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Friday, December 9, 2011

Too Much to See at Detroit's Jam-Packed Troublemakers School | Labor Notes

Too Much to See at Detroit's Jam-Packed Troublemakers School | Labor Notes:

Too Much to See at Detroit's Jam-Packed Troublemakers School

As usual at any Labor Notes school or conference, the main complaint about the December 3 Detroit Troublemakers School was, “I wanted to go to all the workshops.”

Forced to bite the bullet and choose among “Direct Action,” “Social Movement Unionism,” “Beating Apathy,” “What We Learned from Wisconsin,” and four other topics, the 120 attendees packed themselves into UAW Local 22 on Michigan Avenue.

One participant gave “Direct Action” a “6” on a scale of 1 to 5. Letter Carriers from two locals liked labor educator Steve Babson’s presentation on the history of labor and community interaction so much that they invited him to teach a joint session for their members. Teachers union member Elizabeth Palmer wrote, “The older folks are energizing the young folks as much as the other way around.”

In the opening session, participants heard from Madison building trades leader Eric Cobb about the lessons of the