Thanks to increased funding for federal agencies and a more labor-friendly environment, the National Federation of Federal Employees is currently facing one of the best organizing climates in years. Recognizing this, NFFE recently formulated and started carrying out a plan to capitalize on this opportunity and increase our membership.
Cassie Kerner, formerly Special Assistant to NFFE National President Richard N. Brown, has been named NFFE’s Organizing Director. Kerner, NFFE National Vice President John Obst, Business Representative Jim Davis, and Local 1998 Chief Steward Karen Proctor-Adams, were appointed to serve on a national organizing committee. The committee, Members Now!, is soliciting feedback from all of NFFE’s locals, and will oversee the formulation of an organizing plan that is tailored to make the most of these new opportunities.
A letter requesting feedback, a detailed survey, and instructions for participating in an organizing conference call were mailed to each local on March 27, and emailed the following week. These resources and much more are also available on www.nffe.org by clicking the “Organizing Central” button on the homepage. There are a number of opportunities for providing feedback on the page, including a link to the survey and discussion forums, where members can comment on existing topics or post new ones. NFFE members must be logged in to the website to access the Membership Central page. If you are not already signed up with the website, contact the site administrator for quick and easy instructions. On May 1 at 1PM EST, Members Now! will also conduct a conference call for local officers who are interested in discussing their organizing ideas with the committee.
All feedback and information received by May 1 will be reviewed by Members Now! and shared with NFFE’s National Executive Council, business representatives, and council presidents. They have all been invited to participate in a strategic planning session to formulate a formal organizing plan for NFFE. This meeting will take place at the NFFE National Office on May 14 and 15, immediately following Lobby Week. The plan will be drafted following the strategic planning session, and will be disseminated to all locals once it is completed.
“We have been pleased with the response so far, but I would love to hear from more of our locals,” said Organizing Director Kerner. “There is a lot of knowledge that we can only gain by learning from our members’ first-hand experience out in the field. The more feedback we receive, the stronger the plan we will be able to formulate. Building our membership and strengthening our union will have lasting benefits for all of us. There is still time, so I hope that many more NFFE locals will get involved and share their experiences.”
“This is an exciting time for NFFE,” said NFFE National President Richard N. Brown. “We have a great opportunity to build our membership in the coming months and years, and I strongly encourage every NFFE member to get involved and do their part to help grow our great union. Helping us build an organizing road map is an important first step.”