At its heart, the Worker Institute views its work as a contribution to reversing the growing inequality, now at historic levels, which undermines the economic and social sustainability of a vibrant democratic society.  The Institute provides the nation’s most comprehensive education, training, research, and organizational support for union leaders and worker advocates.  Worker Institute research fellows, sometimes in small teams, will have the opportunity to work directly with Ithaca-based faculty and ILR labor extension faculty based in NYC.

The fellowship program’s goal is to provide ILR students with a unique opportunity to contribute to important projects concerning workers and unions, expand their research skills, learn about potential career paths and interact with faculty, labor leaders and other fellows.

The main selection criteria include a strong academic record and a demonstrated interest in one of the Worker Institute’s research areas. 

Precarious Work and Equity at Work

The Worker Institute uses research to understand the root cause of problems in the world of work and design long-term solutions that advance collective representation and racial and gender equity. To do this, we apply community-engaged and participatory research methods to our research and evaluation of policies and programs. This reflects our commitment to ensuring that workers themselves are at the center of public discussions and decisions that directly affect them. 

Research fellows will support projects in the following program areas: Low Wage and Precarious Work, Immigrant Worker Rights & Collective Representation, and Equity at Work (Learn more by visiting Worker Institute Programs here). Specific projects include research examining the role of unions in addressing intimate partner violence and sexual harassment; and research exploring models for addressing precarity through strengthening worker voice and collective representation. Research fellows assist with literature reviews, coordination with research partners, and data analysis.