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TestimonialsHere are some ways that the Institute has provided educational opportunities that have made a difference in people's lives. Add your story to theirs! Sign up for a class or workshop now! Maria participated in the skills enhancement computer course taught at Donley Center by the Institute for Labor Studies. She had been out of work for 2 years. She was able to return in a new position with her previous employer at the same pay as her pre-injury salary!
Jean was out of work due to an injury for more than one year. One day she listend to the Institute's Spanish language radio program and found out that she was eligible for free rehabilatative services at the Donley Center. She is now enrolled in a physical therapy program and hopes to return to work soon.
"Every employee should have a copy of the RI Guide to Employment Law! Excellent. Excellent." J. Goldman "I love your website. I's the best labor website I have ever seen." Jim Riley, Sec.-Treas., UFCW 328
"The bottom line is I succeeded [in passing the Para-Pro exam] because I took the classes offered through my union and taught by Institute teachers. It was a rewarding experience. The classes helped me keep my position while helping me understand how difficult it is to be a student. The classes helped me become a more sympathetic and more patient teacher assistant."
"This looks like a great lineup! Thanks for putting such important programming on LaborVision. I was just talking with some folks from the Coalition of Immokalee workers, and was so pleased to see them on the schedule for LaborVision." - Sara Mersha, DARE
"The knowledge I gained in (Institute) classes, and the sense of solidarity I left with, enabled me to become an effective local officer, and eventually a national representative with my union." Andy Slipp, United Steelworkers Union Staff Representative
"I am graduating Rhode Island College finally in May. Thanks for all of your help the Institute really made a difference to me. I've learned so much by attending the seminars and the college credit courses that I took at the Institute." Secretary-Treasurer of an AFSCME Local
"Most of the information from the workshop, I've used to inform our students and will be using to inform our faculty of workplace law, health and safety issues concerning student interns." Frank Duffin, Feinstein High School
"By including this information in the curriculum, students have a greater awareness of their rights and responsibilities in the workplace." Jane Berman, Pilgrim High School
"It has improved quality of Johnston High School programs and educated students." Julie Forte, Johnston High School
"The work-based learning curriculum has added workplace rights and safety as a unit by itself. It is also used in the Business Law classes. This training has helped me to align expectations with students' rights and safety in mind. Employers are well aware of these requirements and are pleased that we as a school district adhere to standards. Consequently, businesses are more open to taking our students into their workplaces.. Barbara Swanson, Westerly Public Schools
"It has opened up dialog in the classroom around safety and workplace rights issues that many students and teachers were not aware of." Heidi Carla, Cranston Career Technical Center
The Institute's training programs will positively affect our efficiency in our present positions and prepare us for the career ladder that leads to promotions and greater opportunity. History has proven that a trained workforce is more effective, more efficient, and safer." - Donald Iannazzi, Business Manager, Laborers' Local 1033 Thanks to training fund dollars secured by their new contracts, Laborers' Local 1033 has embarked on a major new training initiative. According to Donald Iannazzi, Business Manager, Local 1033 will be relying on "institutions and organizations who have served us well in the past" to accomplish their training goals. The Institute for Labor Studies is one of those organizations. Last November, the Institute began offering several Practical Spanish For Your Job classes for Local 1033 members, and will be soon opening a computer lab to provide basic computer skills training. In addition, the Institute will be working with Local 1033 to develop a course for teacher assistants who must pass the new RI Department of Education test (in accordance with the "No Child Left Behind Act") to stay on the job. With approximately 2,500 members eligible, the Institute will continue to work with Local 1033 to identify other areas where training is needed. The result will be better-trained public service employees who have better job opportunities and are better prepared to serve the citizens of Rhode Island. For information on how the Institute for Labor Studies can design education and training programs for members of your union, call 401-463-9900.
"The Labor Institute did an awesome job with the television program. It really reinforced the kind of information and power many of our organizations are trying to teach. Unfortunately lots of people rely on TV for much if not all of their information so this could help validate standing up for themselves as well as others." E-mail from a community organizer.
"I won my last two grievances, thanks to what I learn in the Steward Training Workshops", said one LIUNA steward Another Local 1033 steward who had attended the Customized Steward Training conducted for his union last year said, "Since I attended those workshops, I follow the procedure, and have won every grievance."
To sign up for steward training workshops or arrange a customized steward training for your local, call 401-463-9900 or e-mail Roger Boudreau .
A call from a worker who heard our monthly radio program in Spanish about workers' rights, resulted in 61 out of 70 workers at a factory signing union authorization cards. Your Rights on the Job, in Spanish, is broadcast the first Sunday of each month, 10-11 a.m. on PODER 1190 AM.
The Secretary-Treasurer of a large local union says "I love your web site" after we put up the Steward's Guide for his members to use.
Fire fighters who are inspectors for the DCYF say that taking Practical Spanish for Your Job has vastly improved their ability to inspect the homes of Spanish-speaking residents.
As a result of the Immigrant Workers Rights Project, a new LCLAA (Labor Committee for Latin American Advancement) Chapter is being formed in Rhode Island. Over 35 Latino trade unionists attended the first meeting on October 8. To join or for more information, call Carolina Bernal at 401-463-9900 or e-mail her at cbernal1@att.net
A steward attended the Institute's steward training workshops and became Chief Steward of her local.
An airline worker saw the Institute's LaborVision Programs on television, started to attend Labor Studies Courses at the Institute and became the first Latino elected to the Rhode Island AFL-CIO Executive Board. He is still a leader in his union.
A worker was laid off from a jewelry company, attended the Institute's Dislocated Workers Education Project, went to CCRI in accounting, got a job a Rhode Island Hospital (Teamsters Union) and is now back in classes with the Institute to further her education.
A worker was paralyzed after falling off a roof. He is now learning English as a Second Language as a patient in our classes at Rhode Island Hospital.
A graduate of the Institute's Dislocated Workers Education Program is now an organizer for UFCW Local 328.
An union member attended labor studies courses at the Institute because he wanted to learn to how to become a steward. Upon learning of this, his union president appointed him steward immediately.
An injured worker was able to return to work only on a part-time basis because of his back injuries and limited job skills. After he completed the Insitute's computer course at the Donley Center, his employer promoted him to a full-time Supervisor position.
An injured construction worker completed his college degree with a major in Labor Studies. Thanks in part to that degree, he is now an inspector for the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training.
A caller to the Workers Rights Hotline got his workers' compensation benefits restored, after months of waiting.
"The web site is a fantastic source of information," wrote one union representative recently.
Send us your story of how the Institute helped to improve your life.
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Marie Caletri is a teacher assistant at Windmill Annex School , Providence , and a member of Laborers' Local 1033. She took classes offered by her union and the Institute's Workplace Adult Education Program to prepare for the Para-Pro Test, as required by the federal government's No Child Left Behind Act. 
