Labor Café Archive 2023–24

Topic – Hot Labor Summer: Writers, Actors, Baristas, Video Game Designers, Hotel Housekeepers, Delivery Drivers, and Autoworkers on Strike

Friday, September 8, 2023, Geddes Hall, McNeill Library, 5-6 pm

Facilitator: Dan Graff, Director of the Higgins Labor Program at the Center for Social Concerns

Some resources to get the conversation started:


Topic – Hollywood on Strike: Actors, Writers, Tech, and the Future of Entertainment

Wednesday, October 11, 2023, Geddes Hall, Coffee House, 3:30-4:30 pm

Jointly sponsored by the Center for Social Concerns and the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre with support from a Teaching Beyond the Classroom Grant from the College of Arts & Letters.

Alumni panelists:

  • Liz Hynes ’17, writer for “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” and council member of the Writers Guild of America, East
  • Eric Ways ’18, actor and member of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists

Faculty panelists:

  • Dan Graff, director of the Higgins Labor Program at the Center for Social Concerns and professor of the practice in the Department of History
  • Megan Levis, assistant professor of the practice at the Center for Social Concerns and the College of Engineering
  • Pam Wojcik (moderator), department chair and Andrew V. Tackes Professor of Film, Television, and Theatre

Topic – How Much is Too Much? Profits, Paychecks, and Power in Today’s Uncertain Economy

Friday, November 10, 2023, Geddes Hall, Coffee House, 5-6 pm

Facilitator: Trista Brantley (HIST & POLS ’25)

Some resources to get the conversation started:


Topic – Grab Bag of Hot Topics

Friday, December 1, 2023, Geddes Hall, Coffee House, 5-6 pm

Facilitator: Dan Graff, Director of the Higgins Labor Program at the Center for Social Concerns

Some resources to get the conversation started are below. Should workers have …


Topic – AI, Technology, and Tomorrow’s Jobs

Friday, January 26, 2024, Geddes Hall, Coffee House, 5-6 pm

Facilitator: Jensen Enterman (ECON & Global Affairs ’24)

Some resources to get the conversation started:

Medium Outlook:

Positive Outlook:

Negative Outlook:


Topic – Supply Chain Stakeholders: Who’s Responsible for Upholding the Dignity of Labor?

Friday, February 23, 2024, Geddes Hall, Coffee House, 5-6 pm

Facilitator: Patrick Murray (Program of Liberal Studies & ECON ’26)


Topic – Art and Labor: Engaging Questions of Work, Representation, and Identity at the Raclin Murphy

Friday, March 22, 2024, Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, 4-5 pm

Facilitator: Bridget Hoyt, curator of education academic programs at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art


Topic – Confronting the Racial Wealth Gap in the USA

Friday, April 19, 2024, Geddes Hall, McNeill Library, 5-6 pm

The Labor Café hosted a special session on April 19 in collaboration with the Notre Dame Initiative on Race and Resilience. The conversation featured guest Maliq Matthew, Ph.D., a sociologist and a financial services professional.