University of Oregon Labor Center Faculty member, Sarah Laslett, was recently recognized for her influential work to develop emerging leaders in the labor movement. She and Cheryl Coney, both of the Washington LERC at the time, organized the first Emerging Leaders Conference in 2011, which led to the formation of the Washington YELL (Young Emerging Labor Leaders). In early December, Sarah was honored with the YELLder award at the 2016 Emerging Leaders Conference in Seattle. Not only that, but a NEW award, the Sarah Laslett award was announced to recognize people who have made outstanding contributions to young labor leadership and education in Washington State. This will be an annual award and Cheryl Coney was the inaugural recipient.
On September 12, 2016, Director Bob Bussel and Bobbie Sotin, a home health care worker and leader in SEIU Local 503, participated in a symposium organized by the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress. They discussed a LERC-SEIU collaboration titled Taking Care: “Documenting the Occupational Culture of Home Care Workers.”
Bob Bussel and Bobbie Sotin at the Library of Congress Folklife Center in Washington, D.C