Work That Matters kicks off a new phase

January 26th, 2010

Jan. 2010 – Work That Matters coalition members have announced a new phase of the Work That Matters campaign.

The new phase was launched Thursday, January 21, 2010. About one hundred Montana public employees, state elected officials, and others gathered at a kick-off celebration in Helena that evening.

Randi Weingarten, a labor leader of international significance, attended the celebration. Weingarten is president of the American Federation of Teachers, a national union representing state and county employees, teachers and school support staff, higher education, and health care professionals.

AFT’s Montana affiliate, MEA-MFT, is a key member of the Work That Matters coalition.

Weingarten also joined MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver and public employees (members of both MEA-MFT and AFT) at a Work That Matters listening tour, visiting several local and state agencies in Boulder and Helena.

The tour began Thursday, Jan. 21, at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office and courthouse, where county employees met with Weingarten and Feaver and talk about the work they do.

The tour continued Friday, Jan. 22, at the state Dept. of Public Health & Human Services, where Weingarten and Feaver met with state employees who test food and drinking water across the state to make sure it is safe.

The tour concluded at the Montana Historical Society, where public employees collect, preserve, and interpret Montana’s priceless history.

This latest phase of Work That Matters will continue throughout 2010. Watch for Work That Matters postcards, billboards, print ads, and more as the campaign unfolds.