IARA Update: Truth Tour and a Birthday Party

Hey kids, Maddie here with an update from the IARA campaign:

The Truth Tour is upon us in just a week now and we are working hard to turn people out for the event! We have gotten some RSVPs for each site but we are still reaching out to senior centers, retirement homes and civic organizations to spark people's interest (especially in Aurora, where the IARA does not have a large constituency). I was also able to gain some insight
into the event planning side of organizing by helping Emily (the IARA organizer) find hotels within our budget in each of the three cities and figure out where to get donuts and coffee the morning of. It looks like the Truth Tour is coming together!

Last week we also hosted a birthday party for Medicare, with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky as our guest of honor! Check out some pictures from the event:

CMSA Action! (Part 2)

Maddie did a great job of covering the CMSA action we got an opportunity to be part of this past Thursday. For those of you that would like to know more about the action we now have a short YouTube video documenting how CMSA parents, teachers, alumni, students, and neighbors that came together this past Thursday to advocate for a better school. What I enjoy most about the video is that it serves as a testament of the empowering and transformative effect an organizing campaign has on a community. Labor unions, as democratic organizations of middle class and working people, belong to us all.

After witnessing such a positive gathering this past Thursday I now have no doubt that the path to true school reform lies not in those that are seeking to make a profit off of public school funds, but in the collective action of each individual school's stake holders - the students, teachers, parents, and community members.



The next time you hear someone attack teacher unions you let them know that they've got the story all wrong. No one cares more about students than their educators, no one can advocate for students needs more effectively than an educator with a union contract.

CMSA Action!

Last week we attended an action in support of charter school teachers at the Chicago Math and Science Academy and their initiative to organize. Teachers have been laid off from the school for budget reasons, yet the administration has hired Seyfarth Shaw to represent them against the teachers. One of the teachers laid off was Rhonda Hartwell, who at the time was pregnant and subsequently had to deliver her baby early because her insurance was about to run out. Despite receiving excellent reviews during her time at the school, Rhonda's job was cut; coincidentally, Rhonda also led the initiative to unionize the teachers at CMSA.

See this article by Kim Bobo of Interfaith Worker Justice: http://gapersblock.com/mechanics/2010/08/09/chicago-math-and-sciences---the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

See also this article from the Chicago Schools Blog: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/district-299/2010/08/cmsa-pregnant-charter-teacher-fired-for-organizing.html

Check out some pictures from the event (and see more in our Facebook album):

Workers Coming Together

Getting to meet workers and hear their stories has been one of the most rewarding parts of Union Summer for me. This past week I was able to sit in at a meeting with AFSCME organizers and some workers interested unionizing their facility due to the problems they have faced there (see earlier post).

The interesting part was that some of the workers present did not even know each other, and many that did had not heard each others’ stories because they were separated by different shifts. They were isolated. As such, they were not fully aware that their individual experiences were really part of larger trends.

But as they shared their stories of chronic understaffing, workplace injuries left unaddressed, demeaning supervisors, depressed compensation, and even pressure they had received to break the law by lying about billing, they expressed outrage and support for one another. This bonded them together and seemed to rouse them to a place where they could feel that theirs was a shared experience resulting from a shared position. A position without meaningful voice before a management team that is largely dismissive to their concerns.

The organizers helped build the workers’ collective indignation towards a constructive energy, emphasizing the need to “be at the table” with management when key decisions are made, like the recent one to switch health care insurers from one of the best in the state to one that is notorious for denying claims across the nation. Instead of having to work under the fear that speaking out on workplace issues will land them in hot water, the organizers emphasized the alternative that bargaining collectively would provide them: "being able to sit across the table from management as equals.”

Of course, since management has learned about the union drive afoot, its behavior has improved somewhat: they have added a worker to a sorely understaffed shift, and they partially solidified employee pensions after initially gutting them. But “if you want these changes to be permanent,” the organizers stressed, they need to “get them in writing.” They need a contract.

And several months from now, I hope to hear that they have indeed secured it, despite management’s attempts to intimidate them (with captive audience meetings) out of obtaining equality, the power to protect themselves, and lasting prosperity.

Prosser Job Fair

Hello everyone! Long time no blog. I just wanted to post an update regarding the job fair that Rae and I attended last week. The Prosser High School job fair was a great way to meet unemployed and underemployed workers in Chicagoland. I got to hear the stories and concerns of many people while encouraging them to join U-Cubed (http://www.unionofunemployed.com/) and The Unemployed Workers Council to help combat this unemployment problem. While I was optimistic by the turnout and the people who signed up and took our fliers, it has not translated into new people on U-Cubed.
It was interesting to be a part of a job fair that was partly sponsored by Wal-Mart (http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/walmart-seeks-new-workers-through-job-fair-20100722) and that was attended by Mayor Daley and Emma Mitts, who are strong supporters of Wal-Mart and anti-living wage. Though no Wal-Mart bashing was part of my spiel, I did focus on telling people how through U-Cubed and The Unemployed Workers Council we can demand "good paying jobs." It seemed to be clear that most people were concerned with being able to support themselves and a family.
One gentleman's story was perfect example of how low wage jobs are killing us. He had to work three jobs in order to support his family, and because he worked three jobs there was little if any time for rest causing a disorder in his body. The disorder prohibited him from working again and put him on disability. It is stories like these that should anger us and make us demand something be done. With low paying jobs like Wal-Mart we will all be doomed to the same fate as this man.

"Enough is Enough!"

On Thursday, we attended an action at the Hyatt Regency Chicago to demand justice for the workers of that hotel (and at Hyatts across the country). This struggle began when housekeeping staff at a Hyatt in Boston were forced to train temps who they were told were going to be on standby to sub in during the holiday season. All of them (approx. 100) were subsequently fired after having trained their own replacements. When workers at the Hyatt in Chicago were threatened with the same fate if they did not agree to concessions (wage cuts, benefit cuts, etc), the community decided to step up to say "Enough is enough!" Check out pics from the event below, and see more in our photo album on our Facebook page.

For a Few Dollars More

As we watched the two construction workers go knock on the door of their former employer’s residence along with the Arise leaders, we didn’t know quite what to expect. This man has stiffed them several thousand dollars and has since rebuffed their attempts to confront him on this issue, defying a court order he signed agreeing to pay up.

Would it be different this time because they were now at his front door, with several community allies with them, including a Methodist reverend? Or would they get the door slammed in their face?

Well, it was different. And they didn’t get the door slammed in their face, but their old boss was not there either. Instead, they got to speak with his wife, who was quite unaware of the situation. In her, they actually got a decent audience, as she listened, asked questions, and eyed the rest of us on the sidewalk, who were wearing giant digits on our chests, showing the number “$4,000,” the amount of wages yet to be paid to these workers. They were able to show the wife the court document with her husband’s signature on it, promising to pay. (The workers had actually accommodated his claims of financial hardship by agreeing to accept the backwages in smaller installments, but even these were forthcoming).

It proved to be a very civil exchange, but it’s not everyday that people show up at your door informing you that your spouse is defying the law by withholding thousands of dollars in wages from his employees! So, I’m sure he is hearing about it from her, and that may prove to be a more effective means of getting through than we could have otherwise planned. The two workers seemed encouraged by the exchange, and I hope that sustains them at a time when they need their wages the most.

Meanwhile, we will continue to work for justice by discerning what our next steps are. A possible path to explore is how this employer may be held in contempt of court for his defiance. He and too many employers who, like him, steal wages, are certainly in contempt of their workers, our communities, and according to many of our faith traditions, the living God:

Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is one of your countrymen or is a foreigner residing in one of your towns. Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise they may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
-Deuteronomy 24:14-15

Community is Family

Last night as part of my time with ChicagoACTS (Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff) I attended the meeting of the 22^nd Ward Independent Precinct Organization at the Catedral Café. The back room at the Catedral Café was packed, standing room only, with a diverse group of people. Many of them had come to conduct the business of this 27 year-old progressive organization, others, like myself, came to hear Karen Lewis, the newly elected president of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) IFT/AFT Local 1 – AFL-CIO. Karen Lewis brought down the house, she began her speech by stating that when the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Board of Education closed a school they had never even visited, they weren’t just closing a building, they were destroying a community, and in turn they were destroying a family. “Community is family” she stated, “and that’s something they don’t understand.”

The “they” Karen Lewis was referring to are the “business people” who, through their donations of money and their elevation by elected officials, were rapidly changing our schools to reflect the values and sensibilities of Wall Street. In the process, Karen Lewis spoke, they were de-professionalizing teaching, and creating a system where any individual could come in and teach school for three/four years and then move on to something "better" - leaving their students behind. The cynics among us would state that when Karen Lewis was speaking, she was speaking to defend her and her members jobs, but I can tell you that sitting in that audience I saw a woman who was a life long educator, deeply committed to her students, and enraged by what she saw was being done to her pupils by the recent crop of education reform “gurus” – individuals that have never step foot in a classroom or graded an exam.

I believe, like Karen Lewis and the folks at ChicagoACTS believe, that if you truly want to reform our educational system we need to turn to those with the expertise and the know-how – the professional educators that know how to manage and teach a class. It is they who understand that a school isn't a business - it's a community. Until we listen to their voices, effective educational reform will not take place in the U.S. In the coming months the battle over educational reform is sure to intensify, in that battle I know where I stand - with the educators, students, and parents - the family that, if empowered and given the opportunity, will bring success to our schools.

Learning How to Protect Workers

Recently, we went to hear Prof. Stephen Ashby of the University of Illinois speak to us about labor history (from about the last 60 years). In his presentation, he told us that the United States has the worst labor laws of almost any developed country. Although many of us take for granted that we have an 8-hour workday and vacation and sick day benefits, there are no laws that guarantee us these conditions so essential to a healthy work environment. This is what I told a family friend when she asked me why laborers are striking in Illinois- because they want contracts. "But they already have contracts, don't they?" she said. I answered that they did, but those contracts had expired, and the contract is the only thing that truly protects workers.

This is why I have developed an interest in working in the labor movement from the legislative/lobbying side. I have learned that we have so much progress to make in this country towards truly protecting workers. The antagonism that happens between employers and workers trying to unionize could perhaps be alleviated if we had laws that guaranteed workers some of the things they fight for in their contracts. While community organizations like ARISE Chicago (mentioned below in the post by my fellow intern Paul) can fight for workers on a grassroots level, and while sometimes workers do have legal victories like the recent court decision regarding Chicago's Blackstone Hotel, I feel passionate about working towards protecting them on a legislative level. This has pushed me to look into masters programs in Labor and Employment Relations like the one at the University of Illinois. Hopefully with further education I will be able to pursue a career that allows me to make a difference in the lives of workers from the top down.

A Fistful of Dollars

In a few days I’m going to have a chance to look economic injustice right in the face: a local construction contractor who has refused to pay two of his employees for $8,000 worth of work.

This is but one instance of the widespread problem of wage theft, which occurs in a variety of ways and goes widely unnoticed. Not surprisingly, the workers who can least afford it are the ones most vulnerable to it. This is not a coincidence - it is simply one of the more egregious expressions of the power imbalance that exists between employers and employees in our society.

Of course, being a part of a union is the strongest way to protect against this and other labor violations, since labor law enforcement is sporadic and penalties are too weak to serve as a deterrent. However, with so many workers lacking the protection of a union, another avenue is needed to secure the fruits of their labors, legally owed them by contract.

Enter worker centers, which provide education, advocacy, and community support for workers at the margins of our economy. A local Chicago chapter I am becoming familiar with is the Arise Chicago worker center, run by a fantastic team of persons dedicated to seeing workers secure justice. Since 2002, for example, they have won over $3.6 million in unpaid wages, workers’ compensation, and discrimination claims.

And this week I’ll be helping them win back a few thousand dollars more by confronting this contractor at his place of business with the two construction workers and a delegation of community allies that will include local clergy members. It should be noted that the legal channels have already run their course here: this employer has already been ordered by a local court to pay up and yet still has not. This is why such community action with workers is so crucial: it fills the gap between law and justice. It empowers workers by showing them they are not isolated and instead isolates the employer in his injustice by showing him community members will not stand for it.

Hence, I’m excited to have a chance to help rally such community support by reaching out to local clergy, some of whom may be used to this kind of work and some of whom may find this a fresh change of pace from their usual ministry rhythms. I am hoping their presence tips the scales here for these two workers, who have already worked so hard to secure their wages.

Stay tuned for part 2…

Feminist/Unionist

Feminist and Unionist.
I am both of these things and I have been exploring the intersectionality of the two since the beginning of the internship. For example, when we speak with labor historians, I like to ask where the women were because, as a feminist, it is my job to uncover the voices of those oft forgotten in the struggle.

I have tried to find resources that lift up the voices of women in the labor movement this summer. These stories have been inspiring and show the true spirit of the movement.

Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors and her first book is a true story, a work of non-fiction, called Holding The Line: Women In The Great Arizona Mine Strike of 1983. My father grew up in Arizona and he remembers the strike in and around the Morenci Phelps Dodge mines. Kingsolver highlights the women who stretched the dollar to make strike wages last, women who worked in the mines alongside their husbands, and especially the women who did not back down and held the line in the strike that lasted for many years. In the quest for better wages, equal employment, a safe workplace, and dignity, the women in the Morenci strike embody why it is so important to stand with the union.

Another intersection of feminism and unionism that I love is a song I heard last year at an Ani DiFranco concert. I already played it for my fellow interns but now I will share it with you! It's an updated version of "Which Side Are You On?" originally written by Florence Reese, a wife of a miner.



The labor movement is filled with all kinds of people from every kind of background. During a panel with Union Summer alumni, one alum noted that working in the labor movement made a lot of sense because of the number and diversity of people who work..."Everybody works," she said. It's true. In just a short amount of time working for the AFL-CIO, I have seen "UNION YES" stickers on all kinds of cars and shaken the hands of workers from many different industries. The thing that brings people together is the solidarity and power a union brings.

Campaign Update: Union 101

Over the past 40 years, the precipitous drop in the number of America's unionized workers (i.e. workers that are united, empowered, and protected by a contract) has meant many things for Americans. It has meant that overall we are working more, making less, and that overwhelmingly Americans have no idea what a union is or what a union does. On face this final point may not seem as pressing as abusive workplace policies, arbitrary firings, or unfair wages, but it is equally responsible for the exploitation of American workers. The lack of knowledge among American workers on what a union is and what a union does has meant that those interested in increasing profits on the backs of their workers and dis-empowering them in the workplace have been very successful in painting unions as something unnecessary, or even worse, bad. While I've always had a positive view of unions (as a result of actually understanding what it is that they do and how they work) the past month as a Union Summer Intern has given me even further insight of what unions are.

When I think of a union the following words come to mind: democracy, community, unity, civil rights, economic justice, grassroots.

What words come to your mind?

My lunch break at Chicago ACTS (Alliance of Charter School Teachers and Staff) is about to be over soon, and I've yet to eat lunch, so I'll catch up with you all later!

Cheers sisters and brothers!

Campaign Update: Anthony Scorzo

Happy holiday weekend everyone! As we celebrate our independence this weekend, we should honor those who have died serving our country. Not only the soldiers overseas, but also the workers here at home who fought for many of the things we take for granted.

While working people in this country are facing some of the hardest times ever-layoffs, foreclosures, and homelessness, D.C. fails to help yet again. Millions of Americans are losing their benefits and the Senate once again has failed to pass an extension. Wall Street and big corporations have recovered already, but the people of this country haven't.

There is hope, however. We know there is power in numbers, and the numbers of the unemployed are growing everyday. Through projects like U-Cubed and The Unemployed Workers' Council, unemployed workers can share resources, network, and demand that our politicians start working for us.

U-Cubed is an online social networking tool for unemployed workers to build neighborhoods in their cities and help each other through this rough time. The Unemployed Workers' Council is working to organize the unemployed and anxiously employed so that we can share our resources, form a barter system, and demand government pass unemployment extensions and a jobs bill. By canvassing unemployment offices and protesting at our elected officials' offices, we are spreading the message that jobs need to be created now.

During the Great Depression, unemployed workers joined together as a support group, and today we want to implement the same kind of support. Together, these resources will bring the working poor together through these desperate times. There are plans for a march on Washington for jobs, so stay tuned for more updates!

Campaign Update: Working People Helping Working People

Hello sisters and brothers! Carlos here again with an update from the front!

What front? The most important battle front of course. Iraq? Afghanistan? No, those certainly are costing us a ton of money, but I’m talking about the battle front that’s right next door (if not in your own home) - the battle for economic justice in our nation.

For the past two weeks Paul and I have been stationed with AFSCME Council 31 (bouncing back and forth between their Northwest Chicagoland office and their downtown office). In these two shorts weeks I’ve learned a ton. First, I’ve learned that union organizing is a lot more strategic and difficult than movies like Bread & Roses and Norma Rae would have you believe (and those movies don't exactly make organizing appear easy). Second, I’ve learned that folks looking to organize their workplace with AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) have some great people working on their behalf in AFSCME Council 31. It’s this second point that has truly impacted me the most. In the past when I thought of an organizing campaign I conceptualized the union as an outside entity coming in and uplifting the workers, this isn’t the case at all with AFSCME. My time with AFSCME Council 31 has taught me that a good organizing campaign is one that is worker driven. At AFSCME Council 31 it is the brave working women and men who initiate the campaign at their workplace and serve on the organizing committee that are truly the heartbeat of the campaign. The most astounding thing is that these brave women and men aren’t alone – they have the professional and seasoned organizers of AFSCME Council 31 behind them. Through the union dues of existing AFSCME members, workers attempting to organize are provided with a team of strategists, researchers, and lawyers. A clear example of solidarity at work!

Road Workers on Strike

Today, road workers in Illinois went on strike to demand contracts. Walking around downtown, I noticed small groups on several different blocks, standing with their signs. As I passed two workers sitting in an alcove together, a man coming the other direction leaned over and yelled, "What are you striking for? You're making all the money in the world!" They looked so disheartened that I stopped to tell them I supported them and understood what they were doing.

As this internship has developed, and as we have learned more about the labor movement, it has been brought to my attention several times that the image of labor and unions as corrupt and bureaucratic is common in the minds of the American public. Opinions like the one expressed by this man are a major obstacle for us, the next generation of the labor movement. When you are already passionate about a cause, the right thing to do and the right side to support in a conflict (e.g., the strikers in this situation) seem so obvious. Yet it should not be unexpected to face disapproval and opposition, in public and even from people close to us.

This struggle to balance our desire for change with the inevitable truth that lack of knowledge about labor seems to create hostility rather than interest is something I think we all have yet to decide how to reconcile. When the baton is passed, we will inherit not only a movement but a PR nightmare in people's minds that stands in the way of progress. But I think what keeps us going is the feeling you get when you see workers holding signs, or march in a picket line, or chant together in a protest. As we've been told many times, we're doing good work. And it is that satisfaction we go home with every day, even when the odds are against us.

I let that man go instead of stopping to correct him. He probably would not have wanted to hear what I had to say anyway. Instead, I turned to those workers and I told them they were not alone. Because, ultimately, we chose this job for the simple reason that we want to stand with them.

Campaign Update: IL Governors Race

Today, Union Summer Chicago stood with our brothers and sisters from Interfaith Worker Justice, Jobs for Justice, Latino Union, IL Pro-Choice Action Team, and others to protest GOP Gubernatorial candidate, Bill Brady. Over the weekend, Mr. Brady made it known that he believes that minimum wage should be lowered in Illinois by an entire dollar. This is unacceptable! Union Summer took to the front lines and rallied outside the restaurant Brady was speaking in.

Over and over this summer, I have seen the importance of earning a living wage. It is important for families trying to put food on the table by staying above the poverty line, it important for young people who face some of the highest rates of unemployment and underemployment, and it is important for women, who already meet the issue of pay inequity every day. Because of this importance, minimum wage should NOT be decreased. Decreasing minimum wage by a dollar would place undue burden and hardship on individuals who work hard every day to provide for themselves and their families.

For more information, you can go to WhoisBillBrady.com and see for yourself!

Campaign Update: Paul Drake

(Check, check... Is this thing on?)

GREETINGS. My name is Paul Drake, and I'm stoked to be back in Chi-town for some solid labor this summer. I'm nearing the end of my seminary education, which has been animated by the vision of economic justice, something that has proved so elusive throughout history, even in this "land of opportunity."

Or at least that's our self-image. Scratch beneath the surface, and it is clear that opportunity favors those strong enough to secure its blessings, often at the expense of the weak.

The past few days I have been able to learn about this first-hand from AFSCME organizers as I rode with them on their visits to workers of a local troubled youth facility. Some workers reached out to AFSCME when they became fed up with management's refusal to correct dangerous and unfair policies. Policies largely in place because they save the company money.

Of course, the company claims economic hardship, but open up their books (which anyone can do since it's a non-profit), and you will see that it is not rough for everyone: the same execs who claim the company is barely staying afloat have seen their already sizable salaries multiply over the past several years, meanwhile, employees' wages have fallen. You see, when the facility takes on more troubled (read: dangerous) youth, the facility gets more money from the government. But the execs neither have to work with these youth, nor do they spend the funds on proper training of staffing or on pay increases for the staff who actually do work with the youth. (Wait, didn't someone say this was a non-profit?) Needless to say, the turnover rate for frontline workers is very high.

This gross disparity in wages, job security, and safety, along with the lies, and the ability to enforce them are a common story of the power imbalance that exists between workers and managers. And as I have learned from my time with the AFSCME organizers, labor laws afford often workers little recourse since they lack serious punitive teeth, meaning that employers often find it more worthwhile to break the law and take the slap on the wrist (ESPECIALLY when it comes to respecting workers' right to organize to secure a meaningful voice!).

The organizers I've ridden with both became union organizers because they experienced similar scenarios, with management taking away their livelihood simply because they could. Now they're all in, helping others take it to the man. It this dynamic that has called me to invest in the labor movement.

I'm very much looking forward to learning how to amplify workers' voice, in the workplace, in society, and with lawmakers. I've got a great team here in Chicago, and I'm plan on making some waves with them.

Campaign Update: Wal-Mart

Hello, Maddie here with an update on the battle over Wal-Mart on Chicago's South Side. Community leaders and city officials have been negotiating with Wal-Mart over opening a new store in the Pullman neighborhood (home to our fellow intern, Anthony). This area is referred to as a 'food desert', meaning there is limited access to grocery stores for people who live in the community. Residents often drive 20+ minutes away to get groceries, sometimes even to the Wal-Mart on Chicago's West Side, the city's first. Because of this and the high level of unemployment in this community, there has been a large push for the Pullman Wal-Mart to open. The city, too, looking to reap the benefits of additional tax revenue in the midst of this recession (and a state budget in shambles), has supported this initiative.

On the other hand, labor and community leaders have concerns over this Wal-Mart. For one thing, Wal-Mart has a history of wage and hour violations, including the largest class-action civil rights lawsuit in US history (Dukes v. Wal-Mart, a gender discrimination case). Because the cost of living is so high in Chicago (what with taxes and lack of affordable housing), there is also a concern about workers being paid a 'living wage', which according to federal estimates should be $11.03/hr (as the wage for a full-time worker, this would put a family of four at the poverty line). Wal-Mart has, in the past, been known to hire many part-time workers and has even been accused of (and sued for) altering employee time cards to keep them under 40 hours per week. The concern that comes out of this is whether the people of Pullman will be given the full-time jobs they are expecting to sustain their families and keep them in their homes.

This past Thursday (6/24/10), the city council met to vote on zoning the area in Pullman where the Wal-Mart is to be built. A compromise was drawn that workers will be paid $8.75/hr, with a guaranteed raise of $0.40-0.60 within a year of hiring. Workers will be hired from the local community and there will be an estimated 700 new jobs as a result of the Wal-Mart opening. Construction of the building will also be contracted out to union workers.

See Charles Thomas' report (ABC7 Chicago) on the council meeting: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=7519129&pid=7518177

See also this article on Wal-Mart's tactics in conveying "community support" for its stores: http://chicagoist.com/2010/01/26/wal-mart_using_fake_community_group.php

Campaign Update: Anthony Scorzo

Hello, everyone. My name is Anthony Scorzo. I was born and raised on the far southside of Chicago, specifically the Pullman neighborhood. I am a die-hard White Sox fan and am truly committed to the labor movement and workers' rights. I am an I.B.E.W. Local 134 member and am currently not working. I started my I.B.E.W. apprenticeship in 2004 and graduated as a Communications Electrician Journeyman in 2009. Since I have been out of work I have returned to school and will be attending Illinois Institute of Technology this fall.

I really did not realize how inspirational the labor movement can be until I heard the story of my father who helped organize Jay's Potato Chips on Chicago's southside. When the workers went on strike, the truck drivers who delivered the potatoes refused to make their deliveries until the workers' union contract was recognized. This sort of solidartiy and unity drew me in even further into the labor movement.

I look forward to working with all of the interns and our allies this summer on all of our campaigns with specific detail to the Wal-Mart, U-Cubed, and Jobs With Justice campaigns. I hope I can contribute to the group this summer with my current knowledge of how labor unions, mine in particular, operate. I hope to take what I learn this summer back to my local union and incorporate more progressive values throughout the building trades.

Campaign Update: Carla

Hey! My name is Carla Argueta and I'm really excited to work at AFL-CIO this summer. I've already met a lot of great people, including the other interns working with me and our coordinator Rae. I'm hoping to have a lot of fun while learning about the labor movement this summer.

I've recently graduated from Northwestern University, where I majored in Social Policy and had a minor in Latin@ Studies. While at Northwestern I worked with different immigrant and refugee populations and focused my studies on urban issues. I was also part of the student group that worked to get a Latin@ Studies Program at Northwestern. College has also given me the opportunity to travel to different cities inside and outside of the US. I have volunteered in Havana, Cuba and Portobelo, Panama and studied in Berkeley and Santiago, Chile.

I became interested in the labor movement this year when I began to work with the Living Wage Campaign for Northwestern workers. This summer, I want to learn more about the labor movement and its connection with other movements around Chicago. By being able to learn while doing, the other interns and I will be working hard to make a difference and absorb all of our new experiences.

Campaign Update: Carlos

Hello sisters and brothers! My name is Carlos and I have the honor of being the third Union Summer Intern to welcome you to this blog!

My full name is Carlos Daniel Ramirez-Rosa, but I prefer to go by the somewhat "shorter" name of Carlos Daniel Rosa (my mother’s surname is Ramirez). My parents, Carlos and Margarita, are both first generation immigrants to this nation. Like the millions before them and the millions after them, they, and their parents, came seeking a better job and a better life. They found those jobs and secured a better life through employment at a unionized workplace. Growing up I was privileged to have parents that, due to unionization, had job security, health coverage, fair compensation, and dignity in the workplace. The food that was placed on my table, my affordable visits to the doctor and the stories my parents told me of the battles working people and their unions won (and lost) showed me the power of a united workforce and a union contract.

Growing up in a household where the parents are more concerned about what movie to take the kids to than how they’re going to pay the bills or afford the mortgage shouldn’t be a privilege in the United States of America; and for that simple reason I’m a Union Summer Intern. I’m a Union Summer Intern because I want to be part of the movement that is going to make the American Dream a reality again. I’m a Union Summer Intern because every worker - regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, documentation status or (dis)ability status - should have the right to a good job, a good job guaranteed by a union contract.

I know the work that my fellow interns and I will do this summer will not be easy, but it will be rewarding. I hope that as the summer progresses you'll continue to read this blog. After all, this isn’t just the blog of Union Summer Interns; it’s the blog of Union Summer Interns in Chicago. If history is any guide this promises to be an exciting summer.

Campaign Update: Haley

What up, Chicago!

My name is Haley Leibovitz and I am absolutely thrilled to be working with the AFL-CIO this summer with the six other interns and our site coordinator, Rae!

I am a rising junior at Roosevelt University in the heart of Chicago, where I double major in History and Political science and minor in Women and Gender Studies.

I have been a dedicated feminist for quite some time now and most of my community work reflects this! I have been an active member in the Chicago Next Generation chapter of The National Council of Jewish Women, a group that does progressive feminist outreach, community service, and advocacy. This past year, I was also very involved in my university's Feminists United organization.

I came to the labor movement this past fall while working for a labor-endorsed candidate for Illinois State Representative in the primary. It was my first foray into politics and I became involved because I believed in the vision my candidate has for working families. The real honor, however, was getting to work alongside the passionate AFSCME Retirees who came in everyday to make phone calls, go door-to-door, and give guidance to our young campaign staff. I am forever appreciative for the experience I received and knowledge I gained while working with union organizers and members.

This summer I hope to continue my passion for making a difference through political change by working on issues that are important to working folks all over Chicagoland. By working with the great team of interns, we hope to lift up the voices of young workers, who are some of the most unemployed and underemployed peoples in the country.

Stay tuned for all the great actions we are going to be a part of this summer and keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to join us!

Campaign Update: Maddie

Hello everyone, my name is Maddie Conway and I am a student at the University of Michigan. I first got involved with the labor movement this past April when the Lecturers' Employee Organization (LEO) at Michigan was renegotiating their contract. It really moved me to be out rallying in support of LEO because my teachers and mentors at school were being affected by the negotiations. From there, I decided to search for union organizing internships and found AFL-CIO's Union Summer program.

This summer I will be working with the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans preparing for their upcoming "Truth Tour", a political education campaign aimed at seniors throughout the state. Currently, I am working with the Chicago Federation of Labor researching and writing a brief about the impact of Wal-Mart opening in our area. So far, I have learned a lot about issues affecting the local community here in Chicago and I hope to gain more experience in research, lobbying, organizing and knowledge of labor history.

Welcome

Welcome to the Union Summer Chicago Interns' blog! Here we will be documenting our experiences as interns, the actions we organize, campaigns we work on, and our growing knowledge about the labor movement (especially in Chicago). We hope you will stay on this journey with us via our blog!

We just completed one week of training in Washington, DC at AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations) headquarters. We heard a lecture on the history of the labor movement, personal stories from organizers, career advice from lobbyists and visions for the future from leaders in the labor movement. All in all it was an inspiring week!

This past week we met with leaders from AFSCME, the Grassroots Collaborative, Jobs With Justice, the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans, and other Chicago organizations. After hearing about the campaigns they are working on, we are forming our plan of action for the summer. Please come back and visit us soon to hear about our goals!