Links

Links to other Websites

General Interest

As the federation of America’s unions, the AFL-CIO includes more than 13 million of America’s workers in 60 member unions working in virtually every part of the economy. The AFL-CIO’s website provides a portal to current news and issues, political action, worker rights campaigns, links to its affiliated labor unions and much, much more.

Working America, a community affiliate of the AFL-CIO, brings nonunion workers together with 13 million union men and women to fight for good jobs, affordable health care, world-class education, secure retirements and more. Visit Working America’s Jobtracker to find out which employers are shipping jobs overseas through an online interactive database:

As the statewide coordinating council for all AFL-CIO unions in the state, the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO speaks for working people on matters of public concern, provides services to local unions, and coordinates political and legislative action with its 1000 affiliated unions which represent 250,000 members in the state. This site has a great collection of links under references and resources.

The School for Workers is the labor education department of the University of Wisconsin-Extension. The School for Workers runs approximately 150 programs each year for union representatives, officers, members and employer representatives.

The Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice of South Central Wisconsin (ICWJ), established in Madison in 1999, is a coalition of individuals, religious congregations, interfaith bodies, labor unions, and community organizations concerned about economic and worker justice. It’s mission is to educate and mobilize the religious and labor communities on worker rights issues, to actively build relationships between faith and labor groups, and to support the rights of workers to organize and engage in collective bargaining.

Rainbow Bookstore Cooperative is a cooperatively owned and managed bookstore located off State St. at 426 West Gilman St in downtown Madison. Along with an excellent selection of books on labor history, worker issues, and how-to guides for union activists, Rainbow also has a great selection of t-shirts and bumper stickers.

The Building and Construction Trades Council of South Central Wisconsin’s website provides useful information for such pursuits as finding a union contractor or exploring a career or apprenticeship in the union construction trades.

Worknet Wisconsin has a wealth of information about the Wisconsin labor market, wages, occupations, job openings and economic development.

The National Labor College is the only accredited college in the world exclusively dedicated to educating union members, leaders, activists and staff. Recently, the College’s Board of Trustees passed a resolution making tuition for the Bachelors in Technical/Professional Studies affordable for not only for union members, but for their immediate families, and members of Working America.

The Union Shop Online is the AFL-CIO’s retail store for union activists. Check out the wide selection of books, videos, clothing and other union made products.

Organizing & Collective Bargaining

American Rights at Work is a center dedicated to educating the public about employer interference with workers’ freedom to form a union. This website provides a clearinghouse for information on the right to organize and bargain collectively with accessible research, policy solutions, and legal strategies.

Workplace Fairness, affiliated with the National Employment Lawyers Association, provides the latest developments in workplace rights and employment law. Visit “Today’s Workplace”, a blog (weblog) focusing on legal and political information relevant to employee rights and fairness issues in the workplace.

The Labor Project for Working Families provides education and advocacy on public policy issues that impact workers and their families. This website contains sample contract language and other materials on innovative programs to help workers balance jobs and personal responsibilities. Check out fact sheets, issue papers and contract language on topics like flexible scheduling, family/medical leave, childcare and flexible benefits.

Resources for Union Organizing offers a clear and concise overview of the advantages of union membership and workers’ rights under the law.

New and Views

AFL-CIO Now Blog News provides daily news and commentary from the AFL-CIO. Sign up here for action alerts and e-news.

LaborNet one of the first labor news services that also provides numerous links to other resources.

LabourStart is perhaps the most comprehensive news aggregation service for labor issues in the U.S. and worldwide.

WIN, or the Workers Independent News service, is a news organization that covers issues affecting workers, working families and working communities. Every day WIN collects, produces and distributes news to radio stations for broadcast.

Jonathan Tasini’s Working Life blog is another to catch up with current labor events, issues and commentary on work, labor and the economy.

Labor History Arts & Culture

The Labor Heritage Foundation works to strengthen the labor movement through the use of music and the arts. Check out the music and video catalog and download chants and song parodies for free.

When visiting the Labor Arts Online Museum of labor culture, don’t forget to check out “resources” to find a gateway to the wider world of labor arts.

Preview and purchase art from labor cartoonists Mike Konopacki and Gary Huck. Huck/Konopacki are also available for commissioned work and have done TV and web animation, websites, billboards and comic books for organizing and corporate campaigns.

The Wisconsin Labor History Society is dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of the state’s labor movement. Activities include promoting various public events, encouraging the teaching of labor history in the schools, its annual conference and an annual labor history essay contest.

Tools for Activists

BigLabor.com provides info and ammo for unionists. This new website is a project of Union Communication Services, known for its Steward Update and communication tool kits to which thousands of union locals subscribe. Visit Union Communication Services for a variety of other educational labor publications and services it has been offering since 1980.

TheWorkSite.org (registration required) provides access to two online communities. “Tools You Can Use” provides tips, samples, templates, and other useful tools for activists who want to share practical experience and not have to reinvent the wheel. “Resources & Strategy” provides articles, links, discussion groups and other resources.

United for a Fair Economy has lots of information and analysis about the growing wealth and income gap. UFE’s website has lots of economic information is usable, accessible formats and provides interesting ideas for workshops and actions.

Public Policy

Progressive States Network provides research and strategic advocacy tools to advance state legislative campaigns to reward work, help families, strengthen communities, grow the economy and increase democrary.

The National Employment Law Project (NELP) promotes a policy agenda that includes: restoring the minimum wage floor; improving enforcement of workplace protections for immigrant and low-wage workers; promoting living wage jobs through accountable development; strengthening the safety net for unemployed and displaced workers; and reducing barriers to opportunity. Based in New York and recently merged with NYU’s Brennan Center Economic Justice Project, NELP use a unique approach: policy innovation backed up legal analysis and economic research, done in close partnership with grassroots groups and government reformers.

The Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) is a “think-and-do tank” dedicated to improving economic performance and living standards. Based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, COWS provides: research on job quality and income, budget and tax issues, economic development, and workforce development; field projects that demonstrate how employers, unions, community-based organizations, and the public sector can work together to create strong local and regional economies and high-quality jobs; and outreach to keep the public informed and to weigh in on important public policy debates.

The Institute for Wisconsin’s Future is a broad coalition of concerned citizens including labor organizations, academics, religious leaders and advocacy groups. IWF’s mission is to inform Wisconsin residents about important issues, encourage involvement in public policy debates and provide a progressive voice in decisions that impact working families.

Citizen Action of Wisconsin is the state’s premier public interest organization, dedicated to social, economic and environmental justice for all. Citizen Action unites the political clout of its 74,000 individual members and 207 affiliate organizations into a significant grassroots force for social change around key issues and elections in Wisconsin. Areas of focus are health care, education, tax fairness and workers’ rights.

Campaign for America’s Future is challenging the big money corporate agenda by encouraging Americans to speak up – to discuss and debate a new vision of an economy and a future that works for all of us. Falling wages and rising insecurity must be at the center of the national debate. America’s Future works to revitalize a progressive agenda and engage in a renewed debate about issues like health care, education, energy independence and jobs and the economy.