Maintaining Orbit in Cyberspace
Web site offers something for every member of the union family.
By Jimmie Turner
April Pitts of Local 785 (Illinois Council 31) is a very busy woman. When her workday wraps up as a mental health technician, she goes home to take care of her six children; the eldest is 10. Luckily for her, AFSCME has developed a Web site called afscme.workingfamilies.com.
"I like to limit their TV-watching time," Pitts says of her children, "and this should help."
As the pace of Internet technology continues to accelerate, AFSCME is keeping in step — on the cutting edge, as far as labor unions are concerned. With such sites as www.afscme.org and www.afscme.workingfamilies.com — as well as the development of GreenTV, which puts television images on personal computer screens — union members are just a click away from up-to-the-minute information on a wide variety of topics.
A TICKET TO CYBERSPACE. AFSCME members have a gateway to the Internet through www.afscme.workingfamilies.com. This is one of 14 live "portals" that serves as an entry point to the Web. AFSCME's portal gives useful and reliable information to members from sources they trust, as well as special deals and services for their families. However, the portal does not replace www.afscme.org, but simply supplements it.
The portal page is free. Any member can go to the site and register to participate in all of its features — at no charge. To register for www.afscme.workingfamilies.com, call 1-800-826-8288.
The site is an extension of www.workingfamilies.com, which was launched earlier in the year by the AFL-CIO to give members access to union-specific content. Both sites offer users the opportunity to retrieve information like news, stock quotes, weather and sports, as well as shop online. They have available worker-friendly products, something not done on other sites.
The subscriber rate for www.workingfamilies.com is highly competitive price-wise, according to the AFL-CIO, with many of the leading Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country. The site is compatible with PC and MacIntosh computer systems. For $14.95 per month, members receive an e-mail service, and they can log on for unlimited usage. To order the registration CD, call 1-800-806-2150. Or, users can download the service from the site.
WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING. April Pitts says she decided to go with the Web site largely because of the broad educational opportunities it provides for herself and her children. For example, education offerings give her access to online courses and information about classes given elsewhere. In addition, "the site looked like it could be beneficial for shopping and getting information on the union."
Dolly Tunney-Smith, a retired AFSCME member, uses the site as an information source. "I am involved in my community, and I trust AFSCME to give me what I consider real information on legislation, not a twisted, self-serving perspective," she explains. "I also check it several times a day to see how the market is doing, because I have a 401(k). I send e-mails, as requested by the political department, on issues of importance to AFSCME, and to my family and community."
Tunney-Smith, who resides in Maryland, says the site is her main link to the union life in which she once played an active role. "When I first got into the site, I almost cried: I felt I was coming home. I love this site!"
Chrystene Zarazinski, Local 1153 (Council 93) in Massachusetts, is a self-proclaimed "computer illiterate." But since she's logged onto workingfamilies, she's found out that "surfing" the Web is "a very simple process." The chair for her council's women's committee and a member of her state's AFL-CIO women's committee, Zarazinski is able to cull information about issues that relate to her causes and pass it on to her colleagues.
"Workingfamilies has uses for every family member because it opens up the Internet to everyone," she says. "When my grandchildren come over to use the computer, I'm sure I'll learn more from them than they'll learn from me."
UNION BUSINESS. Staff members of Council 40 have had great success with workingfamilies. They are so convinced of its utility that they have decided to make it available to colleagues located around Wisconsin. They will use the site as their basic communications system. "The site is broad-based and economical, and you can get anything [from the Web] you want with it," says Tom Larsen, a staff representative who, when interviewed, had just received an arbitration decision by "e-fax," one of the features of the system.
Jeff Wickland, another Council 40 staff rep, says the $14.95 price tag is well worth it. Every time he's logged on to the site, he's done so rapidly and without any disruptions. Wickland is so impressed that he's dropping his previous ISP — a major server — because it costs more and offers fewer monthly hours in the base price.
GREENTV.* Members who can't break away from the daily grind can now view union activities without leaving their home or office. AFSCME has developed GreenTV, a "now" technology that is interfacing with personal home computers.
To access GreenTV, members with personal computers that have Internet capability can go to www.afscme.org/whatsnew/greentv.htm. A few more clicks, and users can watch and listen to images, just like on a TV. Computer users with slower connections can follow the instructions on AFSCME's site.
GreenTV was a notable success during the Convention in Philadelphia. "I can't tell you how delighted I was to be able to 'participate' in the AFSCME Convention via my computer," says Tunney-Smith. "I looked for familiar faces and enjoyed having a front seat."
AFSCME.ORG's OFFERINGS. The union continues to improve on what already has been a classy site: www.afscme.org. Members can go there and see that one of the most popular links, "Stop Privatization," has expanded.
The Convention was covered in detail on the site, loaded with tons of information about resolutions and amendments that were passed.
Web editor's note: GreenTV is no longer available on the AFSCME Web site.
