2010 Labor Notes Conference: April 23-25 in Detroit

REGISTER

Register today for the 2010 Labor Notes conference. Activists from across the country and around the world will be in Detroit April 23 to 25, 2010. Click here now to register.

"We'll be there!"

Rub shoulders, shake hands, and share strategies with other committed workplace and labor activists from around the world at the April 23-25 Labor Notes conference.

“We were at the Labor Notes conference just a few months before Republic Windows said they were shutting down our plant. It was good to be with all those other troublemakers, but we didn’t know we were going to be some of the most famous troublemakers of 2008, by sitting in and sticking it to Bank of America. We’ll be back for more next time.” —Ricky Maclin, Vice President, UE Local 1110, Chicago	“Labor Notes has always supported the work of organizing the South. Before the conference, we’re putting together a Southern workers school centering on the human right of public employees to have collective bargaining. “We’re piquing the interest of workers who are just getting active, and the next place we’ll gather will be the Labor Notes conference.” —Shafeah M’Balia, Black Workers for Justice
"Being a young union member and labor activist, Labor Notes helps me build the tools and resources I need to be effective on the shop floor. This will be my second conference and I can't wait to meet more people from other unions like I did last year. There are lots of great workshops for skills building that I can bring home with me and put to work at UPS." — Hollie Goldsmith, Teamsters Local 413	"The Caucus of Rank and File Educators is member-driven—top down is not working in the Chicago Teachers Union. Our main focus is defending publicly-funded public education, and we believe parent and community partnerships do that. We need direct action, and we need members to understand they’re supported when they speak out. It’s refreshing to talk to other public sector people, and the Labor Notes workshop we had in Chicago was brilliant for that. We’re very interested in coming to the conference to meet teacher activists from all over the country." — Karen Jennings Lewis, Co-Chair of the Caucus of Rank and File Educators, Chicago
"I am going because Labor Notes is the best way to get connected to, build solidarity with, and learn from others who are also committed to social and labor justice being the same thing." — Bernadette Scudder, leadership organizer, United Workers

Build for the Labor Notes Conference!

Some ways to help:

Download and print a Save the Date flyer

Download and print a conference brochure. Note its size is 8.5x14.

Send out an email blast or mailing to your lists. Contact conference [at] labornotes [dot] org for materials.
Link to the conference page from your blog or website. Use one of these clickable web graphics if you'd like.
Invite people to the conference on Facebook. Click here for a link to the event on Facebook.
Fill out our conference survey and tell us what you'd like to see at the conference.

conference [at] labornotes [dot] org (subject: Conference request from Labor Notes website) (Email us) to request brochures (print-only), flyers (print or electronic), text to email your conference, graphics, and other materials as needed. Don't forget to include your postal address if you need print copies.

What's happening at the conference?

Early workshops and meetings begin 1pm on Friday April 23, with the opening main session at 7pm.
Closing session is at 3pm Sunday, April 25.

WORKSHOP TOPICS

With more than 100 workshops and meetings during the 3-day conference, this list is just a teaser!

Bargaining during tough times
Understanding the economic crisis (it’s not just greedy bankers)
Contract campaigns
Public sector fight-backs
Facing trusteeships and top-down union campaigns
What’s next after labor’s fight for EFCA and health care reform?
Understanding and defending pensions
Building lasting labor-community partnerships
Pitfalls of neutrality agreements and top-down organizing deals
Fresh strategies for single-payer health care
Organizing with health and safety
Member-led organizing drives

THEMES

Defend jobs, contracts, and unions during the economic crisis.
The Republic Windows and Doors Chicago sit-in taught a lesson: we can win allies—and win—even in tough times. What are the strategies that work?

Hold the line on the shop floor.
Technology and management schemes are changing the workplace dramatically. Are we keeping up?

Organize and build unions that work.
We’ll discuss strategies for starting and strengthening unions with members at the helm, not just numbers on a spreadsheet.

Examine labor's political agenda.
Unions went all-out in the elections, but labor law and health care reform aren’t measuring up. What’s the best use of our political time and energy?

Bring up the next generation.
We need more young workers than ever at this conference. We’re encouraging organizations to send workers under 30, and help build a special scholarship fund.

Defend the public sector.
Don't let layoffs and budget cuts threaten the future of public sector work and public services.

Making sense of the turmoil.
What do we make of messy trusteeships and internal rifts—are they highlighting important differences in our movement?

Connect our fights.
Build coalitions that strengthen labor, environmental, and anti-war movements.