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.

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).

Here are some key reasons the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) should level the playing field when workers are deciding whether to form a union. Employers’ anti-union campaigns begin much earlier than expected and continue all the way up to election. In fact, a new study found that almost half (47 percent) of serious unfair labor practices allegations are reported before a petition is even filed.