Union Days 2018
Cornell ILR Union Days begin tonight and continue with events next week. “Subverting Technology: Radical Possibilities for the Future of Work” features a film, a lecture by a global labor leader, a social justice career fair and a panel on technology and the future of work.
All events are open to the public. They include:
“Strike”
Friday, March 9
7 p.m. | Cornell Cinema, Willard Straight Theatre
Russian director Sergei Eisenstein's debut feature "Strike!," a film about a 1912 factory workers' strike and its violent suppression. It will be accompanied live by the Alloy Orchestra, performing their original score. Tickets are $12 for the public and $10 for seniors.
Annual Konvitz Lecture Keynote Speaker
Philip Jennings, general secretary of UNI Global Union
“Future of Work, Peace and Justice: Is it Two Minutes to Midnight?”
Tuesday, March 13
4:30-5:30 p.m. | 105 Ives Hall | Livestream link: https://www.cornell.edu/video/phillip-jennings-uni-global-union-future-of-work-peace-justice/rsvp
A transformative international leader, Jennings is sometimes referred to as the labor movement's “Global Warrior.” See more about speaker below. Free admission.
Social Justice Career Fair
Thursday, March 15
1-4 p.m. | 423 ILR Conference Center, King-Shaw Hall
Explore careers in social justice with Cornell alumni and other representatives from labor and nonprofit organizations. Free admission.
Panel Discussion: Technology and the Future of Work
Thursday, March 15
4:30-6 p.m. | 105 Ives Hall
Panelists include ILR Assistant Professor Ifeoma Ajunwa; Andrew Crook, American Federation of Teachers; Nick Dyer-Witheford, Western University; Maria Figueroa, The Worker Institute at Cornell and Alex Rosenblat, Data and Society. Free admission.
Keynote Speaker Philip Jennings
Philip Jennings will present the annual Konvitz Lecture.
He leads the UNI Global Union, formed in 2000, and has been instrumental in UNI’s strategy to educate, grow and strengthen union affiliation in allied sectors of the world.
With global union alliances, he believes a more responsible world with economic inclusivity can be achieved. Big business in tandem with global unions should uphold worker rights, which he refers to as human rights. Worker voices must contribute to building a democratic, peaceful and sustainable economic future.
His leadership touches 20 million union members, 900 unions and 150 countries.
Jennings has a seat at the tables of many organizations, including G20 (an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from many countries), the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Economic Forum. He has been involved in over 150 initiatives in 50 countries.
He believes business operations should be transparent to the workers, so they can effectively bargain for fair wages, good working conditions and weigh in on issues that affect the environment or communities.
After the 2013 Rana Plaza garment factory collapse, which killed more than 1,100 workers, Jennings addressed the International Labor Conference in Geneva, urging the delegates to create an ILO convention on supply chains. The outcome was the Bangladesh Accord, requiring transparency and inclusion of global supply chain business — for factory and worker safety to be at the apex of importance.
Jennings is also a peace advocate and gave a “Remembrance Day Speech” for the Movement Against War at the Imperial War Museum in November 2017. He said historically unions have been part of the peace movement, and will continue to have strong ties.
Unanimously Jennings was re-elected UNI’s general secretary for a fourth term for his leadership and accomplishments. Notable is the 60 global framework agreements (GFAs) with multinationals — committing to workers’ rights and conditions, along with the creation of Columbia’s first commerce union, Carrefour.
Under his transformative leadership, UNI Global Union has become a thought leader on the digital revolution to ensure worker representation.