What Students Say about the Labor Center

"My experience at the Labor Center was both challenging and nurturing. Over my two years in the program, I learned from faculty, staff and fellow students as we grappled with theoretical problems and real-life examples from labor movements. I learned a lot. I grew a lot. Faculty members helped me to think critically and articulate my opinions on important issues relating to unions and labor."

Rachael Running, '05, Policy Program Associate, Front Range Economic Strategy Center

"The Labor Center faculty members are among the best in their field. They practice what they teach. There is a depth of understanding because they continue to be active in the labor movement. No ivory tower Pollyannaisms here. This has been the finest academic experience in my career as a worker and a student."

Diane Scherrer, '04, Community Organizer, Massachusetts Nurses Association

"The Labor Center provided a space for frank theoretical debate as well as a place for hands-on strategic research and action regarding today's public sector. My personal experiences while at the Labor Center prepared me for both analysis of and action against the near omnipresent 'budget cuts' facing the public sector in the United States today."

Robert Caldwell, '03, United Teachers or New Orleans/AFT

"The Labor Center is one of the few places students and activists can call home and think creatively about the necessity to organize and put the movement back into the labor movement."

David de Hoyos, '03, Researcher, SEIU Local 1877 Justice for Janitors, San Diego

"The Labor Center program provides an essential balance between academic and practical hands-on training. I was able to work on current union campaigns while getting the framework for where today's struggles come from and where we need to get to. My education at the Labor Center prepared me to get into the field and win campaigns that build workers' power toward our long-term goals of social and economic justice."

Pilar Schiavo, '03, Political Director, San Francisco Labor Council, AFL-CIO

"Without the Labor Center and its faculty, I would have never gained the skills to fight the increasing attacks and exploitation of immigrant workers in the construction industry. Attending the Labor Center is by far one of the best decisions I've ever made, and I've brought the values and commitment that the faculty taught me into what is considered the conservative arm of the labor movement. I will always be grateful for the opportunity the Center gave me."

Sean Barrett, '02, Head Researcher/Organizer, Mountain West Regional Council of Carpenters, Denver, CO

"The Labor Center provided me with the tools that I use every day in collective bargaining, researching employers, and organizing. The Center is an essential part of Labor's fight for dignity and respect for working families.

Jeff Balfour, '00, UAW Research Department

"At the Labor Center, I learned what it takes to fight for the union cause in the 21st Century. Not only did we learn important skills, we were filled with the passion to battle in the streets if necessary."

Patrick Cowley, '97, SEIU Local 767

"The Labor Relations and Research Center is a wonderful place for people who are serious about working in the Labor Movement of today and the future. It's so much more than just a classroom experience. My internship gave me the opportunity to get involved in hands-on organizing, research, member mobilization, and coalition-building."

Erin Enwright, '97, Organizer, Council 93, AFSCME

"As a Research Analyst for SEIU, I rely upon the skills I learned at the Labor Center every day. During my time at the Labor Center, I built a network of peers (both classmates and alumni) who I am now able to call upon for ideas and support."

Ian Campbell, '96, Research Analyst, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

"One of the best life decisions I ever made was to attend the Labor Center. As a Staff Representative for the Massachusetts Teacher's Association I'm often asked how I was able to get the position I have. It was definitely from attending the Labor Center."

Michelle Gallagher, '93, Staff Representative, Massachusetts Teacher's Association (MTA)

"This is a labor studies program for, by, and about labor. Nothing else equals what happens at UMASS. You don't have to go out of your way to carve out a labor program. It's all there. That's what I think is exciting."

Gordon McClelland, '90, Labor Educator, Cornell University