The Glastonbury MLK Community Initiative is sponsoring a Community Conversation on December 7 at the Riverfront Community Center on The New Faces of Organized Labor: The Shift to Service and Tech Workers. This free event will begin with a reception at 6:30 PM and a panel discussion will follow at 7:00 PM.

There’s a new labor movement afoot across the U.S. that is being driven by younger, often highly-educated workers who aren’t afraid to form their own unions, with or without national organizations. These include office professionals, healthcare workers and teachers. Recent unionizing efforts at local Apple, Amazon and Starbucks outlets and warehouses are characteristic of this trend.  

The panel discussion will focus on the history of unionizing in Connecticut, Dr. King’s support for the labor movement and current trends in worker organizing. Panelists include:

• Tom Meiklejohn, a labor attorney in Hartford, who will speak about Dr. King’s support for the labor movement and the ways in which unions supported the Civil Rights movement. Tom has extensive experience representing and advising unions in administrative proceedings, arbitrations, contract negotiations and administration and court litigation.
• Michael Cass, Officer in Charge of the Hartford Office of the National Labor Relations Board who will speak on the process and steps for union petitions, types of disputes with some examples and also some of the history of unions in Connecticut. Mike has a long history in working in labor relations, initially for the National Federation of Federal Employees.
• Herman Whitter, Director of Affiliate Services & Member Training at the Connecticut Education Association (CEA), which advocates for legislation at the state and federal levels, represents the rights of teachers, and works with state policymakers to continue to elevate the teaching profession and promote public education. Herman also served as Managing Director for the Maryland Education Association and he has extensive experience in union management, collective bargaining and grievance arbitration.
• Pedro Zayas, senior communications advisor for the New England Health Care Employees Union, SEIU 1199NE, will speak on efforts to fight for racial justice in labor contracts to achieve economic justice for Black, Latina, APII, Native American, and white working-class communities. Pedro supports workers building unions in health care settings, where women make up the majority of the workforce. Often called “my favorite union” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., District 1199 has a long activist tradition representing some 29,000 health care providers in Connecticut and Rhode Island. 

Bishop John Selders will moderate the program. Bishop Selders is an ordained minister serving in the United Church of Christ, the Organizing Pastor of Amistad United Church of Christ in Hartford, Assistant Dean of Students and Coordinator of Community Standards at Trinity and one of the leaders of Moral Monday CT, a grassroots statewide organization committed to a wide range of social justice issues.

The goal of the GMLKCI Community Conversations program is to engage residents of Glastonbury and surrounding towns in conversations about social justice issues and to inspire service and action.  Our facilitator will provide both a starting point and a resource for what we hope will be an inspiring, lively, informative, and thought-provoking conversation. 

The Glastonbury MLK Community Initiative’s mission is to increase knowledge about, and understanding of, the philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, and to provide leadership and active engagement to build an inclusive community. We believe that bringing people together to discuss openly and honestly important issues relating to social justice will help build a more inclusive and tolerant community.

This is a FREE event open to all. For additional information, please contact David O’Connor at 860-810-2368 or visit www.glastonburymlkci.org. Please bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the Glastonbury Food Pantry.