Worker Solidarity and Engaged Academics: Lessons from the past and recent gains

In this session, William Gillies (Concordia University, Alberta Advantage Podcast) and Karina Hincapie Martinez (Graduate Labour Union, Vice-Chair International- UofC ) will talk about the importance of labour advocacy. The presentation will involve an introduction to the labour movement in Canada and the importance of Union activism. The second part of the workshop focuses on Academia and labour engagement, as we will present a current insight into the fights and gains that academic/ graduate unions have had.

Objectives:

1. To educate about the importance of unions and their impact on social justice.
2. To educate around the academic sector and unions
3. To empower the student community to understand the importance of grassroot advocacy and collective action.

Facilitator’s Bios:

William Gillies is a member of the Alberta Advantage podcast and history MA student at Concordia University in Montreal. Living in Calgary, his research interests are Alberta & Nova Scotia labour history, focusing on the closure of the coal mining industry.

Karina Hincapie is a Vice-Chair of the Graduate Labour Union at the University of Calgary. Extremely passionate about empowering immigrants’ populations and fighting for minorities rights, she has served as a Fellow at the Language Research Centre (UofC) and the Calgary Institute for the Humanities and has collaborated in different community building projects with grassroots organizations. Hincapié’s academic research is on the use of Affect Theories as a mechanism of reflection around vulnerability and belonging, with a special interest in female agency.

This education is prepared for undergraduate students, but all are welcome.