What values do we share? Where are we now? Where do we want to be in three to five years?

These are some of the big picture questions we will be grappling with over the next several months as we kick off a new round of strategic planning.

The strategic planning process has impacted our organization in profound ways since we developed our first plan back in 2009. Our campaign to build a Local Union strike fund grew out of an earlier strategic plan as did our new member orientation program.

This will be the fourth time we have embarked on an intensive planning process over the last eight years, and we will be looking to make a similar impact this time around.

To get things rolling, our new strategic planning committee met for the first time on October 7. The committee’s job is to help guide us through the process, engage internal stakeholders, and oversee the implementation of the plan.

The committee spent much of that first meeting discussing ways to involve members in the process and solicit your feedback. We talked about putting together a member survey, holding workplace meetings or focus groups, and bringing members in for trainings.

We’ll need your input on what’s working well at our Union and what we need to improve. We want to evaluate our mission statement, lay out a vision for the future, and develop strategic priorities. We will also be surveying the external landscape to anticipate and prepare for potential threats and take advantage of existing opportunities.

The goals we establish through this process will have a lasting impact on our Union over the next three years.

To be successful, we need your help. If you want to be involved or have ideas about how to involve members in strategic planning, please reach out to Karen Estevenin or Paul Zilly, the co-chairs of the committee, or email us at [email protected].