Revisit 2023 With The Kalmanovitz Initiative

2023 was so impactful for The Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and The Working Poor. This has been an incomparable year in labor. Support for labor is the highest it’s been (new window) in almost 50 years with the youth of Gen Z leading the charge for the next generation. Throughout 2023, The Kalmanovitz Initiative rose to the demand of the current moment with one of our most successful years ever.

At The Kalmanovitz Initiative, we use our unique position as a labor center in the nation’s capital to serve as a hub to find new, innovative and inclusive ways to convene, research, educate, and mobilize for economic and racial justice and the common good.

We launched Labor Spring (new window), a nationwide series of teach-ins at colleges, universities and community centers that garnered over 80 events in 25 states. Thousands of workers, students, scholars, activists and labor allies came together to center workers issues. In 2024, we look forward to convening even more for Labor Spring 2024. Sign up to host a Labor Spring event here. (new window)
WILL Empower (new window), a joint project between The Kalmanovitz Initiative and The Center for Innovation in Worker Organization (CIWO) (new window) welcomed its largest class of apprentices (new window) ever, with 13 apprentices joining.
The Kalmanovitz Initiative and WILL Empower expanded our reach on social media. Follow us now on Instagram (Kalmanovitz (new window)| Will Empower (new window))
Bargaining for the Common Good, (new window) a project anchored by CIWO and The Action Center on Race and The Economy (new window) fought for successful common good campaigns from Portland, Oregon to New Jersey. To dig deeper into Common Good Bargaining, sign up for the free “Minnesota Community and Labor Escalation” Webinar (new window) on January 9th.
The Labor History Research Project (new window) announced its new website as a resource for labor historians, activists, and allies.
Our staff continued to offer their invaluable expertise in news and media (new window), including outlets ranging from BBC News (new window) to NPR (new window) to coverage of our student intern Elinor Clark in The Huffington Post. (new window)
What Does It Profit (new window), a podcast from the Solidarity Economy Workshop (new window) entered its third season by taking on the world of AI while celebrating a prestigious W3 award in Cause Awareness. (new window)

The Kalmanovitz Initiative hosted and sponsored a diverse set of events for workers and their allies.

The Kalmanovitz Initiative participated in three Labor Spring events including collaborations with The Georgetown University Law Center (new window) and student group The Georgetown Coalition for Workers Rights. (new window) Georgetown Labor Spring events brought together workers from Starbucks, UNITE HERE, and SEIU, as well as CWA’s Sara Steffens, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown. NLRB’s Jennifer Abruzzo and more.
In Summer 2023, we began a new OSHA worker safety training (new window) series to empower local DC area restaurant workers.
Over 100 students interested in The Initiative gathered to fellowship with staff for Chaplain’s Tea (new window), co-hosted by Campus Ministry
For our Fall Open House (new window), we hosted SAG-AFTRA-represented actors during the heart of the Hollywood strike.

Throughout the year, we were honored to host events, produce resources, and truly create the work needed during this pivotal time for workers in American History. We plan to continue into 2024 with an even stronger dedication to the movement.