Unique among the nation’s higher education institutions, the National Labor College offers union members the chance to build on their skills and apply their new knowledge to crafting a better union movement

By Jame Parks

Vikki Thurston always wanted a college degree. For some 30 years, she took classes at various colleges but never found one that met her needs. Then in 2000, she participated in a pilot program that allowed her to take classes in her home state of New Jersey and receive credit from the National Labor College (NLC). “I took four courses, and I was hooked,” she says.

Four years later, the 52-year-old mother of three grown sons marched proudly across the stage as she received her bachelor’s degree from the National Labor College—the first of five sisters to earn a degree. “The degree gave me a sense of empowerment. It showed me a bigger picture and helped me understand what I can do to help the union movement,” says Thurston, executive vice president of Communications Workers of America Local 1037 in Newark, N.J.

“Attending the National Labor College allowed me to grow as a unionist and personally,” she says. Although she had work experience and served as a union officer, she says she lacked ““the piece of paper” she needed to pursue her dreams. Now Thurston is hoping to go back to the National Labor College and earn a master’s degree through a partnership with the University of Baltimore.

She already has put her degree to work. As a prerequisite for graduation, NLC seniors write papers on issues affecting the union movement, seeking innovative strategies to advance the ability of workers to gain a voice at work. She used the results of a survey for her senior paper to develop a new orientation program for new members of her local union. That program is now part of the training package for some 250 stewards in her local.

SMWIA President Michael Sullivan Michael Sullivan President, Sheet Metal Workers Sheet Metal Workers President Michael Sullivan was among 23 members of his union who received a bachelor’s degree from the National Labor College this summer. “If my mother were alive, I know she would be proud of me—even if it took me only 59 years to get my degree!” he says. Reaching this goal is an important signal to his members about the necessity of education, Sullivan says. “What we learn through the Labor Studies program has application in all union work. If our locals build a stronger education base, then the entire union has to grow. “The union movement is facing tough competition these days, and every means must be employed to improve our position on the job and politically,” he says. “Education and training will make the difference between survival and extinction.” Sullivan says being a student after so many years gave him “a greater appreciation of the hard work being done by those students who hold down full-time jobs and work on a degree. I also enjoyed the interplay among the instructors and students. We were all on the same level, much like it was when I went through the apprentice program. It was up to each of us to get the most out of the program.”

Union members transform education into concrete action

Thurston was one of the 146 union members from more than 35 unions who received their college degrees during NLC’s sixth commencement ceremony June 26 at the leafy, 47-acre campus in Silver Spring, Md. Three union presidents—James Williams of Painters and Allied Trades, William Hite of the Plumbers and Pipe Fitters and Michael Sullivan of the Sheet Metal Workers—were among the 135 graduates who earned bachelor’s degrees. Eleven graduates earned master’s degrees through a joint program with the University of Baltimore.

“There has to be some place in the union movement that is totally focused on preparing labor leaders for the world they face, especially in the global economy,” says NLC President Susan Schurman. The Labor College also provides access for working families to higher education, Schurman says. “If working Americans are going to maintain our standard of living in the global economy, higher education is essential. With more and more universities closing their doors to working families, our job becomes even more important.” Many states, faced with staggering deficits, are balancing their budgets by cutting funds for higher education, Schurman says, forcing universities to raise tuitions. At the same time, federal funding for financial aid to students has been cut, making it much more difficult for working people to afford to pay for a college education.

“If we’re going to push labor issues, we have to be perceived as equals by the people who sit on the other side of the table,” says Mark Degani, a member of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association in Roswell, N.M., and a 2004 NLC graduate. “Most of the people on the other side of the table have their degrees, and if the perception is that they have something up on you—education—then you’re not treated well. Most labor people are smarter than those on the other side. We just need to be able to convey it better.”

Degani showed what an educated unionist can do when his senior project paper on the impact of privatization on Germany’s air traffic control system was presented in congressional testimony last year and helped stall the Bush administration’s plan to privatize the U.S. system.

“The Labor College is teaching union members how to stand toe-to-toe with a new breed of manager[s], ones that are totally equipped and well-educated,” says James Baker Jr., a 2004 NLC graduate and member of the Utility Workers Local 1–2 in New York City. “We’re learning the importance of solidarity and the best ways to defend workers. It has allowed me to equip myself to better represent labor and African Americans in the labor movement.” Baker’s senior paper examined ways to increase diversity in his union’s leadership.

Painters and Allied Trades President James Williams James Williams President, Painters and Allied Trades After completing his bachelor’s degree at the National Labor College, Painters and Allied Trades President James Williams says he developed a new edge on contract negotiations—and looks forward to sharing these techniques with the union’s members. “Preparation in negotiations is paramount to success. Our union is implementing training programs designed to give our members better negotiating tools. We’re already seeing the difference such an education can make.” Earning his degree reminded Williams of the days when he completed his apprenticeship. “This has made me feel a little more connected to all the young men and women in our apprenticeship and education programs right now.” By completing his degree, Williams says he wanted to set an example for Painters and Allied Trades members. “How can you ask your membership to do something that you’re not prepared to do? As a job runner when I was just starting out with the tools, I always took the toughest part of the job to set an example. As the saying goes, in order to lead, you must first learn to follow.” Williams says he enjoyed being a student again, but it was hard work. “I found it extremely difficult to find the time to study and prepare for my classes. I realized that I had to practice a new daily discipline in order to make that time, and I’m definitely better for it.”

NLC expands programs and facilities

Named in honor of the first AFL-CIO president, the George Meany Center for Labor Studies was founded as the AFL-CIO Labor Studies Center in 1969 to provide education and training for union leaders and rank-and-file members. To meet a growing demand, the center joined with Antioch College to bring higher education to the Silver Spring campus. In 1997, the National Labor College was formed and began offering its own bachelor’s degree program. Today, the NLC offers a bachelor of arts degree in seven major areas and more than 70 intensive, weeklong continuing education programs in organizing, union building and leadership development.

Nearly 500 working men and women have earned college degrees from the NLC. This year, the college took a major step when it received accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, a regional accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

“Accreditation is important because it demonstrates that the National Labor College is a real higher education institution,” Schurman says, “and people who put in their time and resources can feel they got as good an education as they could get anywhere else. It says to the world that we set high standards so that a union label means the highest quality, so why not feel the same way about our own school?”

The campus serves as a center for student learning well beyond the specific programs offered by the college. Unions from across the country meet on campus for educational conferences and courses, utilizing the college as a conference center. The all-union environment is designed to create a mutually-supportive environment for union members to learn from each other.

UA President William Hite William Hite President, Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Plumbers and Pipe Fitters President William Hite was among a large contingent of UA officers and members who received bachelor’s degrees from the National Labor College in 2004. The officers and members completed a rigorous curriculum, as well as senior theses, to earn these degrees. “This work was a challenge, but it was well worth it,” Hite says. “I am proud to be among the first group of UA members to earn a bachelor’s degree, and I hope that many more members will take advantage of this excellent program. It gives credibility and recognition to the work that we do, and it is exciting to have such a great opportunity before us. It also gives our members some well-deserved credentials, and it will make them more valuable to their employers. I urge all our members, both apprentices and journeypeople alike, to enroll in this program.” Several other UA officers also earned college degrees, including President Emeritus Martin Maddaloni, Vice President Jack Greenwood, Senior Administrative Assistant to the General President Sean O’Ryan, Director of Training George Bliss and Special Representative Anne St. Eloi.

To ensure its programs can expand and to better serve union programs, the college has just completed the first phase of a $40 million renovation and expansion project. In September of 2004, a new residence hall was completed, adding 50 rooms to the capacity of the residential space. All residence halls will be renovated in the course of this project, but most critically, the college is adding a 72,000-square-foot facility named after the late AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland. This facility will include classrooms, conference space, distance learning and computer classrooms, a bookstore and dining facilities.

The school also is expanding its curriculum. This year, the school will launch a new bachelor of technical/professional studies (BTPS) degree. The BTPS is designed especially to provide union members who have engaged in union apprenticeships and training programs with online access to courses needed to earn college degrees.

The BTPS program provides a reverse path to a bachelor’s degree. Students first complete their electives and specialized courses—typically as part of an applied associate’s degree at a community college or through a registered apprenticeship program—and then take the general education courses required for the bachelor’s degree. Course work is done online, complete with easy-to-follow instructions and technical and academic support. For maximum peer support, students enroll as part of a group that includes members of their unions. The internship portion of the course is designed to provide structured learning experiences that build on a union member’s knowledge.

The American University recently partnered with the NLC, admitting the first class in a new master’s degree program in organizational development.

“The National Labor College works shoulder-to-shoulder with the people who built this country,” says Utility Workers member Baker. “Now with their accreditation, it has set a powerful standard.”

The NLC also offers union members the invaluable opportunity to interact with and learn from each other, Degani says. “By talking with other members who have gone through some of the situations we are experiencing, such as privatization, and learning how they dealt with them helps us to better prepare. I tell the younger guys here that education is very important if the union movement is going to grow.”@