Indiana University’s Labor Studies Department will be closing in 2026-7, along with many other small programs, as a result of recently passed state law HB 1001 with no public feedback or input. Most Hoosiers do not know IU has a labor/worker education program (LS was about 15 faculty and professional staff statewide at its height and is significantly smaller now). Business and political leaders in Indiana want to keep workers ignorant of their rights.

It’s not too late to organize. Please sign the AFL-CIO petition below.

IU’s labor education efforts began in 1946 with the founding of its extension program. Credit programming was added in 1976 and in the early 1990s IU Northwest developed Swingshift College, with videotaped classes to accommodate students on rotating schedules at steel mills. In 2005, when Labor Studies was still relatively strong, the state legislature slashed our budget, which led to immediate shrinkage of the faculty and the loss of the extension program. When Democrats regained the Statehouse majority two years later IU assigned administration of Labor Studies to the School of Social Work. This included Labor Studies’ hard won $1.3 million budget surplus (from expanding online classes in the battle to save the program).  We were told that transitioning into IUSSW entailed a social work rather than a labor studies director “for the first couple of years”.  But this period continued from 2007-2019 while Social Work ignored Labor Studies’ urgent requests for investment in our website, replacement of our retiring faculty, and re-starting affordable extension classes.

Lynn Duggan
Assoc. Professor Emerita
IU Labor Studies Department
IUSSW, Indiana University

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/labor-studies-is-vital-to-working-hoosiers/thankyou

Sent from my iPhone

Link to petition corrected below —thanks, Tess.

From: Lynn Duggan <lynnduggan3@yahoo.com>
Date: November 6, 2025 at 11:56:04 AM EST
To: ualelist@list.uale.org
Subject: Indiana University Labor Studies—sad news

 Indiana University’s Labor Studies Department will be closing in 2026-7, along with many other small programs, as a result of recently passed state law HB 1001 with no public feedback or input. Most Hoosiers do not know IU has a labor/worker education program (LS was about 15 faculty and professional staff statewide at its height and is significantly smaller now). Business and political leaders in Indiana want to keep workers ignorant of their rights.

It’s not too late to organize. Please sign the AFL-CIO petition below.

IU’s labor education efforts began in 1946 with the founding of its extension program. Credit programming was added in 1976 and in the early 1990s IU Northwest developed Swingshift College, with videotaped classes to accommodate students on rotating schedules at steel mills. In 2005, when Labor Studies was still relatively strong, the state legislature slashed our budget, which led to immediate shrinkage of the faculty and the loss of the extension program. When Democrats regained the Statehouse majority two years later IU assigned administration of Labor Studies to the School of Social Work. This included Labor Studies’ hard won $1.3 million budget surplus (from expanding online classes in the battle to save the program). We were told that transitioning into IUSSW entailed a social work rather than a labor studies director “for the first couple of years”. But this period continued from 2007-2019 while Social Work ignored Labor Studies’ urgent requests for investment in our website, replacement of our retiring faculty, and re-starting affordable extension classes.

Lynn Duggan
Assoc. Professor Emerita
IU Labor Studies Department
IUSSW, Indiana University

Labor Studies is Vital for Working Hoosiers

act.aflcio.org