in the news — 2012 STAR Fund
— JOIN US FOR THIS EXCITING EVENT!
"HOPE IN HARD TIMES" A Conversation with Two of America’s
Leading Organizers
Saket Soni and Kris Rondeau
Free • No Registration required • 2 Dates — 2 Locations
• Eugene • Tuesday, January 17, 2012
• Portland • Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Since 2008 the LERC Strategic Training and Action Research (STAR) Fund has supported special projects and activities that address vital current issues of interest to working Oregonians.
LERC’s first STAR Fund project taught a contingent of unionists about best practices for promoting green jobs and educating fellow union members about climate change and the green economy.
Subsequently, the STAR Fund supported several projects aimed at young workers. These have included the Musicians Union’s effort to establish a minimum wage in Portland area clubs, an Oregon Nurses Association program to prepare young nurses to assume positions of leadership, and curriculum and training aimed at building greater generational unity within unions.
This visit of Saket Soni and Kris Rondeau continues the STAR Fund’s commitment to sponsor activities that raise awareness, stimulate critical thinking, and inspire action on issues that affect Oregon’s workers both on the job and in their communities.
Accolades from our Graduate Teaching Fellow - Thanks Jaxon!
"As a GTF for LERC, I participate in research and projects on labor and economic issues that have a positive impact on the lives of working people in Oregon. I am learning a great deal through my work on projects including state tax policy, green jobs, collective bargaining arbitration, immigrant integration and more.
The faculty and staff at LERC have been very supportive of my work. I am currently taking a leading role in managing LERC's "Talking Safety" program, which seeks to educate youth about safety on the job. My favorite part about working at LERC is the opportunity to interact with the people we serve. My GTF experience has helped me gain a deeper understanding of the social component of sustainability.
*Jaxon Love - LERC GTF - MBA Sustainable Business Practices*"
June 2011
STAR Fund Instructor Lydia Hallay Focuses on Young Worker Outreach and Building Generational Unity within Unions
Supported by a greant from LERC's Strategic Training and Action Research Fund (STAR), Lydia Hallay, an organizer for AFSCME Council 75, joined the LERC faculty as a temporary instructor during the spring and summer of 2010. In addition to teaching LERC classes, Lydia focused her attention on outreach to young union members and efforts to build greater generational unity within unions.
Lydia’s work in helping create AFSCME’s pioneering “Next Wave” program, which has gained national attention for its effort to recruit a new generation of union leaders, made her an ideal person to take on this assignment. During her time at LERC, she developed and taught workshops at the Pacific Northwest Labor History Conference (“Riding the “Next Wave”: Strategies for Connecting Young Workers & Unions”), the Summer Institute for Union Women (“Generational Unity to Build a Stronger Movement”), and the Oregon AFL-CIO Summer School (“From 8-Track to i-Pod: Bridging the Generational Divide within your Union”). These classes stimulated lively conversation and critical thinking among unionists about the challenges of addressing generational concerns and making the union a more welcoming place for young members.
Reflecting on her experience, Lydia observed: "My time at LERC gave me a moment to think strategically about how unions might change and adjust to be more relevant to younger generations of workers, as well as what kind of mark young workers might leave on the union movement."
Lydia made several recommendations regarding possible programs and projects to help unions in their outreach to younger members. LERC will share these recommendations with our constituents and begin to discuss ways to incorporate them in our teaching and research.
We also want to thank Lydia for bringing her talent, energy, and enthusiasm to LERC and enhancing our capacity to help unions meet the needs of young workers.
LERC Director Bob Bussel received the "Veteran/Elder Leader Award" from the Lane County Labor Council at the organization's Labor Day picnic on September 6. The award recognized Bussel's service to workers and the union movement during the eight and one-half years he has been at LERC.
Eugene Register-Guard Guest Viewpoint: Private-sector employees have few rights on the job -by LERC Professor Marcus Widenor, appeared in print: Sunday, September 5, 2010
Oregon Humanities magazine: Continual Watching: Oregon's Long History of Protecting Workers -by LERC Director Bob Bussel, Summer 2010
Read a recent report from Instructor Lynn Feekin, et al: "Majority Authorization and Union Organizing in the Public Sector"
Project Grant Award from the Wayne Morse Center! "Equity and Green Jobs: Paving the Way for Worker Participation in Oregon's Emerging Green Economy" LERC will conduct organizing, training, and technical assistance to create a new network of low-income and worker advocates who can pursue a "green jobs agenda" in their communities.
Lafer to Spend Year in Washington D.C. with House Education and Labor Committee
LERC associate professor Gordon Lafer is taking a one-year leave of absence to work as senior labor policy adviser for the Committee on Education and Labor at the US. House of Representatives in Washington, D. C.
Lafer’s responsibilities will revolve around several pieces of legislation of particular interest to workers and unions. These include the Employee Free Choice Act, legislation to restore union eligibility to quasi-supervisory workers who lost union status under a National Labor Relations board decision during the Bush administration, and comprehensive immigration reform, with an emphasis on proposed guest workers provisions. His portfolio will also include developing labor standards that would apply to federal green jobs initiatives and new stimulus spending.
Lafer’s leave will extend from September 2009-September 2010. Although his absence will be felt, his time in Washington will enable him to make an important contribution in helping achieve greater protections and enhanced rights for American workers.
Eugene Weekly Viewpoint 8/6/09
Health Care vs. Wages: Don't blame public employee unions for impasse
http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2009/08/06/views1.html
STAR Fund Awards Musicians and Nurses Outreach Efforts to Young Workers
The Labor Education and Research Center at the University of Oregon is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2009 Strategic Training and Action Research (STAR) Fund awards. This year’s awards will support projects aimed at reaching out to young workers.
American Federation of Musicians Local 99 in Portland has received a grant to support its campaign to establish a fair minimum wage scale for musicians playing in Portland area clubs. Currently, clubs take advantage of the large numbers of available musicians to foster competition that has resulted in reduced wages and lowered standards. Local 99’s will focus its attention on a younger generation of musicians, encourage their involvement in the union, and also seek to enlist public support for the creation of a fair pay scale for Portland musicians.
The Oregon Nurses Association has been granted $4,800 to fund a leadership development project called “Yes We Are.” This project is aimed at acquainting young nurses with the values and mission of the union and recruiting them to assume positions of leadership and authority within the organization. Nurses in the “Yes, We Are” program will identify a particular goal or project to carry out within the union, focusing on projects that will enable them to reach out to other nurses under age 30.
The committee that selected the 2009 STAR Fund recipients included Victor Musial (OSEA), Faye Guenther (UFCW Local 21), Meg Niemi (SEIU Local 49), and Graham Trainor (Oregon AFL-CIO), assisted by Lynn Feekin of LERC.
LERC’s STAR Fund was launched in 2008, seeded by a donation from Robert and Cloydene Uhrbrand, and funds raised at LERC’s 30th anniversary celebration. The STAR Fund supports special projects outside of LERC’s regular programs and seeks to encourage new activities and fresh thinking aimed that addresses the needs and interests of workers in Oregon.
For more information, contact: Lynn Feekin: feekin@uoregon.edu