AFL-CIO President John Sweeney is the keynote speaker for Union Days 2001, a three-day event hosted by Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, April 4, 5 and 6.

Sweeney's address launches the annual event April 4 at 1 p.m. in 305 Ives Hall on campus. All Union Days events are open to the public and free, except where noted below.

The theme of Union Days 2001 is "Organizing for the Future," focusing on the expansion of unionizing across the broad spectrum of job categories, from low-wage jobs to university graduate student employees to high-tech employment.

"As AFL-CIO president, John Sweeney personifies a new American labor movement – a movement committed to defending workers' rights and to restoring organizing as the centerpiece of trade-union activism," says Risa Lieberwitz, Cornell associate professor of labor law and Union Days committee chair.

Sweeney, who had been an AFL-CIO vice president since 1980, was elected president of the organization at the federation's biennial convention in October 1995. At the time of his election, he was serving his fourth, four-year term as president of SEIU (Service Employees International Union), which grew from 625,000 to 1.1 million members under his leadership. He began his trade union career as a research assistant with the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. In 1961, he joined SEIU as a union representative for New York City Local 32B. He went on to become president of Local 32B and to lead two citywide strikes of apartment maintenance workers. In 1980, he was elected president of the international.

Union Days events also will include the "Social Justice Career Fair," which includes a panel discussion by labor leaders, strategy workshops, a movie and a reception honoring Cornell labor alumni. In addition, the Cornell Cinema has a "Labor on Film" series leading up to the Union Days event.

The labor leaders who will participate in the panel discussion and strategy sessions – Thursday, April 5, beginning at 3 p.m. in 105 ILR Conference Center – have been involved in exciting organizing work. The Rev. James Orange, AFL-CIO field representative at-large and religious and community coordinator, has been active in the Jobs With Justice campaign and he had worked with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; Julie Kushner, sub-regional director of UAW Region 9-A, led the UAW's successful organizing campaign to unionize New York University graduate-student employees; and Marcus Courtney is a co-founder and organizer of WashTech/Communications Workers Association, which led an organizing campaign among Microsoft "permatemp" technical employees in Seattle.

The Union Days schedule is:

• Wednesday, April 4: 1-2:15 p.m., 305 Ives Hall; Welcome: Dean Edward J. Lawler, School of Industrial Labor Relations; Keynote address: AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.
• Thursday, April 5: 3-4:30 p.m., 105 ILR Conference Center, Topic: "Organizing for the Future: Unionizing in all jobs – from service work to university graduate student employees to high tech employment," with the Rev. James Orange, Julie Kushner and Marcus Courtney; 4:45--5:45 p.m., 105 ILR Conference Center, Strategy Workshops: Brainstorming with labor leaders about organizing broadly across all job categories; 7 p.m. Willard Straight Theater, movie: Harlan County U.S.A., $4.50/$4 for students and seniors. Discussion topic follows the movie, on "Organizing Strategies and Tactics: Is Violence Ever Appropriate?"
• Friday, April 6: 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Ives Hall Smithers Lobby and Cleary & AFL-CIO Lobby, Social Justice Career Fair: Explore careers in social justice with Cornell alumni and other representatives from labor and nonprofit organizations; 1:30-3 p.m., ILR Faculty Lounge: Reception honoring Cornell labor alumni.

Union Days is sponsored by the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Co-sponsors include: Cornell Organization for Labor Action; Minority ILR Student Organization; ILR Institute for Women and Work; ILR Office of Career Services; ILR Office of Student Services; Cornell Cinema; and the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy.

For more information on Union Days, contact Lieberwitz at (607) 255-3289 or e-mail rll5@cornell.edu.