In June, members of the Japanese union Zenroren, an important UE ally, flew into Chicago for the Labor Notes Conference and extended their stay to visit important labor history sites and meet with UE members. The Zenroren delegation included Vice President Ritsu Takagi, Secretary General Koichi Kurosawa, and Deputy Secretary General Keisuke Fuse.

During the Labor Notes Conference, UE members and Zenroren members had a meeting to talk about organizing strategies and the historic relationship between the two organizations. Around 15-20 members from each union participated in the exchange. They learned about the economic conditions in both countries and heard reports from members of both unions about the industries they work in, their recent fights with employers, and what they learned from those experiences. In an interview with the UE NEWS about their experience at Labor Notes [1], Local 1186 member Korey Peterson said, "Learning about organizing in other countries was super fascinating. I would like to do more of it — talk with international union members.”

UE Director of Strategic Programs Mark Meinster said, “We underscored the need for international solidarity due to the status of the world but also U.S. foreign policy. We talked about the situations in both countries with the rise of the right wing. There was some discussion about what that would look like and how to counteract that.” Western Region President Ramona Malczynski said the discussions during the meeting with Zenroren were meaningful and added, “Their union is fighting for a free Palestine and against imperialism. People feel ready to fight back and were really energized about that.”

After the Labor Notes Conference, Zenroren members went on a labor history tour of Chicago with retired UE General President Carl Rosen and the Illinois Labor History Society. During the tour, the members stopped at the Haymarket Martyrs Monument at Forest Park Cemetery and the Haymarket Memorial in downtown Chicago, where Zenroren had previously dedicated a plaque in honor of the struggle for the eight-hour work day. They also stopped at the Nuclear Energy sculpture at the site of the first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, at the University of Chicago.

Another meeting, about organizing strategies, was held between UE, Zenroren, and the Chicago Teachers Union on June 12. Zenroren members asked about the graduate worker organizing that UE has been at the forefront of over the past few years. The Zenroen delegation said that the graduate worker campaigns challenge the more dominant thinking in Japan of what organized labor can look like. There was also a healthy exchange between the three unions about worker-to-worker organizing.

“I think it is important to do more exchanges where workers can learn from each other,” concluded Meinster “We would love to collaborate more in the future.”