2026 Labor Notes Conference: Full Schedule

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8:00am CDT

Recovery/Sobriety Meeting

Sunday June 14, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am CDT

JFK

Sunday June 14, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am CDT
JFK

9:00am CDT

Using Comics in Your Organizing

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

United B

Is your union newsletter or flyer a wall of words? Drawing cartoons is a great way to make ideas clearer and materials more appealing. Hear how workplace activists are putting their artistic talents to use—and try your hand at making your own union comics!

Moderators

Ness Garza

Amazon CAUSE

Annabelle Heckler

artist

Dan Mendez Moore

SEIU Local 26

Aaron Novik

Amazon Labor Union, Teamsters Local 1

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
United B

Arts and Culture

9:00am CDT

Write a Story for Labor Notes!

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

United A

Ever wanted to write for Labor Notes magazine or website? When you discover a good tactic, uncover a problem, or win a righteous fight, we want to help you share the news. If it’s the first time you’ve written a published article, no problem! Come learn do’s and don’ts, what editors look for in a story, and how to get started.

Moderators

Jane Slaughter

Labor Notes

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
United A

Arts and Culture Media

9:00am CDT

FILM: We Build Power: Organizing Coalitions to Fight For Public Education

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Rosemont B

Tune in for a screening of "We Build Power," a short film about how United Teachers Los Angeles has been building coalitions with students, parents, the community and other unions for the past decade to increase their collective leverage. After the film, there will be a panel discussion with educators building power in their communities to fight for better public education from California to Canada.

Moderators

Arlene Inouye

United Teachers Los Angeles

Speakers

Sam Cleare

United Teachers of Richmond

Jay Procktor

Alberta Teachers Association, Canada

Denisha Jordan

United Teachers of Los Angeles

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Rosemont B

Arts and Culture Educators

9:00am CDT

Drafting Contract Language: 20 Worst Mistakes to Avoid

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

LAX

You could have a great contract campaign and powerful strike... and lose all that leverage because your contract language was poorly drafted before you even got to the bargaining table. We'll identify the words that create ambiguity and expensive arbitrations, and management's favorite wiggle words and hedge words, which all seem perfectly reasonable. Reasonable is a hedge word. Zipper clauses waive bargaining rights; no-strike clauses waive member rights; your arbitration language could waive member rights.

Moderators

Richard de Vries

retired Teamster

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
LAX

Bargaining

9:00am CDT

Getting Members Ready to Lead at the Bargaining Table

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Grand Ballroom B

You want your co-workers to be running the show at bargaining, but how do you get them prepared to do that if they've never done it before?

Moderators

Timothy Kurtz

New York Times Tech Guild

Danielle Newsome

NewsGuild-CWA

Evan Yeats

Washington-Baltimore NewsGuild

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Grand Ballroom B

Bargaining

9:00am CDT

How to Investigate a Safety and Health Incident

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Paris

Which sources of information can you trust? How can you involve members? Workers often are, or feel, excluded from investigating incidents, but they shouldn’t be. Avoid traps: “blame the worker" is often used to avoid finding out what actually happened, but that’s the key to preventing future dangers.

Moderators

Diane Stein

United Steelworkers Tony Mazzocchi Center, retired

Denis Stephano

Steelworkers Local 4-234, retired

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Paris

Health and Safety Stewards

9:00am CDT

Hospital Workers Building Solidarity

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Vienna

When workers are divided, our bosses reap the benefit. Hear from hospital workers who have helped their co-workers build relationships and stronger unions by standing up to union-busting, racism, and anti-immigrant attacks.

Moderators

Heather Bauman

AFT Vermont Healthcare

Speakers

Dennis Kosuth

National Nurses Union and Chicago Teachers

Blandine Chauvel

SUD Hôpital Pitié

Belinda Huerta

Teamsters Local 90

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Vienna

Health Care Workers Overcoming Divisions

9:00am CDT

Know Your Rights for Immigrant Workers

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Narita

Despite the Trump administration's best efforts to scare immigrant workers into the shadows, you still have rights, whether you're a citizen or not. Learn well-kept secrets about the rights that nonunion and immigrant workers have under federal labor law, and strategies to defend yourself from no-match letters, E-Verify, and I-9 audits.

Moderators

Jorge Mujica

Arise Chicago

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Narita

Immigrant Workers Labor Law

9:00am CDT

Heartbreak for Union Staffers

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Grand Ballroom C

Have you had your heart broken by the leadership of the union you work for? Frustrations can be plentiful in organizations that are supposed to be all about justice and democracy. Join other union staff to talk frankly about what you can do when a few people at the top—either officers or executive staff—are hoarding information, decision-making, and power. Share experiences of helping rank-and-file members democratize their unions, and strengthen practices of power-from-below.

Moderators

Ellen David Friedman

Labor Notes

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Grand Ballroom C

Keep Going

9:00am CDT

Beyond Rainbow Capitalism

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Hartsfield

Corporate logos decked out in rainbows for Pride month don’t mean businesses are actually looking out for queer and trans people. How do we move beyond visibility and representation toward material gains? LGBTQ workers can bridge the gap, bringing community muscle into unions and vice versa. Hear from workers who are unionizing queer workplaces, building mutual aid networks to support queer and trans community, and sustaining queer economies.

Moderators

Keturah Johnson

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA

Speakers

Melia Delaney

Illinois Nurses

Crystal Gong

Tech & Roses

Jackson Katz

1199 SEIU

Mina Leon

Starbucks Workers United

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Hartsfield

LGBTQ+

9:00am CDT

Casing an Employer: On-the-Ground Research for New Organizing Targets

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Lambert

Smart targeting of employers for a union drive begins with research. But that doesn’t just mean sitting at a computer; gathering on-the-ground intelligence is key. Learn what types of information to look for, and tools to gather it.

Moderators

Carey Dall

ILWU Local 10

Eric Dryburgh

United Auto Workers

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Lambert

New Organizing

9:00am CDT

Southern Workers Meeting

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Heathrow

This meeting is open to all workers from the U.S. South, union and nonunion. We’ll talk about what’s working well and what we’re struggling with, and build solidarity and connections.

Moderators

Jessica Magnani

United Faculty of Florida

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Heathrow

Overcoming Divisions

9:00am CDT

A Pro-Worker Approach to Trade Policy

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Int’l Ballroom E

Free trade deals have been a disaster for working people. Without a progressive, worker-centered vision for trade policy, Trump’s chaotic and corrupt approach to tariffs and trade will be the only game in town. Join us to discuss building a trade agenda that strengthens unions, fights corporate power, and offers a fair deal to working people around the world.

Moderators

Ryan Harvey

Global Trade Watch

Speakers

Elías Iván García Ríos

Centro de Reflexión y Acción Laboral

Dustin Guastella

Teamsters Local 623, Center for Working-Class Politics

Lyron Hope

United Auto Workers Local 551

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Int’l Ballroom E

Political Education

9:00am CDT

People Over the Pentagon

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Int’l Ballroom A

A huge portion of your tax money goes to the Pentagon. This money, used to wage unnecessary wars, could be spent instead on programs that support the real needs of workers. Besides taxes, we pay for excessive militarism in other ways: lost benefits, deaths, and trauma. Yet labor has often endorsed wars. How can we get our unions to endorse cuts to military spending? How can labor and anti-war veterans work together?

Moderators

John Braxton

Veterans & Labor for SensiblenPriorities

Steve Morse

Veterans & Labor for SensiblenPriorities

Virginia Rodino

Coalition of Labor Union Women

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Int’l Ballroom A

Political Education

9:00am CDT

Fighting for Good Health Care for Working People

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Int’l Ballroom F

Our worsening national health care crisis is bankrupting workers, impeding bargaining, draining union funds, and causing misery for the entire working class. So unions have to be fighting on two fronts: to win good health insurance in our contracts, and to upend corporate control of health care. Learn how to put the boss on defense in bargaining while simultaneously building the capacity of members to fight for single-payer universal health care (Medicare for All).

Moderators

Chuck Pennacchio

One Payer States

Carl Rosen

United Electrical Workers

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Int’l Ballroom F

Politics

9:00am CDT

Veterans and Military Families Meetup

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Midway

Share experiences in our local, national and international unions, and with organizations now organizing veterans and military families against fascism and unjustifiable wars and military actions.

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Midway

Politics

9:00am CDT

Your Caucus Won. Now What?

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Lindbergh

How does the work of a union reform caucus develop, after you win campaigns against the boss or get a slate into union office? Learn from veteran organizers in three of the longest-running reform caucuses about how their caucuses reflected and evolved in the unions they helped transform.

Moderators

Barbara Madeloni

Labor Notes

Speakers

Basil Darling

Teamsters for a Democratic Union, Teamsters 804

Max Page

Educators for a Democratic Union, Massachussetts Teachers Association

Jackson Potter

Chicago Teachers Union

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Lindbergh

Reform Caucuses

9:00am CDT

Democratic Rights of Union Members: Know Your Rights

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

DFW

The Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act provides a bill of rights for union members, requires unions to publicly disclose certain details about governance, and regulates union elections and trusteeships of locals by international unions. Learn how to use the law to build rank-and-file power in your union, and how to defend that power once you’ve built it.

Moderators

Will Bloom

Labor Lawyer

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
DFW

Reform Caucuses Labor Law

9:00am CDT

Running for Union Office

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

DaVinci

Learn how to build an effective campaign team, increase your visibility, identify voters, deal with negative attacks, avoid common mistakes, and get out the votes.

Moderators

Willem Morris

Teamsters for a Democratic Union

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
DaVinci

Running for Union Office

9:00am CDT

Secrets of a Successful Organizer: Growing Your Leadership Team

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

O'Hare Ballroom

Your workplace may feel like an unorganized mess, but the truth is you’re not starting from zero. There’s organization there already—though it might have nothing to do with the union. Learn how to map out the existing networks in your workplace, identify the leaders in those networks, and then knit them together into an organizing committee. Based on the popular book Secrets of a Successful Organizer.

Moderators

Sarah Slichter

Movement of Rank-and-FilenEducators, UFT

Joel Solow

MORE Caucus, UFT

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
O'Hare Ballroom

Secrets of a Successful Organizer

9:00am CDT

Secrets of a Successful Organizer: Turning an Issue into a Campaign

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Rosemont A

Everybody has complaints and frustrations, but an organizer has the power to turn problems into opportunities. Learn how to sort through the issues you hear from co-workers, bring people together, and make a plan to solve them. Based on the popular book Secrets of a Successful Organizer.

Speakers

Noelle Mapes

Professional Staff Congress-CUNY

Evan Rothman

PSC-CUNY

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Rosemont A

Secrets of a Successful Organizer

9:00am CDT

You Can't Do It All Yourself: Learn It, Do It, Teach It

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Grand Ballroom A

Leadership isn't about taking everything on ourselves—it's about developing others to participate, by providing the resources and opportunity. Using the "Learn It, Do It, Teach It" philosophy, this workshop will cover how to get more people involved and expand the capacity of your union.

This session will open with a song by: Sigute Meilus and Sarah Starrett, DC Labor Chorus

Moderators

Stephanie Basile

NewsGuild

Julian Meltzer

NewsGuild of New York

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Grand Ballroom A

Shop Floor Power

9:00am CDT

Cómo luchar contra la desorganización del jefe

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

London

El jefe quiere mantener la ilusión de que las cosas no pueden mejorar. En este taller, aprenderas a reconocer las tacticas que usa el jefe para mantenernos desorganizados, y como combatirlas.

Moderators

Ligia Gualpa

Workers Justice Project

Speakers

Yolanda Barron Carmona

UNITE HERE Local 2

Estela and Gerania

Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en La Lucha (CTUL)

Juan Vargas

Teamsters Local 705

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
London

Spanish-Language Workshops

9:00am CDT

Mass Strikes: Past and Present

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT

Rosemont CD

Unions can advance democracy, especially in authoritarian times and places. To do so, the unions must act not just as organizations representing a narrow sector of workers but as social movements with much wider aspirations. Mass strikes, even general strikes, are now on the progressive agenda. Fom Milan to Minneapolis, and from Seoul to San Juan, hear how these strikes have been organized and made politically potent, and how they're reviving working-class institutions.

Moderators

Nelson Lichtenstein

Speakers

Mercedes Martinez

Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico

Kieran F. Knutson

Communications Workers Local 7250

Koo Jinsung

Korean Metal Workers Union

Sunday June 14, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am CDT
Rosemont CD

Strikes Political Education

10:45am CDT

Creative Tactics and Strategic Mischief

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Grand Ballroom C

Surprise, creativity, and humor can be the keys to rank-and-file engagement. Whether you’re facing a contract campaign, a privatization battle, or a dormant membership, these tools can be scaled to fit your situation. Discover the talents among your members for song, humor, creative props, and theatrics. Learn the principles of creative organizing, share examples, and develop tactics you can take home. Solidarity and laughter make a potent mix!

Moderators

Eric Johns

United Teachers of New Orleans

Bahaar Tadjbakhsh

United Auto Workers Local 4811

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Grand Ballroom C

Arts and Culture

10:45am CDT

Songwriting for the Movement

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

United A

Songs are at the heart of powerful social movements, and some of the songs that have changed the world have been written by ordinary working people. Two accomplished labor songwriters will share some songs from their wide-ranging catalogs and discuss the roles different kinds of songs can play in movement-building. But this isn’t just a performance, it’s also a hands-on workshop. You’ll learn some tools of the trade and get started writing a song!

Moderators

Joe Jencks

Musicians Local 1000

Colleen Kattau

Musicians Local 1000

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
United A

Arts and Culture

10:45am CDT

Secrets of a Successful Social Media Video

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

United B

Learn to make vertical videos that can help your campaign stand out within seconds on a social media feed—the brutal grace period before it disappears into the doomscroll archives. Learn basic video formats, nail down your script and narrative voice, and get familiar with simple editing techniques.

Moderators

Whitney Washington

North Alabama Area Labor Council

Speakers

Caitlyn Clark

Essential Workers for Democracy

Erica Markson

Nurses Uncorked Podcast

Craig Stewart

Trades Union Congress, UK

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
United B

Arts and Culture Media

10:45am CDT

Building Trades: Internal Organizing

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Narita

A strong communication network among members is essential to enforcing contracts, campaigning for new demands, and having our co-workers' backs. But how can we build these structures in an industry where our jobsites, bosses, and co-workers mostly change with each short-term job? This is an internal organizing workshop for workers in building trades and other unions with hiring halls and spread-out jobsites.

Moderators

Dave Pinkham

Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 520

Anthony Valladares

Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 520

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Narita

Building Trades Workers

10:45am CDT

Steering Green Transitions

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Grand Ballroom A

Real solutions to the climate crisis depend on workers' know-how. But CEOs hope to cash in on "greener" technology to undercut our unions and degrade our jobs. Hear from workers who started conversations and took action to set the terms for clean energy shifts at work. Then you'll have the chance to discuss what your co-workers are saying about green changes ahead, and plan workplace conversations for green transitions that grow worker power.

Moderators

Meghann Adams

SMART Local 1741

Speakers

Crystal Bernard

Oil Workers Trade Union, Trinidad & Tobago

Kandis Sebro

Oil Workers Trade Union, Trinidad & Tobago

John Parry

Unite, Wales

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Grand Ballroom A

Climate

10:45am CDT

Take a Closer Look: They’re Privatizing Your School

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Rosemont B

Privatizing public schools and public colleges is a long-term goal of the right, including market fundamentalists, neoliberals, the religious right, and white nationalists.This participatory workshop will help school and campus workers recognize both covert and overt forms of privatization that are steadily replacing bargaining unit work and eroding worker autonomy, and provide case studies of how school and campus unions have begun to organize against privatization.

Moderators

Nick Cream

Holyoke Teachers Association

Anna Derby

GEO-UAW 2322

Joanna Gonsalves

Massachusetts Teachers Association

Rich Levy

Massachusetts Teachers Association

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Rosemont B

Educators Political Education

10:45am CDT

We Keep Each Other Safe: Protecting All of Us During Street Actions

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

DaVinci

Learn how to protect ourselves and each other when we're picketing or demonstrating. Learn what protesters have been facing, what preparation is needed, and practical advice for common injuries. Use this mutual aid capacity to enhance coalition-building and organizing in your union and community.

This session will open with a song by: Robyn Robbins and Kimmon “MacGyver” Williams, DC Labor Chorus

Moderators

Janelle Nystrom

student nurse

Kenny Pailes

Communications Workers Local 6914

Diane Stein

United Steelworkers Tony Mazzocchi Center, retired

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
DaVinci

Health and Safety

10:45am CDT

Strikes and the Law

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Lambert

What do I need to know about the law and striking? What is an economic strike? What is a ULP strike? Can I be fired for striking? What does it mean to be permanently replaced? What is a secondary strike or boycott? Find out the answers to these and many other legal questions.

Moderators

Gay Semel

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Lambert

Labor Law Strikes

10:45am CDT

How to Form an Organizing Committee

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Int’l Ballroom C

Learn how to use a chart, assess co-workers, and build a team to unionize your workplace. The Organizing Committee is the backbone of any union drive, and the chart is the best way to track your progress. This workshop is for workers forming a union.

Moderators

Harinee Suthakar

New York State Nurses

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Int’l Ballroom C

New Organizing

10:45am CDT

How We Organized Our Union

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Grand Ballroom H

Survey data suggests that over 60 million people in the U.S. would join a union if they could, but pulling off a successful organizing campaign is still no easy feat. Hear from workers who have built their unions from the ground up on how they fostered relationships with co-workers and overcame the boss's scare tactics.

Moderators

Isabela Escalona

SEIU Local 284

Speakers

Tera Arnold

Teamsters Local 135

Suzi Carbone

Teamsters Local 2024

Ed Dupree

Whole Foods Workers United, UFCW Local 1776

Ella Fent

Actors' Equity Association, Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Grand Ballroom H

New Organizing

10:45am CDT

Organizing the South

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Grand Ballroom B

Rebuilding the U.S. labor movement will require serious
advances in the South, long the area where unions have been
weakest. Hear from leaders on the front lines of organizing
at Amazon warehouses, auto plants, and universities.

Moderators

Jacob Morrison

Government Employees (AFGE) 1858

Speakers

Trenton Adkins

Amazon Teamsters

Mary Hill

CAUSE

Jeremy Kimbrell

United Auto Workers Local 112

Hannah Miller

NNU/NNOC-New Orleans Nurses United

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Grand Ballroom B

New Organizing

10:45am CDT

Salts and Peppers: Get a Job, Organize a Union!

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

LAX

Inside organizing—a.k.a. organizing your own workplace—is the most critical way to rebuild the labor movement. Whether you're organizing a workplace you're already in or getting a job with the goal of organizing ("salting"), building relationships with co-workers, understanding how to overcome employer opposition, and identifying the hammer to bring down on your company are all essential skills. Veteran organizers from the Inside Organizer School will give tips on inside organizing and discuss the role of salts in recent campaigns.

Moderators

Jaz Brisack

Speakers

Jeff Armstrong

SEIU Local 2015

Stasha Lampert

SEIU Local 2015

Atulya Dora-Laskey

Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee

Adam Obernauer

Alphabet Workers Union-CWA

Clarissa Redwine

Tech Workers Coalition

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
LAX

New Organizing

10:45am CDT

Organizing Remote and Scattered Workers

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Int’l Ballroom E

How do you build power and solidarity on the job when workers are scattered and working from home? Hear how the panelists have overcome the obstacles of distance and isolation to organize their shops.

Moderators

Emma Kinema

CODE-CWA

Speakers

Rachel Kincaid

NewsGuild of New York

Tahlia Kirk

Alphabet Workers Union-CWA

Rachel Weiss

Government Employees (AFGE) 3840

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Int’l Ballroom E

New Organizing Shop Floor Power

10:45am CDT

Solidarity Wins

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

DFW

Are you tired of greedy corporations and executives taking and taking... and leaving us crumbs? This interactive workshop focuses on how billionaires and bosses try to divide working people so that we will fight each other instead of them, and how we can build a strong working-class movement to stand up to their money and power. You'll leave able to run similar political education workshops for members of your own union.

Moderators

Dennis Dunn

Communications Workers District 2-13

Joe Tarulli

Communications Workers Local 1101

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
DFW

Political Education

10:45am CDT

Union Fights on Mergers and Corporate Consolidation

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Hartsfield

Big mergers and corporate consolidation are opportunities for companies to cash in big, but often threaten workers and consumers alike. Hear how unions in the railroad, grocery, health care, and news media industries have navigated mergers.

Moderators

Jon Schleuss

NewsGuild

Speakers

Sean Embly

United Food and Commerical Workers Local 3000

Reece Murtagh

Machinists District Lodge 19

Katherine Wallace

Teamsters Local 2024

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Hartsfield

Political Education

10:45am CDT

From May 2026 to May 2028: Seasons of Class Struggle

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Rosemont CD

Nearly 1 million people in Minnesota joined a political strike January 23, demanding that ICE agents stop occupying their state. Tens of thousands turned out for May Day demonstrations across the country. And the United Auto Workers has put out a call for a May 1, 2028, national strike. The next leap is to prepare for open-ended and full workplace strikes, not one-day partial strikes, and to hit the big companies nationally rather than a handful of name-brands in one state. Hear how unions are building momentum towards contract alignments and possible large-scale strikes in 2028.

Moderators

Samantha Winslow

California Teachers Association

Speakers

Diane Castro

Chicago Teachers Union

Derrick Osobase

Communications Workers, District 6

Rose Bookbinder

Massachusetts Nurses Association

Katie Murphy

Massachusetts Nurses Association

Natalie Hrizi

United Educators of San Francisco

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Rosemont CD

Political Education Strategy

10:45am CDT

Tenants and Labor: Unions Teaming Up

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Int’l Ballroom D

In Spain, the long and militant tradition of tenant unions is now being reshaped by the influence of bottom-up teacher union practices, and converging into a movement of workers resisting exploitation by landlords. In the U.S., solidarity organizing between teacher unions and tenant unions is also emerging. Both will be explored here.

This session will feature a song by Ryan Harvey, Global Trade Watch.

Moderators

Malcolm Galpern-Levin

New York State Tenant Bloc

Speakers

Silvia Abadia

Catalonia Tenants Union, Spain

Deb Gesualdo

Massachusetts Teachers Association

Eduardo Lozano

CGT, Spain

Pablo Perez

Madrid Tenants Union, Spain

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Int’l Ballroom D

Politics International

10:45am CDT

For (Newly) Elected Leaders: Crash Course for Taking Office

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

McCarran

They've handed you the keys to the union hall—now what? Learn nuts and bolts, how to start out on the right foot, and best practices for building a strong local. This workshop is for newly elected union officers and those preparing to take office.

Moderators

Sandy Pope

Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU)

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
McCarran

Reformers in Office

10:45am CDT

The Role of Union Staff in a Member-Led Movement

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Vienna

Working for a union can seem ideal for people who want to build the movement, but any staffer can tell you that between democratic decision-making, power dynamics, and politics, it can be difficult to navigate. Hear from union staff in a variety of sectors, career paths, and perspectives on how they approach the task of building democratic unions and developing leaders, in supportive conditions or not.

Moderators

Sarah Hurd

Teamsters for a Democratic Union

Speakers

Billie Adeosun

National Union of Healthcare Workers

Bill Bradley

CWA District 1

Charlotte Kelly

Massachusetts Teachers Association

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Vienna

Reformers in Office

10:45am CDT

Women in Union Leadership

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Grand Ballroom G

How does being a woman affect the experience of being a union leader? What particular challenges do women face when they take on leadership roles? What strategies can help them resist being pulled off course? The panelists will explore these questions as they share their experiences and wisdom gained.

Moderators

Pam Galpern

Communications Workers Local 1101

Speakers

Sultana Hossain

Amazon Labor Union, Teamsters Local 1

Julie Hedrick

Association of Professional Flight Attendants

Ashaki Robinson

Government Employees (AFGE)

Sabrina Creque

Transit (ATU) Local 1338

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Grand Ballroom G

Reformers in Office Overcoming Divisions

10:45am CDT

Running for Union Office: How We Did It

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

London

More reformers running for office is a key part of transforming our unions. There's a method for success and a wealth of experience to draw on. Hear from troublemakers about how they built a team to run a strong campaign.

Moderators

Zach Taylor

Baltimore Teachers Union

Speakers

Frank Halstead

Teamsters Local 572, Ralphs

Cristina Rodriguez-Hart

AFSCME Local 3005

Kaleigh Roehl

Oregon Nurses

Duncan Zevetski

Oregon Nurses

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
London

Running for Union Office

10:45am CDT

Mieux S'Organiser Pour Gagner

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Lindbergh

Êtes-vous découragé lorsque vous essayez d'impliquer vos collègues? Cet atelier est pour vous. Écoutez des exemples de réussite montrant comment d'autres personnes ont transformé leur lieu de travail et ont transformé l'apathie en action. Découvrez des outils d'organisation pratiques pour engager vos collègues, organiser des actions et obtenir des résultats. [Workshop for French speakers only.]

Moderators

Marsha Niemeijer

Steelworkers Local 9544

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Lindbergh

Secrets of a Successful Organizer

10:45am CDT

Secrets of a Successful Organizer: Beating Apathy

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

O'Hare Ballroom

Are you beating your head against the wall trying to get other workers involved? This workshop is for you. Hear success stories from those who’ve turned their workplaces around and turned apathy into action. Learn practical organizing tools for engaging your co-workers, taking action, and getting results. Based on the popular book Secrets of a Successful Organizer.

Moderators

Jia Lee

United Federation of Teachers, MORE Caucus

Shelby Shoup

MORE Caucus, UFT

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
O'Hare Ballroom

Secrets of a Successful Organizer

10:45am CDT

Secrets of a Successful Organizer: Turning an Issue into a Campaign

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Rosemont A

Moderators

Brian St. Pierre

Port Jefferson Teachers Association

Shelby Shoup

MORE Caucus, UFT

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Rosemont A

Secrets of a Successful Organizer

10:45am CDT

How to Have a Good Meeting

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Midway

Chances are we've all been to a bad meeting, but they don't have to be this way! When run effectively, meetings can help you bring co-workers together to beat the boss. Learn how to make a good agenda and hold a lively yet focused discussion, so people leave fired up with an action plan.

Moderators

Sarah Koshar

Alphabet Workers Union-CWA

Lena Solow

American Association of University Professors

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Midway

Shop Floor Power

10:45am CDT

Mexico's Independent Union Movement: Challenges and Victories/El movimiento sindical independiente de México: Desafíos y victorias

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Grand Ballroom F

Workers in Mexico have achieved significant strides, including the recognition of employment status for workers of app "platforms" and a historic shift in the legal landscape. Hear Mexican labor activists discuss their efforts to form independent unions and improve their working conditions, and examine the role of cross-border solidarity in strengthening unions throughout North America. Note: This workshop will be conducted in Spanish, with simultaneous interpretation into English.

Los trabajadores en Mexico han logrado grandes avances incluyendo el reconocimiento de la relacion laboral para los trabajadores de plataformas y un cambio histórico en el panorama legal. Escuche a activistas laborales mexicanos hablar sobre sus esfuerzos para formar sindicatos independientes y mejorar sus condiciones, y analice el rol de la solidaridad transfronteriza en el fortalecimiento de los sindicatos en toda América del Norte. Nota: Este taller se llevará a cabo en español, con interpretación simultánea al inglés.

Moderators

Sergio Villalobos

Micelio Rojo

Speakers

Willebaldo Gomez Zuppa

Liga Educativa Sindical Internacional

Luis Fernando Mora Reyes

Unión Nacional de Trabajadores por Aplicación, Mexico

Gerardo Martínez

Alianza de Tranviarios de México

Mayra Leon Velázquez

Centro de Apoyo a las Trabajadoras y Trabajadores

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Grand Ballroom F

Spanish-Language Workshops

10:45am CDT

Case Study: NewsGuild's Member-Leader Program

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Int’l Ballroom F

Hear how one union has built out its member education and development program. The NewsGuild has grown by 50 percent in the last decade, which required it to bargain dozens of new contracts, train hundreds of new stewards, and support even more organizing committees at new workplaces. Hear how The NewsGuild is trying to solve the “not enough staff capacity” problem by training members to do the work of the union.

Moderators

Nick Bedell

NewsGuild

Nish Suvarnakar

Consumer Reports Guild

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Int’l Ballroom F

Strategy Shop Floor Power

10:45am CDT

Bargaining a Yes-Strike Clause to Preserve Our Right to Strike

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Int’l Ballroom A

If the right to strike is our most powerful weapon, why do we give it away in exchange for a union contract? Can we bargain loopholes that allow us to strike while the contract is in effect? What strategies can we use to water down no-strike clauses so we can use our collective power more effectively? If you and your co-workers ever wished you didn’t have to wait until your contract expired to strike, this workshop is for you.

Moderators

Mark Meinster

United Electrical Workers

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Int’l Ballroom A

Strikes Bargaining

10:45am CDT

Building the Union Through Strikes

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT

Paris

Strikes aren't just a great way to terrify the boss. Done right, they also help members develop skills, deepen relationships, and see themselves as leaders. Learn how to bring your co-workers in, find your leverage, and pull off a strike that builds the union for the long haul.

Moderators

Zelig Stern

CWA Local 1109

Speakers

Marta Aziz Tobajas

CGT, Spain

Meryl DePasquale

Portland Community College Classified Employees

Kyle Gekopi

Wesley Educators Association

Sunday June 14, 2026 10:45am - 12:30pm CDT
Paris

Strikes Shop Floor Power

1:00pm CDT

Sunday Main Session

Sunday June 14, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT

Grand Ballroom

Speakers

Alex Hall

Oregon Nurses Association, Caucus for Powerful Reform

Danielle Smith

Labor Notes

Emily Lumpkin

Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 968, Caucus of Rank & File Electrical Workers

Alfonso Martínez Valero

General Confederation of Labor, Spain (Amazon)

Sunday June 14, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Grand Ballroom

7:00pm CDT

In These Times Afterparty

Sunday June 14, 2026 7:00pm - 11:30pm CDT

2040 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

Tickets are limited. Sustainers of $5+ get in free (and get a free subscription). Grab a ticket through the site here for sustainers and then become one here: www.inthesetimes.com/donate

Schedule for Sunday evening, June 14:
7 p.m. Doors open, Bar open

7.45 p.m. Live taping of the Working People podcast, hosted by Max Alvarez, with a brilliant panel of labor journalists including Hamilton Nolan, Kim Kelly, and Alex Press (with a short Q&A to follow) on "Fascism, AI, War, Attacks on Democracy: What can we do to fight back?"

9.15 p.m. UnAmerican Comedy with Adam Burke and Lucia Whalen

10.30 p.m. Tromblau & Friends

Sunday June 14, 2026 7:00pm - 11:30pm CDT
2040 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago