We are looking for two new faculty members: a Labor Educator/Instructor and a Researcher!  These positions are based in either our Portland or Eugene offices. We will begin reviewing applications in January 2025.

Instructor: The Instructor is a labor educator who will design and teach non-credit classes for working adults, union members, and community partners. These classes include subjects related to:
• Effective union representation (e.g. collective bargaining, labor law, grievance handling and arbitration);
• The social, economic and political context in which workers’ organizations operate (e.g. labor history, electoral politics, the domestic and global economy, community outreach and coalition building);
• Skills needed for effective union leadership (e.g. strategic planning, member recruitment, organizational development, interpersonal communications, internal and external organizing; and strategies for embedding equity & inclusion in workers’ organizations), and;
• Strategies for facing emergent conditions for unions and other workers’ organizations in Oregon, the region, and the United States including organizational changes in union structure, density, and funding.
• Creating inclusive unions that serve the needs of workers who are diverse in terms of their race, ethnicity, age, gender and sexual identity, socioeconomic background, physical ability, and enabling unions to advance equity in the broader society.

An important part of this position is outreach and building relationships with labor, community, and university partners. The Instructor also will be responsible for curriculum development and implementation in response to contract requests from client organizations for tailored training. In addition, the Instructor will be responsible for coordinating occasional full-day and multi-day open enrollment conferences or institutes on relevant topics that present opportunities for more intensive exploration of timely topics. These conference duties are typically conducted as part of a team with other LERC faculty and staff. While individual faculty have significant autonomy to set priorities and directions for their work, decisions about program priorities are made collectively by the faculty.

Researcher: This position is primarily focused on applied research projects that are concretely useful to public decision makers and partner organizations, with limited opportunity for traditional academic research and production of traditional academic journal articles.  Previous experience in applied policy research or applied research relevant to labor organizing, bargaining or economic strategies is strongly desired. The Research Associate position requires a Master’s or equivalent terminal degree, but in exceptional cases, degree-less candidates with extensive experience will be considered for the Research Assistant position. 

Either rank of Assistant or Associate researcher will engage in some instructional activities, which would include sharing research findings with different constituent groups in educational settings. The Labor Policy Researcher may also be responsible for coordinating occasional full-day and multi-day open enrollment conferences or institutes. These duties are typically conducted in collaboration with other LERC faculty and staff.