America at 250 – Where Does Organized Labor Stand?

REGISTRATION OPEN: Latina/o Workers Leadership Institute, Sept 17-19

Dear friend in labor,

Earlier this month, the U.S. celebrated the 250th anniversary of its independence with fireworks, barbecues, and celebrations with friends and family. This landmark year in American history has many of us reflecting: how far have we come? And what work remains to create a just and equitable country?

As a community of labor-minded people, we should also be asking ourselves: what power do working people actually have today? And what will it take to expand and strengthen labor's power in the next five, 10, 25, 50 years?

Over the past 40 years or so, we've seen union density decline and income inequality skyrocket. Working people have a smaller slice of the pie, and the political influence of labor organizations like the AFL-CIO has waned. While the number of unionized workers has increased modestly, it has become increasingly clear that we unionists need transformational change that includes massive strike fund reserves, new organizing in key industries like tech and retail, and collaborative action between large unions.

At this year's AFL-CIO Convention, delegates approved a resolution to organize two million new union members in the next five years, but we know that there are 50 million workers who would join a union if they could. Many unions are scared to devote (often limited) resources to new organizing, a tension between prioritizing current members vs. the broader working class. I'm of the mind that we simply do not have time for that. We need transformational change, like yesterday. As I write this, we're experiencing intense anti-union hostility at all levels of government, and we're seeing the NLRB's destruction in real time. So how can we meet this moment?

In April, Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) President Sara Nelson, alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders and NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani launched Union Now, a national centralized strike fund to support new organizing. Their first major targets are Amazon, Delta, and Starbucks, where under-resourced organizers have been fighting for years. At the UAW Convention in June, delegates voted to grow their strike fund and to devote more resources toward aggressive new organizing ahead of May Day 2028.

We're also seeing an influx of candidates for elected office who are themselves union members:

In fact, the Center for Working-Class Politics found that union candidates are much more electable than their non-union counterparts. And union candidates are more likely to champion a labor platform, like Claire Valdez's proposal to direct federal funding into new union organizing. The levers of power in state and federal government can be pulled to benefit workers, but those levers go untouched without true labor champions in office.

For us to really, truly be a fighting labor movement, it's going to take determination, guts, and uncomfortable organizing conversations. Our politics desperately need transformational change, from the bottom and (if we're lucky) from the top as well.

Here are some actions that we can take individually to broaden and deepen the collective movement:

This list of bullets is far from comprehensive, and as a movement we will certainly face challenges that we can't even imagine right now.

Most importantly, we must work constantly to build broad and deep solidarity across the entire working class.

I imagine that in 50 years—when we observe the 300th year of the U.S.A.—we'll have collectively transformed society. Workers will have real, collective power, and we'll wield it to benefit the entire working class. But that vision can only come to be if we all fight like hell to make it happen.

In Solidarity,

Dom Bouavichith

CLCS Staff

We want to share information that is relevant and interesting to YOU and your networks; if you have feedback or have something you'd like us to share, don't hesitate to shoot us an email! (clcs.labor@umich.edu, or reply directly to this newsletter!) This might include news stories, events to promote, job postings, or anything labor related you'd like shared out!

(CLCS is happy to share opportunities with our network when they also advance worker education, leadership, or collective capacity—not simply because they're beneficial to union members.)

Monthly newsletters typically will include announcements of upcoming events, media and recaps from past conferences and symposia, and research reports on labor in Michigan. Each newsletter will also have a Labor in the Headlines section, with news items on current events in the labor movement, so be sure to scroll all the way through!

Newsletters will also live on our website, under "News".

Mark your calendars! Our first planning meeting for the 2026 Fall Leadership Institute will be held on August 1, 10am-12pm.

This meeting will be held in the Renick University Center, room 1225.

Note: this location is NOT our typical location for planning meetings. We recommend typing "Renick University Center" into your navigation app, as all buildings on Dearborn's main campus share the same street address.

The CLCS staff has moved into our new offices! Our new space is in Fairlane Center South, where both of our fall conferences are also held.

We need to decorate our walls! We're looking for donations of memorabilia, picket signs, and other labor union swag to hang up on display! Reach out to us at clcs.info@umich.edu if you have something you can contribute!

Date: September 4, 2026
Time: 4:00–7:00 PM
Location: Fairlane Center South, Suite 262
19000 Hubbard Drive, Dearborn, MI

UAW members: Mark your calendars for the Constitutional Convention!

The 39th Convention will be held June 15-18, in Huntington Place, right here in Detroit.

EPI Zoom Webinar: "50 million U.S. workers want to join a union: What if they could?"

July 15, 1pm, on Zoom

Imagine if  one-in-three  private-sector workers belonged to a union.  What would  wages, benefits, and working conditions look like if the labor movement beat back billionaires  and  big corporations, and  workers got the fair deal they deserve?

Labor Notes Stewards' Workshop:
Assertive Grievance Handling

July 15, 8-9:30 pm, on Zoom

$10 Registration Fee

Calling All Union Stewards!

Fighting grievances isn’t only about how well you argue your case. It’s also about organizing members to build pressure on management.

This workshop will focus on how to win creatively without going to arbitration—or sometimes without even filing a grievance.

Coach Carlos joined CLCS at the 2026 Michigan School for Women Workers and Young Workers Conferences, sharing his Future Man Success Prep guide.

Part of his program includes the Future Man 30-Day High-Performance Challenge, starting in August. Carlos is looking for families who are interested in cohort-based learning that centers transformative empowerment of young men.

Contact Coach Carlos at CoachCarlos@imageofsuccess.com

We had over 120 workers and leaders join us for the 2026 edition of the Young Workers Conference.

Make sure to check out the YWC26 Newsletter, as well as digital media from the conference, produced by the Digital Voices for Union Leaders workshop!

In early June, CLCS moved offices! Our new (very large!) space is in Fairlane Center South (19000 Hubbard Dr.), in Suite 262.

This building is where we typically hold conference planning meetings, as well as three of our conferences: Latina/o Workers Leadership Institute, Fall Leadership Institute, and Workers' Pride Conference.

We invite faculty from all three campuses to join for our Faculty Affiliate cohort, which will be meeting in February.

During this meeting, we'll discuss plans for the Winter 2026 semester and start developing programming and research plans.

All faculty (any campus, any position) are invited, and the meeting will happen over Zoom.

Respond to this email to get the Zoom link! Feel free to forward this newsletter to faculty who might be interested!

CLCS volunteers and staff shall act honestly and ethically while in the performance of their duties. They shall treat all CLCS employees, volunteers, and program participants with respect, courtesy, and dignity. CLCS staff and volunteers shall not discriminate and shall be respectful of ethnic, national, gender, and cultural differences. 

Any concerns should be brought promptly to CLCS Staff.

Center for Labor & Community Studies

University of Michigan - Dearborn

Fairlane Center South, Suite 262, 19000 Hubbard Dr,

Dearborn, Michigan 48126

Email: CLCS.labor@umich.edu, Phone:  313-583-6400; Fax 313-583-6430