The School for Workers, part of the University of Wisconsin-Extension, provides labor education and research support for organized labor and working people. This includes traditional labor education, union-management consultation services, and also specific community projects aimed at specific constituencies and objectives.
The following are some examples of community organizing that faculty of the School have been engaged in recently:
Sustainability Roundtables -
Connecting workers, green jobs, & green Industry
Four Roundtables on sustainable economic development were held in the spring of 2009. The goals of the Roundtables were to ensure that labor is included in sustainable development and to ensure that workers and their unions are included in sustainable economic development networks . The project, funded by a Program Innovation Grant, was a collaboration between UW-Extension School for Workers and Community Development, UW-Superior, and an independent sustainability consultant. Roundtables were held in Milwaukee, Appleton, Superior, and La Crosse. The Roundtables received rave reviews, and have contributed to continuing efforts in all four communities. The project boosted existing efforts in sustainable economic development and has resulted in several measures to ensure that working people and the unions that represent them are integrally involved in the dialogue. For more information contact Corliss Olson at corliss.olson@uwex.edu or 608-265-4923
Union Leadership Development
Concerned that many union leaders are nearing retirement and that increased diversity among union leaders is critical to the growth of the labor movement, the School for Workers launched a program to accelerate the search for potential new union leaders. The project was funded by a Diversity Program Development Initiative from UW-Extension, and featured collaboration between the School for Workers faculty and a Community Development Agent. Focus groups on union leadership were held with AFSCME Council 40 in Madison and with various unions in the Milwaukee area. Participants took part in a discussion of union leadership needs and were commissioned to find and recruit potential new leaders and mentors. The School for Workers will help these recruits develop individual training programs to prepare them for various union leadership roles. Corliss Olson at corliss.olson@uwex.edu or 608-265-4923.
The Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice
The School for Workers, with financial support from the University of Wisconsin-Extension, recently partnered with ICWJ to support training for Latino workers. The program, entitled Know Your Rights, provided education to workers in their native language about their rights in the work place, relevant laws, and some of the resources available should they encounter problems.
The Workers Rights Center
The School for Workers faculty has provided free education to volunteer workplace advocates to increase their skills to assist others in resolving workplace problems. The Center is committed to empowering workers, and a major focus has been training people in the community as advocates to know the resources available should they encounter problems.
Madison Labor Radio and the Wisconsin Radio Project
Madison Labor Radio offers volunteers the opportunity to learn how to produce, write and report labor news for radio. No experience necessary. Please call 608-215-6701 to put the SFW media training to practical use.
Workers Independent News seeks volunteers to do outreach to unions, as well as to research and fact check stories for the daily nationally syndicated headline news service. WIN offers volunteers a practical way to use the media training offered by the SFW call 608-215-6701.
Wisconsin Direct Caregiver Alliance and Direct Care Alliance
Neill De Clercq serves on the boards of both the state and national education and advocacy organizations for workers providing long term care for elders and people with disabilities.