Enroll in Labor Studies at CUNY with Fellow UAW Members This Fall

For the past few semesters, UAW Region 9A has been partnering with the City University of New York School of Labor & Urban Studies to offer courses on Contemporary Labor Studies and Labor Law.  We are excited to offer placement in a variety of labor studies courses this fall!

Integrated into the course will be both UAW members and members from other unions and the labor movement. We are offering both undergraduate and graduate versions of the class on different nights for the fall 2026 semester. We ask that only members who want to enroll fill out the form to sign up.

Please contact UAW Region 9A Education Rep Alexi Shalom at ashalom@uaw.net with any questions.

Course Offerings

U.S. Labor History (LHIS 601)

Students in this course will examine U.S. labor history from several perspectives, seeking to understand how the experience of workers and the nature of working-class institutions have evolved in the context of larger historical developments. In this process, the course will try to account for patterns of growth and decline in the labor movement, paying particular attention to: industrialization and deindustrialization; patterns of migration and immigration; and the historical relationships between organized labor and other movements for social justice. Students will explore how the ideologies and structures of organized labor have been shaped by major economic, political and social forces as well as diverse cultural expressions. At every level of analysis, students will address issues of race, gender, and sexual orientation, especially as these categories of social identity relate to class and class formation. Assigned texts reflect a range of scholarship and differing points of view. Thus, students will become familiar with historiographical debates about topics covered in this course.

New Directions in Collective Bargaining (LABR 609)

As an ever-changing economy and political climate impact workers and the labor movement, workers are changing the structures and strategies, and indeed their vision for organizing and collective bargaining. This course will examine the social, economic, political and organizational challenges confronting the U.S. labor movement today, along with current and potential worker strategies that successfully navigate conditions not foreseen under previous labor laws. It will examine the centrality of organizing at the intersections of workers’ identity to expand the number of people who, and the ways in which they, can organize and collectively bargain—all anchored within a framework of democracy. Topics will include definitions of power, power mapping and non-traditional approaches to organizing and collective bargaining. 

Power & Strategy (LABR 620)

How do groups achieve social transformation? This course will explore how groups at all levels of our society—including elites, labor, and social movements—organize, develop strategies and deploy resources to advance their interests and achieve major change in society. To provide a shared framework, the course will begin with an overview of classical and contemporary theories of power and causation and consider the canons of elite and social movement approaches to building and wielding power. We will examine the historical and social science literature of social movements, learn from leading practitioners, and discuss six models for “change from below.” We will consider the suite of approaches to strategy development that have been developed in business schools, Silicon Valley and the military over the past few decades, and the orchestrated rise of neoliberalism as a case of change driven from above. The class will focus heavily on real-world, contemporary cases where breakthrough strategy is needed, and explore how strategic frameworks can help address the perennial dilemma of bridging between practical politics and transformational change. We will introduce a wide variety of tools to develop strategy from many disciplines, traditions and sectors inside and outside social change. We will conclude by identifying personal and organizational conditions that are conducive to strategic breakthroughs, and the role of intense emotion in social change movements. The goal is to equip students with theoretical understanding of core concepts and with the broad range of practical methods and frameworks needed to make change in our increasingly complex world. Students will have the opportunity to apply strategic methods presented in class to their own work. The class is designed for advanced social change practitioners as well as for SLU graduate students. 

Perspectives in the Labor Movement (LABR 605)

This course familiarizes students with theories that provide explanations for the rise of unions as well as for the historical development of labor movements. Course readings and discussions range from Marxist perspectives to theories of American exceptionalism and business unionism, and include the work of both seminal sociologists and prominent labor historians. Students in this course will be challenged to apply their analytic skills to vital labor issues and real world experiences of workers and unions. In addition to evaluating the explanatory power offered by the major schools of thought on the labor movement, students will consider how issues of class, race, pluralism, globalization and workplace reorganization have shaped explanations for labor's rise, decline and relevance. Finally, the course will explore how and whether theories of the labor movement contribute to resolving labor's internal debates and revitalizing its power in an era of globalization.

Class Dates & Location

Classes run one per week from 6:15 to 8:45 PM for the duration of the semester, which is August 28 to December 21, 2026.

All classes are in person at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, located at 25 W 43rd St, 19th floor, New York, NY 10036.

Cost

Members who have CBAs covered by the UAW Region 9A Education Fund in Locals 2110, 2179, 2320, and 2325 (LSNYC, MFJ, BxD, NICE, LAS IIU, NYCLU, Monthly Review, Lowenstein & Sons, Levy Ratner, VOCAL-NY) are eligible for reimbursement up to $5,000 annually, including mandatory fees (including any application fees).

Undergraduate Tuition: Tuition: $1,220, Fees: $102.50*, Application Fee: $65

Graduate Tuition: Tuition: $1,410, Fees: $102.50**, Application Fee: $65

*Based on 4 credit, NYS resident, see link for full list of charges

**Based on 3 credit, NYS resident, see link for full list of charges

We strongly encourage members to use their UAW Region 9A Education Fund tuition benefit, or other collectively bargained tuition benefit to pay for this class.  Members are responsible for all costs either through personal funds, the UAW Region 9A Education Fund, or an employer-sponsored tuition reimbursement fund.

Academic Credit

Students who enroll as undergraduates will receive 4 credits; students who enroll as graduate students will receive 3 credits. These courses will count towards an undergraduate Certificate in Labor Relations or graduate Advanced Certificate in Labor Relations, comprising at least 12 credits, or can be applied towards a Bachelor's or Masters Degree in Labor Studies.