The Center for Labor Education and Research is a left-leaning labor advocacy organization based in Massachusetts that mostly acts as a parent organization operating multiple pro-labor union activism projects and local Massachusetts-based chapters or national labor-connected advocacy groups. The organization does not have a public-facing presence itself; most of its activity consists of operating the Massachusetts chapters of national left-leaning labor advocacy groups Jobs with Justice and Interfaith Worker Justice. The organization is also a fiscal sponsor of left-leaning organizations Student Immigration Movement and Teacher Activist Group Boston. ^{1 2 3}

Background

The Center for Labor Education and Research was founded in 1984. The organization does not have a public-facing presence or standalone website and mostly acts as a fiscal sponsor, funding mechanism, and parent organization for multiple small left-leaning pro-labor union activist groups in Massachusetts. The organization is the parent organization for Interfaith Worker Justice Massachusetts and Massachusetts Jobs with Justice. ^{1 2 3}

Massachusetts Jobs with Justice

The Center for Labor Education and Research became the fiscal sponsor of Western Massachusetts Jobs with Justice which merged with its eastern counterpart in 2017 to become Massachusetts Jobs with Justice. The organization is a chapter of Jobs with Justice, a national coalition of worker centers and left-wing advocacy groups formed in 1987 by Larry Cohen, who would later serve as president of the Communications Workers of America labor union. The group operates a number of local chapters under the Jobs with Justice and other independent brands like ALIGN: Alliance for a Greater New York. JWJ has been involved in supporting Fight for $15 campaigns. ^{1 2 3}

Massachusetts Jobs with Justice advocates for a variety of left-leaning policies within the state including legislation to create a government-run single-payer healthcare system, guaranteed free college and university education, and to eliminate the tipped minimum wage. ⁴

Interfaith Worker Justice

The Center for Labor Education and Research also serves as the parent organization for Interfaith Worker Justice Massachusetts. The group is the state-level chapter of Interfaith Worker Justice, a nominally religious-based non-profit which allies with labor unions and other groups with left-leaning economic policy advocacy goals. ⁵

Student Immigration Movement

Another project of the Center for Labor Education and Research is the Student Immigration Movement, a group that operates multiple programs and campaigns targeted towards immigrant students. Campaigns run by the group include those opposing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s presence in Boston and within the Boston Public School system. ⁶

Connected Organizations

Member organizations of Massachusetts Jobs with Justice include dozens of local labor unions, including chapters of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Other members of the organization include the Democratic Socialists of American, the Black Economic Justice Institute, the National Association of Social Workers, the National Lawyers Guild, and the National Priorities Project. ⁷

1. “IRS Form 990.” Center for Labor Education and Research. 2017. Accessed September 18, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/222604923/201812279349301751/full
2. Manheim, Jarol. “The Emerging Role of Worker Centers in Union Organizing: An Update and Supplement.” Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America. 2017. Accessed September 18, 2021. https://www.uschamber.com/sites/default/files/uscc_wfi_workercenterreport_2017.pdf
3. “We Fought For $15 and Won!” Long Island Jobs with Justice. September 28, 2016. Accessed April 06, 2018. https://longislandjwj.org/2015/07/23/we-fought-for-15-and-won/
4. “2021 Legislative Priorities.” Massachusetts Jobs with Justice. Accessed September 18, 2021. https://www.massjwj.net/legislative-priorities-2021
5. Interfaith Worker Justice, About, Accessed September 18, 2021. http://www.iwj.org/about
6. Sood, Divya. “Student Immigrant Movement strives to support students seeking higher education.” The Daily Free Press. February 24, 2021. Accessed September 18, 2021. https://dailyfreepress.com/2021/02/24/student-immigrant-movement-strives-to-support-students-seeking-higher-education/
7. “Our Coalition.” Massachusetts Jobs with Justice. Accessed September 18, 2021. https://www.massjwj.net/about/our-coalition