Imagining International Solidarity: Models for U.S. Labor Solidarity

The UCSC Center for Labor Studies Presents
A Public Conference

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IMAGINING INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY:
Models for U.S. Labor Solidarity with Workers in Latin America and China

Saturday, February 2, 2008
9:00-5:00 Oakes College Room 105
University of California, Santa Cruz
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How can those of us in the U.S. best support the labor struggles of working people in Latin America and China? Which models are most effective? How can we ensure the empowerment of working people and their activism at the grassroots? How do we begin with respect for workers' own organizations and requests for support? This conference brings together a stellar list of experienced activists and scholars from five countries to share their ideas about "best practice" models for building effective and democratic labor solidarity across national borders, with a focus on China and Latin America.

Conference Program

9:00-9:15 Welcome: Dana Frank, Center for Labor Studies, UCSC
9:15-10:00 Keynote Speech: "The Challenges of Transnational Labor Solidarity in the 21st Century"

José La Luz, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
10:00-11:30 Panel #1: Latin America
Chair: Jonathan Fox, Latin American and Latino Studies, UCSC
Panelists:

Ralph Armbruster-Sandoval, Chicano/a Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara

Teresa Casertano, AFL-CIO American Center for International Labor Solidarity

Homero Fuentes, COVERCO Guatemala
11:30-11:45 Break
11:45-1:15 Panel #2: China
Chair: Emily Honig, Feminist Studies, UCSC
Panelists:

Jenny Chan, Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior, Hong Kong

Anita Chan, Australian National University

Josie Mooney, Service Employees International Union
1:15-2:15 Lunch
2:15-3:45 Panel #3: Moving Forward Together
Chair: Paul Ortiz, Community Studies, UCSC
Panelists:

Paul Garver, International Union of Foodworkers (Retired)

Jesper Nielsen, United Federation of Danish Workers

Katie Quan, UC Berkeley Center for Labor Studies

Stephen Coats, US Labor Education in the Americas Project
4:00 Keynote Speech: "Global Solidarity: How Do We Make It Work?"

Kent Wong, UCLA Center for Labor Studies
5:00 Closing: Dana Frank, Center for Labor Studies, UCSC

Map of Oakes College: http://maps.ucsc.edu/cmoakescollege.html
Directions to UC Santa Cruz: http://maps.ucsc.edu/cmdirections.html

Free and open to the public. No preregistration required. Simultaneous English to Spanish translation provided. For more information or accommodations, contact Karin Mak at ktmak [at] ucsc.edu or (831) 459-2542, or Dana Frank at (831) 459-2542.

The UCSC Center for Labor Studies is funded by the Miguel Contreras Labor Fund of the University of California Office of the President, and co-sponsored by the UCSC Division of Humanities and Division of Social Sciences.