Maite Tapia is Assistant Professor at Michigan State University’s School of Human Resources and Labor Relations. Her research centers on the organizing strategies of trade unions and community organizations in the U.S. and Europe, and on work, migration, and the concept of intersectionality. She has published her work in several academic journals and is co-editor of the 2014 Cornell University Press book, "Mobilizing Against Inequality: Unions, Immigrant Workers, and the Crisis of Capitalism".

Prof. Tapia will discuss a multi-year study on young workers and their level of involvement in the labor movements of four countries: France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Results suggest that two key variables affect involvement level: The openness and encouragement of unions to the leadership development of young workers, and the persistence and creativity of groups of young workers in promoting their own engagement. Young workers embody labor’s potential for movement-building and for resistance to authoritarianism and populism.

This is the second of a six-lecture series. The subject is The Future of Work. How Will Your Grandchildren Make a Living? The next lecture will be January 17, 2019. The subject is: Human Thriving in the New World of Work.