Labor coalition aims to get union amendment on November ballot

Fantastic news! In the Detroit News, Michigan residents would have a constitutional right to join and form labor unions in public and private employment under a proposed constitutional amendment unveiled Tuesday at the Michigan State Capitol.

Protect Our Jobs, a coalition of labor unions and workers, needs the signatures of nearly 322,609 registered voters by July 9 to get the amendment on the November ballot, according to the Michigan Department of State .

The proposed amendment would afford workers a guaranteed right to bargain for wages, benefits and working conditions with employers in the public and private sectors, said Todd Cook, state director of We Are the People, a coalition of labor unions, students and social groups backing the initiative.

Cook said the amendment also could prevent the Legislature from imposing a proposed right-to-work law in Michigan.

Help Michigan remain a pro-union state. Right-to-work laws are bad for the middle class! Check back for updates.

Women's History Month 2012 Theme

The 2012 theme of Women's History Month is "Women's Education – Women's Empowerment."

As a woman of color who cars deeply about education, I thought it would behoove me to highlight this significant occasion. Women from diverse backgrounds have accomplished many social, political, and economic milestones in the United States. I hope you take the time to learn, reflect, and engage on how to improve educational access and equity among women in your community as well as internationally.

For more information, check out the links below:

• Facts for Features: Women's History Month (U.S. Census Bureau)
  
• National Women's History Project
  
• Presidential Proclamation: Women's History Month (White House)
  
• Women's History Month(Library of Congress)
  
• Women's History Month (TIME for Kids)
  

2012 World Social Work Day / UN Social Work Day Theme

World Social Work Day is March 20, 2012.

United Nations' Social Work Day is March 26, 2012.

This year's theme is "A Week of Action:"

"We commit wholeheartedly and urgently to people having power over their own lives to address the root cause of oppression and inequality to work together with others to create a more socially-just and fair world that we will be proud to leave for future generations."

For more information, please visit the International Federation of Social Workers' website. This website may also interest those in international social work: Global Agenda on Social Work and Social Development.

Social Work Month 2012 Theme

The official 2012 Social Work Month theme is “Social Work Matters.”

Social work is the profession of hope. Social workers help people navigate through life’s difficult challenges.

Social workers and other professionals can access the NASW toolkit for logos, messages, merchandise, and topics in Adolescent and Youth Development; Mental and Behavioral Health Treatment; Aging and Family Caregiving; Military and Veterans Assistance; Child Protection and Family Services; Non-Profit Management and Community Development; Health Care Navigation; and Poverty Reduction.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) will also host the 2012 national conference, Restoring Hope: The Power of Social Work on July 22-25, 2012 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC . There will be three sessions: Interventions with Individuals, Families & Groups (Micro/Mezzo); Community and Policy-Level Interventions (Macro); and Interventions with/on behalf of Social Workers (Spirit of Social Work). I hope you have the opportunity to attend this exciting event.

In July of 2012, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) will bring together hundreds of Social Workers and other helping professionals from across the country to expand their understanding about the importance of hope and resiliency in their work. Participants will enhance their understanding about the clinical and community uses of hope, discuss best practices, and identify topics for future research.