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About GLLI

In 2022, the Solidarity Center, in collaboration with the Labor Leadership Programs at the Worker Institute, launched the first Global Labor Leadership Initiative (GLLI). The inaugural cohort included senior labor leaders and leaders of allied civil society organizations working on various social justice issues, including migrant rights, gender equality, informal worker rights, and strengthening good governance and democracy. 

This program was founded on the belief that connecting unions to global change is crucial. Unions depend on democratic norms and values, so as union density increases, societies become more democratic and equitable.  

The Solidarity Center and Worker Institute believe that unions can have a palpable impact by fostering transformative leadership and promoting democratic values in a rapidly evolving world. To that end, the GLLI is building a global network of leaders and facilitating connections between them and the United States. The goal is to achieve transformative leadership and create a stronger global labor movement. 
 

Program

Program Structure

Held over nine months, the program includes virtual sessions, two-week-long in-person workshops, peer coaching, and individual mentoring for each participant. 
The participants work to articulate a vision for change they want to make in their work to make their organizations more effective and to define a project to help them carry out their vision. 

The National Endowment for Democracy funds the Solidarity Center, and leaders are recruited mainly through the work already happening at the Solidarity Center. 


For more information about the Global Labor Leadership Initiative, please contact Sherrie Morales at sm92@cornell.edu or 212.340.2827.