Labor Extension

The Labor Extension Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a non-credit program providing training and education to Massachusetts workers, their unions, and other workers' organization. Our focus is on strengthening these organizations and increasing activism. Labor Extension programs are designed to help union activists, officers, and staff build the skills necessary to effectively advocate for the needs and concerns of the workforce through organizing, bargaining, contract administration, political action, and coalition work. Open-enrollment, non-credit courses are offered periodically. The Extension coordinator will also work with you to design specific trainings to meet your union's or labor council's needs.

Available programs include:

stewards' training

preparation for bargaining

organizing
developing member organizers

mobilizing your members

media strategy
political action

corporate research

sexual harassment

arbitration

labor law

workers' rights

labor history

Common Sense Economics

public speaking

assertiveness

The Amherst program, while focusing primarily on Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties, is part of a state-wide effort, with additional Extension coordinators located on the Boston, Dartmouth, and Lowell campuses of the University. Call the coordinator nearest you to find out about current offerings or to discuss custom programs:

UMass Amherst
Dale Melcher
(413) 545-6166
dmelcher@lrrc.umass.edu

UMass Dartmouth
Kim Wilson
(508)999-8781
Kwilson@umassd.edu

UMass Boston
Tess Ewing
(617)287-7352
tess.ewing@umb.edu

UMass Lowell
Susan Winning
(978)934-3127
susan_winning@uml.edu
Mike Prokosch
(978)934-3239
mike_prokosch@uml.edu

Non-credit ula option

We are piloting a non-credit Union Leadership Certificate Program, offering courses through our Union Leadership and Administration (ULA) on a reduced-fee, non-credit basis. This is an opportunity to step back and engage with other trade unionists around pressing issues, to take the time to see the big picture, to frame the work you do daily, and to take courses from national experts in their field.

Participants are expected to keep up with the readings and fully participate in class, but are not required to research and write the papers. Participants have the option to take one or two courses.

Students in our ULA program are working trade unionists and come from a range of unions across the country. They bring a wealth of experience to the classroom, as would many of you.

We are now accepting students for our upcoming session, which runs from January 6-16, 2008.

If you are interested in participating in this new program or if you have questions, please contact Beth Berry or Eve Weinbaum.

Classes are held at the Labor Center. The cost of the program is $425 per course, which includes books and other course materials. You will receive the readings and course syllabus ahead of time, so that you can prepare for the first class.

Courses offered in January are:

Morning

(8:30 - 11:30)

Labor History, taught by Priscilla Murolo from Sarah Lawrence College.
Social Movements, taught by Ralph Armbruster from University of California, Santa Barbara.

Afternoon (1:00:4:00)

Economics for Union Leaders, taught by Michael Yates, emeritus from the University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown.
The Working Class in America, taught by Jack Metzgar from Roosevelt University in Chicago.

Course descriptions are available.

If you cannot begin this winter, there will be an opportunity to take a different set of courses during the July 13-23, 2008 session.

Workers' Rights Workshops

What do residents of a homeless shelter, young folks working on their GED and developing construction skills, members of a workers' center, and vocational high school teachers have in common? The answer would be that they all participated in workers' rights trainings this past year, developed by the UMass Statewide Labor Extension Program and delivered by UMass Amherst Labor Extension under a grant from UMass Amherst.

The new ten-module curriculum is a learner-centered, participatory, experience-based design intended to introduce workplace rights to workers who are unfamiliar with their rights. Topics include wages and hours, health and safety, the right to organize, workers' compensation, overtime, temporary workers and day laborers, and the rights of workers under the age of eighteen. These workshops are meant to be a part of efforts to organize marginalized workers to defend their rights and to provide resources to educators and service providers who work with new entrants to the labor force or vulnerable workers.

Most of the handouts and materials have been translated into Spanish. All materials, including facilitator guides, are available for downloading as PDF files at www.cpcs.umb.edu/lep/revisions.html. Check them out, try them out, and let us know how they work for you.