Levy Economics Institute Presents
Bard Labor Workshop: The State of Labor, New Models of Organizing, and the Future of Work
This one-day conference will address three main themes throughout the day: the state of the American labor movement, the future of work, and what new models of organizing and worker power we are seeing today. Each topic will have a panel of experts that will provide comment and thought-provoking ideas, allowing time for Q&A. David Rolf, president of SEIU 775, will kick off the workshop by introducing the day’s three main topics, followed by a 70-minute panel on each. Following the conference, there will be a reception beginning at 4 p.m.
The State of the Unions panel features labor experts from academia, nonprofits, and the private sector. Speakers will discuss the current state of the American labor movement and explore where it may be headed. Moderated by Ruth Milkman, professor of sociology at the City University of New York Graduate Center and at the Joseph F. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies, where she also serves as research director. Panelists include Keith Mestrich, president and chief executive officer of Amalgamated Bank; Teresa Ghilarducci, professor of economics and Bernard L. and Irene Schwartz Chair in Economic Policy Analysis at The New School; Haeyoung Yoon, deputy program director at the National Employment Law Project; and Stephanie Luce, professor of labor studies at the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education, CUNY School of Professional Studies.
The Future of Work panel features thinkers from diverse fields investigating the future of work, including the changing nature of jobs, the workplace, and attitudes toward work. Moderated by Dorian Warren, associate professor in the department of political science and the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. Panelists include Andy Stern, Columbia University; Larry Mishel, president, Economic Policy Institute; Felicia Wong, president and CEO, Roosevelt Institute; and Tom Kochan, George Maverick Bunker Professor of Management, professor of work and employment research and engineering systems, and codirector of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan Institute for Work and Employment Research at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
In the final panel of the day, New Models of Organizing and Worker Power, worker organizers, philanthropists, academics, and activists will discuss new models for building worker power, examples of successful experiments, lessons learned, and where the movement should go from here. Moderated by Janice Fine, associate professor of labor studies and employment relations at the School of Management and Labor Relations, Rutgers University. Panelists include Carmen Rojas, CEO, The Workers Lab; Dan Cantor, founder and executive director, Working Families Party; and Rick McGahey, professor of professional practice and director of environmental policy and sustainability, Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy, The New School for Public Engagement.
Cosponsors for the event at the Levy Institute include the Hannah Arendt Center, and the Political Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, American Studies, and Economics programs at Bard College.
For more information about the conference, go to www.levyinstitute.org/events/.
For more information, call 845-758-7776, or e-mail [email protected].
Location: Conference Room, Levy Economics Institute