New Jersey Activists Head to Boot Camp

CWA Political Leadership Boot Camp trained 22 New Jersey members.

Below: CWA Political Director Rafael Navar leads a training session.

Fifty million people can change the future of our country. And this week, New Jersey CWA activists took the first steps toward building that campaign against corporations and right-wing extremists.

It was the first of CWA's new Political Leadership Boot Camp, which is designed to strengthen skills among activists at several levels of experience. These two-day, intensive trainings provide both political framework and skills that workers can take back to their locals, districts and states.

The boot camp combines leadership development with political action. Topics include political economy, movement building and member-to-member conversations. It also focuses on the components of a campaign, recruiting volunteers and signing up PAF donors.

The New Jersey training included stewards, experienced political coordinators and activists. Twenty-two members from CWA Locals 1032, 1038, 1023 and 1082 and IFPTE Local 194 joined the boot camp. Hetty Rosenstein, CWA New Jersey area director, and Seth Hahn, CWA staff representative, helped lead the training.

"We're forging the building blocks of a new movement for all workers interested in change," said CWA Political Director Rafael Navar. "Working people are rising up and demanding justice, fairness and human rights for all. That's exciting. We need strong activists in this fight."

More training sessions are scheduled in New Jersey and Virginia in preparation for their upcoming elections.