Title: A Common Goal: Union and Researcher Collaboration
Author:
Section/SPIG: Occupational Health and Safety
Issue Date:
Celebrate the work of June Fisher, MD ,(and her birthday) at APHA
Most of you are familiar with the work of our colleague, June Fisher, MD. She has devoted much of her career to working with unions and their members to improve working conditions and to develop innovative health and safety systems and programs controlled by front-line workers. She has contributed a great deal to improving the working lives of transit workers, health care workers and others. Her research has always involved unions and their members in partnership – mutually defining the research problem and collecting and analyzing the data.
This year we commemorate June’s work and celebrate her 70th birthday on the eve of the American Public Health Association (APHA)Annual Meeting. We invite you to join us on, Saturday, Nov. 15, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. for "A Common Goal: Union and Researcher Health and Safety Collaboration" seminar. The session will be held in the auditorium of San Francisco General Hospital, 1001 Potrero Ave. Presenters and participants will discuss the past success and value of cooperative/participatory research that has been conducted with union/worker consent and/or active participation. And we will contemplate how we maintain the momentum of this cooperative approach in the present environment. There will be no charge for the seminar.
We’ll send out another announcement with more details in October.
Right now, we are in the process of collecting papers (published and unpublished) that have involved unions and workers actively engaged with the researcher to define the research topic and conduct the research. This research can be formally called “participatory” research or acknowledge the cooperation and involvement of the union. All the materials that we receive will be compiled and distributed to participants at the seminar. We will also have them available for those of you who cannot make it. We ask that you send any of your papers or those of your colleagues that meet these criteria to Darryl Alexander, the American Federation of Teachers, 555 New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001. These materials can also be e-mailed to <dalexand@aft.org> or faxed to Darryl at 202-393-5672.
We’re also in the process of organizing a birthday party for June on Saturday night, Nov. 15. For now, the party is tentatively scheduled to be held at the San Francisco Cable Car Museum. Again, we’ll be in touch with more details.
Please do not hesitate to call me at 800-238-1133 extension 5674 if you have any questions or suggestions for the program or party.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Darryl Alexander
American Federation of Teachers