McBride Lecture

Each year, the Higgins Program invites a nationally recognized leader to talk on a current labor topic, addressing both the campus and local communities.

The annual McBride Lecture was established in 1977 by the United Steelworkers (USW) “to better understand the principles of unionism and our economy."  It honors the fourth international president of the USW, Lloyd McBride, who was president from 1977 to 1983. Past speakers include labor leaders, politicians, writers, and economists.

Bernstein Delivers the 33rd Annual McBride Lecture

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Rebuilding the American Dream:  The Economic Issues at Stake in the Presidential Election

Jared Bernstein, Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), delivered the 33rd annual McBride Lecture at the University of Notre Dame on Wednesday, October 3, 2012. Before joining the CBPP, Bernstein served as Chief Economist and Economic Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden from 2009-2011.  As part of his work in the Obama administration, Bernstein was the executive director of the White House Task Force on the Middle Class.  Prior to that time, Bernstein was a senior economist and the director of the Living Standards Program at the Economic Policy Institute and a deputy chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor. He is the author of "Crunch:  Why Do I Feel So Squeezed?" and nine editions of "The State of Working America."

Watch his presentation here:  http://bit.ly/JarrodBernsteinLecture.

 

Trumka Delivers 2011 McBride Lecture

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AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka delivered the 2011 McBride Lecture at the University of Notre Dame on Wednesday, September 14, 2011.  President Trumka is a leader in the struggle for workers' rights and economic justice.  Born into a coal-mining family in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Trumka spent over 7 years in the coal mines working his way through college and law school and learning the importance of hard work, fair treatment, and solidarity.  Trumka has been a tireless advocate for workers' rights.  His lecture included a call for a new generation of labor leaders:
My generation – and your parents and grandparents – could make it in America because of the labor movement. For the quarter century after World War II, our economy grew steadily, and every sector of society – the rich, the poor and the ever-expanding middle class – saw their livelihoods increase at about the same rate. Because a third of the workforce belonged to unions – and set the standard for the entire economy – Americans reaped the rewards of working harder and smarter.

Tonight, I want to talk about how a revitalized labor movement can build a growing, generous and optimistic America again. Your generation can -- and must -- lead the way.

Read all of Richard Trumka's remarks here.

Past McBride Speakers

2010       Ellen Bravo, Writer, Educator, Leader in Working Women's Rights

2009       David Foster, Executive Director, Blue Green Alliance

2008       Nelson Lichtenstein, Labor Historian, UC-Berkeley

2006       Louis Uchitelle, New York Times Reporter & Author

2004       Marco Trbovich, Assistant to the President, USWA

2003       Richard Trumka, Secretary-Treasurer, AFL-CIO

2002       Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Member of U.S. Congress

2001       Leo W. Gerard, International President, USWA

2000       Amy Dean, Founder, Working Partnerships USA

1999       John J. Sweeney, AFL-CIO President

1998       George Becker, International President, USWA

1997       Don Barlett, Pulitzer Prize Winner

1996       Charles Kernaghan, National Labor Committee

1995       Jeremy Brecher, Author and PBS Commentator

1994       Larry Mishel, Economist and Commentator

1993       William Greider, Political Columnist and Author

1992       Lynn R. Williams, International President, USWA

1991       Barry Commoner, Environmentalist and Author

1990       David Montgomery, Labor Historian and Author

1989       Edmund Ayoub, Steel Economist and Author

1988       John Hoerr, Author, Writer and Columnist

1987       Ruth Milkman, UCLA Professor and Author

1986       John Culbertson, Economist and Author

1985       Stanley Aronowitz, CUNY Professor and Author

1984       Robert Kuttner, Author and Business Week Columnist

1983       James Ridgeway, Political Columnist and Author

1982       Victor Fingerhut, Political Columnist and Pollster

1981       Mark Green, NY Consumer Affairs Commissioner

1980       A. H. Raskin, Writer and New York Times Editor

1979       Randy Barber, Author and Pension Fund Expert

1978       Murray Kempton, Author, Writer and Columnist