Community Classes
Spring 2025
Cost: $50 for union-sponsored participants; $25 for participants without union support; free to anyone who cannot afford to pay. Registration is required for these virtual classes (you can get there by clicking on the class title). Zoom links to the class will be emailed after registration.
The Hyper-Exploitation of Contracted Workers
Date & Time: Wednesday, January 15, 2025, 3-4:30pm CT
Facilitator: Sarah Lazare, co-hosted by SEIU Local 26
Did you know that many contracted and subcontracted workers, like childcare workers and front desk attendants, are subject to provisions that limit their freedom to move into a different job, like restrictive covenants or non-compete agreements? Come learn about these measures, and other workplace issues contracted workers face. And most importantly, learn how they're fighting back!
Video Production for Organizers
Date & Time: Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 4-6pm CT
Facilitator: Isabela Escalona
Description: Video is an important part of storytelling and sharing a narrative for labor and community organizing. Whether you’re creating an ad, a campaign video, a TikTok, a fundraising pitch, promoting an event, or highlighting a members’ story, there are many ways video can be used to share your campaign or movement’s story and vision for the future. In this session, we cover how to plan a video, how to produce a video with everyday equipment, how to capture a powerful interview and b-roll, how to edit, and ways to promote a video once it is produced. This class is ideal for beginners.
Social Justice, Inc.: The Nonprofitization of Social Movements
Date & Time: Wednesday, March 12, 2025, Noon-1:30pm CT
Facilitator: Professor Myrl Beam
Anyone who has ever worked in a nonprofit or social service organization is familiar with being told they are doing such good work - and often that sense of "good-ness" is used to justify low wages and a culture of exploitation. But what if the nonprofit structure actually upholds capitalism and deepens inequality, even when the people within those organizations are working for social justice? This workshop, led by Prof. Myrl Beam, Chair of WGSS at Macalester College, will explore what activists call the Nonprofit Industrial Complex, and its relationship to the state, capitalism, and progressive social movements.
How do we live on this land together in a good way?
Date & Time: Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 6-7:30pm CT
Facilitator: Susan Raffo
Susan Raffo recently spent nine months walking across Turtle Island, from Maine to California, motivated by one question: how do we live on this land together in a good way? After meeting many ‘strangers’ and listening to their fears and hopes, Raffo is ready to share some of what she witnessed and learned, and how she has been transformed. Unsurprisingly, the economy and work were two of the main issues people consistently wrestled with. Curious to know more? Come spend some time with Raffo and hear some of what workers across the country are saying about their lives and communities.
Deepening Our Solidarity: Labor & Disability Justice
Date & Time: Tuesdays, March 29, May 13, May 27, 2025, 6:30-8pm CT
Please attend all three parts.
Facilitators: Former LES staff & guest co-facilitators
During this three part series, participants will consider a variety of experiences related to disability, chronic illness & work. Together, we’ll define disability justice in the context of the labor movement, learn about the intersections of labor & disability history, discuss how ableism shows up at our worksites and in our unions, strategize around common challenges, and begin planning next steps to make change within our own organizations.
Date & Time: Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 1-4pm CT
Facilitator: Amy Livingston
The focus of this course is preparing grievances for arbitration. Topics covered include: the meaning, history, and law of arbitration; determining if a case should go to arbitration; rules of contract interpretation; how to build a theory of the case; understanding evidence and proof; and advanced strategies for defending discipline cases at arbitration. This course is designed for experienced stewards and/or for those who have completed the Intro to Grievance Handling training.