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News

“Great Preparation”

Andrew Crook MILR ’16 is a senior communications adviser at the American Federation of Teachers, where he works with ILR alumna Randi Weingarten ’80 to tailor the 1.6 million-member union's public messaging and media relations outreach.
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“Great Preparation”

New Smartphone App Helps Day Laborers Report Abuse & Fight Wage Theft

The Jornalera Wage Theft App links the struggle for immigrant workers’ rights to the concept of community accountability
Jornalero Wage Theft App - "They tell you: 'Sure I will pay you tomorrow"
New Smartphone App Helps Day Laborers Report Abuse & Fight Wage Theft

Eli Friedman Op-Ed on Repression of Labor Activism in China

Eli Friedman, assistant professor of international and comparative labor at the ILR School and Worker Institute associate, recently authored an editorial in the Washington Post on the crackdown on labor activists in Guangdong, China.
Eli Friedman, assistant professor of international and comparative labor at the ILR School
Eli Friedman Op-Ed on Repression of Labor Activism in China

Student Fellows Examine Caregiving Among Working-Class Men

Worker Institute undergraduate research fellows work on projects individually, or in small teams, under the direction of Cornell faculty based in New York City, Rochester and Buffalo, as well as in Ithaca.
Worker Institute student research fellows, spring 2016
Student Fellows Examine Caregiving Among Working-Class Men

Distinguished Labor Educator Lois Gray Establishes Fund to Support The Worker Institute

Professor Lois S. Gray, founding director of the ILR’s first Extension office, establishes fund and donates $1 million to support The Worker Institute
Former ILR Dean Harry Katz and former Associate Dean Lois Gray
Distinguished Labor Educator Lois Gray Establishes Fund to Support The Worker Institute

The Worker Institute’s Donahue to Serve on Executive Board of Pride At Work

Linda Donahue, editor and director of The Worker Institute’s Union Communication Services, was recently appointed to the National Executive Board of Pride At Work, representing the Rochester - Finger Lakes Chapter.
Linda Donahue
The Worker Institute’s Donahue to Serve on Executive Board of Pride At Work

Worker Institute Fellow Reardon Nominated for NYS Labor Commissioner

Roberta Reardon has been nominated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to become commissioner of the NYS Department of Labor.
Roberta Reardon speaks to SAG-AFTRA membership
Worker Institute Fellow Reardon Nominated for NYS Labor Commissioner

IBEW Local 3 Highlights Worker Institute's Climate Jobs Program

Lara Skinner, associate director of The Worker Instiute and coordinator of the Labor, Environment and Sustainable Development Initiative and Worker Institute Fellow Mijin Cha are leading a collaborative effort with IBEW Local 3 and several other unions and worker organizations ito develop a Climate Jobs Program.
Labor at the People's Climate March
IBEW Local 3 Highlights Worker Institute's Climate Jobs Program

Union Women’s Summer School Celebrates 40th Anniversary

The Worker Institute celebrates UALE Northeast Union Women’s School’s forty-year legacy of empowering women in the labor movement
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Union Women’s Summer School Celebrates 40th Anniversary

ILR's Esta Bigler Appointed to Advise NYS Task Force on Worker Exploitation

Gov. Cuomo appointed Esta R. Bigler, director of ILR's Labor & Employment Law Program, to the advisory committee of a new Task Force to fight worker exploitation and abuse

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ILR's Esta Bigler Appointed to Advise NYS Task Force on Worker Exploitation

ILR's Art Wheaton Awarded by Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning

This week, Director of Western New York Labor and Environmental Programs Art Wheaton, was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for his work with The Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning and the Monroe County Department of Health.
Art Wheaton, Director, Western NY Labor and Environmental Programs
ILR's Art Wheaton Awarded by Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning

Worker Institute joins delegation to El Salvador to honor Bishop Romero

Worker Institute faculty member Patricia Campos-Medina was part of an official delegation to participate in the beatification ceremony of Monsignor Romero, the beloved Salvadoran Bishop who was killed as he gave mass in 1980 for his support of the poor and criticism of violence against civilians
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Worker Institute joins delegation to El Salvador to honor Bishop Romero

Cornell ILR Emeritus Faculty, Lou Jean Fleron, Awarded BY NYS Senate

Lou Jean Fleron, member of Cornell ILR’s Extension Faculty since 1977, was recently recognized as a “Women of Distinction” by the New York State Senate based on her role as “a positive agent for change” in Western New York.
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Cornell ILR Emeritus Faculty, Lou Jean Fleron, Awarded BY NYS Senate

The Worker Institute Welcomes Newest Fellow, Roberta Reardon

We are very pleased to announce Roberta Reardon as the newest Worker Institute Fellow. After graduating from the NYS AFL-CIO/Cornell Union Leadership Institute in 2006, while she was Vice President of NYC AFTRA, she became President of the NYC local, then President of national AFTRA.
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The Worker Institute Welcomes Newest Fellow, Roberta Reardon

Immersive Experience

J. Lowell Jackson ’17 will study Bahasa Indonesian for three months this summer through the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship Program, an overseas language and cultural immersion program.
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Immersive Experience

Role of a Lifetime

Lois Gray, the Jean McKelvey-Alice Grant Professor Emerita of Labor-Management Relations, is ILR's longest-serving faculty member, and one of the longest-serving faculty at Cornell.
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Role of a Lifetime

Major Conference Announced to Mark NLRB Anniversary

Advancing Worker Rights Conference Will Mark the 80th Anniversary of the National Labor Relations Act & the 70th Anniversary of the ILR School

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Major Conference Announced to Mark NLRB Anniversary

Remembering Legendary Organizer, Jessica Govea Thorbourne

Ten years ago Cornell and the Labor Movement lost a legendary organizer and teacher when Jessica Govea Thorbourne died.
Jessica Govea Thorbourne
Remembering Legendary Organizer, Jessica Govea Thorbourne

Patricia Campos-Medina Joins The Worker Institute

Patricia Campos-Medina has joined The Worker Institute at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR), Cornell University, as Co-Director of the New York State/AFL-CIO Union Leadership Institute (ULI).
Turner and Campos-Medina
Patricia Campos-Medina Joins The Worker Institute

Labor Movement Topics With Workplace Activist, Andy Stern

One of America's best-known workplace activists covered a span of labor movement topics when he met with students and faculty during a Worker Institute-sponsored discussion Oct. 23.
Andy Stern
Labor Movement Topics With Workplace Activist, Andy Stern

Worker Institute Announces New Partnership with NDLON

The Worker Institute has announced an exciting new partnership with the National Day Laborers Organizing Network (NDLON). NDLON, a national network based in Los Angeles, is an alliance of local organizations that works to expand the rights of day laborers.
NDLON logo
Worker Institute Announces New Partnership with NDLON

Labor Leadership Development

The Workforce Development Institute and The Worker Institute at Cornell have launched a pilot program to develop emerging leaders of labor unions and non-traditional worker center labor organizations in New York State.
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Labor Leadership Development

"American Capitalism: A History"

Innovative entrepreneurs, corporate titans, labor visionaries, and public policies are part of a new MOOC – massive open online course – being co-taught this semester by an ILR School professor.
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"American Capitalism: A History"

Union Communication Services Joins Worker Institute

David Prosten, founder and president of Union Communication Services (UCS), has announced he is gifting the 33-year-old labor education publishing company to Cornell University's ILR School, where it will benefit the school's Worker Institute.
Stack of magazinees
Union Communication Services Joins Worker Institute

Introducing the National Labor Leadership Initiative

The NLLI was launched in November, 2013, with twenty-six high-level leaders from national unions, AFL-CIO central bodies and affiliated organizations, and allied worker organizations.
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Introducing the National Labor Leadership Initiative

Organizing for Change

The 38th Annual Northeast United Association for Labor Education Summer School for Union Women was held on Cornell's campus this summer.
Historical women celebrating labor day
Organizing for Change

LRAN Awards Announced

The Worker Institute is pleased to announce that Maite Tapia Ph.D. '13, assistant professor at Michigan State University’s School of Human Resources and Labor Relations and fellow at the Worker Institute, is the recipient of the first Labor Research Action Network (LRAN) research grant.
Fast Food Worker
LRAN Awards Announced

Research Opportunities

The Worker Institute at Cornell is pleased to announce a new research opportunity for ILR undergraduate students. Students interested in labor issues can now apply to work as a research assistant up to 10 hours per week during the Spring Semester.
SCR Students working on the grass
Research Opportunities

Pioneer, Leader, Mentor

Lois Gray is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the United Association for Labor Education (UALE). She received the award on Saturday at the annual UALE conference.
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Pioneer, Leader, Mentor

Spring Term Begins

Cornell students returned to class last week with many ILR students now enrolled in courses related to the labor movement, growing inequality, workers’ rights, and innovative forms of collective representation.
Ithaca Campus
Spring Term Begins