About Us

Welcome to the U.S.-China Labor/Scholars' Exchange:

      We have established this website to provide a vehicle for the exchange of information and ideas.  It is especially designed for those who are committed to strengthening unions and improving the conditions of workers.  All articles posted here are available in Chinese and English and should be of particular interest to academics, union leaders, and labor activists in both countries.  We believe that sharing knowledge and experiences, and engaging in meaningful dialogue are important ingredients that help further mutual understanding, improved relations, and strategic collaborations.

      In these exchanges, we do not want to shy away from provocative ideas or thoughtful critiques. At the same time, our main purpose is to foster better relations among labor activists and labor organizations and to encourage joint endeavors and concerted action around common interests.  Collaborative research projects and joint campaigns are just two of the many ways we think that labor organizations in both countries can work together.  For this reason, we will evaluate the success of this exchange by its ability to be useful to those engaged in building a better, more equitable and just society.

      Postings are not limited to scholarly research.  The web site will also translate and post documents, legal passages, essays on best practices, articles from the mainstream and alternative press, etc.

      Topics selected for posting will generally fall into one of six categories:

1. The new global economy
2. Organizing
3. Politics and policies
4. Union strategies and practices
5. Internal structure and organization
6. Current issues and debates within and between the U.S. and Chinese labor movements

      Many, but certainly not all, of the articles that appear here were first published in New Labor Forum, a publication of the JSM Institute.  We encourage English speaking readers to subscribe to the journal by going to www.newlaborforum.org.

      The U.S. China Scholar's Exchange was initiated by the JSM Institute of the City University of New York (CUNY) -- ormerly the Queens College Labor Resource Center, CUNY -- in cooperation with the Labor Center of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).  Initial funding for this project was provided by the U.S. China Legal Cooperation Fund.  Scholars from nearly a dozen universities on both continents are partners in this endeavor: they provide articles, contacts, and suggestions. 

      The success of this website depends on active engagement of its readers.  We urge readers in China and the U.S., -- and other parts of the world -- to help us identify articles for posting, participate in the forums, and suggest ways we can improve this site.  We look forward to your ideas and feedback.

Sincerely,

Founders

• JSM Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies, City University of New York

in collaboration with the

• Center for Labor Research and Education University of California, Los Angeles

Participating Institutions in U.S. and China

• Renmin University of China

Sponsor

Initial funding for this project was provided by
U.S. China Legal Cooperation Fund

Contact information

us_china@uschinalabor.org