On Aug. 5, a group of DC LERA board members had the privilege of hosting a distinguished delegation of government, defense, and parliamentary leaders from Kosovo. The delegation visited Washington, D.C., as part of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, organized in partnership with the Mississippi Consortium for International Development. Our session served as a dynamic and fruitful exchange centered on shared challenges and best practices in public-sector labor relations, organizational governance, and workforce management.
During our discussion, we discussed ways to improve workplace governance and protect employees’ rights. We discussed how to create fair working conditions, improve communication between leadership and staff, and protect workers’ rights, especially in government and security organizations.
We also talked about ways to improve human resources practices, including recruiting and retaining talented employees and creating professional development opportunities that help people build long-term careers. While both countries face the growing challenge of educating a skilled workforce, the challenge in Kosovo is that of losing talent to neighboring countries, while the United States is faced with the challenge of replacing skilled talent in an aging workforce.
Other topics that arose included the complexity of designing and implementing pension and social security measures in Kosovo and meeting the caregiving needs of working families in both countries, including the emerging trend of adopting free childcare policies at the state and local level in the United States.
Finally, we discussed the importance of strong communication between workers and management. It was an inspiring afternoon of cross-cultural dialogue, and we were honored to share our chapter’s expertise while gaining valuable perspectives from our colleagues in Kosovo.
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On August 15th, 2024, the 
It was a very engaging experience and everyone was excited to share – they are looking forward to the next event the NLO will host and the next DC LERA event.
On June 5, 2024, a small but dedicated audience braved an early June downpour to see 
Some of the data the speakers shared included the fact that 50% of families live in “childcare deserts” and the difficulty of recruiting people to serve in a market sector, which is a high cost for customers but where wages offered are extremely low. Despite the great need for care in our country, the value of care goes down as wages go down in this highly feminized sector of the labor market. But, as the speakers pointed out, childcare is also a low-carbon employment sector with public good-type attributes that are ripe for societal investment. Policy recommendations discussed included the need for increased Medicare, Medicaid, and public education funding to support care.
During the discussion period, Christian Collins delved more deeply into the idea of translating the concept of care into industrial strategy. Some complexities include whether to channel care through public or private companies, different types of care (childcare v. eldercare), issues of geography, app-based and gig economy models for contracting care workers, and racist and sexist policies that impact the quality of work in the care sector. Dr. Bahn observed that wages are not the only issue. There is also high turnover in care work both because of low wages and the poor quality of jobs in the care sector.
Just wanted to let you know what a lively and stimulating session fellow Board member, 
On Thursday, January 25, 2024, Jobs with Justice Research Director 
Erin’s remarks focused on how she got her start in the labor justice field and on the history and work of Jobs With Justice. 
After her remarks, Erin led the audience to discuss work and workplace rights. She observed that one thing we all have in common is that we have a job. The first jobs held by audience members included restaurant busgirl, newspaper writer, call center customer service representative, seamstress, housecleaner, Ma Bell operator, factory worker, and union organizer.
On October 26, 2023, the Washington, DC chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations (DC LERA) and the Women’s National Democratic Club (
Ms. Ault went on to describe the primary function of the OLRCB. She explained that the goal of the OLRCB is to represent the mayor and city agencies when they engage in negotiations with unions and address disputes about workplace issues. But what is really important, she pointed out, is that they focus on creating and keeping a good relationship with labor unions. For Ms. Ault, this is about making sure that there is a strong, cooperative, and lasting connection with the unions that represent the District’s public workforce. In D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and City Administrator Kevin Donahue are committed to partnering with the City’s labor leaders and engage with them to identify, address and resolve workforce concerns before they become major issues.
Dr. Jacobs brought up the topic of 
When asked about sexual harassment law and collective bargaining in DC, Ms. Ault explained that under the DC Human Rights Act, all claims of sexual harassment and discrimination go through specific channels (for example, the