Listen "Seizing the Moment on Worker Rights: A Toolkit for Organizers and Practitioners"
Episode Synopsis
Today’s politicized environment poses unique challenges for worker rights advocates. With Congress often divided, and many state and local governments as well, the path to improving worker rights through legislation is narrow. Nonetheless, we have seen some remarkable progress on worker rights over the last few years through executive action. Leveraging executive action, however, is not a straightforward and easily discernible path for grassroots activists and organizations interested in advancing worker rights and job quality.
Workshop’s “Toolkit: An Organizer’s Guide to Executive Action” authored by Executive Director Mary Beth Maxwell, demystifies and democratizes the policy-making process by sharing lessons learned during her time in federal government. Toolkit offers a blueprint for advocates inside and outside on how they can collaborate to build an economy that works for all and, in the process, rebuild a healthy democracy.
This webinar — which took place on September 4, 2024 — features a panel of experienced public servants and organizers, who dive into the lessons and stories from Toolkit and provide guidance to advocates and organizers striving to advance worker rights. Our speakers include:
Gail Haywood, Domestic Worker Leader
Cecilia Muñoz, Senior Advisor, New America; Former Director, Domestic Policy Council
David Weil, Professor, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University; Former Administrator, Wage and Hour Division, US Department of Labor
Jonathan Njus, Director of Family Economic Security and Program Lead for Expanding Equity, W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Former Senior Policy Advisor, Domestic Policy Council and Senior Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of Labor
Haeyoung Yoon, Vice President, Policy and Advocacy, National Domestic Workers Alliance; Former Member, COVID-19 Equity Task Force
Mary Beth Maxwell, Executive Director, Workshop; Former Senior Advisor, Acting Administrator of Wage and Hour Division, and Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy at the US Department of Labor
Eleanor Mueller (moderator), Economics Reporter, Politico
For more information about this event, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/seizing-the-moment-on-worker-rights-a-toolkit-for-organizers-and-practitioners/
To download “Toolkit: An Organizer’s Guide to Executive Action,” visit: https://www.workshop1933.org/toolkit
For highlights from this discussion, subscribe to EOP’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AspenEOP
Join us October 10 on Zoom for our next event, “A Hidden Workforce: Prison Labor, Human Rights, and the Legacy of Slavery.” Click here to RSVP: https://aspeninstitute.zoom.us/webinar/register/6517255601925/WN__24hSIjGQbizD5K_QINy2g
Workshop’s “Toolkit: An Organizer’s Guide to Executive Action” authored by Executive Director Mary Beth Maxwell, demystifies and democratizes the policy-making process by sharing lessons learned during her time in federal government. Toolkit offers a blueprint for advocates inside and outside on how they can collaborate to build an economy that works for all and, in the process, rebuild a healthy democracy.
This webinar — which took place on September 4, 2024 — features a panel of experienced public servants and organizers, who dive into the lessons and stories from Toolkit and provide guidance to advocates and organizers striving to advance worker rights. Our speakers include:
Gail Haywood, Domestic Worker Leader
Cecilia Muñoz, Senior Advisor, New America; Former Director, Domestic Policy Council
David Weil, Professor, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University; Former Administrator, Wage and Hour Division, US Department of Labor
Jonathan Njus, Director of Family Economic Security and Program Lead for Expanding Equity, W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Former Senior Policy Advisor, Domestic Policy Council and Senior Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of Labor
Haeyoung Yoon, Vice President, Policy and Advocacy, National Domestic Workers Alliance; Former Member, COVID-19 Equity Task Force
Mary Beth Maxwell, Executive Director, Workshop; Former Senior Advisor, Acting Administrator of Wage and Hour Division, and Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy at the US Department of Labor
Eleanor Mueller (moderator), Economics Reporter, Politico
For more information about this event, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/seizing-the-moment-on-worker-rights-a-toolkit-for-organizers-and-practitioners/
To download “Toolkit: An Organizer’s Guide to Executive Action,” visit: https://www.workshop1933.org/toolkit
For highlights from this discussion, subscribe to EOP’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AspenEOP
Join us October 10 on Zoom for our next event, “A Hidden Workforce: Prison Labor, Human Rights, and the Legacy of Slavery.” Click here to RSVP: https://aspeninstitute.zoom.us/webinar/register/6517255601925/WN__24hSIjGQbizD5K_QINy2g
More episodes of the podcast The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program — Events and Interviews
Big Impact, Big Challenges: Lessons from Collaborating with Large Businesses to Improve Job Quality
10/10/2025
The Future of Equal Opportunity
09/09/2025
Fixing Work: Recent Lessons from the Field
29/07/2025
Joseph Blasi and Maureen Conway Give Closing Remarks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum
03/07/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.