Dérive

I recently attended my first Labor Notes Conference in Chicago, IL. This year’s conference was far larger than the last one hosted in 2018, with more than 4,000 people in attendance. A friend of mine and veteran conference attendee attributed the increased number of participants to a buildup due to the COVID-induced pause, as well as the growth of unionized and/or union-curious education workers over the past four years. Demographics on conference attendees would be helpful. What unions were present at the event, and was there an increase in membership attendance from previous years? How many attendees were part of a union and how many were “unorganized” (like myself)? How many were gig, part-time, or otherwise precariously employed? Were the unemployed sections of the working class represented? The mood of the conference was lively and positive. There were many young people present, especially those involved in Starbucks and Amazon unionizing. There was a strong sense of community and