An annual research summer school co-sponsored by the AFL-CIO and Cornell University has served as an effective stepping-stone for students of all ages who are interested in working as campaign researchers. Over the last decade, the program has placed hundreds of participants in research jobs at unions across the country.

The summer school this year is June 9–14 in Ithaca, N.Y. The application deadline is May 17. 

Scholarships are available to individuals, based on need, if taking the course for credit. 

For students who wish to work as researchers in unions and at social justice organizations, understanding how to mine data on corporate America is key. Students now have the opportunity to gain such skills through an intensive, hands-on, weeklong course at Cornell University on Strategic Corporate Research. The June 10-15 session in Ithaca, N.Y., is co-sponsored by Cornell and the AFL-CIO Center for Strategic Research. Registration deadline is May 17, 2012.

This is an exciting time to be part of the union movement and there are many ways to join us. Strategic researchers, for example, play a key role in helping unions gain a clearer understanding about corporate structure and finance and in finding ways to win against those who would deny us justice on the job and in our communities. 

An annual research summer school co-sponsored by the AFL-CIO and Cornell University has served as an effective stepping stone for students of all ages who are interested in working as union researchers. In its first 10 years, the program has placed hundreds of participants in research jobs at unions across the country. 

The summer school this year is June 10-15 in Ithaca, N.Y. The application deadline is May 17. Scholarships are available to individuals, based on need, if taking the course for credit. Access the application and obtain other information here, or contact Kate Bronfenbrenner at 607-254-4749 or scrsummer@cornell.edu.

A new study suggests one path to helping people struggling in today’s economy find their way into the middle class, via Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) for large-scale construction projects. Among the most successful PLAs, the Cornell University study found, are those that incorporate Community Workforce Agreements born of partnerships between community organizations, unions and employers. Community workforce provisions require the hiring of local residents on construction projects, and often target specific populations, including low-income people, women and veterans.

Project labor agreements offer a pathway to the middle class by providing job opportunities to low-income communities, minorities, veterans and others, according to a new study by Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations School (ILR).

When working men and women are free to decide whether to join a union, it helps the economy, improves business and promotes democracy, witnesses testified today before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Want to build on the momentum in Wisconsin, Ohio and elsewhere by joining the fight for workers’ rights? Now’s the time to sign up for a course in strategic campaign research, writes Charles Taylor, coordinator for the AFL-CIO Center for Strategic Research recruitment program.