You know who they are. You see them at membership meetings. You read their opinions on the Communique's Sound Off page. Many of them are active shop stewards. They are 1180 Urban Leaders, and you can be one, too!
The Urban Leadership Program is a sequence of tuition-free college courses in public policy and public administration designed especially for the members of Local 1180. The program was established by 1180 with Queens College, and offers courses at both the Queens College campus in Flushing and the college's Extension Center in midtown Manhattan. Through the program, Local 1180 members can pursue a bachelor's or master's degree.
Students enrolled in the Urban Leadership Program improve their analytical skills and expand their knowledge of government agencies, labor relations, planning, the legislative and budgetary process, and the problems faced by those who deliver and those who use public services. Courses use innovative curricula and participatory teaching methods.
Students are encouraged to analyze specific policies in such areas as health care, housing, criminal justice, economic development, and education, and to propose changes to these policies. In a bottom-up approach to influencing public policy, the students' mission is to identify structural flaws, poorly conceived policies, and failures of leadership that impact negatively on communities. Based on their work, students prepare task force reports and propose policy changes that will improve the quality of urban life.
In return for making a volunteer commitment to the union, members of CWA Local 1180 whose employers pay in to our Education Fund may take up to 24 credits in Urban Studies tuition-free. These credits can apply to either a bachelor's or a master's degree; a bachelor's degree requires 120 credits, a master's requires 36. Members who enroll in courses beyond the 24 credits are eligible for additional assistance through the union: $200 per semester for college tuition and $25 per semester toward book expenses. (For more on the union's educational benefits, click here.)
Click here to download a form to send off for more information. You can also call for more information, 718-997-3060.