Power At Work

In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Cindy Estrada, the strategic advisor to the president for the Center for Transformational Organizing at the AFL-CIO. Watch now to hear about Cindy's career, the CTO, her strategies to further the labor movement, and much more. Follow us on social media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn Cindy Estrada is the strategic adviser to the president for the Center for Transformational Organizing at the AFL-CIO. Before her role at the AFL-CIO, Estrada was vice president of the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW). She also served as a member of the board of IndustriALL Global Union and as a member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council. Cindy started as a member organizer in the UAW and went on UAW staff in 2000. She was first elected UAW vice president in 2010 and began directing the union’s UAW Independents, Parts and Suppliers (IPS)/Competitive Shop Department, Public Sector and Health Care Servicing Department and the Women’s Department.

In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Jody Calemine, director of advocacy at the AFL-CIO, and Karla Walter, senior fellow for Inclusive Economy at the Center for American Progress, to discuss Project 2025's labor related implications. Watch now to hear about how the proposal would affect American workers, unions, and the labor movement as a whole if President Trump gets re-elected in the upcoming election. For more information on Project 2025, visit the AFL-CIO's guide to Project 2025 and Unions and the Center for American Progress' article, written by Aurelia Glass, "Project 2025 Would Undo the NLRB's Progress on Protecting Workers Right to Organize." ⁠Subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the Power At Work Blog. Follow us on social media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn Jody Calemine is the director of advocacy at the AFL-CIO. Prior to joining the AFL-CIO, Jody was a senior fellow and director of labor and employment policy at the Century Foundation. Jody has also served as general counsel and then chief of staff at the Communications Workers of America (CWA) from 2014 to 2023, managing the union’s legal strategies on collective action, employment discrimination and challenges to anti-worker state laws. He spent more than a decade on Capitol Hill working in the U.S. House of Representatives on labor and education policy, including as deputy director of labor policy, general counsel and Democratic staff director for the Committee on Education and the Workforce, where he helped enact legislation such as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 and Affordable Care Act. Karla Walter is the senior fellow for Inclusive Economy at the Center for American Progress. Walter focuses primarily on improving the economic security of American workers by increasing workers’ wages and benefits, promoting workplace protections, and advancing workers’ rights at work. Prior to joining American Progress, Walter was a research analyst at Good Jobs First, providing support to officials, policy research organizations, and grassroots advocacy groups striving to make state and local economic development subsidies more accountable and effective. She has co-authored several studies that promote economic development policies that meet workers’ needs and advocate for greater corporate accountability. Previously, she worked as a legislative aide for Wisconsin State Rep. Jennifer Shilling. Her work has been referenced in The New York Times and other newspapers. 

In this edition of The Power Hour, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Risa Lieberwitz, a Professor of Labor and Employment Law in the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR); and Diana Reddy, an Assistant Professor in UC Berkeley's School of Law; to discuss changes and infringement's on democracy taking place in labor unions, universities in the U.S., recent Supreme Court decisions, and more. ⁠Subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the Power At Work Blog. Follow us on social media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ Risa L. Lieberwitz is a Professor of Labor and Employment Law in the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR), where she has been a professor since 1982. She is an academic director in the Worker Institute at Cornell and a co-director of the Cornell University Law and Society minor. Lieberwitz currently holds an appointment as General Counsel of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). She has also served as a member of AAUP Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure. Diana Reddy joined UC Berkeley School of Law as an Assistant Professor in 2023. Her research focuses on the regulation of work as a site where critical choices are made about the relationship between American economic commitments and its democratic ideals. Before her return to academia, Diana represented labor unions and workers at the AFL-CIO, Altshuler Berzon LLP, and the California Teachers Association. She received her JD, magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, from NYU School of Law, where she was also a Root-Tilden-Kern scholar. Diana clerked for Judge Theodore McKee on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Kimba Wood on the Southern District of New York. 

In this blogcast, Burnes Center Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Madison Zack-Wu, lead organizer of Strippers Are Workers, and Kim Kelly, freelance labor journalist, to discuss Washington state's new bill to protect dancers in their workplaces. Watch now to hear about the Strippers' Bill of Rights, how the COVID-19 pandemic affected dancers, and how the labor movement can get involved in securing rights for strippers. Subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the Power At Work Blog. Follow us on social media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ Madison Zack-Wu is the campaign manager for Strippers Are Workers, a grassroots organization that advocates for labor rights for dancers within the Washington community and legislature. Her work pertains to issues of labor, race, class, gender, LGTBQ+, and bodily autonomy.  Kim Kelly is an independent journalist, author, and organizer. She has been a regular labor columnist for Teen Vogue since 2018, and her writing on labor, class, politics, and culture has appeared in The New Republic, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Baffler, The Nation, the Columbia Journalism Review, and Esquire, among many others. Kelly has also worked as a video correspondent for More Perfect Union, The Real News Network, and Means TV.

In this special Pride Month blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Jerame Davis, President of Pride At Work, Evette Avery, Southeast Regional Director of Teamsters' LGBTQ+ Caucus, and Jared Reece, Co-President of SEIU's Lavender Caucus, to discuss the state of the world for LGBTQ+ workers. Watch now to hear about why the labor and LGBTQ+ communities intersect, how labor can resist attacks on LGBTQ+ workers, and what union caucuses and other organizations can do to support LGBTQ+ workers. ⁠Subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the Power At Work Blog. Follow us on social media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ Jerame Davis (he/him) is a long-time LGBTQ and labor rights activist and has served as the executive director of Pride at Work, the nation’s only organization that focuses on LGBTQ working people in unions, since 2014. His first campaign was in 1999 when he led a coalition of labor unions and social justice organizations – including Pride at Work – to develop a successful campaign against an employer who fired him and two other workers because they are gay. In 2014, Davis began working for the Communications Workers of America, which led him back to the organization where he got his start in activism, Pride at Work. Davis and his husband, Bil, had their personal papers and mementos from their careers in activism archived by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Evette Avery, LU-728 Atlanta, is a businesswoman, activist and organizer. Evette has been at UPS since 2006 and has been a Union Steward for the majority of those years. When it came to her attention that some UPS employees would never qualify for a pension, she filed a group grievance and had the contract language changed for the 2013-2018 Master Agreement. Evette experienced one of the biggest fights of her life with a former employer, Delta Air Lines, who terminated her for trying to organize workers! This experience gave birth to the #StandWithEvette Campaign. When she isn’t actively fighting for worker’s rights, Evette likes to spend time with her wife Millicent, children and grandchildren. Evette originally is from Gadsden, Alabama. She has been a resident of Georgia since 2003. Jared Reece is a Co-President of the International SEIU Lavender Caucus and the current Chair of SEIU Local 1000’s Lavender Committee. He is an outspoken honest member-leader committed to organized labor and the fight for LGBTQIA+ equality. On behalf of Local 1000 Jared also serves as a delegate to the California Central Labor Council as well as a delegate to SEIU International. Within Local 1000 he is the Vice President / Chief Steward of District 784 which represents a portion of downtown Sacramento, CA. He also serves on Local 1000’s Statewide Chief Steward’s Committee, Local 1000’s Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program, and is a member of AFL-CIO’s Pride at Work.

In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Rev. Terrence L. Melvin, President of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and Secretary-Treasurer of New York AFL-CIO to discuss the significance of Juneteenth to the labor movement, why Juneteenth can be considered a workers' holiday, and the work that needs to be done to fully liberate black workers. Watch now to hear more about the history of Juneteenth, a pending lawsuit against Alabama's forced prison labor program, and how labor can step up to support black workers. ⁠Subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the Power At Work Blog. Follow us on social media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ Rev. Terrence L. Melvin holds the second highest office in the New York State labor movement – Secretary-Treasurer of the 2.5 million members, New York State AFL-CIO.  In July 2007, Mr. Melvin was elected to this position.  In August 2008, he was re-elected to a four-year term and has maintained the position since. Since being elected Secretary-Treasurer, Mr. Melvin in addition to performing his constitutional mandated duties, has focused on developing lasting ties between labor, religious organizations and community partners. Amongst his various Labor and community roles, Mr. Melvin is a man of devout faith and spiritual belief. He is an ordained Baptist Minister.  He serves as Associate Minister and Assistant to the Pastor at Second Baptist Church, Lackawanna, New York.

In this breaking news blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Aviva Aron-Dine, Acting Assistant Secretary on Tax Policy in the Treasury Department, and Alex Jacquez, Special Assistant to the President for Economic Development and Industrial Strategy, to discuss how the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service's new regulation implementing two labor provisions requiring prevailing wages and apprenticeship programs in President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act will impact worker power. Watch now for an expert breakdown of the new regulations, including the importance of requiring a prevailing wage, why expanding apprenticeship programs will help to build unions, and how these regulations will impact project labor agreements. ⁠Subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the Power At Work Blog. Follow us on social media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ Dr. Aviva Aron-Dine is the Acting Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy in the Treasury Department where she directs the Office of Tax Policy in developing, recommending, and implementing Federal tax policy on behalf of the Department. She is the former Deputy Director of the White House’s National Economic Council and Executive Associate Director in the Office of Management and Budget.  Alex Jacquez is Special Assistant to the President for Economic Development and Industrial Strategy and was a founding member of Team Labor in the National Economic Council. Before joining the White House staff, Alex was a Senior Policy Adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders.

Labor journalists Robert Iafolla and Alex N. Press discuss labor law, union organizing, UAW's struggles in the South, and the impact of the upcoming election on worker power and organizing campaigns. They highlight the challenges faced by workers in union organizing, legal constraints on striking, and the rising power of worker strikes in various sectors.

In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by the hosts of two fascinating labor radio shows to discuss why labor podcasting is important and a few current labor issues. Tune into his conversation with Lynn Fields, host of the Resolved Labor Podcast, and Mark Gevaart, host of My Labor Radio, about what inspired their shows, the UAW's recent loss in Alabama, and why so many cultural workers are organizing at this moment. You don't want to miss the latest Power At Work blogcast! Listen to the Resolved Labor Podcast here. Listen to My Labor Radio here. ⁠Subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the Power At Work Blog. Follow us on social media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ Cindia “Lynn” Fields is a proud veteran of the United States Army since serving 5 years with the Military Police Corps. Lynn is a 22-year veteran with the Illinois Department of Corrections. She has successfully promoted through the ranks and is currently the first Black female Lieutenant at her facility. A vocal and loyal member since the beginning of her career, she started Union activism in 2015 as the Recording Secretary for AFSCME Local 3654 (Southwestern IL Correctional Center) in E. St Louis, Illinois. In October 2021 she was elected President of the Local thereby making her the first Black female President of a male correctional facility in the state of Illinois. Lynn is also serving as the elected AFSCME PEOPLE Chair where she oversees the political arm of the union for District 9, covering the most populous counties in Southern Illinois. Recently, she was appointed to serve on both the state contract bargaining committee and the Dangerous Contraband in Correctional Mailrooms subcommittee for negotiations affecting some 37,000 Illinois AFSCME members. Mark Gevaart joined the United Auto Workers early in his working life. He has spent the last 30 plus years as an advocate for working Americans in and outside of his own local. Serving in a number of leadership roles over the years Mark was involved in all aspects of a local Union. Mark finds the idea of doing a Community Access Radio program about labor a rewarding experience. Involved in many organizing campaigns, contract negotiations, arbitration, the writing of contract language and being on the picket line. He brings his varied experiences to Labor Radio each month as he interviews working people and reviews data and information essential to working families. Mark’s perspective on unions comes from working tirelessly over the years “for the members.” 

In this edition of The Power Hour, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Lilly Irani,  Associate Professor of Computer Science and Faculty Director of the Labor Center at U.C. San Diego; and Alexander Hertel-Fernandez, Associate Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Labor; to discuss the transformative potential of generative AI in building worker power, how technology can facilitating worker organizing, and how workers are resisting the exploitative nature of online platforms like Uber and Lyft.  Subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to the Power At Work Blog. Follow us on social media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ Alexander Hertel-Fernandez studies the political economy of the United States, with an emphasis on business, the workplace, labor, and public policy. Alexander is an Associate Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where he also serves as Vice Dean for Curriculum and Instruction. He previously served in the Biden-Harris Administration in the Department of Labor and the Office of Management and Budget. Alexander is also a co-director of the Columbia Labor Lab, an academic center for implementing data-driven evaluations in partnership with worker organizations, and a co-lead of the American Political Economy project, an effort to foster more research on the relationship between markets and government in the United States in comparative perspective.  Lilly Irani's research investigates the cultural politics of high-tech work practices with a focus on how actors produce “innovation” cultures. Lilly is an ethnographer of work trained to analyze interactional, organizational, and cultural dynamics as mediated by technology. Lilly also draws on her training as a Computer Scientist and designer to develop novel technical, organizational systems for contexts she studies. She specializes in the cultural politics of high-tech work in the context of global digitally-mediated economies, with a focus on the United States and India. Lilly also build software with others to build worker power (Turkopticon, Dynamo) especially to resist and create alternatives to existing platforms. At UCSD, Lilly is Faculty Director of the UC San Diego Labor Center. She co-directs the Just Transitions Initiative and is faculty in Science Studies, the Design Lab, the Institute for Practical Ethics, Critical Gender Studies.