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Labor@Wayne

Past Programs

Recent Events with Labor@Wayne

April 4, 2024: Margot Canaday, Queer Career: Sexuality and Work in Modern America
Dr. Margot Canaday, Dodge Professor of History at Princeton University, discussed her new book, Queer Career: Sexuality and Work in Modern America, on April 4th, 2024. Queer Career has been recently awarded both the Hagley Prize in Business History and the Labor and Working-Class History Association's (LAWCHA's) Philip Taft Labor History Award. Margot Canaday's first book, The Straight State: Sexuality and Citizenship in Twentieth-Century America, explores state opposition to homosexuality and queer identity across more than the past 100 years. Dr. Canaday's talk took place on April 4th from 11:00AM to 12:30PM. The event was sponsored by Labor@Wayne, the Fraser Center for Workplace Issues, the Walter Reuther Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, the Department of History, and the Center for Gender and Sexuality.
Click HERE for a link to an online recording of the event (YouTube) and HERE for a digital copy of the event flyer (PNG)
 

March 29, 2024: Notes Toward a Global Labor History of Detroit
Distinguished professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in US History, UCLA, Dr. Robin DG Kelley gave a much anticipated talk in the Bernath Auditorium, located in Wayne State's Undergraduate Library (UGL). Robin DG Kelley is a scholar of African American music, culture, and history who has published on topics ranging from labor history to jazz and surrealism. His books include Race Rebels, Freedom Dreams, Thelonious Monk, and Africa Speaks, America Answers. Dr. Kelley's talk, which addressed crucial historical and contemporary issues, took place on March 29th from 3:00PM to 5:00PM. The event was sponsored by Labor@Wayne, Wayne State's Department of African American Studies, Department of English, and the Center for Gender and Sexuality.
Click HERE for a digital copy of the event flyer (PNG)
 

March 21, 2024: Labor Spring: Higher Ed, Union Revival, and Labor History at a Crossroads
Dr. Joseph A. McCartin, Georgetown University, gave Labor@Wayne's returning Irving Bluestone Lectureship on Workplace Issues the day after Wayne State's Labor Spring Teach-In. As Director of Georgetown's Kalmanovitz Initiative on Labor and the Working Poor, Dr. McCartin has worked tirelessly to coordinate Labor Spring teach-ins across the United States and internationally. This work is in addition to his scholarship on US labor, social, and political history. Dr. McCartin's talk was held in the Community Room of Wayne State's Undergraduate Library (UGL) on March 21st from 4:00PM to 6:00PM. The event was sponsored by Labor@Wayne, Higher Ed Labor United (HELU), the Reuther Archives, Wayne State's Department of History, and the Fraser Center for Workplace Issues.
Click HERE for a digital copy of the event flyer (PNG)
 

March 20, 2024: WSU Second Annual Labor Spring Teach-In
Wayne State University hosted its second annual Labor Spring Teach-In starting on March 20th at the Student Center (Hilberry E/F), going from Noon to 4:00PM. The first day of Labor Spring was organized into separate topics-based panels for students, staff, faculty, and other community members to learn more about the labor movement and labor activism's role in safeguarding our democratic institutions. The panel topics ranged from "What is a Union?" and "What Rights are Workers' Rights" to "Unions and Environmental Justice" and "Unions and Human Rights." Panel participants joined the teach-in from a variety of organizations and departments like Jobs with Justice, the Department of Labor Wages and Hours Division, the Graduate Employees' Organizing Committee (GEOC), the Wayne Academic Union, Pride at Work Michigan, and more.
Click HERE for a digital copy of the event flyer (PNG)
 

February 23, 2024: Essential Workers: Public Employment and the Dignity of Labor
Dr. William P. Jones, University of Minnesota, gave the Fraser Center's second Fraser Center Lecture on the history of Essential Workers, their longstanding ties to practices of Public Employment, and questions about the workers' rights to dignity in the wake of pandemics and other disasters. Dr. Jones' Fraser Center Lecture was held on February 23rd in the Student Center (Hilberry D) from 11:00AM to 1:00PM. The event was sponsored by Labor@Wayne, The Fraser Center for Workplace Issues, the Reuther Archives, Wayne State University Department of African American Studies, and the WSU Crockett-Lumumba Scholars.
Click HERE for a digital copy of the event flyer (PNG)
 

February 22, 2024: Sterling Heights Library Lecture Series
Jamie McQuaid, from Wayne State University's Labor@Wayne, gave a guest lecture at the Sterling Heights Public Library on his recent dissertation, "This Union Cause: The Queer History of the United Auto Workers, 1935-2000." The event was held on February 22nd at 6:00PM.
 

January 22, 2024: UC on Strike: Preserving Negotiation and Strike Success in Higher Education
Panelists Caroline Luce (UCLA), Monica Geraffo (UAW-UCLA), Gavin Strassel (UAW Archives), and Heeba Hartit (GSR UC Labor Center) joined the Fraser Center for Workplace Issues to discuss the recent strike involving more than 48,000 graduate workers, post-docs, and academic researchers at the UC system in November 2022. This talk, which was held at the Reuther Archives on January 22, 2024 at 4:00PM, brought the return on the Fraser Center Lecture Series for 2024. The event was sponsored by the Fraser Center, Labor@Wayne, Higher Ed Labor United (HELU), and the Reuther Archives.
Click HERE for a digital copy of the event flyer (PNG)
 

December 15, 2023: WDI Alumni Association Open House
The open house was for the AFL-CIO's Workforce Development Institute and doubled as a reception for alums interested in Labor@Wayne's Employment and Labor Relations Programs. The event was on December 15, 2023, and went from 5:30PM to 8:30PM. It was held in the Walter Reuther Library Atrium. Workforce Development Institute with Henrietta Hadley and Colleen Sullivan.

 

Earlier Events with Labor@Wayne
(Prior to 2023)

  • August 25, 2022: Researching National Labor Relations Board Case Law and Decisions, Webinar.
    • NLRB staff help decode how to find materials on the NLRB webite to assist in your research on important workplace issues.
  • June 23, 2022: Workers' Rights and Protections Under the NLRA.  Webinar
    • Elaina Bailey, Labor and employment lawyer with Honigman LLP and attorrney with the NLRB Region 7, discusses your rights and how to file a grievance with the NLRB.
  • April 21, 2022: Rebuilding America--Labor Leaders Discuss the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's Impact on Jobs, Unions and Communities.  Webinar
  • March 28, 2022: Alternative Dispute Resolution.  Webinar
  • March 22, 2022: Archives are for Everyone! How the Reuther can help you share labor history and inspire action. Webinar.
    • Senior archivists from the Walter P. Reuther Archives discuss how ways the archives can support labor research and education.
  • February 28, 2022: The Trumpet Sounds: Remembering the Past, Preparing for the Future.  Webinar
    • Elise A. Bryant, President of the Coalition of Labor Women (CLUW), addresses maintaining the cultural heritage of African American workers and social justice activists.  Part of her continuing "Black at Work" series in celebration of Black History Month.
  • November 18, 2021: Climate, Jobs and Labor's Seat at the Table.  Webinar
    • Labor's seat at the table is inperative to balance workers' and environmental interests to solve today's climate crisis while providing good union jobs,  James Harrison, Director of Renewable Energy of the the Utility Workers Union og America, and Frank Houston, Regional Program Manager, BlueGreen Alliance.
  • October 28, 2021:  Striketober:How the Pandemic Has Fueled Worker Unrest.  Webinar
    • Mark Gaffney explores explores the post-pandemic shift in worker attitudes toward work and the shift in power between workers and employers that has spawned a flush of strikes nationwide, Gaffney is the former president of the Michigan AFL-CIO, WSU Professor, and member of the Board of Governors.
  • September 29, 2021: What to Expect from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Under the Biden Administration.  Webinar
    • Richard Mack, Partner with Miller Cohen, explore the future of the NLRB following the appointment of Jennifer Abruzzo, general council of the NLRB.  General discussion of the pro-union stance of the Biden administration.
  • August 31, 2021: Service, Faith and Labor: Shared Values and Commitment to Community.  Webinar
    • Panel discussion on faith and labor's shared viion of workplace fairness and social justice.  Rev. Shannon E Jones,  President, Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta; Minister Jacqueline Williams,, Faith and Labor Organizer, SC AFL-CIO; Rabbi Dorit, Detroit interfaith Outreach Network;  Rev. Charles Williams II, President of the Michigan branch of the Natiomal Network; Elder Charles E. Clark, National Community Emgagement Coordinator, AFL-CIO.
  • April 13, 2021: Virtual Book Launch and Presentation with Michael Goldfield
    • The Labor Studies Center hosted Michael Goldfield, WSU professor of labor and politics, in the launch of his book, "The Southern Key: Class, Race, and Radicalism in the 1930s and 1940s."
  • March 31, 2021: Union Women and the Labor Movement: Incorporating Storytelling and Role Models into Union Programs to Build Member Engagement Throughout the Year.  Webinar
    • Celebrate Rosie the Riveter Day with a discussion of our union foremothers.
  • February 25, 2021: Legacy from My Father: A Son's Reflection on a Black Revolutionary Worker.  Webinar
    • James W Boggs, labor activist and educator, reflects on his relationship with legacy of his father, Wade Boggs, actist and author of "The American Revolution: Pages from a Negro Workers' Notebook.
  • July 9, 2020: Women's Work, Women's Worth: Working Women Connecting During COVID-19.  Webinar.
    • Panel discussion sponsored by the Labor Studies Center explores the changing role of women and work in the pandemic.  Andrea Acevedo, President of SEIU Healthcare Michigan; Elise Bryant, International President of the Coalition of Labor Union Womem; Andrea Hunter, President of United Steel Workers Local 1299; Krista Szanfranski, UAW /International; Nia Winston, President of UniteHere! Local 24.
  • Workplace Safety, June 17, 2020: Workers' Rights and Employer Duties Under COVID19.  Webinar.
    • Richard Mack, Jr. and Robert Fetter, Attorneys from Miller Cohen PLC, and Sean Eagan, Michigan Director of COVID-19 Workplace Safety, discuss worker's rights under federal health and safety laws.
  • November 7-9, 2019:  WISE Conference 
    • The Labor School sponsored the Workers on Solidarity and Education (WISE) Conference at Detroit's Greektown Casino-Hotel.  
  • June 20, 2019:  8th Annual Labor Leaders on Labor Forum Honoring Michael Langford, International President of the Utility Workers Union of America, WSU Main Campus, 11:30am-1:30pm.  For information, contact Octavia Crum at 313-577-5382.
  • March 28-30, 2019:  WISE Conference
    • The Labor School sponsored the Workers on Solidarity and Education (WISE) Conference at the Westin Southfield Detroit hotel.  
  • December 7, 2018: "Mandatory Employment Arbitration After Epic Systems: Employee Rights and Employer Responsibilities" 11:30am-2:00pm.  Wayne State University, McGregor Conference Center. 
  • October 4-6, 2018:  WISE Conference, "Together We Rise"
    • The Labor School sponsored the Workers on Solidarity and Education (WISE) Conference at Detroit's Greektown Casino-Hotel. 
  • April 19, 2018: WSU-SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management): Joint Meeting of WSU and Other Universities' Student Chapters.
  • April 18, 2018: Right to Work Law in Michigan: Assessing the Outcomes
    • Labor@Wayne and Michigan Society for Public Administration sponsors a panel discussion with David /heckler President Michigan AFT; Lynn Morison, staff attorney, Mochigan Employment Relations Committee; Steven Schwatz, Attorney, Keller Thomas PC. 
  • March 26, 2018: "Winning Strategies for Labor Arbitration Advocates Conference" : George Roumell, Ed Hartfield, et. al.
  • March 2, 2018: "Working Class Roots of Trumpism,"  Michael Goldfield, WSU Professor of labor and politics.
  • February 28, 2018: WSU-SHRM: "Sexual Harassment in the Workplace." 
  • February 15-17, 2018: The Labor Studies Center presents, "Building Bridges Conference: Connecting our Struggles and Identifying Strategies to Build Strength and Solidarity".  Conference hosted at the Westin Southfield Detroit Hotel.
  • January 25, 2018: WSU-SHRM, "Managing Careers in HR/ELR." 
  • December 11, 2018:  Anti-Apartheid Activism and the Labor Movement.
  • December 1, 2017:  Labor@Wayne hosts Elizabeth Faue, WSU professor of American labor history, in a talk on her book, "Rethinking the American Labor Movement."