Ten major labor unions will recruit on the Cornell campus for the first time as part of Union Day '98, April 2, sponsored by the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Representatives will meet with interested students to talk about career opportunities at the various unions.

The unions are recruiting not for membership in their organizations, but for union employees -- individuals who can fill staff positions within the unions to help in organizing and other efforts.

"ILR students are a good match for unions in that they have broad training in labor-management relations, they understand labor law and have a deep knowledge of the labor movement and its history," said Ronald L. Seeber, associate dean of the ILR School. "These are students that can hit the ground running for the labor unions."

Each fall the ILR School holds a career fair for students to explore job opportunities in human resources and other areas with various corporations. Previous participants have included AlliedSignal, Andersen Consulting and Lockheed Martin Corp., but Union Day '98 marks the first time the ILR School has held a career fair for unions.

"The ILR School has made it easy for students interested in corporate work to make connections with corporations," Seeber said. "Now we're looking to make those same connections for students interested in career opportunities with labor unions."

A study of bachelor's degree recipients from the Class of 1995 found that only 2 percent of those who were employed immediately upon graduation were working in union staff positions, compared with 77 percent who joined the corporate sector.

Union Day '98 begins Thursday with a presentation, "New Directions in American Labor," by AFL-CIO Education Director Bill Fletcher. The event will be held in 105 Ives Hall.

On Friday, April 3, activities begin at 10 a.m. with an alumni panel titled "Labor Movement: A Cause and a Career" in 217 Ives Hall.

From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. representatives from various unions will meet students and offer information on career opportunities in the Smithers Lobby of the new ILR building complex.

From 2 to 3:30 p.m. young labor activists take over the microphone for a discussion on "Communities and Coalitions: A Social Agenda for Labor" in 217 Ives Hall. A reception for students and visitors will follow immediately in the undergraduate student lounge.

Union Day '98 activities end with the East Coast premiere screening of Michael Moore's The Big One, which will be shown by Cornell Cinema at 7:30 p.m. in Willard Straight Theater. Tickets are $2 at the door.

Unions participating in Union Day '98 are the:

AFL-CIO Organizing Institute:

• Amalgamated Transit Union;
• International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers;
• Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers;
• Civil Service Employees Association;
• Service Employees International Union;
• United Autoworkers; and
• United Brotherhood of Carpenters.