Thank you for your interest in this event! Online registration has now closed.

To register, please visit the on-site registration desk during the times below.

Friday, November 8
5 p.m. - 7 p.m., Campus Center 1st Floor Registration Desk

Saturday, November 9
8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m., Campus Center 1st Floor Registration Desk


The conference will be conducted in English; Spanish interpretation will be provided for monolingual Spanish participants.

Para Español Favor de hacer click aqui.


ABOUT THE CONFERENCE:

The UMass Labor Center invites you to join us November 8-10 for an exciting event, Visions of Labor: Film and Worker Voices. Together, as workers and social justice activists, we will watch and discuss new and classic labor films, along with worker-created videos, as we explore the power of worker stories and how these stories can be used to inspire reflection and spur creative action. You’ll also have the opportunity to get a sneak preview of a major labor film in-progress, and hear from the film’s award-winning director. The films and videos shown will reflect the diversity of the labor movement and working people, and our discussions together will highlight the many ways in which worker voices can be effectively heard.


CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE:
All showings and workshops will be in the UMass Amherst Campus Center, located at 1 Campus Center Way, Amherst MA 01003. Click the "Getting There" tab for additional information on logistics and travel.

Friday, November 8 – Informal Opening

5:00pm - 7:00pm: Early Registration
7:00pm - 9:00pm: Screening of Pride (Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khbz4ncVY9o)
9:15pm - 10:15pm: Screening of  Wisconsin Rising (Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiPYZbl8peQ)

Saturday, November 9

8:00am - 9:00am: Registration and Tabling; light breakfast provided
9:00am - 9:20am: Opening Session, Visions of Labor - What Can We Learn from Films about Workers' Stories and Struggles?
9:30am - 12:40pm: Morning Film Viewing and Discussion - Participants will view one of these films, based on their registration choices, followed by a facilitated small group discussion of the film. (More detail about each film is listed in the Saturday Morning tab.) Film Choices:
          At the River I Stand https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=xzRUwwRQzVc
          and I Am Somebody https://vimeo.com/207819556 (shown together)
          The Hand That Feeds 
https://vimeo.com/52870881
         Union Time: Fighting for Workers’ Rights https://vimeo.com/203719104
12:40pm - 1:50pm: Lunch (provided)
1:50pm - 4:10pm: Afternoon Film Viewing and Discussion - Participants will view one of these films, based on their registration choices, followed by a facilitated small group discussion of the film. (More detail about each film is listed in the Saturday Afternoon tab.)
          Dear Walmart https://vimeo.com/151885364
          Uberland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LMUaV1q4FQ
          Workers Republic https://vimeo.com/30874094 and Flint Sit-In (short film, no trailer available)

4:20pm - 6:30pm: Sneak Preview of 9 to 5: The Story of a Movement by Oscar-nominated filmmakers, Julia Reichert & Steven Bognar. Guest speakers:Julia Reichert and early 9 to 5 leader, Kim Cook.
6:30pm - 8:00pm: Dinner (on your own)
6:30pm - 7:45pm: Event for Labor Center alums in Campus Center, details TBA, followed by showing of American Factory

8:00pm - 10:00pm: Screening: American Factory (Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m36QeKOJ2Fc)

Sunday, November 10

8:00am - 9:00am: Light breakfast provided
9:00am - 9:20am: Opening Session, The Power of Workers Voices - How Do We Capture, Preserve, and Use Workers' Stories?
9:30am - 10:20am: Workshop session 1
10:35am - 11:25am: Workshop session 2
11:35am - 12:00pm: Closing Session, Where Do We Go From Here?

SATURDAY MORNING FILMS AND WORKSHOPS

9:30am - 12:40pm
Participants will be able to choose from one film Saturday morning and a different film Saturday afternoon. After each film, you will be part of a small (approximately 15 person) workshop discussion on the film, run by an experienced facilitator. Please review the descriptions and indicate a first and second choice for the Saturday morning film on the Registration Form. You may also indicate if you have no preference. 

At The River I Stand (1993, 59 min) and I Am Somebody (1970, 28 min) (Double Feature)
At The River I Stand (1993, 59 min)
Memphis, Spring 1968 marked the dramatic climax of the Civil Rights movement. AT THE RIVER I STAND skillfully reconstructs the two eventful months that transformed a 1968 strike by Memphis sanitation workers into a national conflagration, bringing together complex historical forces that lead to the tragic death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This documentary raises critical issues, including the connection between economic and civil rights, debates over strategies for change, the demand for full inclusion of African Americans in American life, and the fight for dignity for public employees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=xzRUwwRQzVc

I Am Somebody (1970, 28 min)
In 1969, 400 poorly paid women -- hospital workers, almost all African-American-- in Charleston, South Carolina -- went on strike to demand union recognition and a wage increase, only to find themselves in a confrontation with the National Guard and the state government. A testament to the courage of these women who would not be humbled, the now classic I am Somebody is both an inspiring film and an important historical record.
https://vimeo.com/207819556

The Hand That Feeds (2014, 84 min)
At a popular bakery café in New York’s Upper East Side undocumented immigrant workers face sub-legal wages, dangerous machinery, and abusive managers who will fire them for calling in sick. Risking deportation and the loss of their livelihood, the workers team up with a diverse crew of innovative young organizers and take the unusual step of forming their own independent union, launching themselves on a journey that will test the limits of their resolve.
https://vimeo.com/52870881

Union Time: Fighting for Workers’ Rights (2016, 86 min)
From 1993 to 2008, workers struggled against dangerous working conditions, intimidation, and low pay. As they fought to organize Smithfield Foods’ pork processing plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina. This documentary tells the story of the long-term organizing drive and national campaign to bring justice to 5000 workers.
https://vimeo.com/203719104

SATURDAY AFTERNOON FILMS AND WORKSHOPS

1:50pm - 4:10pm

Participants will be able to choose from one film Saturday morning and a different film Saturday afternoon. After each film, you will be part of a small (approximately 15 person) workshop discussion on the film, run by an experienced facilitator. Please review the descriptions and indicate a first and second choice for the Saturday afternoon film on the Registration Form. You may also indicate if you have no preference. 

Dear Walmart (2019, 59 min)
This independent documentary film tells the personal stories of workers across America's largest private employer who are standing up, fighting back and changing lives.
https://vimeo.com/flowstatefilms/dearwalmarttrailer

Uberland (2018, 54 min)
This documentary pulls back the curtain on the labor issues surrounding Uber and the gig economy. The film follows several San Francisco Uber drivers as these independent contractors navigate the gig economy where many workers have meager earnings and few labor protections
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LMUaV1q4FQ

Workers Republic (60 Minutes) and Flint Sit-In (6 minutes)
Your boss gives you three days' notice that your workplace is closing. You will be unemployed in a recession, without the severance the law says you deserve. For six days in December of 2008, laid-off Chicago factory workers took over their closing workplace, declaring they would not leave until the owners and creditors agreed to pay them the severance they were owed. Succeed or fail, these 260 workers decided, "If I don't fight, I know I'll lose. If I do fight, at least I stand a chance of winning."
https://vimeo.com/30874094

Flint Sit-In
Short union-created film on UAW-GM sit-down strike of 1937.

4:20pm - 6:30pm

Sneak Preview of 9 to 5: The Story of a Movement by Oscar-nominated filmmakers, Julia Reichert & Steven Bognar. Guest speaker Julia Reichert and early 9 to 5 leader, Kim Cook. This documentary tells the story of a grassroots movement of women clerical workers who endured low pay, disrespect, and sexual harassment. By the early 1970s, they had had enough. They gathered their courage, rose up, and started fighting for a better life. Reichert is known for her films Union Maids, Growing Up Female and Seeing Red. Bognar & Reichert additionally co-directed the labor films American Factory 美国工厂(Higher Ground Productions - Netflix) and The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (HBO). Julia will join us to discuss this documentary work-in progress about how low-wage women workers built a national movement. We will also be joined in-person by Kim Cook, former President of SEIU Local 925 and currently an extension faculty member at Cornell University’s Worker Institute. Kim is one of the early 9 to 5 organizers featured in the documentary film.

Saturday Evening

American Factory (2019, 115 min)
In 2014, a Chinese billionaire opened a Fuyao factory in a shuttered General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio. For thousands of locals, the arrival of this multinational car-glass manufacturer meant regaining their jobs—and dignity—after the recession left them high and dry. American Factory takes us inside the facility to observe what happens when workers from profoundly different cultures collide.

With precision and astonishing access, directors Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar capture every key moment in this high-stakes intercultural chess game, revealing how American and Chinese workers view themselves within systems of authority. What results is an epic masterwork about the future of American labor and Chinese economic dominance, all within the confines of a factory in Ohio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m36QeKOJ2Fc

SUNDAY

8:00am - 9:00am: Light breakfast

9:00am - 9:20am: Opening Session, The Power of Worker Voices--How Do We Capture, Preserve, and Use Workers’ Stories?

9:30am - 10:20am: Workshop session 1

10:35am - 11:25am: Workshop session 2

You do not have to register for these workshops in advance, but please indicate your level of interest for each on the Registration form. Workshop subject areas (some will be offered in the first time slot and some in the second) are:
Using Worker Stories for Activism: Hear from current and past union leaders and activists and see the creative and powerful ways in which they are using worker stories.
Building Community through Worker Stories: Find out how UMass has used worker stories to connect immigrant workers, workers across identities, and workers and students to build community in a large diverse workplace.
Creating Worker Digital Stories: See worker-created stories about moments of transformation, and hear about how those stories were created.
Building a Worker Story Project and Collection: Learn about a major project collecting oral histories from groups of workers, histories that will be made accessible to current generations of workers.
Taking Worker Oral Histories: Hear about and get to practice the basics of how to interview workers in ways that result in great oral histories of past and current generations of workers.
Making Your Own Labor Film: See excerpts from short films produced by workers and activists about different labor communities, actions, and ideas, and hear about how they made these videos.

11:35am - 12:00pm: Closing Session, Where Do We Go From Here?

                  

                                       

          

               

CONFERENCE LOCATION
The conference is being held at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Murray D. Lincoln Campus Center located at 1 Campus Center Way, Amherst MA 01003. Sessions and events will be held on the First Floor Concourse, and a variety of adjoining meeting rooms. When you register, you may indicate that you need a ride or can give a ride from Springfield or Holyoke.


DRIVING TO CAMPUS
From the North
From I-91 South, take exit 25 in Deerfield. At the end of the ramp, turn left and follow road to the intersection. Turn right onto Routes 5 & 10 South. Go 1 mile, then turn left onto Route 116 South. Follow 8 miles to the UMass exit.

From the East
Via Route 2 West to Exit 16 (Belchertown/Amherst). From Route 2 take Route 202 South for about 15 miles to a blinking yellow light at Amherst Road. (You will see signs "to Rt 9 and Rt 116"). Turn right and follow Amherst Road (becomes Pelham Road after about 4 miles) for 7 miles to Amherst center. Follow signs to UMass.

From the South
From I-91 North, take Exit 19 in Northampton. From the exit ramp, turn right onto Route 9. Travel approximately 4.5 miles to Route 116 North (turn left at traffic lights). The UMass exit is 1 mile up.

From the West
From Route 2 East, follow to Greenfield/I-91 exit. Take I-91 South to Exit 25, Deerfield. At the end of the ramp turn left and follow the road to the intersection. Turn right onto Routes 5 & 10 South. Go 1 mile, then turn left onto Route 116 South. Follow for 8 miles to the UMass exit.

From I-90 (Mass Pike)
Take Exit 4 (West Springfield). Follow I-91 North to Exit 19. From the exit ramp, turn right onto Route 9. Travel approximately 4.5 miles to Route 116 North (turn left at traffic lights). The UMass exit is 1 mile up.


PARKING
Garage Parking:
If you are staying at the Campus Center, you will receive a parking pass for the length of the conference when you check in. For more information on free weekend parking areas on campus, please see free parking information below. Parking is available for all attendees in the Campus Center Parking Garage, located at 1 Campus Center Way in Amherst, MA 01003. Campus Center Way is located off of Commonwealth Avenue, across the street from the Mullins Center. After turning onto Campus Center Way proceed up the hill to enter the garage. Once you enter the garage we recommend following the signs down to the Hotel/Concourse entrance located on Level 2 and entering the Campus Center using the marked walkway near the Parking Services office. Alternatively, you may park on any level and use the outdoor campus walkways. After entering the Campus Center (you will be on the 2nd floor), follow the signs through the concourse and down the escalators to the 1st floor on-site registration/sign-in desk

Free Parking:
After 5 p.m. on Friday and throughout the weekend most surface lots around campus offer parking at no charge. Free weekend lots close to the Campus Center include lots 64, 65, 25 and 30. To park in a surface lot at no charge you must arrive after 5 p.m. on Friday or anytime on Saturday or Sunday, avoid any spots marked as "restricted" or "reserved", and avoid any lots marked as "24-hour restricted" or "24-hour permit required".  Click here to take a look at an interactive parking map. Zoom in to find the Campus Center (marked with a "Hotel UMass" icon) and nearby surface lots.

Please do not park elsewhere on campus unless you have a valid permit for a surface lot through UMass Parking Services - parking elsewhere without a valid permit will likely result in unwanted ticketing and/or towing.


ON-CAMPUS LODGING
Hotel UMass
Rated the best hotel in Amherst and seated in the center of the picturesque UMass Amherst campus, Hotel UMass blends a tranquil countryside escape with the bustling energy of campus life. Located in the Campus Center just an elevator ride from many amenities, including the University Store and several newly renovated dining options, Hotel UMass offers unbeatable convenience. Interested guests must make their reservation directly with the hotel ( www.hotelumass.com or 877-822-2110). Reference LFF19C to receive the discounted group rate (available until October 11, or until space fills).


AREA LODGING 
The Amherst area is full of many hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts. A variety of hotel chains offer their familiar comforts just a short 5 - 10 minute drive from the UMass Campus on Route 9/Russell Street in neighboring Hadley, while charming independent inns and B&Bs dot the area, offering a true taste of Pioneer Valley living.

Below are some popular off-campus lodging options, including the estimated drive time to the Campus Center and Parking Garage. Click here for a full listing of area lodging courtesy of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. Interested in staying at a local Bed and Breakfast? Click here for more information on what the Pioneer Valley has to offer, courtesy of the Five College Area Bed and Breakfast Association.

Amherst 
Inn on Boltwood- 413-253-2576 (10 minutes)
Allen House Inn - 413-253-5000 (9 minutes)
Black Walnut Inn - 413-549-5649 (8 minutes)
Amherst Airbnb

Hadley 
Courtyard Marriott - 413-256-5454 (8 minutes)
Holiday Inn Express - 413-582-0002 (7 minutes)
Econo Lodge - 413-582-7077 (9 minutes)
Hampton Inn - 413-586-4851 (16 minutes)
Howard Johnson - 413-586-0114 (10 minutes)
Rodeway Inn - 413-584-9816 (11 minutes)

Northampton 
Hotel Northampton - 413-584-7660 (21 minutes)
Quality Inn & Suites - 413-586-1500 (21 minutes)

Deerfield 
Deerfield Inn - 413-774-5587 (27 minutes)
Red Roof Inn - 413-665-7161 (19 minutes)

REGISTRATION
The Labor Center and its Visions of Labor organizing group is committed to making the conference accessible to anyone who is interested in attending. During registration attendees will be able to select their individual registration donation, or you can indicate if your union is covering the cost of your attendance. Please donate at whatever level you can; your donations will help defray event costs and support the Labor Center. All are welcome, regardless of ability to pay. During registration attendees will also select their preferences for Saturday and Sunday Film Workshops: click the "Saturday Morning", "Saturday Afternoon" and "Sunday Morning" tabs above to view available trailers and read descriptions. 

If you have any questions about the facility or registration, please contact Conference Services staff at 413-577-8102 or registration@umass.edu. For any program questions please email conference organizers at visionsoflabor@gmail.com.

For any questions about the facility or registration, please contact Conference Services staff at registration@umass.edu or 413-577-8102.

For any program questions, please email the conference organizers at visionsoflabor@gmail.com.