LEP Update

September 17, 2008

New LEP websites, always improving:

http://www.ler.illinois.edu/labor/index.html

www.illinoislabored.org

CHICAGO CENTER FOR WORKING CLASS STUDIES: September 18, 6 pm reception, 7-9 pm panel. Gary Gerstle , James Stahlman Professor of History at Vanderbilt University, “Private Power and American Democracy: Rethinking the History of the U.S. State”  Murray-Green Library, Roosevelt University  Auditorium Building, 430 S. Michigan Ave., 10th Floor

PANEL: Bill Fletcher, David Moberg, Richard Berg and Kim Bobo on The Labor Movement and Progressive Politics in the Post-Bush Era Wednesday Oct 1, 7:30  pm at the UE Hall, 37 South Ashland, first floor. Bill Fletcher is author of  Solidarity Divided, David Moberg is editor and publisher of In These Times, Richard Berg is President of IBT 743, and Kim Bobo is Director of the Interfaith Committee on Worker Justice.

HISPANIC INITIATIVE CONFERENCE: October 4, 8:00 am – 12:45 pm. Unifying a Multicultural Workplace. Coffee and donuts will be served. Free. Conducted in Spanish: some portions bi-lingual. For more information and to register, please call Francisco Montalvo, Jr. at 312-413-0166.

NATIONAL LABOR COLLEGE CLASS IN CHICAGO: Current Issues in Labor.  October 11, 18 and November 15, 22, from 9 am – 4 pm. This 3-unit credit course focuses on challenges facing American workers and the U.S. labor movement.  Students will read books by top labor journalists Phil Dine, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and Steven Greenhouse, New York Times; and short supplementary readings. Contact Steven Ashby at skashby@illinois.edu

STATEWIDE LOCAL UNION PRESIDENTS CONFERENCE

September 25-26-27 in Champaign. For local union presidents, principal officers, etc. Current political and economic environment; final preparations for the ’08 election; triumphs and challenges, the legal environment for labor; the experiences of other locals. Endorsed by the Illinois AFL-CIO. $350 plus hotel (Hawthorne Suites, 217-398-3400.) For program details call Monica Bielski at 217-244-4094 or Joe Berry at 217-333-3288.

CHAMPAIGN CERTIFICATE CLASS

Building and Re-Building the Labor Movement Tuesday nights, 6-8:30, October 14-December 16

$50; instructors Joe Berry, Helena Worthen, Monica Bielski and Ed Hertenstein

At UIUC in the Wagner Education Center, 504 East Armory

Non-credit class open to the Champaign and regional labor movement, workers without unions, community activists and UIUC students of all sorts. AFL-CIO Sec. Treas. Rich Trumka will join the first class. During our 10 sessions we will cover the critical issues facing the labor movement. Novices and activists are all welcome: this is a labor movement fundamentals class. The UIUC Coalition of Labor/Campus Unions United has endorsed this class as has the Champaign Central Labor Council.

2008-2009 STATEWIDE CONFERENCES

Occupational Safety and Health: The Future of Good Jobs Conference

Friday and Saturday, January 30, 31, 2009

Labor and the environmental movement; bargaining health and safety; building an effective health and safety committee on the job; documenting health and safety issues; understanding OSHA and our rights under the law.  A UIUC residential conference.

Union Communications: The Face and Voice of Labor Conference

Thursday through Saturday, March 26, 27, 28, 2009

Sound bites, newsletters, blogs, posters, photographs, YouTube and politics for internal and external communication.

FALL 2008 CERTIFICATE CLASSES CHICAGO

Basic and Advanced Certificates in Labor Studies

(Each 6-week class $150, additional cost for books)

These classes are organized in a sequence that is cumulative. To get the full benefit of any class, people are advised to take the whole sequence.

Introduction to the American Labor Movement (Basic)

September 23-October 30. Tuesdays. 10:00 am – 12:30 pm or 6:00 – 8:30 pm                       

This class situates our labor movement today, both its crises and successes, in our current economic and political context.

Steward Training (Basic)

November 11- Dec 16.  Tuesdays. 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. or 6: 00 – 8:30 p.m.

Technical aspects of grievance handling, the steward’s role as internal organizer and educator, what a steward needs to know; the legal rights of a union steward; the grievance procedure; processing a grievance; past practice grievances.

Current Issues in the Labor Movement (Advanced)

September 24 – October 29. Wednesdays. 10 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. or 6:00-8:30 p.m.     

Major debates and issues within the labor movement; external challenges; the need to develop strategies for the 21st century; labor internationalism and globalization, union democracy, internal and external organizing, minority unionism, and legal and political challenges among others.

Steward Training (Advanced)

November 12- December -17. Wednesdays. 10:00 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. or 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Preparing a case to hand over to an arbitration advocate; evaluation of the many other methods for resolving problems and building the union’s power.

LABOR LEADER IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM AT UIUC

Rich Trumka, Secretary Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, has accepted an invitation from LEP and the Institute to be our first “Labor Leader in Residence.”  Trumka will come to the UIUC campus the week of October 13-17.  He will give public talks, speak at the Friday seminar and attend LEP functions such as the Tuesday night Building and Re-Building the Labor Movement certificate class that starts October 14.  Trumka will also visit CLEP in Chicago.  

CONTACTS

CHICAGO: Yesenia Vargas, 312-996-2624, 815 W. Van Buren Street, Chicago 60607

CHAMPAIGN: Joe Berry, 217-333-2388, 504 East Armory, Champaign 61820

Great video about 5 manual workers around the globe:

http://www.alivemindmedia.com/films/workingmans-death/

Job: Organizers wanted to work for UNITE HERE in Midwest. Email holtfortier@aol.com