Are labor unions a subject for political theory? How might we combine reflections on interest, class formation, critiques of capitalism, and ideas of freedom? Could such a theory be useful for agents of change, including rank-and-file workers and organizers? This conference brought together scholars and organizers to think through the past, present, and future of the labor movement. Although unions are at a nadir of power, signs of the possibility of renewal abound. What political visions and strategies might seize the opportunities of the present conjecture?

KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Daisy Pitkin, “What Is a Union?”
Oct. 10, 5:00 pm

PARTICIPANTS
Rudi Batzell, Lake Forest College
Michael Billeaux-Martinez, Madison College
Luke Cianciotto, International Brotherhood of Teamsters / University of Chicago
Gilbert Cruz, Starbucks Workers United
Cedric de Leon, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Barry Eidlin, McGill University
Ellis Garey, Brown University
Toni Gilpin, Labor Historian and Activist
Alex Gourevitch, Brown University
Mie Inouye, Bard College
Alethia Jones, City University of New York
Steven Klein, King’s College London
Ben Laurence, University of Chicago
John Lear, University of Puget Sound
Ruth Milkman, City University of New York
Kevin Moore, Chicago Teachers Union
Daisy Pitkin, Labor Organizer and Author
Mattie Webb, Virginia Military Institute
Ahmed White, University of Wisconsin Law School
Gabriel Winant, University of Chicago
Yueran Zhang, University of Chicago

This event was organized by the What Force on Earth research project at the Neubauer Collegium, and co-sponsored by the Pozen Family Center for Human Rights at the University of Chicago.