LEP Update

June 9, 2008

New email address for all labor education faculty, staff and business: @illinois.edu. Messages sent to @uiuc.edu addresses will be automatically forwarded to @illinois.edu “for a while.”

The University of Illinois Labor Education Program will bring instructors to any location in Illinois where people invite us to come and provide labor education.

MIDWEST SCHOOL FOR WOMEN WORKERS

July 10-13  St. Louis, MO

Roz Sherman-Voellinger and Judy Ancel from U Missouri are hosting. Special guests: six union women from Iraq. Scholarships are still available through the Regina V. Polk Fund for Women’s Labor Leadership and the United Association for Labor Education. Download the application form from the school website:  www.womenworkers.org

FALL 2008 PROGRAMS DOWNSTATE

Local Union President Conference

October 9-26-27

At UIUC in Champaign

Three weeks before the election this conference will create a forum for local union presidents (or their designees) from all different unions to review challenges, communicate goals and strategy, anticipate changes, and plan action. The curriculum will be developed through consultation with local union presidents. Cost, housing etc is not tied down yet. Respond to this email for details.

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

This is a non-credit class open to the Champaign and regional labor movement, workers without unions, community activists and UIUC students of all sorts. During its 10 sessions (on Tuesday the 4th the class will start AFTER the polls close) 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.

FALL 2008 PROGRAMS 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. It covers the organizations and structure of the American labor movement; where unions came from in the United States; the meaning of union membership.

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. This class is for experienced stewards, chief stewards, grievance chairs, and others with contract enforcement and workplace leadership responsibilities.

ON-LINE LABOR STUDIES CLASSES

You don’t have to be a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign student to enroll in UIUC online classes. If you are a University of Illinois employee, you can take these classes for free. The cost per 3-credit class is $882.  Unionists receive a scholarship that reduces the cost to $706 per course.  For more information and course syllabi go to our website at:  http://lep.ilir.uiuc.edu/.   If you’ve a question please call Steven Ashby at (312) 996-8733 or email him at skashby@uiuc.edu.

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

If you would like us to come to your organization or local union meeting, call the numbers listed above or email Illinoislabored@uiuc.edu. We can bring our Book Table to sell and talk about good labor books from the Illinois Labor History Society, books that you may not see out on the shelf in most bookstores.