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Dear Friends,
It is my privilege to work with a dynamic and innovative team as CIWO’s Executive Director. Every day we are inspired to be working with current and emerging leaders, organizers, scholars, and brave workers who are innovating new strategies to win. We just witnessed the historic election of President April Verrett and Secretary-Treasurer Rocio Sáenz at SEIU; and we celebrated Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) history and culture, appreciating the many contributions of APALA leaders in CIWO’s ecosystem. With the first successful in-person convening of Build the Bench since the pandemic, the closing of the WILL Empower Executive Cohort, and the promotion of the new NEA “Bargaining for the Common Good Racial Justice Guide,” we are growing our network and deepening our partnerships.
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Join us this fall as we celebrate CIWO’s Founding Executive Director Marilyn Sneiderman’s retirement, our tenth anniversary, and the stellar CIWO team we have built.
In solidarity,
Sheri
Sheri Davis
Executive Director
Center for Innovation in Worker Organization
School of Management & Labor Relations
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
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The Future is Now: WE Executive Leadership Cohort 2023-24
On June 5th, CIWO closed out the WILL Empower Executive Leaders Cohort Program for 2023-24. These leaders, who convened from unions and other worker justice organizations from across the nation and especially representing the South, now join the full WE network of emerging leaders, apprentices, mentors, awardees and many other friends of WILL Empower. They gathered in-person for two retreats and participated in numerous activities including exclusive webinars, coaching, and other network wide events. They join a growing network of women, nonbinary, trans and gender-expansive leaders who promote relationship-building and transformative visionary leadership practices for new and non-traditional leaders. A participant remarked, "I was struck by how many of us are grappling with the same issues. It was both comforting and troubling to know I am not alone." Leadership is a practice, and we believe that with a WILL Empower crew, you never have to be alone in your leadership.
Special thank you to the brilliant folks at Workshop, Robin Katcher, and Chalene Jones. Learn more about the 2023-2024 WILL Empower Executive Leaders!
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CIWO Celebrates AANHPI History: Past, Present and Future
CIWO celebrated Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Histories this past May 2024 by uplifting AANHPI Leadership within our movement – past, present and future. Catch this must watch event hosted by Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) featuring organizers May Chen and Katie Quan discussing the 1982 garment workers strike and the founding of APALA. We also celebrate CIWO leaders at APALA such as President Ligaya Domingo (CIWO Racial Justice Fellow), National Executive Board members Kim Dinh (WILL Empower Emerging Leader), Rateeluck Tarn Goelling (WILL Empower Executive Leader) and Kasi Perreira (CIWO Director of Leadership and Organizational Change Programs).
| Pictured above: Emily Reyes (top right), Second Vice President of APALA, with May Chen (top left) and Katie Quan (bottom), organizers from the 1982 Chinatown garment workers strike. Image from APALA. | |
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Bargaining for the Common Good Racial Justice & Housing Resources
Looking for tools to fight for Racial Justice in your union and workplace? National Education Association and CIWO partnered to author this new Bargaining for the Common Good Racial Justice Resource Guide! If you are curious about how to implement racial justice in your union and workplace, check out this resource guide with tools, concrete planning guides, and examples from across the country.
Curious about who benefits from the housing crisis & how to take action? Bargaining for the Common Good, Americans for Financial Report, and the Private Equity Stakeholder Project just released the new report Who is Behind the Curtain? Breaking Down Trade Associations that Fight Tenants and Hurt Housing Affordability, exposing the network of housing industry groups backed by corporate landlords that work together to maintain the housing crisis.
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Build the Bench Hosts Virtual Community Gathering
On May 31, 2024, our Build the Bench program convened a virtual community gathering to connect the community of practice of #2 leaders (e.g., chiefs of staff, deputy directors) to practice peer coaching and resiliency, identify and uplift best practices and innovations, and welcome new leaders to the multigenerational network.
Together, through the facilitation and guidance of our Build the Bench Fellows Kathleen Gaspard and Felicia Griffin, resiliency practitioner Chalene Jones and Kasi Perreira, CIWO Director of Leadership and Organizational Change Programs, participants found space to think and write through opportunities and challenges in their organizations, and receive valuable feedback and encouragement from their peers.
Learn more about Build the Bench here and check out the digital zine from our recent retreat!
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CIWO Community Represents across the SEIU International Convention
Our Co-Executive Director Sheri Davis was out and about in her hometown of Philadelphia with members of our CIWO community during the SEIU International Convention in Philadelphia, PA on May 20-22, 2024. Together we witnessed the historic elections of April Verrett as President and Rocio Sáenz as Secretary-Treasurer. You can view SEIU's recap video here, and some photos of the CIWO community throughout the conference are below!
| Pictured above: April Verrett and Rocio Sáenz. Photos courtesy of SEIU. | Pictured above, clockwise from top left: 1) Sheri Davis (SD), John Taylor of the Advancing Black Strategists Initiative, Tanya Wallace-Gobern of National Black Worker Center (Build the Bench, WE), 2) Keani Christianson (WE Emerger), Reesha Thomas and Riccara Jones (WE Executives) of SEIU, 3) SD & Anita Mathias of Jobs with Justice (WE Apprentice), 4) SD & Kim Dinh of SEIU (WE Emerging Leader), 5) SD & Sarah David Heydemann of SEIU (WE Emerging Leader), 6) Jobs with Justice Family | |
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