympathetic organization within and outside of organized labor.  Sept. 17th was set as the tentative meeting date at the usual location in Federal Way (Doubletree Hotel).
  
• Marysville Coal Port Project – Michelle __________ reported that Pacific _______ Commodities is proposing a coal shipping port at Cherry Point.  This could develop into a good-paying-jobs versus the environment conundrum.  It’s something the Caucus should study and develop a policy position around.
  
• R.W. Grace Asbestos Contaminated site – Morton Alexander, will keep track of developments around a proposal to develop a former W.R. Grace vermiculite (asbestos containing mineral used as insulation) plant in Spokane adjacent to his office, which is full of represented workers. Disturbing the soil at this site could friate asbestos fibers that members would have to breath coming and going from their office.
  
• Outreach Efforts – Jim Wavada reported on recent efforts to get Local 1221 to join the Spokane Alliance, a progressive community group composed mostly of unions and church congregations in the Spokane Community.  The Alliance is a national organization with chapters in the Puget Sound and Yakima/Tri-Cities areas as well.  Wavada is heading a Local 1221 subcommittee to explore the notion of the Local joining the Alliance.
  
  
• Wavada also presented his written recommendation on an outreach strategy for the Caucus, which will also be posted to the Caucus blog.  He volunteered to lead the Outreach group and to flesh out the outreach strategy with data about specific organizations and a plan/schedule for approaching them to explore shared interests.

Internal Committee Report: 

John Miller noted that we have to look inward at our own practices before we look outward for changes in business practices that will help the environment.  Debbie Haigh of Spokane Labor and Industries presented a detailed Green Building Guide she located that would take Council 28 step-by-step through the process of greening their building and office practices.  She will get this to Kerry Graber for placement on the blog site.

• Next meeting, Aug. 11th at 6:00 PM.

ADJOURNED.

Green Caucus Strategic Outreach - July 14

Original Author:  Jim Wavada, Local 1221, Ecology Bargaining Unit

INTRO:

I did not attend the Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. last month, so I’m certain that those who did and perhaps many others of you will have your own ideas, which may be superior to these for how best to get our Green Caucus out on the playing field, forging strategic partnerships.  These are just my initial thoughts, meant to stimulate the conversation and perhaps form the basis of an outreach strategy.  – JW

As I see it, the Green Caucus outreach should have two objectives:

• Forge productive, long-term relationships, from the local community to the federal level.
• Shape broad policy statements,
• based on shared values, rather than specific cases or rigid positions, 
• so that we can broaden our base of support when the time comes to act on an issue of concern to us 
• as union members and friends of the environment.

If we accept these objectives as legitimate, I would submit that there are two tracks of work we must pursue that are essentially sorting processes.

1. We need to sort out who will be most useful (a good fit) to embed us as a force for environmental and public worker advocacy in our local communities and at the state and federal levels.
2. We need to develop a list of shared environmental values with these potential partners. 

As an example, suppose a local Riverkeepers Group is concerned about the quality of data being collected or the nature of decision-making on a prominent urban waterway.  Suppose that the state agencies charged with developing that data are abrogating that responsibility by contracting it out to a consultant, or consultants, who may have direct ties (past or present) to one of the major polluters of that waterway.  For the Riverkeepers, it would be easy for them to stand with state employees insisting that this particular project work ought not to be contracted out.  We can stand with the Riverkeepers in insisting that an unbiased approach to data gathering is required in order to ensure valid data for valid actions.  An intersection of interests exists between the state employees (some of whom may be members of the Riverskeepers Group) and the environmentalists in that group. 

In this scenario, the existence of a longer-term, continuing relationship with the Green Caucus might allow for rapid response to threats to the environment and/or state workers.

The key is to have the ongoing relationship, and a basic agreement on shared environmental values. 

So how do we get there?

I propose two work groups or maybe one workgroup with two phases of work.

Step 1:  An inventory of environmental groups and community organizations that would support an agenda to protect the environment, even if they aren’t at their core environmental organizations.  (Church groups, community service organizations, for instance).  Who are these groups?  Who is the leadership of each?  How can they be approached?  What do we propose to them?  These are questions this group would attempt to answer.

Step 2:  Negotiation of a shared interest statement that could, with minor tweaks for different groups, be signed onto by the leadership of targeted partner organizations.  This would involved discerning what environmental issues might be of the greatest import to each intended partner group, surveying our own level of expertise, passion and other resource that could be shared with this group and then executing some kind of formal written recognition of our shared interests.

Step 3:  Arrange events or participate in other organizations’ events that offer the opportunity to introduce Green Caucus principles and members to a wider audience in every community.  This could be as simple as donating a few dollars to buy a booth at an eco-event sponsored by a new partner or as complicated as developing a legislative proposal or organizing a rally.

Step 4:  Check back.  The Green Caucus should receive regular (quarterly?) progress reports on their outreach efforts, including any proposed resolutions to support a particular effort of a new or existing partner.

RECOMMENDATION:

I think we need 3 -5  people for each of the tracks and representation from both sides of the Cascades on each.  I think we should start with a separate planning meeting for each of these groups with the aim of launching into serious outreach concurrent with the annual convention.
 I would propose these groups work together and/or apart to:

• Identify members of Council 28 who have existing ties to community and environmental organizations that look like they would be good partners for the Caucus, and recruit these members to the Caucus (perhaps a large mailing solicitation would be in order).
• identify specific groups in communities throughout the state, ascertain their environmental values (which may not always be at the surface; but may run deep) and start a database with their contact information and environemental priorities;
• develop a list of policy priorities from these groups to bring to the Green Caucus for consideration and melding with our own priorities;
• concurrent with the previous three activities, develop our own internal list of areas of environmental priority for our Caucus.

Here are some likely partners with whom we can begin to build some relationships.  The list is meant to illustrate group types, not to set down specific targets.  Additional suggestions are quite welcome.

• Spokane Alliance, Sound Alliance (Puget Sound areas)
• Riverkeepers (there are groups associated with rivers all over the state)
• Environmental Clubs, (Sierra Club, Land Trusts, etc)
• Sporting Clubs (Fly Fishers, Ducks Unlimited, Frizzbie Golfers )
• Local churches with community outreach projects.
• Community based, land use stewards – (groups often formed around a proposed development, etc.)

These are my initial thoughts on Outreach from the Green Caucus.

July Meeting Information

Hello Green Caucus! We are on for a meeting Thursday July 14 at 6:00 pm. You can join the meeting by teleconference and video conference. We are broadcasting the meeting from WFSE HQ.

• If you'd like to join via teleconference and video-conference and have not received an email with the link and login information, please call WFSE HQ by 5:00 pm Thursday and ask for the Green Caucus video-conference login information.

• If you'd like to join via teleconference, call 1-866-921-2203 at 5:30 pm. To enter the room respond with *1651542* (include the stars).

• The WFSE HQ and Spokane Field offices will be open for caucus members to attend in person.

TENTATIVE AGENDA
• Approval of June 2011 Minutes
• Chair Report
• Subcommittee reports
o Convention Planning
• Sustainable Practices
• Political Action and Networking