STUDENT LABOR ACTION PROJECT A Joint Project of Jobs With Justice & U.S. Student Association studentlabor.org | @studentlabor Shanell Williams | [email protected].

STUDENT LABOR ACTION PROJECTA Joint Project of Jobs With Justice & U.S. Student Association

studentlabor.org | @studentlabor

Shanell Williams | [email protected]

What is the Student Labor Action Project?• National network of powerful campus organizations• Campaigns that build student and worker power on campus• Pipeline for talented student organizers• Bridge from student organizations to labor unions,

community organizations, and interfaith groups

SLAP: A Joint Project• National Jobs With Justice

• Anchor student organizing in the context of local coalitions of labor unions, community groups, and faith organizations

• Local leadership development

• United States Student Association• Represents 1.5 million students across the country• Leadership development with a cohort of multi-issue

student activists• Transformative national gatherings of membership• Organize GrassRoots Organizing Weekend Trainings

(joint project with Midwest Academy)

SLAP and the Debt-Free Future Campaign

• Summer 2011: SLAP Leadership Committee identified student debt as a major problem for students and workers

• Victories: Sallie Mae left ALEC (2013), Sallie Mae fined $97 million for cheating active duty service members (2014), regulated the campus banking market to stop financial aid disbursers from profiting off working class students (2015)

(Un)Popular Economics Trainings• JWJ brings together unions, community organizations, and

student organizations to tackle the problem of student debt in a one-day training

• Modules: telling student debt stories, student debt privilege walk, enrolling in PSLF, and stories of success in taking collective action

(Un)Popular Economics Training in Seattle in September 2015

SLAP and Students and Youth for Free Education

• Core partner of the only national student and youth-run and led coalition for free higher education, convened by the U.S. Student Association

• Free higher education means …• Free tuition at public colleges and universities• Debt-free college: working class students can access need-based

financial aid to pay for other college costs, such as housing and textbooks

• Higher education free of corporate interests

• Toolkit launching soon!

National Day of Action: Million Student March• Currently have 27 campus actions planned on November 12• Toolkit launching soon on October 11!• Central Organizing Committee: core leaders and staff• Campus Organizer call for student organizers on October 11