Introducing the National Labor Leadership Initiative

Dear Friends,

The National Labor Leadership Initiative (NLLI) was designed to meet a profound need expressed by many labor leaders for a space to come together and explore the strategic challenges they face in building a powerful movement for the 21st century.  

The NLLI was launched in November, 2013, with twenty-six high-level leaders from national unions, AFL-CIO central bodies and affiliated organizations, and allied worker organizations. These leaders participated in three intensive retreats, completed the year-long initiative, and are now working to build and expand the NLLI, including shorter regional programs.

The AFL-CIO and The Worker Institute at Cornell are proud to offer this unique opportunity to all those who share our conviction that leadership matters and that leadership development is a critical mission for labor.  

In Solidarity,

Richard Trumka
President, AFL-CIO

Harry Katz
Dean, School of Industrial & Labor Relations at Cornell

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The National Labor Leadership Initiative (NLLI) includes three weeklong retreats and covers three interdependent domains of leadership: personal mastery, organizational change, and movement building. Each retreat addresses all three of these domains, although the primary focus shifts for each retreat.

The NLLI is committed to active learning and uses a wide-range of approaches including one-on-one interviews, small group exercises, live case studies, peer coaching, facilitated discussions, participant panels, formal presentations and guest speakers.

The curriculum itself is flexible in order to adjust to the particular needs and actual leadership challenges the NLLI participants are dealing with in their own organizations. 

To learn more about the program, download our new brochure, or contact Sherrie Morales.