Obstacles and Opportunities for Labor Union Organizing and Advancement of Worker Rights Today
Thursday, June 12, 2025
11:00 am – 2:00 pm CT
Carpenters Council Hall
12 East Erie, Chicago
Catholic teaching supports unions as essential to advancing humane and just conditions for workers and to permit their participation in the workplace. Our new Pope Leo XIV has made the connection to Pope Leo XIII, author of the 1891 Encyclical Rerum Novarum which made clear that Catholic teaching supports collective bargaining to advance the rights of workers.
The Catholic Lawyers Guild is hosting a Forum to educate and enlighten attorneys–and the larger community–about the relevance of Catholic social teaching for these developments and the legal and practical implications for the advancement of the worker rights in our country today.
The Forum will take place on June 12, 2025 from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm. It will be held at the Carpenters Council Hall located at 12 East Erie in Chicago. Lunch will be provided.
Two-hours of Illinois general CLE credit will be provided for this program. Registration is required to attend, please provide ARDC during registration to attain CLE credit.
We hope you can join us!
Sessions
KEYNOTE: The meaning of Rerum Novarum for worker rights and its potential for the future of labor organizing
Speaker:
Don Villar
Secretary/Treasurer, Chicago Federation of Labor
SESSION I: LEGAL CHALLENGES to the National Labor Relations Act and the NLRB
The constitutional challenge to the NLRA and the Supreme Court’s ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo – What is the likely impact on workers’ rights to organize and the enforcement of those rights?
Speaker:
Professor Anne Lofaso
University of Cincinnati College of Law
SESSION II: TODAY’S UNION ORGANIZING – How Barista workers win unionization in the face of Starbuck’s opposition
Presentation by organizers of recent unionization efforts.
Speakers:
Andrew Holland
Madison Roco
Starbucks Workers United in Chicago
Sponsors
National Center for the Laity
Multiple sponsorship opportunities are available — visit the registration page or contact us for more information!
Registration
Lunch is included with registration.
Member Registration – $40
Non-Member Registration – $50
Student Registration – $25
Our program is open to all students including Graduate, Law, and Undergraduate.