Change or Die” is a slogan often adopted by organizations as a way to focus attention on the need to adapt to a continually changing environment.

Organizations that plan, change and adapt to challenges are better suited to move confidently into the future, while those that continue to proceed as they have because that’s the way they have always worked may be setting themselves up to drift into irrelevance.

The administration and Executive Board at Local 802 are committed to the process of change and ensuring that we are well positioned to meet future challenges and opportunities.

Last December, the Executive Board heard a presentation by Jeff Grabelsky from the Cornell School for Industrial Relations. The presentation, entitled “Strategic Challenge in a Changing Environment,” put the challenges 802 faces into a larger context and advocated the need for strategic decision making.

Afterwards, the board endorsed the concept of strategic planning and contracted with Cornell to provide the union with a facilitator to help guide the process.

The first step in the strategic planning process was developing a strategic planning subcommittee. The subcommittee was charged with examining both internal and external challenges to the union.

The subcommittee consists of President David Lennon; Executive Board members Mary Landolfi, Tino Gagliardi and Jay Schaffner; Organizing Director Joe Eisman; and Joe Delia, assistant to the president.

The next step will be to determine short- and medium-term goals for the union as well as our long-term mission. The subcommittee will solicit input from a wide variety of sources (members, leaders and staff) and make recommendations to the Executive Board.

Adopting and implementing the resulting plan will strengthen 802’s ability to advance and protect the interests of current and prospective members within an industry undergoing rapid and dramatic change.

Any member who has questions about this strategic planning process should contact the President’s Office.