Our Commitment to Lois’ Vision
Lois Gray was a pioneer in the field of labor education. She had a vision for raising up the collective voice of working people. In 2012, Lois helped establish The Worker Institute at Cornell ILR. The Worker Institute engages in research and education on contemporary labor issues. Lois saw the institute as a place to generate innovative thinking and solutions to problems related to work, economy, and society.
Before her passing in 2018, Lois created the Lois Gray Fund for Innovation with a personal, million-dollar gift. Lois recognized the vital role The Worker Institute plays in creating a unique space for labor leaders to learn, explore, examine and experiment.
The Worker Institute is deeply honored and appreciative of Lois’ gift, and we are incredibly thankful for the opportunity she has given us to continue her legacy. Using Lois’ gift, we will be launching the Lois Gray Labor Innovation Initiative in 2020.
In consultation with Lois’ family, the Worker Institute Advisory Council and other key stakeholders and partners, we will develop a comprehensive program for the initiative. This program will include public events, training workshops, research, and outreach. The Initiative's goal is to bring together labor leaders, union members, scholars and other allies to advance innovative ideas for protecting and expanding workers' rights.
Sponsorship Levels
For the upcoming event, The Life and Legacy of Lois Gray, please consider becoming a sponsor to expand Lois' legacy.
Legacy Builder Sponsor - $10,000
Innovation Sponsor - $5,000
Labor Innovator - $1,000
Your Contribution to Lois’ Vision
If you, your union, or your organization share Lois’ vision for nurturing and encouraging innovative ideas, strategies, and practices to strengthen workers’ rights and create a more just and equitable world, please consider a gift to the Lois Gray Fund for Innovation.
Your gift will help us build the Lois Gray Labor Innovation Initiative to carry on the brilliant, path-breaking work Lois did throughout her incredible life. As workers’ rights are increasingly under attack, this major initiative will create space for labor leaders, union members, scholars, and activists to think and act differently. It will create a space to develop, discuss, and experiment with new practices that build the power of working people.
The Future of Care Work Initiative
The Future of Care Work Initiative explores the widely devalued, underpaid, and too often difficult, degrading working conditions of care economy jobs. Care workers often face significant stress and trauma in these jobs, and yet face barriers to accessing care themselves. The Future of Care Work advances the needs, voices, and experiences of care workers themselves, identifying long-term solutions that value their labor with good wages and dignified working conditions. We do this through training, convenings and research with support from the Lois Gray Labor Innovation Initiative. To learn more about our work in this field, please click here.
Events
Contact
For more information or help with a gift to the Lois Gray Fund for Innovation, please contact:
Patricia Campos-Medina, Executive Director
The Worker Institute, Cornell ILR
570 Lexington Ave, 12th Floor
New York, NY, 10022
pec1@cornell.edu