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SLU Blog
By Leah Feder
Brits, Europeans and the world at large have experienced a rude awakening over the past 24 hours. The people of the United Kingdom have, against most predictions, voted to leave the European Un […]
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SLU Blog
For a while, it looked like we’d have to choose: labor or climate; jobs or the planet. But with unions like the CWA increasingly calling for action on climate change, some of these once-divergent interests a […]
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SLU Blog
Featured photo credit: USDA Photo by Lance Cheung, via Flickr CC
This article originally appeared at Triple Pundit.
By Daniel Faris
America is no longer a representative democracy—a fact underscored by d […]
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SLU Blog
The Democracy Collaborative is seeking a campus event organizer to provide 20 hours/week of labor assisting the Next System Project, an ambitious new initiative aimed at helping Americans think boldly about what […]
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SLU Blog
This article was originally featured on The Indypendent.
By Janaki Chadha
After Greece, Spain has been one of the European countries hardest hit by the economic crisis that began in 2008. Unemployment s […]
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SLU Blog
Kopkind, the magical retreat in Southern Vermont for media makers and activists is headed for its 17th summer, and is calling for people who are interested in attending to send letters of intent.
The political […]
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SLU Blog
The Labor Studies Program invites you to enroll in our summer graduate class: Queering Labor
June 8 to July 24, T&Th, 6:15-8:45pm
Facilitated by Colin Patrick Ashley
Queering Labor will address the role […]
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SLU Blog
Join us on Friday, February 20th, 2015
8:30 to 10:15 amThe highlight of Mayor de Blasio’s State of the City address on Tuesday was his affordable housing initiative, starting with East New York, one of the c […]
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SLU Blog
A quick round-up at the end of a short week. Stay warm out there, folks!
Major west coast ports partially shut-down this week thanks to a 9-month contract dispute between the International Longshore and […]
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SLU Blog
Labor Notes is accepting applications for two positions in our New York office. We are looking for people with experience in the labor movement and demonstrated capacities as organizational leaders. Start date is […]
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SLU Blog
This article was originally posted on Times Union.
By Ed Ott and Nancy Rankin
As we head back to work after the Labor Day weekend, it’s a good time to reflect on how things are going for New York’s 9 million working people.
We’ve made some progress this year: the lowest-paid workers got the first installment of their raise, as the state minimum wage went to $8 an hour. Not nearly enough, and tipped workers are still owed their promised increase, but a start. The labor movement succeeded in achieving greater child care funding in the state budget. And over 1.2 million workers in New York City who did not have a single paid sick day before this year are now able to take sick leave without losing their wages or their jobs.
All of these will be good for New Yorkers and good for New York. When workers earn a decent living with sensible policies — like child care and sick days — they can take care of their families, pay their taxes and help grow our businesses.
But lawmakers left Albany before completing one important initiative: paid family leave.
A few times in almost all our work lives, we need a period of weeks to care for a newborn or be at the bedside of a seriously ill family member. Every expert agrees on the importance of breast-feeding and early childhood development. Yet too many parents are unable to take off even the first precious weeks of their children’s lives to bond with and nurture them, because we are one of only two nations without government-guaranteed paid family leave. Of 185 countries tracked by the International Labour Organization, Papua New Guinea and the United States alone fail to provide paid maternity leave.
Too many elderly parents are ending up in costly facilities, often at the taxpayer expense, because a grown child cannot take time away from work to help them recuperate from a broken hip, chemotherapy or heart surgery. Too many hard-working employees cannot care for a spouse with HIV in weeks of crisis.
Some will argue workers could use saved-up vacation and sick days. But that ignores the reality that a large fraction of employees do not get any paid vacation and many workers outside New York City are still without paid sick leave. These tend to be low-paid workers, exactly those unable to save anything from inadequate wages to sustain themselves and their families for days, much less weeks, without a paycheck. Two-thirds of low-income workers in New York City have no paid vacation, according to a 2013 Community Service Society survey. Close to half said they had less than $500 to fall back on. Eight days’ lost pay for people making minimum wage would entirely wipe out their life savings.
Even those who have paid leave may not be able to use it for family members, or may quickly exhaust their time when faced with a difficult pregnancy, premature birth or traumatic family illness, like a childhood cancer.
When temporary family crises trigger job loss, a low-income family’s hardships skyrocket. The CSS survey found that when a household member lost a job in the past year, those who reported falling behind on the rent or mortgage doubled and the number who were unable to fill a needed prescription shot up to 47 percent from 19 percent.
The simple solution is to provide paid family leave for all workers. New York already has a Temporary Disability Insurance system that can easily be modernized to provide up to 12 weeks of insurance benefits to help replace earnings during time needed to care for a new child or seriously ill family member. This proposal costs only pennies per paycheck, paid for entirely by employees. Along with this change, disability benefits need to be brought to an adequate level for today’s cost of living, not left at the meager $170 a week where they have been frozen for the past 25 years. The state Assembly has already passed a bill to make these improvements. But Senate went home this summer without bringing the measure to a vote.
Momentum is building around the country: California, New Jersey and Rhode Island have already modernized their state disability insurance programs to provide paid family leave, and studies show that any concerns that businesses would be negatively impacted have not been borne out. Moreover, policies that enable women to remain in the labor force boost the economy overall. Polls of both voters and small business owners show New Yorkers overwhelmingly favor paid family leave.
As our our attention turns from the Labor Day holiday behind us to the elections ahead, we should think of those torn between demands of earning the money to support their families and taking temporary time off to care for an infant in the first weeks of life or an ailing mother in her last weeks. We should ask those seeking our votes this fall whether they will pass paid family leave so that New York’s working families do not have to choose between their livelihoods and their loved ones.
Edward Ott is the Distinguished Lecturer in Labor Studies at the Murphy Institute, CUNY, and former executive director of the New York City Central Labor Council. Nancy Rankin is vice president for Policy Research and Advocacy at the Community Service Society in New York City.
Photo via Flickr
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SLU Blog
The American Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, was founded in 1916 and represents nearly 3,000 local affiliates nationwide, 43 state affiliates and 1.6 million members.
Five divisions within the AFT represent the broad spectrum of the AFT’s membership: pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; and nurses and other healthcare professionals. In addition, the AFT represents approximately 80,000 early childhood educators and nearly 250,000 retiree members.
The issues we address on behalf of all of our members include:
education reform and school restructuring
privatization of public services
worker and workplace health and safety concerns
professional development/training programs
federal and state legislation
health care, Social Security and pensions
school and hospital staffing
licensure and certificationResponsibilities of Interns:
Interns at the AFT provide research support on worker and professional issues for the different constituencies of the AFT. Interns must be able to work independently on one or two long-term research assignments, as well as assist with short-term projects as the need arises.
The work may involve any or all of the following: producing surveys and compiling results, tracking data, various types of research (Internet, library, Lexus/Nexus), writing for possible publication. The work requires significant communication with AFT leaders and outside sources. There are also opportunities to represent the AFT at various meetings and conferences around Washington, D.C.
To read more specific department descriptions, go to the department directory.
Application Requirements:
We rely on both academic success and a prospective intern’s interest in learning more about the work of labor unions and the work of the AFT. We have no formal application. Students interested in an internship with the AFT should send the following:
Cover letter explaining (1) your interest in becoming an intern at the American Federation of Teachers; (2) what you expect to learn while at the AFT; (3) what you have to offer the AFT; (4) why you want to learn more about the labor movement; (5) the time period for which you are seeking an internship.
resume that includes a list of any relevant coursework and contact information (phone and email);
writing sample, if one is available (this is not required by all departments).These items can be mailed to the AFT or sent via email to the contact listed below.
Salary, Scheduling and Application Deadlines:
The internship is a paid position according to the level of education ($12/hr for undergraduates or those with bachelor’s degrees and $14/hr above bachelor’s degrees).
The AFT does not provide housing or transportation for out-of-town students.
Application Deadlines
For January through April, deadline is November 1 of previous year
For May through August, deadline is March 1
For September through December, deadline is June 1A few internships are also available for up to one year, to begin at any time during the year. Applications for these internships are accepted year round and require the same information listed above.
Contact:
Intern Coordinator
American Federation of Teachers
555 New Jersey Ave N.W.
Washington, DC 20001
202/879-4439
intern@aft.org -
SLU Blog
Labor and the city came together yesterday when the Astoria Cove development came up for public hearing at the NYC Department of City Council as part of the Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP). For those […]
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SLU Blog
Raise the Floor, a dynamic new alliance of Illinois-based worker centers founded in 2014, seeks an Executive Director. Raise the Floor (RTF) unites Chicago-area worker centers to ensure that low-wage workers have access to quality jobs and are empowered to uphold and improve workplace standards. RTF achieves its mission by providing research, communications and legal support for efforts to win public and private policy changes that raise the floor for all workers. Both an alliance and a support center, RTF brings worker centers together into one strong voice for economic policies that foster permanent full-time family supporting work.
Responsibilities
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director (ED) will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for RTF’s staff, programs, expansion, and execution of its mission. S/he will initially develop deep knowledge of the core operations, governance, fundraising and policy agenda.The Executive Director is responsible for coordinating the alliance’s work in five (5) general areas. Responsibilities include:
Organizational Development & Governance
Develop the alliance’s legal, governance and fiduciary structure, in cooperation with the RTF Board
Manage RTF’s communications, research, policy, and development staff
Oversee organizational start-up and build-out process including hiring of new staff and contracting with specialists as needed
Acquire and maintain understanding of the work of each member group (worker center); ensure each member groups’ voices are heard and needs are accounted for
Build and maintain commitment to RTF mission, vision, and principles; work collaboratively with RTF Board to meet collective goals while accounting for each member group’s needsPolicy Advocacy
Lead RTF’s policy work, including serving as liaison with enforcement agencies, elected officials, academic partners and other allies
Work with Board to create and execute a statewide policy campaign strategy and policy agenda
Oversee development of policy proposals, and private-sector policy vehicles that establish industry-specific workplace standardsDevelopment
Envision and execute a fundraising plan, including the development and management of an individual donors base
Champion grant development, facilitate RTF Board interaction with national and local funders to meet fundraising goals
Partner the RTF Board Fundraising Committee in reaching annual fundraising goalsCommunications
Manage and coordinate RTF’s communications work, working with staff and/or consultants to build broad public support for policies that promote permanent, full-time living wage employment
Oversee and garner earned media, including referral of media inquiries to appropriate member groups
Create and execute the alliance’s online and social media strategies/platform
Assist member groups’ with communications needs, when necessaryResearch
Oversee RTF’s research work, including supervision of research staff and coordination of in-kind research assistance from academic partners
Required Qualifications
The ED will be thoroughly committed to RTF‘s mission. All candidates should have proven leadership, operations, and relationship management experience. Concrete demonstrable experience and other qualifications include:A least 5 years’ experience in worker justice organizing including workplace policy campaigns, coalition building and developing campaign strategy
Significant supervisory experience with the ability to coach staff and manage teams
Record of success working with a board or similar governing body
Demonstrated ability to handle multiple complex projects simultaneously and meet deadlines
Experience in organizational and financial management, including familiarity with the 501(c)(3) nonprofit structure and the ability to manage a budget and achieve strategic objectives
Experience working in communities of color
Ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people and perspectives, listen, build consensus and keep ego in check
Proven fundraising experience with the ability to engage a wide range of supporters, donors, philanthropists, and foundations
A persuasive and passionate communicator with excellent interpersonal relations, strong written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to effectively articulate the needs of low-wage Illinois workers
Conversational Spanish a plus
Passion, idealism, integritySalary Range and Benefits
The Raise the Floor Alliance offers a competitive market salary and benefits package to commensurate with experience and qualifications. Benefits include health care coverage, vacation, and sick days.
Application Procedure
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, résumé, writing sample, and a listing of three references to: EDsearch@raisetheflooralliance.org. The writing sample should be no more than 5 pages and can take the form of: a communications plan, fundraising plan, recently published article or position paper on workers’ rights.
Attention: Recruiter
Raise the Floor Alliance
Via email to: EDsearch@raisetheflooralliance.orgNO TELEPHONE CALLS OR WALK-INS PLEASE.
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SLU Blog
POSITION SUMMARY
The Midwest Academy, a national training institute for progressive organizations, is seeking a full-time Trainer/Consultant. Our strong preference is to have this position located in Chicago, but there may be some flexibility; please indicate your willingness to locate in Chicago.
The Trainer/Consultant will work with other Midwest Academy training staff to conduct our five-day Organizing for Social Change training workshop for organizers from a wide variety of progressive organizations, as well as the Advanced and Supervisor workshops. She/he will also travel to provide onsite training and consulting to organizations, including skills training, strategic planning, organizational development and other topics. This person will be part of the Midwest Academy team developing opportunities to support the building of progressive leadership and infrastructure and powerful, strategic progressive organizing. This position reports to the Executive Director.
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SLU Blog
District Council 9, Painters and Allied Trades
District Council 9 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades is an organization of painters, decorators, wall covers, drywall finishers, sign painters, metal polishers, bridge & structural steel painters, civil service painters, lead abatement workers, glaziers & architectural metal glassworkers, paint makers, paint makers and allied trades.
Administrative Assistant
Summary
The Administrative Assistant is responsible for providing office staff, union representatives, and members support to ensure efficient operation of the office through a variety of tasks related to organization and communication.Requirements
At least two years of experience in office work
Excellent written and verbal communications skills.
Proficiency in MS Office
Knowledge of office management systems and procedures
Excellent time management skills and ability to multi-task and prioritize work
Attention to detail and problem solving skills
Strong organizational and planning skills
Great interpersonal skills
Dependable, detail-oriented and accurateBonus:
Bi-lingual – English/Spanish
Experience in design or digital graphics
Comfortable with managing social media
Knowledge of web and print designThis is an immediate start job opportunity. Please send your resume to lmckenna@dc9.net with ‘Administrative Assistant – [Your Name]’ in the subject line.
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SLU Blog
What’s the relationship between corporations and their franchisees? That’s the question at hand in the latest ruling by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
In a decision first reported by the Associated […]
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