2026 Labor Notes Conference

2026 Labor Notes Conference

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6:45am CDT

Bird Walk Conference LobbyHaley Shaffer

8:00am CDT

Dance in Labor Movements United A Recovery/Sobriety Meeting JFK

9:00am CDT

Amazon's Robot Revolution: Lessons from the Shop Floor Grand Ballroom FRand Wilson • Paul Blundell • Melissa Lopez • Juan Mereles • Novelette Russell Fighting the Wrongs of Management's Rights John WayneDon Taylor Coordinated Bargaining LindberghMark Brenner • Sarina Roher • Matias Campos • Richelle Milford Building Democracy in Contract Campaigns HartsfieldNatalie Wellen • JoAnna McClenathan • Kathryn Cernera • Antoine Hersberger • Grady Johnson Building Your Contract Action Team Int’l Ballroom ENatalia Bacchus • Roxanna Garcia • Anisa Holmes • Max Vast • Noriko Nakada Accessing our Power: Faculty and Staff Organizing on Campus HILTON - LindberghLola Loustaunau • Robert Cassanello • Meryl DePasquale • Joanna Gonsalves • Marianne Stupfel-Wallace • Nellie Taylor Challenging Production Standards and Understaffing ParisMichael Childers Modelos efectivos: Comités de salud y seguridad Sky HarborJessie Cruz Pineda • Germania Hernández Forcing Corporations to Drop ICE Grand Ballroom CEric Blanc • Tristan Call • Sheigh Freeberg Conozca sus derechos como trabajadores inmigrantes MidwayJorge Mujica Utilizando las agencias laborales para fortalecer el poder de los trabajadores GatwickHilaria Pascual and Bliss Requa-Trautz Organizing Across Language Divides Rosemont AMaria Alfaro • Angie Campa • Viviana Costales, • Michelle Perez Chinese Workers in China and the World TegelRick Hu • Marlene Tang • Autumn Chan French Unions in Struggle JFKDamien Scali • Xavier Chiarelli • Blandine Chauvel • Pierre Fabre Teachers Fight Back Around the Globe FlorenceArlene Inouye • Eleanor Davies • Eduardo Lozano • Jay Procktor Book Launch! Keep Going: A Guide to Organizing When It's Hard Rosemont CDAlexandra Bradbury • Ellen David Friedman • Scott Houldieson • Carlos Perez • Antonio Rosario • Kate Ziegler Sustaining Ourselves as Organizers Int’l Ballroom CJoe Fahey • Lorene Scheer Collectively Fabulous Rosemont BRoona Ray • Cami Dunphy • Annabelle Heckler • Rafael Justo • Elbe Lieb • Andrea Villanueva Using Health and Safety Committees in New Organizing HeathrowJoan Moriarty • Sultana Hossain • Diedre King Overcoming Generational Divides Int’l Ballroom ADiane Stein • Dominic DeNunzio • Stephen Hinojosa • Jamie Partridge FILM: The Alabama Solution: Organizing Workers In and After Prison LAXKatherine Passley • Billy Pearson • Will Suarez • Will Tucker Labor Solidarity and Strategy on Palestine Grand Ballroom GSumaya Awad • Fern Grear • Sonya Karabel • Meghan Peterson Solidarity Wins DFWChris O'Shea • Elijah Zimmerman How Is Labor Building Political Independence from the Democratic Party? Grand Ballroom HJenny Brown • Mark Dimondstein • Les Leopold • Griffin Mahon • Derrick Osobase • Aleena Starks State and Local Policy Campaigns: Building Labor's Power CapitalDave Kamper • Gloria Guerreros • Martha Valtierra • Ida Hoequist • Ben Zucker The Fight for the VA: Veterans and Union Members Organize MirabelMark Smith • Mae apGovannon • Suzanne Gordon • David Marshall • Aimee Potter • Latisha Thompson For Elected Leaders: Leadership Development and Building the Team You Need NaritaNick Bedell How We're Turning Our Unions Around Int’l Ballroom FHarinee Suthakar • Nick Cream • Tanner Fischer • Julie Hedrick I've Been Elected, Now What? Int’l Ballroom DAlejandra Lopez • Alano De La Rosa • Laura Fuchs • Melissa Rakestraw How to Have an Effective Organizing Conversation McCarranJanet Shek How to March on the Boss Grand Ballroom BRyan Olds • Paul Sheprow Thinking Like an Organizer Grand Ballroom AJoe DeManuelle-Hall ¡Nos protegemos! LondonDavid Galarza • William Jimenez • Jonass Mendoza • Ericka • Maria • Martin Unzueta Defending Your Co-Workers in Disciplinary Meetings O’Hare BallroomBryan Nelson • Jeff Sisson Getting Off the Grievance Treadmill DaVinciCarl Biers • Ben Reynolds • Dayshawn Simmons • Vanessa Weldon How to Build Power: From Acting Tactically to Thinking Strategically United BEricka Wills Upping Our Strategy to Build Working-Class Power BarajasStephanie Luce • Margarita Hernandez • Inez O’Donnell • Katie Romich Find Your Workplace Leverage—and Use It SeatacSarah Mason • Yuchen Jin • Rendi Rogers • Ira Pollock Get Strike-Ready ViennaJaiveer Grewal • Kristen Perez • Dakota Massman • Ilan Desai-Geller • Martha Williams

11:05am CDT

AFSCME Meeting Grand Ballroom C Airline Workers Meeting Heathrow Amazon Workers Meeting Grand Ballroom A Canadian Workers Meeting Malpensa Co-ops meeting John Wayne Federal Workers Meeting O'Hare Ballroom Grad Labor Meeting HILTON - Lindbergh Health Care Workers Meeting Rosemont A Higher Education Workers Meeting HILTON - Grand Ballroom IATSE Meeting Seatac ILWU/IBU Meeting Paris Labor Educators Lambert Labor Lawyers Meeting McCarran Manufacturing Workers Meeting Int’l Ballroom A Media Workers Meeting Int’l Ballroom F Nonprofit Workers Meeting Grand Ballroom G Palestine Solidarity Meeting Grand Ballroom H Postal Meeting Florence Pre-K-12 Educators Meeting Rosemont CD SEIU Meeting Int’l Ballroom E Tech Workers Meeting Midway Telecom Meeting Lindbergh Tenant Unions Int’l Ballroom B Transit Meeting London UFCW/RWDSU Meeting Grand Ballroom B Union Staff Meeting Vienna Workers Centers Meeting LAX Art: A Hammer to Shape the World Rosemont BKen Grossinger • Tabitha Arnold • Elise Bryant • Josh MacPhee • Edwin Morales Laboy Building Trades Meeting Grand Ballroom F Fight the Boss, Fix the Climate NaritaSydney Brahmavar • Ryan Dineen • Miranda Escalante • Mo Gardner • Jamiu Sokoya A Collective Response to Divisions in the Workplace and Beyond Int’l Ballroom CJoe Fahey Labor-Community Alliances HartsfieldCamilo Viveiros • Tyler Fellini • Diego Franco • Mary Manor • Aurélie-Anne Thos Unions Defending Democracy Playbook DFWJessica Tang • Carl Rosen • Arianna Schindle Secrets of a Successful Organizer: Growing Your Leadership Team United BNoah Streng • Catherine Tucker Secrets of a Successful Organizer: Turning an Issue into a Campaign DaVinciNoelle Mapes • Evan Rothman

12:35pm CDT

Entertainment Workers Meetup Midway Essential Workers for Democracy (EW4D) Meeting Heathrow MAY DAY STRONG Rosemont A Union Democracy Law Meetup McCarran

2:15pm CDT

Creative Tactics and Strategic Mischief Grand Ballroom AEric Johns • Ricardo Levins Morales • Bahaar Tadjbakhsh The Soul in the Machine: Resisting A.I. Pressure on the Character and Quality of Our Jobs Rosemont CDSean Fern • Vanessa Coe • John Hasegawa • Aíne Lynn McEvoy • Kinsley Searles Bargaining Fundamentals for a Strong Contract DFWDawn Tefft Data Centers and Union Power HartsfieldCristina Duncan Evans • Chris Anders • Avalon Hoek Spaans Climate Change Is a Workplace Safety Fight John WayneTenaya Lafore What the Boss Doesn't Want Us to Know: Building Rank-and-File Corporate Research Teams LAXTom Juravich • Olivia Geho Strategies to Get a Solid First Contract HeathrowSandy Pope and Baschki Robertson Public Sector Fightback LambertBill Bradley • Sarah Dowd • Ashley Fueston • Jenn Powell Black Workers and the Public Sector LindberghAngela Bonilla • Margaret Cook • Jonathan Smith • Latisha Thompson Fighting Against Abusive Guestworker Programs Int’l Ballroom EMark Medina • Gabriel Allahdua • Edgar Franks • Jessica Maxwell How to Keep Going: A Workshop on Organizing When It's Hard Grand Ballroom BEllen David Friedman Burnout: What We Can Do About It Together Int’l Ballroom FSarah Slichter • Michael Aguilar • Eileen Chen • Meghan Day Just Cause Rosemont BRobert Schwartz Queers Against Authoritarianism Int’l Ballroom DLeigh Howard • Tara Chee • Corey M. Blake Lascano • Mae apGovannon • Reilly Gardine Inoculation Grand Ballroom CClarissa Redwine • Atulya Dora-Laskey Amazon Workers of the World Grand Ballroom HNick Rudikoff • Akinniyi Akinfewa • Boris Bojilov • Oscar Jover Acin • Katarysna Kowalska • Borys Olenski • Gwendeline Legru Talking Politics with Your Co-Workers BarajasLorene Scheer • Paco Arago • Eileen Hagerman • JoAnna McClenathan • Phil Rubianes Austerity and Authoritarianism in Puerto Rico: Working-Class Resistance and the Fight Ahead FlorenceJuan González • Maria del Mar Rosa Rodríguez • Vanesa Contreras Capó • Miguel Rivera Pensions: An Organizing Tool Sky HarborJay O’Neal • Dan Cohn • Vicki Kurzydlo • Dan Nicolai • Mullissa Willette Doing Politics Differently ViennaA.J. Zydzik • Cynthia Davis • Beyoung Yu Power in the NYC Mayor’s Office: What Can Labor Win? Grand Ballroom GAlex Han • Nina Bruckenthal • Jane Fox • Jen Gaboury • Jerome Sloss • Honda Wang How (and When) to Start a Reform Caucus United ANora Meek • Scott Durbin Case Study: Reflections from the UCORE Network of Teachers Union Reformers LondonJane Slaughter • Luke Amphlett • Kelsey Gray • Jia Lee • Jackson Potter • Alison Underdahl Caucuses and Contract Campaigns MirabelMarc Kagan • Grady Johnson • Brandon Benson • Amy Reynolds • Andrea Reynolds How to Lose Your Next Local Election JFKDan Campbell • Stefan Ostrach For Elected Leaders: Staying Steady Despite the Noise SeatacSarah Hughes • Diamonté Brown • Kate Ziegler Secrets of a Successful Organizer: Beating Apathy Rosemont AMeg Jones • Anna Dvorak Secrets of a Successful Organizer: Turning an Issue into a Campaign O'Hare BallroomKyle Loewen • Ilona Nanay Building a Member-to-Member Network Int’l Ballroom CJorge Maldonado • Marsha Niemeijer • Michele Foley • Roxanna Garcia • Lila Goldstein • Saber Uddin Engaging New Members Int’l Ballroom ANathan Ferrell • Alli Sayre How to Have a Good Meeting ParisLeslie Fine • Sarah Koshar You Can't Do It All Yourself: Learn It, Do It, Teach It MidwayCatherine Roberts • Nish Suvarnakar ¡Basta ya! Nos fuimos a huelga Int’l Ballroom BNoelanie Fuentes Cardona • Catalina • Maria Ruvalcaba • Edith Silva • Javier Lorente Díez Dealing with Difficult Supervisors NaritaHaley Shaffer • Jukie Tsai Investigating Grievances United BJoe Sexauer Maintaining Unity in a Right-to-Work Shop TegelAlejandra Lopez Industrial Policy: Union Visions for Our Jobs CapitalDustin Guastella • Kassie Beyer • Patrick Crowley • Brenda Rodriguez • Morten Thaysen Melting ICE: Lessons from the Twin Cities Grand Ballroom FHamilton Nolan • Mara Solis • Gabby Benavente Hobart • Fabien Ghilgagabre • Kieran F. Knutson • Greg Nammacher

4:30pm CDT

Communications Workers of America (CWA) Meeting Int’l Ballroom F Forging Ahead in Difficult Times Grand Ballroom HMario Vasquez • Daniel Indias Valentin • Kain Kaszuk • Jay Procktor • Valerie Stropoli Meet the Authors Grand Ballroom CSteve Early • Aleida Garcia Aguirre • Eric Blanc • Jaz Brisack • Ellen David Friedman • Olivia Geho • Debbie Goldman • Suzanne Gordon • Fred Glass • Dave Kamper • Mike Konopacki • Ricardo Levins Morales • Nelson Lichtenstein • Rob McKenzie • Fred Naiden • Robert Ovetz • Sal Rosselli • Jeff Schuhrke • Kim Scipes • Jerome Scott • Gay Semel • Wendy Thompson • Joe Uehlein • Kevin Van Meter • and Kevin Young Listening Session: Strike While the Needle Is Hot United AJosh MacPhee • Kira Yeversky A.I. at Work: From Digital Workplace Tech to Contract Language LAXRichard de Vries • Lisa Kresge Opening Up Bargaining Rosemont CDMaya Suzuki Daniels • Caressa Aamodt • Justin Brown • Alano De La Rosa Blue Collar Women Meetup Int’l Ballroom ALaura Gabby • Celina Barron Climate Jobs Organizing Strategies Int’l Ballroom ERohan Palacios • Patrick Crowley • Eileen Hagerman • Ben Harper • Lerry Thomas AFSCME Convention Delegates Meeting McCarran Defending and Expanding Public Sector Collective Bargaining Rights ViennaJayanni Webster • Eyklipse Baca • Dane MacNeil • Ivy Smith • Harry Szabo Strengthen Your Local with a Fighting Health and Safety Program HeathrowTenaya Lafore • Sarah Bodansky • Donna Dorman Effective Worker-Led Health-and-Safety Committees United BJessie Cruz Pineda • Daisy Cossio • Bryan Gaytan • Rosalia Tenorio Bringing Immigrant Workers into Union Life LindberghSarah Lazare • Paco Arago • Scott Durbin • Rafael Espinosa Starting a “Labor Notes” in Your Country Tegel The Emergency for Emergency Response Workers LambertEmma Tai • Ricardo Marzo Rodriguez • Rubén García Arevalo • Declan Crowe • Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez Burnout: What We Can Do About It Together HartsfieldJoel Solow • Maggie Goll • Antonio Rosario • Carol Tanzi Moving from Research to Campaign Sky HarborKate Bronfenbrenner • Adam Obernauer Organizing Despite the Churn Int’l Ballroom CMadeline Wesley • Michael Lebron • Clay Hurand • Chantel Staley Organizing Across Amazon Subcontractors MidwayBrendan Radtke • Chris Trimboli • William Overholtzer Anticipating the Boss's Playbook: Strategies to Win Your Amazon Union Election LondonItalo Medelius-Marsano • Nate Faithful Don't Wait for Recognition: Pre-Majority Unionism FlorenceEric Dirnbach • Drew Curtis • Lu Liu • Carlos Perez • Mark Medina Latino Workers Meetup O'Hare BallroomJorge Mujica • Ligia Gualpa It Can Happen Here: Unions vs. Authoritarian Attacks Rosemont BSofya Aptekar • Cat Farman • Jill LeBrun • Noelle Mapes • Jonathan Smith Running for Union Office NaritaScott Jenkins Case Study: Minnesota Bargaining and Organizing Coalition DFWStephanie Luce • Greg Nammacher • Taylor Shevey • Catina Taylor • Jay Wahi How to Break Your No-Strike Clause (And Live To Tell About It) Int’l Ballroom BMark Meinster • Margot Nikitas

5:00pm CDT

Reformers in Elected Office Reception Rosemont A

6:30pm CDT

Recovery/Sobriety Meeting JFK

8:00pm CDT

DSA Labor Reception Rosemont B

8:30pm CDT

Building Relations with Cuban Labor Reception McCarran

9:00pm CDT

EWOC Reception Rosemont A Great Labor Arts Exchange Concert United AB

9:30pm CDT

Dance Party Conference Center Foyer