Dan Clawson (1948-2019)

The Labor Center joins the department of sociology, UMass Amherst, and the entire labor movement in grieving the loss of one of our own: Dan Clawson.

Dan’s professional reputation was as a scholar of work, the corporate elite, and organized labor. His research was foundational and hugely influential in sociology and labor studies.

But Dan was first and foremost an organizer. He was president of the faculty and librarians’ union at UMass Amherst and served in the leadership of the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

In a meeting, Dan always took the principled stance without exception, anchored in the progressive values we hold so dear.

Dan was a staunch advocate of the Labor Center. He was central to our survival through many administrations and successive struggles. He recruited our faculty, served on our committees, and worked with our students. He taught courses in both the residential and ULA programs. Although Dan was not hired in Labor Studies, he did as much for the Labor Center as any of our core faculty. His support for us was total and unwavering.

We will miss Dan’s voice, friendship, and integrity. From now on, whenever we face an uncertain future, the Labor Center community will first ask, WWDD: What would Dan do?

So long, brother.