Union Summer for Jobs is a 10-week educational internship in which participants are introduced to the union movement. The Union Summer for Jobs Internship will run from June 7 through Aug. 13. It will begin with a weeklong orientation and training, which will be held in Washington, D.C., June 7 to June 13. After the training, interns will work in teams in support of the AFL-CIO’s Jobs Campaign in various parts of the country. Their work could include organizing direct actions such as marches and rallies, talking with workers impacted by the jobs crisis, as well as assisting in building community, labor and religious support for the campaign. Interns will play an important role in helping to build support for our top priority—making sure that everyone who wants a job can get one. Participation in Union Summer is also an ideal way for people to learn about unions and our work in the community.
Union Summer for Jobs Interns
We will have intern placements in the following cities: New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Interns will receive a stipend of $300 per week for the 10-week program. Applicants will be asked to apply for placement in one of these specific locations. The internship will not include a housing allowance. Union Summer interns should care about social and economic justice and have a specific desire to learn about the union movement.
It is NOT necessary to have union experience or knowledge of the union movement to be accepted as a Union Summer intern, but such a background is a plus in the application process.
Union Summer interns must be:
- Flexible;
- Adaptable in the face of new challenges and experiences;
- Able to work in teams and have excellent communications skills;
- Open to living or working with people of different races, ethnic backgrounds, religions and sexual orientation; and
- Willing to immerse themselves for 10 weeks in an intensive learning-by-doing experience.
A sense of humor is also a definite asset. In some areas, applicants who are fluent in a language other than English will be given preference, based on the needs of a specific internship site and organizing campaign. The Union Summer program also is committed to achieving diversity among interns, which reflects, as closely as possible, the diversity of the workforce with whom we are working.
The above interests and qualities should be demonstrated clearly in the written Union Summer application and in the interview process.
To apply: E-mail your résumé and cover letter to unionsummer@aflcio.org or call 202-639-6250.
