Sex Workers Emerging Identities In Collective Organizing: Past, Present and Future

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Maxine Doogan
December 27, 2007 info [at] espu-ca.org


Sex Workers Emerging Identities In Collective Organizing: Past, Present and Future

Who: Erotic Service Providers Union (ESPU)

What: Sex Workers Emerging Identities in Organized Labor: Past, Present and Future

When: Monday January 7, 2008 7-9 pm

Where: Laney College, 900 Fallon Street, Room G-209, Oakland, CA 94607

The Erotic Service Providers Union is pleased to announce a special speaking engagement: Sex Workers Emerging Identities in Collective Organizing: Past, Present and Future, featuring Gregor Gall.

Gall is the author of Sex Worker Union Organizing - an International Study (Palgrave Macmillan 2006) which steps beyond the usual discourse by recognizing the relevance of organizing sex industry workers union labor style around points of production, distribution and exchange.
Gregor Gall is Professor of Industrial Relations at the University of Hertfordshire (England) and Director of its Centre for Research in Employment Studies. He was previously Professor of Industrial Relations at the University of Stirling (Scotland) and has authored three books, over fifty journal articles, and over two hundred articles for labour unionists as well as editor of four collections. His research concerns labor unions and union organizing and he has worked for a number of unions in Britain on commissioned research projects.

ESPU Auxiliary member, Slava Osowska will open with a short presentation on the role of prostitutes in organizing the Industrial Workers of the World. Women’s support of workers’ strikes are key to worker self determination. Many women worked as prostitutes in early America as it gave them ability to migrate. Use of phrases and words associated with prostitution such as ‘Red Light District’ and ‘punk’ will reveal the relationship between freedom loving people; organized workers and prostitutes.

Slava Osowska is an IWW member of the San Francisco Bay Area Branch and officer of the San Francisco Bike Messengers’ Association.

An Erotic Service Provider is anyone who earns a living from their erotic labor, prostitutes, porn actors, web cam performers, exotic dancers, phone sex operators and our support staff.