Topic: Labor Markets & Labor Movements: Making Sense of American Workers and Workplaces in 2022

Friday, August 26, 2022, Geddes Coffee House, 5-6pm

Facilitators: Dan Graff, Director of the Higgins Labor Program at the Institute for Social Concerns, and Aidan Creeron (HIST & ECON ‘23)

Some resources to get the Conversation Started:

• Ian Prasad Philbrick, “Why Union Drives Are Succeeding: College-educated workers are driving a spike in union organizing.,” New York Times, Jul. 17, 2022
• Katica Roy, “The recession is already here—if you’re a woman,” Fortune, Aug. 4, 2022
• Eleanor Mueller, “‘Starting to turn’: Cooling labor market shifts power back to bosses,” Politico, Aug. 20, 2022
• Sara Nelson, “Workers in the Sky: A chat with Association of Flight Attendants president Sara Nelson.,” Jacobin, Jun. 6, 2022
• Katrina vanden Heuvel, “California could transform how fast food workers are treated,” Washington Post, Aug. 16, 2022
• Aidan Creeron (and others), “Can a Hot but Smaller Labor Market Keep Making Gains in Participation?,” The Hamilton Project of the Brookings Institution, Aug. 4, 2022

“The Teacher Shortage”: The Labor Question in American K-12 Classrooms Today

Friday, September 30, 2022, Geddes Hall McNeill Library (1st floor, center of building), 5-6pm

Facilitators: Lucia Carbajal (HIST ‘23) & Brendan McFeely (POLS ‘23)

Some resources to get the conversation started:

• “Teacher shortage stressing system in Indiana” by Sue Loughlin, [Terre Haute] Tribune-Star, Aug. 19, 2022
• “There Is No National Teacher Shortage” by Derek Thompson, The Atlantic, Aug. 24, 2022
• “How Bad Is the Teacher Shortage? Depends Where You Live” by Jacey Fortin and Eliza Fawcett, New York Times, Aug. 29, 2022, updated Sep. 2, 2022
• “Wanted: Teachers. No training necessary” by Moriah Balingit, Washington Post, Sep. 13, 2022
• “Exclusive: Biden administration partnering with job search companies to help fill teacher shortages.” by Alia Wong and Joey Garrison, USA Today, Aug. 31, 2022, updated Sep. 7, 2022
• “Are teachers leaving the classroom en masse? The chaotic debate over this year’s teacher shortages, explained.” by Fabiola Cineas, Vox, Aug. 18, 2022
• “Merit Pay Is the Solution to Teacher Shortages” editorial, Bloomberg, Aug. 23, 2022
• “Union Power Is the Best Solution to the Teacher Shortage” by Jacob Goodwin, The Progressive, Sep. 5, 2022

The Labor Café Open Mic! Bring your Questions & Concerns

Friday, October 28, 2022, Geddes Hall Coffee House, 5-6pm

Facilitator: Dan Graff, Director, HIggins Labor Program

Mass Incarceration & The Labor Question: Re-entering the labor force following incarceration

Friday, December 2, 2022, 5 pm – 6 pm, Geddes Hall Coffee House

Facilitator: Fernando Garcia, current M.Div. student at Notre Dame
 
Resources to get the conversation started:

• “New data on formerly incarcerated people’s employment reveal labor market injustices(link is external),” by Leah Wang and Wanda Bertram, Prison Policy Initiative, Feb. 8, 2022.
• “Powering Second Chance Employment(link is external),” , Dave’s Killer Bread Foundation, 2016.

The Tipping Question: When, how, and why should someone tip/be tipped?

Friday, January 27, 2023

Facilitators: Students from the Just Wage Research Lab (Claire Bosch, Elizabeth Bradley, Aidan Creeron, Corrine Hays)

Resources to get the conversation started:

“Tipping Is Weird Now: Technology and the pandemic have transformed the meaning of gratuity,(link is external)” by Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, Jan. 6, 2023
Justin Schweitzer, “Ending the Tipped Minimum Wage Will Reduce Poverty and Inequality(link is external),” Center for American Progress, Mar. 30, 2021
“One Fair Wage: Women Fare Better in States with Equal Treatment for Tipped Workers,(link is external)” National Women’s Law Project, Feb. 2021
“Guilt Tipping and the Inflated Default Tip(link is external),” by Michael L. Lahr, Rutgers New Jersey State Policy Lab, n.d.
“Tipping Is a Legacy of Slavery(link is external),” by “Michelle Alexander, New York Times, Feb. 5, 2021
Marick Masters, “Worker strikes and union elections surged in 2022 – could it mark a turning point for organized labor?(link is external),” The Conversation, Jan. 5, 2023

Supply Chains, Human Trafficking, and Workers’ Rights: A Conversation on Global Labor Questions”
Fri Mar 31, 2023, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Featuring special guest human rights attorney Monalisa.

The Guest Worker Question: The Policy and Politics of Guest Workers Abroad
Fri Feb 24, 2023, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

The policy and politics of US programs allowing employers to employ workers from abroad on a temporary basis.

Labor Spring: Workers Organizing Everywhere All at Once”
Fri Apr 28, 2023, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

From video games to medicine, from coffee to education, workers across the U.S. economy are organizing for higher pay, better conditions, and a voice at work. Meanwhile the Federal Reserve aims to tackle inflation by clamping down on wage increases. What’s in store for the American economy and its workforce?