Portland Troublemakers School

Amid layoffs, legislative union-busting, cuts to education and social services, unemployment, foreclosures, and rising student debt, working people are rebuilding solidarity and fighting back.

Portland troublemakers—union and non-union workers, union leaders, and community activists—will participate in a day of skill-building workshops and strategy discussions to create a stronger workers’ movement.

Workshops and Panels

Drawing on local experiences and struggles around the country, workshops and panels will include these topics and more:

• Beating Apathy
• Education Fight Back: Teachers, Classified Employees, Parents, and Students Unite to Defend Public Education
• Part-time America Still Doesn’t Work: Highlighting Successful Organizing of Temporary and Part-Time Workers in the NW
• Rank and File Democracy Boosts Union Power
• Reviving the Strike and Other Strategies to Win
• Combining Forces: Building Power to Fight Austerity

Use this form to sign up for workshops.Link here: http://bit.ly/X3Mrfn.

Special Guests

• Mark Brenner, Director of Labor Notes magazine, a media and organizing project of, by, and for union activists
• Joe Burns, a veteran union negotiator, formal local president, and author of Reviving the Strike: How Working People Can Regain Power and Transform America
• Sarah Chambers, teacher and leading member of the Caucus of Rank and File Educators of the Chicago Teachers Union
• Stephanie Luce, labor studies professor and author active in building community-labor solidarity in NYC, including Occupy Wall Street

Translation Available for Spanish Speakers

Spanish interpretation will be offered for the plenary sessions and some workshops.

Contaremos con servicio de interpretación simultánea durante las sesiones plenarias y algunos talleres. Para mayor información favor de comunicarse con Lorene Scheer a 503-922-3331.

Childcare

Stipends are available to support childcare expenses for those who need childcare in order to attend. If you are interested, contact Johanna Brenner (brennerj[at]pdx[dot]edu or 971-998-7340).

Register Now

Early registration is strongly encouraged to help conference organizers make arrangements. The registration fee is $10 and covers a light breakfast, coffee, lunch, and the closing reception as well as workshop materials. We are able to keep registration costs low due to the generous support of our sponsoring organizations.

If your union or community organization is covering the cost of your registration, select the last option, “my union has paid my registration.” If you are unable to afford the cost of registration and are available to volunteer the day of the event, contact conference organizer Johanna Brenner to arrange your work trade (brennerj[at]pdx[dot]edu or 971-998-7340). No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Supporting Organizations

The local organizing committee for the 2013 Portland Troubemakers School is grateful for the support of the following organizations that have made this event possible:

Got questions? We’ve got answers.

This school will be a great opportunity for union members, stewards, and community activists to share strategies that are working in this difficult economic environment—and critical skills for building solidarity and union power in Portland and beyond.

For more info, contact Jamie Partridge, 503-752-5112, jamiep7206[at]aol[dot]com.