University of Iowa Labor Center

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University of Iowa Labor Center The Labor Center strengthens Iowa by providing timely research and education for workers statewide. Learn more on our website: https://laborcenter.uiowa.edu/

We offer a wide range of non-credit courses designed for labor union members and leaders on topics including: steward education and contract administration, collective bargaining, labor and employment law, public policy issues, leadership development, organizing and mobilizing, economics, labor history, and much more. If you are interested in attending classes, visit our website: http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/

There's still time to register for our Union Financial Officers' School, a two-day intensive course for union officers r...
10/08/2026

There's still time to register for our Union Financial Officers' School, a two-day intensive course for union officers responsible for private sector and Iowa public sector union financial recordkeeping. We look forward to seeing you in December!

Register on our website or at the link in the comments.

On Saturday, our Quality Pre-Apprenticeship participants had the opportunity to visit with the Bricklayers, Carpenters, ...
09/29/2026

On Saturday, our Quality Pre-Apprenticeship participants had the opportunity to visit with the Bricklayers, Carpenters, and Ironworkers apprenticeship programs for hands-on learning and networking! Many thanks to the JATC staff, instructors, and apprentices who devoted part of their weekend to lead the tours and assist with the activities. These visits are always incredible!

We are very proud of our hardworking, dedicated pre-apprentices! They are really putting in the time and effort! 👏

On Thursday, we kicked off our annual 5-week intensive Quality Pre-Apprenticeship Program! We have a fantastic group of ...
09/13/2026

On Thursday, we kicked off our annual 5-week intensive Quality Pre-Apprenticeship Program! We have a fantastic group of participants who have already devoted 12 hours of evening and weekend time to learn about the steps in the building process, blueprint reading, green construction, and the variety of skilled construction apprenticeship programs in our area.
This program convenes outstanding partners to provide innovative and in-demand programming: it is funded by The City of Iowa City Government, tours and guest instruction are provided by the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Building Trades Council, classes are held at the nonprofit hub Dream City, and New Creations International Church helps with recruitment and mentoring. We're thrilled to welcome experienced industrial tech teacher John Reynolds, who is serving as a guest instructor throughout this fall's course.
Thanks to CR/IC Building Trades President Mike Sadler, Iowa City Mayor Pro Tem Megan Alter, and Dream City Executive Director Frederick Newell for speaking at the opening session, to Laborers Local 43 Rep Jaime Soto for presenting on Saturday about the variety of work performed by his members, and to our Spring 2026 graduate Andrell Sanders for stopping in to share his experience as a building trades apprentice.

Meet Abby Caviston, the Labor Center's new office administrator! Abby joined our staff less than 3 weeks ago and is alre...
09/11/2026

Meet Abby Caviston, the Labor Center's new office administrator! Abby joined our staff less than 3 weeks ago and is already doing a terrific job coordinating the wide range of conference planning, communications, and administrative responsibilities that make our programs successful. Abby is a University of Iowa alum with a degree in English and a background in editing, as well as previous experience in a similar role at the University. Welcome, Abby!

This Labor Day, we want to thank all the workers across Iowa and beyond who dedicate your time, energy, and passion to a...
09/04/2026

This Labor Day, we want to thank all the workers across Iowa and beyond who dedicate your time, energy, and passion to advancing the values of solidarity, economic security, democracy, and the dignity of all work. It is an honor to teach and learn from you every day.

We salute the four outstanding leaders inducted into the Iowa Labor Hall of Fame at last week's 2026 banquet: Greg Lewis...
08/25/2026

We salute the four outstanding leaders inducted into the Iowa Labor Hall of Fame at last week's 2026 banquet: Greg Lewis, Kerry Bowen, Bob Brown, and our former Director and Labor Educator Paul Iversen! These leaders have each dedicated their lives to advancing quality jobs, solidarity, and strong communities across our state. Congratulations to the inductees and thank you for all you have done for the working people of Iowa!

The Labor Center had the privilege of presenting a workshop at the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO annual convention t...
08/21/2026

The Labor Center had the privilege of presenting a workshop at the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO annual convention this week on collective bargaining and the future of technology & AI. The participants were engaging and the discussion was incredible.

We are grateful for the research assistance and hard work the law students in the Iowa College of Law Tech Law Clinic have provided over the past year. We look forward to continuing to research and provide education on the ways evolving technologies are impacting workers and workplaces.

Today, we are celebrating our wonderful Administrative Services Specialist, Noël VanDenBosch. Over the past two years, N...
08/15/2026

Today, we are celebrating our wonderful Administrative Services Specialist, Noël VanDenBosch. Over the past two years, Noël has coordinated statewide and national Labor Center conferences, developed a new monthly e-newsletter, streamlined our accounting systems, launched fundraising campaigns, planned our 75th Anniversary event, and built strong relationships with our partners. She has always had an adventurous spirit. Today was her last day at the Labor Center, as she prepares to move abroad, hike, and explore the world. It's hard to say goodbye, but we are excited for her, and so grateful for the joy, skills, and commitment she shared with our program and participants. Thank you, Noël!

The Labor Center is thrilled to welcome our new labor educator, Samantha Groark. Sam brings exceptional qualifications a...
08/15/2026

The Labor Center is thrilled to welcome our new labor educator, Samantha Groark. Sam brings exceptional qualifications and experience to this role. As an attorney with Blake & Uhlig in Kansas City, she represented labor organizations, apprenticeship programs, and employee benefit funds. She has represented clients in collective bargaining, arbitration, federal courts, and federal agency procedures. In the past several years, Sam has served as Executive Director of the Central Iowa Building and Construction Trades Council, led a grant project at the Labor Center, and volunteered on a number of nonprofit boards and commissions. She is already strengthening our curriculum, conducting great workshops, and mentoring law students in labor-related research. Please join us in welcoming Samantha Groark!

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University Of Iowa Research Park 2500 Crosspark Road
Coralville, IA
52241

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