Conferences and Events

Labor, Labor Studies, and the Future:
The Harry Bridges Chair at 20 Years

November 16-17, 2012

In 2012, the Harry Bridges Chair in Labor Studies marked twenty years since its founding in 1992. 

To mark the occasion, the Bridges Center organized a special conference on the University of Washington Seattle campus featuring voices from the Bridges Center's past and present, including faculty, students, and community members. A keynote lecture was delivered by noted author and labor lawyer Thomas Geoghegan.

Together they discussed the accomplishments of the Bridges Chair, the state of the labor movement, and the hard work that lies ahead.

Streaming and downloadable audio: 

Click any title below to download an Mp3 of that session, or click the green "play" button to stream the file. Streaming requires your browser supports Adobe Flash Player .

• The Harry Bridges Chair:
  Creation, Evolution and Impact 
   
  Chair: Margaret Levi, Harry Bridges Chair, 1996-2000 
  Panel: Charles Bergquist, Harry Bridges Chair, 1994-1996; Robert Duggan, former chair, Harry Bridges Memorial Committee; Terri Mast, Inlandboatmen's Union 

  Bridges Chair founders and supporters discuss its creation through a grassroots fundraising initiative, and its many achivements since.

   

• Union Democracy and Civil Rights 
   
  Chair: Michael Honey, Harry Bridges Chair, 2000-2004 
  Panel: Willie Adams, Vice President, ILWU; Rosalinda Guillen, Community to Community Development; Richard Gurtiza, Inlandboatmen's Union 

  Western Washington labor activists reflect on the legacy of two disctinctive, core commitments of Harry Bridges: rank and file union democracy and non-discrimination/civil rights.

   

• Youth and the Labor Movement 
   
  Chair: James Gregory, Harry Bridges Chair, 2008-2012 
  Panel: Morgan Currier and Katy Lungren, United Students Against Sweatshops; Jessica Pikul, UAW 4121; Matt Reed, SEIU 49; Jessica Roach 

  Current and former University of Washington student activists, including Bridges Center scholarship recipients, discuss the history of labor activism on campus and what is going on now.

   

• The 2012 Elections and Labor's Future 
   
  Chair: George Lovell, Harry Bridges Chair, 2012-Present 
  Panel: Matt Barreto, UW Political Science; David Freiboth, MLK County Labor Council; Karen Hart, SEIU 925; Jeff Johnson, Washington State Labor Council 

  Local labor officials and UW academics review the outcome of the 2012 elections and look at the bigger picture, including attacks on collective bargaining.

Audio courtesy of Oscar Frost and Roy San Filippo.

Unemployed Nation Hearings

http://depts.washington.edu/unemploy/

March 30-31, 2012

More than 23 million Americans are unemployed or underemployed. They are so numerous that they could populate a nation, a distressed and forgotten nation, a nation whose voice remains unheard.

On March 30-31, 2012, an important two-day event convened to amplify that voice: the Unemployed Nation Hearings. The Hearings featured testimony from people whose lives have been gravely impacted by unemployment. Additional commentary was provided by scholars, community services and public officials. 

Streaming video:

• Unemployed Nation Hearings - March 30, 2012  
  Complete, unedited broadcast (2 hours, 24 minutes) 

  Welcome by Professor James Gregory 
  Remarks by UW President Michael Young 
  Panel: "Who's Who in the Unemployed Nation?" 
  Panel: "Generation Limbo: Young, unemployed, and worried" 
  Panel: "Unemployment Insurance: Does it still work for those who are out of work?" 
  Panel: "Breaking the Silence: The Politics of Unemployment" 
  Closing remarks by ML King County Executive Dow Constantine and Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles 

  Streaming video courtesy of TVW.

• Unemployed Nation Hearings - March 30, 2012 
  Abridged, edited for broadcast (56 minutes) 

  Streaming video courtesy of UW TV.

• Unemployed Nation Hearings - March 31, 2012 
  Complete, unedited broadcast (1 hour, 17 minutes) 

  Welcome by David Freiboth, MLKing County Labor Council 
  Remarks by Seattle City Mayor Michael McGinn 
  Panel discussion with unemployed residents 
  Remarks by Seattle City Councilperson Sally Clark 
  Panel discussion with service providers 

  Streaming video courtesy of Seattle Channel.

Organized by:

Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies; Washington State Labor Council; Martin Luther King, Jr. County Labor Council (AFL-CIO)

Endorsed by:

Asian Counseling and Referral Service; Casa Latina; Central Area Motivation Program; Evans School of Public Affairs; Office of MLKing County Executive Dow Constantine; Puget Sound Labor Agency; Puget Sound Sage; Seattle City Council & Mayor's Office; Seattle Women's Commission; Statewide Poverty Action Network; UW Law, Societies & Justice; UW School of Law; UW School of Social Work; West Coast Poverty Center

Good, Green Jobs Conference

June 21, 2008

In 1999, labor leaders and environmentalists, united by their common opposition to the policies of the World Trade Organization, came together to form the Blue-Green Alliance. On June 21st, 2008 at the University of Washington, the Blue-Green Alliance brought these two groups together again, this time with a common vision, for the Good, Green Jobs conference.

Co-hosted by the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, the conference posed the question of working people in new "green" industries. From the carpenters and plumbers who renovate houses to meet environmental standards, to the roofers who install solar-panels, to the many other trades and professions: how can these green-industry jobs benefit the working class, and pay good, family-supporting wages?

Political officials attended the conference to lend their support, including Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire, State representative Jay Inslee, and King County Executive Ron Sims.

Streaming video:

• Good, Green Jobs Conference - Part 1  
  Welcome by Professor James Gregory 
  Morning address by King County Executive Ron Sims 
  Panel discussion, "Ahead of the Curve: Washington State's Clean Energy and Green Jobs"

• Good, Green Jobs Conference - Part 2  
  Introduction by WA State Labor Council President Rick Bender 
  Keynote address by Governor Chris Gregoire

Streaming video courtesy of TVW. For information on how to order your own copy of the conference on DVD, visit the TVW website, or contact the Bridges Center at hbcls@u.washington.edu.

Co-sponsors:

Washington State Labor Council, Martin Luther King, Jr. County Labor Council, Worker Center (AFL-CIO), United Steelworkers, SPEEA, Sierra Club, Climate Solutions, NW Energy Coalition, Puget Sound Energy, and McKinstry Co.

Organizing Our Futures:
Labor, Knowledge and the Economy

October 13 & 14, 2006

With rapidity never before seen, new knowledge and innovation are reshaping work and the economy in the 21st Century. The integration of biotechnology, robotics and telecommunications will sharply reduce the demand for repetitive, dangerous, or otherwise programmable labor.

So far, less-skilled workers have borne the brunt of these changes as their opportunities and income have declined. But so-called "knowledge workers" — those who diagnose, solve or broker solutions to complex problems — now realize that they too can be made technologically obsolescent or replaced more readily by low-wage workers in the global labor market. New employment opportunities in service areas may replace current work, but the attractiveness of such jobs depends upon a distribution of income that enables workers to share in the wealth made possible by new knowledge and technology.

Some, like Thomas Friedman, argue that education is the critical ingredient that will empower and prepare knowledge workers for these changes. Others argue that education and human resource policies are window dressing that side step the need for more fundamental labor-driven reorganization of our economy.

Background Information:

• The Road to Good Jobs  
  Robert Kuttner, The American Prospect
• Labor pains: The role of the worker in a technological age 
  Daniel Jacoby, Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, UW Bothell
• Knowledge and the Economy: Why labor must work with educators 
  Daniel Jacoby, Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, UW Bothell
• Thoughts on the Engineer of 2020: An Early 21st Century (Aerospace) Industry Perspective  
  John H. McMasters, Technical Fellow, The Boeing Company

Co-sponsors:

American Federation of Teachers, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 174, International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Microsoft Corporation, Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (IFPTE Local 2001), University Bookstore, Washington Alliance of Technology Workers, Communications Workers of America, Local 37083

Conference on Caring Labor

May 20 & 21, 2005

As part of the Bridges Center's Caring Labor initiative, a conference was held at the UW, Seattle campus on May 20 & 21, 2005. The keynote speaker was Nancy Folbre, economist from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The conference brought together researchers, practitioners and activists from fifteen universities, three countries, and ten community organizations and unions to give papers and presentations about social policy, labor activism, and historical and political research in this rich area.

The conference resulted in a special issue of the journal Politics and Society, which provided major support for the conference. That issue came out in March of 2006 and the articles in it can be read and downloaded by going to http://pas.sagepub.com/ and finding the March 2006 issue in their on-line archive.

Featured papers:

• Demanding Quality: Worker/Consumer Coalitions and "High Road" Strategies in the Care Sector  
  Dr. Nancy Folbre, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
• Making "Choices" in Home Care: What Will an Increased "Choice" Mean for Employment and Service Provision?  
  Claire Frew, Queen Mary, University of London
• Agitation and Control: A Tactical Analysis of the Campaign Against New Jersey's Quality Home Care Act  
  Patrice Mareschal, Rutgers University

Co-sponsors:

Politics and Society, The Institute on Poverty and Inequality, the Institute on Inequality and Social Structure/UW, The Center for Research on Families, Women's Studies/UW, Canadian Studies/UW Jackson School, and Sociology/UW.

Participants also included members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 925 and 1199NW, the American Federation of Teachers, the Economic Opportunity Institute, and the Poverty Action Network.