New leadership at the AFL-CIO encourages links between the labor movement and the academic world. Designed to begin a dialogue between academics and labor activists, the teach-in is a brilliant success, with some 1,000 participants. Read a New York Times article about the teach-in . The University of Virginia plays host to one of several regional Labor Teach-Ins sparked by the success of the forum at Columbia. National figures such as consumer advocate Ralph Nader, writer Barbara Ehrenreich, AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Richard Trumka, and U.Va.
Attendance exceeds expectations.
Participants begin to raise concerns about the lack of living wages for workers at the University. Read an article about the U.Va. March 1997 Organizers of the U.Va. On its first day out on the lawn, SLAC gathers 400 signatures from individuals supporting workers' rights at the University. Read an article about SLAC s formation .