Local Strategies for Worker Power 

Joined on the panel by LiJia Gong of Local Progress, Terri Gerstein of Harvard Law School Center for Labor and a Just Economy, and Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, Local Strategies for Worker Power touched on the year-long collaboration between COWS and MASH leveraging local-government support to achieve real gains for workers.

Gong and Gerstein opened the session with a presentation on various strategies for local governments to support job quality and worker justice efforts based on their report, The role of local government in protecting workers’ rights, written for the Economic Policy Institute. Rickman, Nicholson, and Aquiles-Sanchez followed, sharing their experiences working on Milwaukee worker initiatives from the perspective of organizers, local government officials, and researchers, respectively.

The triangulation of all three perspectives in Milwaukee, especially in response to recent proposals for downtown development in the Iron District and Northwestern Mutual buildings, has made the last year and half of collaboration with MASH so exciting. Paraphrasing COWS Director Joel Rogers, Peter Rickman said, “Cities are big enough to matter, and small enough to wrap your arms around." 

To learn more, visit the 2023 LRAN conference website and view the full conference program.

COWS Project Updates

ProGov21’s newest policy roadmap covers land use policy and regulating the built environment through tools like zoning, building codes, and urban planning. These policies affect virtually every aspect of life, including access to housing, jobs, schools, public space, public services, and transportation.

For more information on how local governments can use innovative land use approaches to drive high road economic development and social belonging, read the full roadmap here.

In honor of Pride Month, the Mayors Innovation Project recently released Celebrating Mayoral Efforts to Combat LGBTQ+ Attacks, a feature highlighting mayors and cities working to counter harmful anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislative attacks.

To learn more about local responses to discriminatory state legislation and efforts to promote gender inclusivity, including examples from Georgia, Florida, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin, read the full feature here.

On Wednesday, June 28, join the State Smart Transportation Initiative (SSTI) for Measuring Accessibility: Advances in Project Evaluation, the second in its multi-part webinar series addressing transportation equity using accessibility metrics.

Featuring guest speakers Henry McKay from Caltrans and Ally de Alcuaz from MnDOT, the session covers the latest work in California and Minnesota in leveraging new analytical tools to evaluate transportation projects by their impact on equity and access. Learn more and register today here.

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