History - Mission - Operations - Special Projects

Since 1951, labor education for Iowa's organized workforce has been carried out through the University of Iowa's labor education program. The Labor Center, located within the Division of Continuing Education, annually reaches over 3,000 Iowa union leaders with a wide range of non-credit educational programs in the areas of practical industrial relations, labor law, labor history, communication, leadership, and citizenship skills, economics and public policy, and related areas.

For information about on-campus programs, click here.     
For off-campus programming options, click here.

Over the years, the Labor Center has been host to notable public figures, who addressed Iowa trade unionists on key public policy issues.  Such speakers have included Esther Peterson, Director of the Women's Bureau, US Department of Labor spoke at "Women in Industry," 1963, U. S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich who spoke at "Advanced Union Leadership," 1996, and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Rich Trumka, who spoke at "Advanced Union Leadership," 1997.

Mission

Modern labor organizations depend upon a leadership possessing information and insight into a wide spectrum of social, political, and economic issue areas. These areas include economic analysis, evaluation of taxation policy, investment policy and the use of pension funds, trade policy, comparative developments in labor relations, the roles of women and minorities in labor markets and labor organizations, and a host of other vital public policy issues. The Labor Center was created to address these needs.

In fulfilling its legislatively mandated mission, the Labor Center is involved in

• Disseminating information, resources, and programs to workers;
  (For information on Labor Center publications, click here to see list of available Labor Center publications)
  
• Sponsoring conferences, workshops, and host courses both on campus and across the State on subjects and issues important to Iowa workers;
• Acting as a point of contact for labor leaders and union members with University faculty, research facilities, and credit programming opportunities;
• Exploring innovative ways of program delivery.

The Labor Center is a part of the labor history project of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO: the Iowa Labor History Oral Project. (click here for information)

The Labor Center has long been an active supporter of the Iowa State Labor Press Association, an organization of union newsletter editors in Iowa.

The Labor Center is currently engaged in two special projects, funded by the United States Department of Labor. To learn more, please link here:

• Child labor public education project
• Ergonomics education for the construction industry