Labor Education Program - University of Illinois

Now accepting applications for the Regina V. Polk Women's Labor Leadership Conference Women and Power: Building a Toolbox for Leadership - this is an advanced leadership program for alumni of The Polk School that runs from October 2026-March 2027.

Application deadline is August 15, 2026.

Labor Education Program | Women and Power: Building a Toolbox for Leadership | Online Registration Online Registration for Women and Power: Building a Toolbox for Leadership at Rice Building 815 West Van Buren, Ste. 110 Chicago, IL 60607 United States provided through Labor Education Program. Registration Software powered by ProClass

Congratulations to Krissy Weber, Business Manager at Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers Local 97 (Champaign, IL), on being named the Regina V. Polk Women’s Labor Leadership Alumna of the Year at this year’s Polk School, held in Ottawa, Illinois at the UAW Pat Greathouse Education Center.

This award honors the legacy of Regina V. Polk, a respected Teamsters Local 743 organizer and leader whose contributions to the labor movement continue to inspire.

What are you doing to celebrate May Day? Here at LEP, we are hosting the 2026 Regina V. Polk Women's Labor Leadership Conference at the Uaw Pat Greathouse Education Center with a group to amazing union leaders. Our international guest speaker Pinar Ozcan shared what May Day looks like in her union Oz iPlik iS in Türkiye.

Brendan Born celebrates completing the Labor Leadership Academy on April 11 alongside Bob Bruno 🎓
This program continues to equip labor leaders with the skills and knowledge to make an impact in their organizations and communities.

Looking for a class that connects real-world issues to the workplace?

LER 320: Gender, Race, Class, & Work dives into how identity and inequality shape work today and where it’s headed.

Don't miss it this fall 2026! Professor Emily E. LB. Twarog will be teaching this new class Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11AM - 12:20PM.

Join us for an online version of the Labor Leadership Academy Internal Organizing class!

This class will meet for 3 consecutive Wednesdays, May 6, 13, and 20, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm CST. This is a pilot program and will count towards your Labor Leadership Academy certificate.

The class will discuss ways to educate, organize, and mobilize the members. Topics include collective action around grievances, confronting and overcoming divisions such as those based on race, gender, or immigration status, one-on-one conversations with apathetic or anti-union members, organizing contract campaigns, and organizing in support of bargaining for the common good.

🔗Register here: https://reg139.imperisoft.com/LEP/ProgramDetail/3635343430/Registration.aspx

Tingting Zhang recently presented at a virtual seminar in Chicago alongside the Illinois Department of Labor, sharing insights from the PMCR report on the Illinois Equal Pay Act.

The research, co-authored with Bob Bruno, highlights progress in narrowing gender wage gaps while underscoring continued disparities across industries and demographics.

🔗Learn more about the report here:https://lep.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/IL_Equal_Pay_Act_Summary_Report-FINAL.pdf