Rebuilding the Labor Movement: Historical and Current Perspectives
Southwest Labor Studies Association Annual Conference
Co-Sponsored by Labor Center for Education and Research, UCB
May 8-10, 2003
International House
University of California, Berkeley
Conference Call For Papers, Exhibits and Performances
At its height in the mid-1950s, organized labor represented one-third of all US workers. Today the percentage of union workers in the labor force stands at 13.9%. Labor's numbers are on the rise, but the overall percentage of union workers has stood still. Real wages have fallen over the last 30 years, and many jobs created in the current economic environment have low pay, no benefits, and little hope for advancement.
How can labor rebuild itself, and how can it tackle the problems and challenges presented in the early 21st century. How has it rebuilt itself in the past? What were its strategies? What circumstances promoted or deterred its growth? How relevant are they now?
We invite proposals for papers and other presentations that address the history and current issues on the task of labor's reconstruction, both regionally and nationally. We welcome all proposals, especially those that address one or more of the following issues:
- Where Has Work Gone?: The Challenge of a Post-Industrial Labor Movement
- International Perspectives on Work and Unions
- Work and Unions after 9-11
- Organizing the Unorganizable: New Sectors of Organized Workers
- Strikes: Do They Still Work?
- The National Labor Relations Board: A Countervailing Force?
- Technology and the New Unionism: Hi-Tech Work, the Internet and Labor
- On-Campus Organizing: Students, Workers and Unions
- The Labor Movement and Environmental Activism
Both individual papers and full panel proposals are welcomed. Proposals for panels should include a one-page summary, a list of presenters and their topics, and brief bios or vitas. Workshops will include ample time for audience response and participation. We encourage informal and lively presentations, and discourage the reading of papers. Think also of proposals which may incorporate song, dramatic readings, and other examples of creatively presenting labor issues.
Deadline for proposals is January 15, 2003. Submitters will be contacted by February 15, 2003.
Send proposals to 2003 SWLSA Conference, c/o Sue Englander, Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers Project, Cypress Hall D, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-4146 or by email to susane@stanford.edu.
For further information see www.stedwards.edu/bss/brown/swlsa/SWLSAmainpage2.htm.