Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School

Last week, CLJE’s Sharon Block and Rajesh Nayak presented on the hazards of extreme heat and what we need to do to protect workers around the world at "India 2047: Building a Climate-Resistant Future," hosted by The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University and The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University in New Delhi. The effects of extreme climatic events and rising temperatures across the United States and the Global South impacts every aspect of our lives, from our physical health to our economic well-being. It’s imperative that building climate resilience is a collaborative and interdisciplinary effort, and we need multiple voices and sectors at the table in order to shape effective policy. "India 2047" brought together experts from labor, public health, medicine, agriculture, business, government, and urban planning for a dialogue on meeting the challenges for living a decent life when temperatures are rising. “I was so inspired to hear from our partners in India who are organizing workers in the informal sector, like the Self Employed Women's Association, about how they are coming up with innovative ways to keep workers safe as we face what will likely be another season of record-breaking temperatures,” said Professor Sharon Block, CLJE Executive Director. #extremeheat #climatechange #workerprotections

"Unions were built for big fights. You all were built for big fights. We know we can build a future where every worker gets a just day's pay for a hard day's work." – Julie Su, former Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor This month, the 112th class of the Harvard Trade Union Program celebrated graduation in a ceremony at Harvard Law School with commencement remarks delivered by former Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su, CLJE Executive Director Sharon Block, CLJE Faculty Co-Director Richard Freeman, and their elected class speakers, Alex Perkins (United Steelworkers (USW) local 572) and Martin Mulkerrin (MA AFL-CIO). Over the course of the five-week program, the class engaged in countless engaging discussions, lectures, and workshops while building lasting relationships with their fellow union brothers and sisters. Perkins, who worked closely with Su last year during labor negotiations at Blue Bird Corp. in Georgia, shared a sentiment that defined this year’s class: “We all have different roles and represent different workers in different industries from all over the world. But, at the end of the day, we all have the same common goal, and that is to make sure we do what’s best for the working-class citizens of our respective countries.” We could not be prouder of this year’s cohort of leaders, who will go home to make an impact both in their communities and in the labor movement at large. Read the coverage from Harvard Law Today: https://lnkd.in/gyQu8wCa To learn more about the Harvard Trade Union Program, one of Harvard’s oldest executive education programs, visit the site here: https://lnkd.in/gDVbgiam #tradeunions #labormovement #HarvardLaw

CLJE's Sharon Block attended the 2025 World Economic Forum in Davos to moderate “Balancing the Scales,” a panel on rising global inequality and the role that fair labor standards, education, and technology can play in addressing it. Block was joined by Katherine Garrett-Cox CBE, Anis Kallel, Chantal Line Carpentier, and Melvyn Lubega. Block acknowledged, "A very important institution to moderating the worst impulses of capitalism, or the excesses of capitalism, is a thriving labor movement." Of her time at WEF, Block says, "I appreciated the opportunity to join so many fascinating people at the World Economic Forum in Davos and to explore solutions to the globe’s most pressing challenges: accelerating climate change, growing wealth and income inequality and the implications of AI for the future of work. I took away from my time at WEF that there are many business leaders, labor leaders, public officials and scientists who want to solve these problems in a collaborative manner, but we need to bring more attention to the impact on workers’ quality of life of so many transformational changes." Watch the panel, “Balancing the Scales,” below:? https://lnkd.in/ertnmm-D #WEF2025 #labormovement #globalinequality

Our new report by former Biden Administration Department of Labor officials, “Principles for Worker-Centered Benefits Programs,” outlines ten principles to guide the design and implementation of benefits programs that maximize support for workers and their families while maintaining administrative efficiency and cost-effectiveness. As policymakers continue to develop new benefits programs, we want to ensure workers are prioritized. Good jobs provide stability and security for workers and their families and strengthen our economy. In addition to essential components of a good job, such as fair pay and safe and healthy workplaces set by labor standards, benefits are also important to promote the economic security, health, and mobility of workers and their families. Benefits—including health care, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, paid leave, disability insurance, and retirement savings plans—are a critical component of our social safety net. All workers need access to these basic benefits to protect their financial security when they are injured at work, experience a medical challenge, caregiving obstacle, change their employment, or even when they retire. Check out the ten principles here:? https://lnkd.in/eHdS9UVT #portablebenefits #laborstandards #benefitsprograms

The Harvard Trade Union Program is in full swing here at the Center. The 2025 cohort has reached the end of their second week of classes, tours, workshops, and events on campus, with much more to come. Last week, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 103 (IBEW 103) of Boston hosted the HTUP class for a tour of their facilities and a dinner of surf, turf, and solidarity. We saw some familiar faces, including International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) business manager Lou Antonellis (HTUP Class of ’09), who delivered warm remarks of welcome to this year’s class. We are grateful to IBEW Local 103 for their generous hospitality! Here’s to a great program. #tradeunions #labor #HarvardTradeUnionProgram

The complexity of navigating the dual crises of climate change and economic insecurity has underscored the need for robust, research-backed evidence to guide policy making and organizing towards an EV future that is sustainable both for workers and the climate, and we believe the labor movement is poised to play an influential role in shaping the impact of the energy transition on workers and their communities. We are thrilled to report that last year, CLJE received a seed grant from The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University to undertake a project which sits at the intersection of law, organizing, climate, and democracy and examines the link between collective bargaining, climate policy implementation, and outcomes for workers and their communities. The project will document and report on the contrast in working conditions and environmental outcomes between union and non-union battery plants, and will enable us to contribute to ongoing research on how to support workers, foster an equitable economy and democracy, and sustain a healthy planet through a just transition. #climate #justtransition #HarvardLaw

We're pleased to share our 2024 Year in Review, a comprehensive look back at the research, tools and conversations we created this year to advance our commitment to developing innovative strategies for empowering workers. Some highlights of our year included: - A visit from?Shawn Fain, President of the International Union, UAW, who inspired our Harvard Trade Union Program participants, students and community with his call for working class solidarity as the only route to a fair economy and a just society; - The release of?“Building Worker Power in Cities and States,”?a go-to resource for states and localities looking for ways to empower workers despite federal preemption; - Events featuring?Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan?and?Department of Justice Antitrust Division Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki, who shared with our students and our community their vision for antitrust and fair competition laws that value the interests of workers as much as the interests of consumers and corporations; and - New reports?on AI and workers’ rights, recommendations on regulatory approaches to protecting workers from union busting, actions that states and localities can take to lock in wins for workers, and more.? Check it out below! https://lnkd.in/ewG8Bfr9 #laborlaw #laborpolicy #HarvardLaw

Last week, Project Manager Yoorie Chang testified on the importance of good union jobs in large-scale infrastructure projects before the Texas Climate Jobs Project’s “Commission on Truth and Transparency in Texas Hydrogen Development,” a two-day convening that invited experts, union leaders, policymakers, and community members to Austin to examine the future of clean hydrogen development in Texas. Through the Department of Energy’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program (H2Hubs), the HyVelocity Hub initiative will receive up to $1.2 billion in federal funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub, creating an estimated 45,000 new construction, operations, and maintenance jobs in Texas. "By ensuring that the jobs created are good union jobs,” said Chang, "there is a key opportunity at hand to create meaningful career pathways for working people and strengthen the economic resilience of communities in Texas.” #justtransition #hydrogeneconomy #HarvardLaw Photo courtesy of Baffour Kyem, 4Kapture Media

State policymakers can safeguard Biden era worker wins that are under attack – like heat protections and overtime expansions. Our latest brief, “Quick Fixes to Lock in Wins for Workers,” shows how state legislators and governors can protect workers from federal rollbacks. Check out our policy brief with National Employment Law Project, Towards Justice, Economic Policy Institute, NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service Terri Gerstein, and American Economic Liberties Project https://lnkd.in/gZSmNShk #overtime #heatprotections #workers

Key pro-worker wins of the Biden years including #HeatProtections and #overtime pay are under attack in the courts and face an uncertain future with the new administration. Our new policy brief, released by National Employment Law Project, NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service Labor Initiative, Towards Justice, Economic Policy Institute, American Economic Liberties Project, and the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School shows how state policymakers can lock these protections into state law to block these rollbacks. Read our latest brief: https://lnkd.in/e7hmU7Uh #workerpower #laborlaw #HarvardLaw