More than 500 nurse activists have been trained at UAN’s flagship labor education event, the Labor Leader Institute—held each year since 2001.  Practical, hands-on classes are taught by leading experts in the field, from nationally acclaimed writer Suzanne Gordon to AFL-CIO Organizing Director Stewart Acuff, including sessions on negotiations strategy, handling grievances, communications and media techniques, labor history and more.

Alaska's Michelle Murphy, RN, says that following her participation in her first LLI, she "became inspired to do something at the local level, and I took advantage of other UAN and AFL-CIO opportunities to network and train as a union health and safety trainer. Now I am teaching health and safety classes at the LLI." Murphy urges other LLI participants to follow her lead. "Find something to get excited about and bring it home to your local and state unions and maybe even take it to the national level. We are responsible for caring for the caregivers that we represent."

UAN members can explore opportunities to attend a future Labor Leader Institute by contacting their state affiliate.

For more information on the next Labor Leader Institute (Sept. 22-25 at the Westin Hotel in Chicago), please contact Vickie.Spence@UANNurse.org.