LaborTech 2008

www.labortech.net

The Digital Revolution and Labor Media Strategy

December 5, 6 & 7, 2008

At University of San Francisco

2130 Fulton St., near Cole, San Francisco

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Labortech 2008 takes place in the midst of the greatest financial crisis in the history of the United States. The logic of deregulation and privatization now are destroying the lives of tens of millions of working people. Critical to labor’s challenge today is to get our message out and break the information blockade that corporate media and telecom promote. LaborTech can be a vital tool in this work, and this conference will discuss and learn how to get our messages out and win the information and media battle.

This semi-annual educational and training conference brings together labor videographers, radio programmers, Internet developers, educators, artists and cultural workers to help educate, train and build labor communication and media technology for working people. It also examines issues of how these new technologies are being used both for and against labor in the workplace, on the Internet and the airwaves.
We will look at how unions are building new channels on the web, using pod-casting and other Internet tools to develop labor education, solidarity and directly connect with the rank and file. We will learn how to produce a daily video strike bulletin, how to stream our rallies and conferences, and how to develop labor channels on YouTube and other portals as well as using social networks.
We will also see examples of video and radio programs that have helped win our battles by education and involving the community in these campaigns. Labor and our unions cannot afford to wait in using these tools in our struggle to defend working people and to train our members to build a labor media movement.

The need to educate working people is critical. Only by working together to build our understanding and use of these communication tools will help transform our situation.
Join us in this year’s LaborTech conference.

Workshops: (partial list as of 10/1/08)
Plenums:
*Labor & social networking: Using the Internet to build a network organizing
*Union busting, labor journalism and the future of news and broadcast journalists and media workers
*The war on terrorism, ideology, labor and democracy

Workshops:
*Developing a regional multi-media labor portal
*Pod casting and how labor can use it
*How to produce a community access TV show
*How to produce a labor radio show
*How to do labor video documentaries
*How to stream your rallies and conferences on the web and pod casting
*Media unions, union busting and new technology
*Open source, what it is and how to use and defend it
*New technology, health and safety and labor
*Medical privacy, technology and labor protection
*Developing an international labor media network
*How to produce a labor film/cultural arts festival
*Labor culture and using technology
*Defending democratic and union rights on the Internet, net neutrality and social networks
*Public broadband and expanding democracy in communication technology
*Using website for communication, information and solidarity campaign
*Defending libraries, democracy and privatization of information
*Micro radio and labor media

Partial list of Panelists/Participants(partial list as of 10/1/08)
:
Julian Peeples, California School Employees Association* 

Vivian Price, Professor CSUDH, Labor Film maker
Frank Emspach, WIN labor radio Founder
Marty Fishgold, Director Communications SEIU 371/NY*
Bruce Wolf, www.public.freemuni.net public broadband
Edward Hasbrouck, The Identity Project Privacy & Repression
Andrew Knight & Andrew Kong, Angry Tired Teachers Band, member CTA*
Jack Chernos, AFM Local 6* and Labor Musician
Catherine Alexander, SEIU 521*, Librarian
Dr. Larry Rose, Last doctor at Ca-OSHA
Wes Brain, Labor Radio Producer
Tami Bryant, SEIU 1000* Host Of “Union Buzz”
Jeff Sharlet, Journalist, historian
Collette Washington, CNA Web Master
Jeff Smedberg, Reelworks Labor Film Festival, SEIU 521*
James Jacobs, Radical Reference, Stanford Library
Yeo Shinjoung, Radical Reference, Stanford Library
Carl Bryant, TV 214 NALC 214*
Steve Dondley, Promethus ILMN Website
Shiela Davis, Silicon Valley Toxic Coalition-Nanotechnology
Peter B. Collins, AFTRA Executive Board*, Radio Host
Todd Davies, Stanford University, CPSR
Peter Phillips, Professor, Sociology Sonoma State College. Director of Project Censored
Steve Stallone, Pres. ILCA, Editor of N. California Media Workers Newspaper
Chis Witteman, Communications Rights Lawyer
Michael Perelman, Professor CSUC
Dorothy Kidd, USF Media Department Chair
John Parulis, Labortech Webmaster
Ralph Schoenman, WBAI Radio Host “Taking Aim”
Jack Rasmus, Labor Economist, Author
Dick Meister, Labor Journalist and Reporter
Nick Yale, SEIU 1000*, Videographer
Jim E. Kelly, Coordinator of Labor Studies at San Jose City College. AFT Local 6157*
(* for identification only)

Conference Location:
University of San Francisco Main Campus is located near the north east corner of the Golden Gate Park, between Golden Gate Ave. and Fulton St., and Masonic Ave. and Parker Ave. in San Francisco. The registration will be at the McLaren Complex on the campus. Nearest entrance will be from Fulton near Cole, or Golden Gate Ave. near Roselyn Ter. Parking will be on street parking. Bus from the downtown will be #5 Fulton or #31 Balboa.