Eight college students and recent graduates came together in the State of Delaware last month to participate in the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employee's (AFSCME) Alternative Union Break - a week-long, intensive course on organizing workers to gain dignity and respect on the job through collective bargaining.

Alternative Union Break - which is open to college seniors and recent graduates who are considering a career in Union Organizing - is conducted by AFSCME organizers and other Labor Specialists.  The crash course helps participants learn about the Labor Movement, the importance of standing in solidarity with others and the basics of AFSCME's organizing model.

The eight Union Break students also visited the workplaces and homes of Delaware state employees who are seeking respect, fair pay and a voice on the job.  

One student, Roxanne Winston, learned about Unions while working last semester at the University of California at Berkeley's Labor Center.  After graduation last year, Winston sought a job in the Labor Movement.  "I wanted to find a job that spoke to many of my skills and passions, such as social justice organizing and empowering the Working Class," she said. 

Winston, who discovered Alternative Union Break on AFSCME's web site, says meeting workers face-to-face was eye-opening.  "It pushes you out of your comfort zone and challenges you.  You're a complete stranger to them, but they're sharing intimate details of their lives with you.  It motivated me to want to do this work," she said.

As a result, AFSCME offered Winston a job as an organizer-in-training when the class ended.  She accepted. "I was so energized and so excited that I wanted to start immediately," she said.

Charles Holm, who graduated in December from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, also participated in Union Break's winter session, having learned of it from an AFSCME organizer who shared his interest in working for Health Care Reform on campus.

"I really enjoyed it," Holm said. "It's one thing to read about the concerns and problems facing Working People, but it's another thing to talk with them about it.  That was one of the most important things for me and seeing the workers get inspired to do something about their situation if they weren't already fired up about the Union."

After completing the program, Holm also accepted AFSCME's offer to become an organizer-in-training.

(Editor's Note: For more information, and to apply for upcoming sessions, visit AFSCME's web site at www.unionbreak.org.  Also, for those who are interested, you can learn more about becoming a Union Organizer at www.AFSCME.org.)