Episode Details

On this episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, we bridge the gap between labor’s historic battles and its future leaders.

Segment 1: The Strike That Changed Canadian Labor Law Myles Sullivan, International Secretary-Treasurer of the United Steelworkers (USW), joins the show to revisit a defining chapter in labor history: the 1941-42 Kirkland Lake gold miners’ strike. Sullivan explains how a "lost" strike in the frozen trenches of Northern Ontario eventually forced the government to mandate collective bargaining rights. He connects that legacy of resilience to modern struggles, including the fights at Local 6500 in Sudbury, and argues that member education and high union density remain the only true safeguards against concessions.

Segment 2: Training the Next Generation of Organizers Jessica Cook-Qurayshi, Director of DePaul University’s Labor Education Center (LEC), discusses how her team is turning labor education into a movement-building tool. She outlines the LEC’s "Labor Leadership Certificate" and advanced bargaining courses that teach members to cost contracts and write proposals. Cook-Qurayshi also details the Center’s massive youth initiative—including a collective-bargaining role-play that reaches 1,800 students—and explains why intergenerational training is critical to the survival of the labor movement.

Key Topics:

• Kirkland Lake 1941: How a miners' defeat sparked a legislative victory.

• USW History: The legacy of Leo Gerard and cross-border solidarity.

• Labor Education: DePaul’s certificate programs for stewards and officers.

• Youth Organizing: High school summer schools and internship programs.

Listen now to hear how the lessons of the past are shaping the organizers of the future.