I sat down with Michelle, and we reflected on some moments in her impressive career in the labor movement. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What first brought you into the labor movement?
My father was the president of a teachers’ union in Rhode Island. The teachers at my high school went on strike, and it was my father who explained to me why they were striking and why it was important.
In college, I made a conscious decision that I wanted to dedicate my life to economic justice, and there was no better way to do that than through the labor movement, in my opinion.
Can you tell me about a time in your career that exemplifies labor solidarity?
There’s a bunch of times! What hits me the hardest is the Detroit newspaper strikes in the 90s. So many unions came together to support the newspaper workers: the whole community fighting to protect workers and local journalism.
There were people across sectors—different unions and community groups—who came together. For example, we’d have an ox roast at UAW Local 600 to raise money; lots of people would come out, donate, and spend time together in community.
Even though we didn’t get the results we wanted, it was an example of a good fight. I built relationships through that fight that I've had my whole career.
Tell us about the first time you participated in a CLCS conference or event.
Probably around 1996, I taught at the Michigan School for Workers, a course on enforcing civil rights, both as a steward or as a rank-and-file member on the shop floor.
[In my workshop, there were] lots of UAW members who were working in plants, either stewards or aspiring stewards who wanted to move up in the union.
People were really eager to learn. (I came totally over-prepared, too much material, lots of activities.) It was uplifting, and I learned as much as I taught from the people in the room. I was pretty young at the time, and these were people who had been around the block. I came with a lot of legal knowledge, they came with real-life knowledge that they had been through.
How has the labor landscape changed over the course of your career?
Well, it’s a real generational shift, like everywhere: boomers leaving and a crop of young people coming in. That gives me great hope. There are new activists coming in who are excited about the labor movement and about economic justice.
The lessons of the past need to be understood today. I regretted—when i came in—that people disregarded what the old folks were saying. This is knowledge we need to hold on to, perhaps to improve upon, that can’t be disregarded. People will always be mistreated at work, and there will always be people who want to fight it.
We also have computers now! Technology has transformed organizing—you can get messages out quickly. I used to type-write and copy messages, put them in envelopes, and send them out. There are a lot of things that are enhanced in organizing through computers, but it also allows for more surveillance.
What about the legal landscape of labor?
Labor’s always been attacked legally, by big companies and the politicians they pay. There have always been waves, constant effort to protect workers legally. When I first got in, there was less of an emphasis on organizing, and that was to our detriment.
In some ways, things have gotten more legally restrictive, which is why people need to think outside of the law (while understanding legal ramifications), by being creative with organizing methods. The power is there when you organize people.
And what about how organizing has changed?
As I’ve gone on, there has been a shift from service model unionism to an organizing model.
I disagree with the idea that it's one or the other. You organize where you can, and you provide services where you can. The more you can do of both, the stronger your organization will be. Both are critical tools—you have to know how to use them.
As someone who has been a union member, union staff, and a labor educator, I think members need to know that their union cares about them. Organizing and servicing are not diametrically opposed; they’re intrinsically linked.
What do you see as labor’s biggest challenge today?
The current political landscape. The oligarchy. The Supreme Court.
Among other things, the powerful money in politics are coming after the NLRB. People in power are trying to dismantle the basic rights that the labor movement has gained over the last 100 years.
What are you most excited for in retirement?
Sleeping! And spending more time with my family. I’ve worked incredibly long hours over the last forty years, and I’ve missed time with my family, especially my son Samme. I also look forward to remaining an activist, teaching with CLCS when I can, and I'd like to do more activist work in the foster care and prison systems.
What does it mean to you to have been the Director of CLCS?
It’s been a good way to take my experiences and share them. Like I said, I think it's important to move forward in a way that recognizes and builds upon lessons from the past.
I got to work with some of the most wonderful people, and I was able to help get the Center in a healthy financial place. I was only here 3.5 years, and it has been an excellent way to cap my career.
