Mobilizing Against Inequality

The Worker Institute at Cornell is re-launching “Mobilizing Against Inequality,” a website focused on building a conversation around immigrant worker struggles for rights and representation, and the organizations that advocate for them.

“We are relaunching it to build a lively forum for presentations and discussions, research, strategies and ideas,” said Lowell Turner, professor of international and comparative labor, and director of the institute.

On the updated website, visitors will find interviews with leading immigrant worker rights scholars and organizers, profiles of unions and organizations developing innovative strategies to advocate for immigrant workers, and academic research.

They will also find case studies and other resources that challenge xenophobia and racism while celebrating the social and economic contributions of immigrant workers.

“The purpose of the website is to celebrate the contributions of immigrant workers to our economy and society, and to honor and support their struggles for rights and representation,” Turner said. “We think this is especially important in the current political context marked by hostile anti-immigrant rhetoric in this
country, in this election and, increasingly, we are seeing this in Europe and elsewhere.”

According to the Worker Institute, revitalizing the labor movement means expanding coverage to unrepresented workers, to push up the low end and rebuild the middle, and to restore fairness and equality of opportunity to today’s labor markets.  Immigrant workers — and their children, the next generation — have a crucial role to play in a resurgence of worker rights and collective representation for all.

“As a university-based project, we have contributions to make in research, education and public engagement — we encourage you to join the conversation,” Turner said.

Articles are contributed by ILR School students and faculty, and leaders from the immigrant rights and labor movement. Those interested can sign up for the site’s email lists to receive updates when new articles or resources are posted to the website.

To join the conversation on Twitter, follow @workerinstitute and #MobilizingAgainstInequality.