The School for Workers, part of the University of Wisconsin-Extension, provides labor education and research support for organized labor and working people. This includes traditional labor education, union-management consultation services, and also specific community projects aimed at specific constituencies and objectives.
The following are some examples of community organizing that faculty of the School have been engaged in recently:
Sustainability Roundtables -
Connecting workers, green jobs, & green Industry
The School was successful in receiving a 2008-09 grant from the UW Colleges and UW-Extension to fund Sustainability Roundtables. Representatives from agriculture and industry, workers and unions, entrepreneurs, communities and other key stakeholder organizations will connect with UW-Extension expertise and leaders in sustainable ideas and technologies to advance Wisconsin's green economic development. Other groups participating in the roundtables include Labor in the New Energy Economy, Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, the Blue-Green Alliance (an alliance between the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club), and the newly formed Eco-municipalities Network. For more information contact Corliss Olson at corliss.olson@uwex.edu or 608-265-4923
Union Leadership Development
This project will use focus groups to create shared understanding about the need and urgency to build diversity among union leaders, plan for succession, and identify potential union leaders and mentors. The project will foster the creation and implementation of individual plans for leadership development and create a blueprint for other unions and labor councils to use for increasing diversity and succession planning. Grant funded by the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning, Corliss Olson of the School for Workers and Art Lersch of Community, Natural Resources and Economic Development (also U.W.-Extension) will lead the project. For more information contact Corliss Olson at corliss.olson@uwex.edu or 608-265-4923
Providing Research and Training for Home Care Workers
The School continues its work with home care workers by assisting the Wisconsin Direct Caregiver Alliance and nationally with the Direct Care Alliance. Both of these organizations seek to promote the interests of direct care workers through advocacy, education, leadership development, and networking. In addition, the School assists these organizations in developing alliances with consumers and providers in the Wisconsin long term care system. For more information contact Neill DeClercq at neill.declercq@uwex.edu or 608-262-0593.
Milwaukee Area African-American Leadership Summits
These summits have provided opportunities for labor and community activists to meet and work on the big issues affecting the African-American community. Faculty have provided support for the summits and were also successful in obtaining a grant from the University of Wisconsin-Extension to aid in funding a summit. The summit's themes for 2006 and 2007 respectively were "Milwaukee, the Hidden Katrina" and "Pathways to Growth and Leadership." For more information contact Corliss Olson at corliss.olson@uwex.edu or 608-265-4923.
The Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice
The School for Workers, with financial support from the University of Wisconsin-Extension, recently partnered with ICWJ to support training for Latino workers. The program, entitled Know Your Rights, provided education to workers in their native language about their rights in the work place, relevant laws, and some of the resources available should they encounter problems.
The Workers Rights Center
The School for Workers faculty has provided free education to volunteer workplace advocates to increase their skills to assist others in resolving workplace problems. The Center is committed to empowering workers, and a major focus has been training people in the community as advocates to know the resources available should they encounter problems.
Madison Labor Radio and the Wisconsin Radio Project
The School has long supported Madison Labor Radio, covering news about working people in Madison and elsewhere. Faculty have devoted time to coordinating, research, writing and editing. Volunteers should contact Frank Emspak at 608-215-6701.