The illegal firing of six tenured faculty at Virginia State University showed that collective bargaining is necessary to “have a seat at the table, protect students and their education, and protect facilities workers” said Ian Mullins, UVA associate professor.
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Read our former editor Jane Slaughter's interview with Frank Bardacke, author of the 2011 history of the Farm Workers union: Trampling Out the Vintage: Cesar Chavez and the Two Souls of the United Farm Workers. 2/2
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“Bardacke emphasizes the importance of the elected repres in Salinas, an important rank-and-file current in the union. The repres were brave and committed people, but they were not the only workers who fought for, or won, democratic rights,” writes David Bacon. 1/2
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Identifying how work conditions are affecting our lives is the first step in doing something about it. A good 1-1 conversation can bring those experiences to the surface and encourage co-workers to start organizing.
Hear more on The Labor Notes Podcast: labornotespodcast.podbean.com/e/secret-you...
"Maintain your focus and always be thinking about what it is that members really want to see happen in the union," says @l-l-xu.bsky.social on The Valley Labor Report.
Learn more about creating an effective union reform caucus here: labornotes.org/caucuspacket
“Understaffed stores have led to long wait times for customers while baristas who want more hours aren’t getting enough to pay their bills,” said Jasmine Leli, a Buffalo, NY, barista and member of the Starbucks Workers United bargaining team.
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This infographic was adapted from our new book, Keep Going: A Guide to Organizing When It's Hard
an organizer must be committed to recognizing and then looking past all divisions
If feelings of tension start to be replaced by friendliness, consideration and respect, then you’ve already begun to change the balance of power.
or going out for beer on a Friday night. But remember that individual conversations are just a bridge to group dialogue, whether it’s coming together at the break table When people are invited to listen to each other in a respectful environment, they can find a sense of shared purpose, and overcome fears of taking action.
The first step in building up a group is having thoughtful one-on-one conversations. They are especially useful in this early stage because some people may be shy about sharing more widely, worried about stirring up trouble, or distrustful of their co-workers. If you keep a fresh and curious ear, you may start to notice some common concerns in your conversations. Is there an issue people care about enough to unify around?
The boss maintains power by keeping workers divided. If they can keep us from and working out our problems together, they’ve won the battle before it even starts.
Adapted from our new book, Keep Going: A Guide to Organizing When It's Hard by Ellen David Friedman.
Get your copy: labornotes.org/keepgoing
Hear more about Labor Notes' approach to organizing from @albradbury.bsky.social and @l-l-xu.bsky.social on the Next Generation Carriers Podcast: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B72Z...
"Organizing takes place over a whole series of conversations, starting by asking people questions and really listening to the answers, getting a sense of what matters to people, and helping people see that taking action could make a difference."
The United Campus Workers of Virginia built a campaign not just around bargaining rights and better pay, but also the needs of community members. “We want universities to be good neighbors,” said Harry Szabo, professor at Virginia Commonwealth University.
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Tune in now to The Valley Labor Report LIVE to hear @l-l-xu.bsky.social talk about how some unions members are organizing to reform their unions to make their unions more democratic rather than disengaging from their unions
Learn more on labornotes.org/caucus
"When you know you can get together with like-minded members and make changes like actually fighting for a contract, fighting an undemocratic rule change, labor activists will choose to stay in the movement."
Listen here now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbwE...
Read our former editor Jane Slaughter's interview with Frank Bardacke, author of the 2011 history of the Farm Workers union: Trampling Out the Vintage: Cesar Chavez and the Two Souls of the United Farm Workers labornotes.org/2026/04/lack... 2/2
“It is important to present a real picture of the UFW's position towards undocumented workers, and Bardacke's is incomplete,” writes David Bacon. labornotes.org/blogs/2026/0... 1/2
“We need you to stop buying Starbucks and delete the Starbucks app from your phone,” barista Mina Leon told a union crowd in Manhattan on Sunday. “No contract, no coffee.” labornotes.org/blogs/2026/0...
Title graphic that reads, "Secret: Your Co-Workers Actually Care About Making Your Workplace Better. The image has the Labor Notes slingshot logo on the top left, and pictures of the headshots of co-hosts Natascha Elena Uhlmann and Danielle Smith. There are 3-D versions of the shocked emoji based on the Edvard Munch painting 'The Scream' and the head exploding emoji.
🎙️ Hear the first of a three-part Labor Notes Pod series on our “Secrets of a Successful Organizer” training on foundational organizing skills
In this first installment, we explore the idea that apathy isn't real, i.e. Your Co-Workers Actually Want a Better Workplace! labornotespodcast.podbean.com
"Democracy is a protection, but not enough. What Chavez did has a lot to do with the system of male supremacy embedded in our movement. We have to confront this directly, and not assume that being able to vote for leaders will take care of it," writes David Bacon.
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Members of the United Campus Workers of Virginia are still trying to get college instructional staff included in the new public worker bargaining law. “The fight is not over yet,” said Cecelia Parks, a librarian at UVA.
labornotes.org/2026/04/virg...
“They're trying to move backwards on issues we've already settled instead of settling the few that we have left,” said Mina Leon, a Starbucks barista in downtown Manhattan who struck for two months to get the company back to the table.
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Graphic with text reading "Ratatouille Is An Organizing Movie, Actually." Graphic also features an image of Remy the Rat holding up a sign reading "On Strike."
The latest episode of the Labor Notes Podcast is for soup lovers, haters, and everyone in between!
Tune in for organizing lessons from what our pod team considers classic soup movies—The Birdcage (1996), American Psycho (2000), and Ratatouille (2007) labornotespodcast.podbean.com/e/why-your-f...
"If treating Chavez as a celebrity and putting him on a pedestal was a fatal mistake, then we need to see the union's accomplishments not simply as the achievements of one man... [but as] the result of many discussions among many people," writes David Bacon.
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Flyer promoting the recruitment of educators to create a fun and enriching experience at the 2026 Labor Notes Conference. The job involves approximately 25 hours of paid work at $30/hour and involves working with kids ages 4-12. Flyer also includes a graphic of a teacher speaking to a group of children.
We're looking for educators to help create a fun and enriching labor-themed experience for children at our upcoming conference!
Please send your resume and a reference to childcare@labornotes.org by May 1.
Full job description here: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
San Francisco educators won big after just four days on strike. "[The school district] found the money for the things they said they couldn’t. They agreed to the language they said they couldn’t," said Ilan Desai-Geller, a high school teacher and strike captain.
labornotes.org/2026/03/over...
"Last year a network of unions and community organizations organized the largest May Day actions in U.S. history: 1,200 actions in all 50 states. This year, the stakes are even higher and the examples inspiring us are even bolder."
labornotes.org/2026/03/gear...
🚨 Tonight (Tuesday, April 14, 7:30 p.m. Eastern): Part 1 of our workshop on Winning a Strong Contract!
There's still time to sign up here: labornotes.org/events/2026/...