Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Indiana AFL-CIO Announces Partnership with the Indiana University Department of Labor Studies

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

On July 8, the Indiana State AFL-CIO and the Indiana University Department of Labor Studies announced their renewed partnership. The Department of Labor Studies offers online courses systemwide on all eight Indiana University campuses and serves a broad array of undergraduate students from many academic disciplines. The state federation will be encouraging union leaders and members across the state to take coursework offered through the program, and it also will be working with the department to develop union internships for students.

“The Indiana University Department of Labor Studies is proud to partner with the Indiana AFL-CIO to provide educational opportunities for those in organized labor who wish to seek a bachelor’s, associate, certificate or minor degree in liberal arts or sharpen their leadership, organizing, bargaining and negotiating skills through our Leadership, Organization and Professional Advocacy track. Our fully online curriculum, taught by knowledgeable professors with significant labor union experience, is affordable for traditional and non-traditional students,” said Marquita Walker, interim chair and associate professor of labor studies at the university.

Indiana State AFL-CIO President Brett Voorhies (USW) said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with the IU Department of Labor Studies. We hope this partnership will inspire a new generation of students to create a more just and equitable world for working people. And the coursework offered by the department will be invaluable to labor leaders and members across the state who want to strengthen their skills and tackle new challenges.”