Member Perspectives: #HotLaborSummer [Part 3]

In our Member Perspectives series, we ask our members to write about their union experiences. In Part 3 of this 4 part series, Craig Regester shares their key takeaways from the 2022 Labor Notes Conference in Chicago.

(From left to right): Craig Regester, Diane Aretz, and Bobby Madamanchi at the LaborNotes Conference.

Craig Regester

Ann Arbor | Residential College | Lecturer II

Inspiring Student Allies

I met and heard from some inspiring undergraduate student organizers from Grinnell College and Columbia University who are doing some very creative organizing around student staff. I think LEO could better leverage our close relationships to students to help encourage more student organizing and allyship. Many years ago, Student Labor Action Coalitions (SLACs) were present on many college campuses, including UM. Perhaps we can explore how to help stimulate something like this again - especially with all of the momentum around Starbucks and Amazon organizing. 

Creative Community Coalitions 

My favorite session was called “Union and Community Coalitions That Last.” Among other speakers, I heard from Tony Johnston, President of the Cook County College Teachers Union (Local 1600) with over 5,000 members. They are currently deep into collective bargaining and attempting some very creative bargaining for the common good strategies that aim to leverage the Chicago Teachers Union’s “sustainable community-school model” from their highly successful 2019 contract campaign. I plan to reach back to Tony this summer to learn more about the particulars as I believe there may be some lessons that might help LEO, especially in the Dearborn and Flint communities. 

Labor Movement Resurgence 

If they didn’t beforehand, everyone who left Labor Notes that weekend now understands there really IS a resurgent Labor Movement in this country. Of course, there is MUCH organizing work ahead of us. But however small we union members may feel sometimes, we should all understand that we are part of a very big and growing movement; and we are involved in some of the most critically-important social justice work happening in this country today!

This June, LEO was able to send four members to the 2022 LaborNotes Conference in Chicago, Illinois. The conference broke attendance records, with 4,000 attendees and a live-streamed component, and featured over 100 meetings and workshops.  For more information about Labor Notes, visit: https://labornotes.org/