Online Labor Education: Challenges and Possibilities

Jason Russell

Center for Distance Learning & Center for Graduate Programs

Labor and Worker Education in North America

Most unionized workers in the United States and Canada are affiliated with major labor federations.

Most unionized workers in the United States are affiliated with either the AFL-CIO or the Change-to-Win Coalition.

The major federations represent both public and private sector workers.

Labor and Worker Education in North America

The AFL-CIO has 11 million members, while Change-to-Win has 4.8 million members.

The New York State AFL-CIO represents 2.5 million members

There is thus a large population of potential labor studies students in New York and across the United States.

Labor Education

Many unions operate their own training programs, and obviously prefer that their members take those programs.

The labor movement is increasingly a public sector labor movement.

The AFL-CIO operates the George Meany Center for Labor Studies, which is also often called the National Labor College.

Labor Education

The Meany Center offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees – principally through residencies, although they are moving online.

There are other institutions in the United States that offer labor education.

Colleges and Universities offering Labor Studies/Education Degrees

California – City College of San Francisco California – Laney College California – San Francisco State University California – UCLA Connecticut – University of Connecticut Florida – Florida International University Illinois – DePaul University Indiana – University of Indiana

Colleges and Universities offering Labor Studies/Education Degrees

Indiana - University of Indiana- South Bend Iowa - Iowa State University Maryland - Dundalk Community College Maryland - George Meany Center National Labor

College Massachusetts – Harvard University. Trade Union

Program Massachusetts – Harvard University. Trade Union

Program

Colleges and Universities offering Labor Studies/Education Degrees

Massachusetts – University of Massachusetts –

Boston Massachusetts – University of Massachusetts –

Dartmouth

Michigan – Wayne State University Missouri – University of Missouri– Kansas City New Jersey – Rutgers University New York – CUNY, Center for Worker Education

Colleges and Universities offering Labor Studies/Education Degrees

New York – Cornell University Labor Studies Certificate

New York – Hofstra University New York – Queens College New York - SUNY Old Westbury New York – SUNY Potsdam

Ohio – Youngstown State University

Colleges and Universities offering Labor Studies/Education Degrees

Oregon – University of Oregon Pennsylvania – Clarion University Pennsylvania – Indiana University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania – Penn State University Rhode Island Institute for Labor Studies & Research

West Virginia University

Challenges

There are a lot of other institutions in the North-East that offer some form of labor studies or industrial relations training.

The North-East and California are where organized labor is strongest. Programs need to have an international, national, and regional focus.

Challenges

Unions like the final say on training programs or courses, even when offering them in conjunction with a college or university.

Since there can be a lot of stakeholders involved, program development can take a considerable period of time.

Empire State College

Where does Empire State College fit into this picture?

ESC offers labor studies programs through the Center for Distance Learning (CDL), Center for Graduate Programs (CGP), and the Harry J. Van Arsdale Jr. Center for Labor Studies

Possibilities

Empire State College, because of its strong online learning capability, has the potential to offer labor studies programs in a way that other institutions cannot.

ESC also has the ability to cover both labor studies topics, and industrial relations topics.

Many other programs around the country are underfunded, but ESC’s are not.

Possibilities

ESC already attracts a lot of students who work in the public sector, and has the potential to attract more of them.

ESC’s Community of Inquiry Model fits well with worker-centered learning practices that have been in use for many years.

The first worker-centered learning began when Albert Mansbridge founded the Workers’ Education Association (WEA) in Britain in 1903.

Possibilities

The large number of potential students suggests that there is room for program growth.

Labor Studies programs attract both unionized and non-unionized workers.

Conclusion

The possibilities are more numerous than the challenges when contemplating labor education online.

There is growing interest across the world in labor and employment issues, and online learning can be effectively used to help learners understand those issues.