Building a Movement Labor Internship
About the Building a Movement (BAM) Labor Internship
The Building a Movement Labor (BAM) Internship is a paid internship program that connects undergraduate students at the University of Washington with the local labor movement, through partnerships with community organizations engaged with this work on a variety of levels. Students who are invested in labor and social justice advocacy are given the opportunity to explore how organizations work to make systemic and community-level changes for the benefit of working people, and make meaningful contributions to that process.
BAM offers students a broader understanding of what work in the labor movement can look like through firsthand experience, especially students who are considering pursuing labor as a career. Students will build connections and relationships with folks working in labor, learn about the history of labor organizing, develop meaningful professional and leadership skills, and ultimately create and engage in spaces that discuss how our efforts can collectively contribute to the broader labor movement and the systemic liberation of all working (and non-working) peoples.
How to Apply for the BAM Internship
The on-line application portal is currently OPEN. The deadline to submit the Spring 2024 BAM Internship application is Monday, February 21, 2024 at 11:59PM. Please click this link to be taken to the online application.
Application Instructions
Before applying, we highly recommend familiarizing yourself with the organizations offering positions through the BAM Labor Internship:
- Legacy of Equality, Leadership, and Organizing (LELO): LELO strives to empower low-income workers of color, recent immigrants and women workers to assert their rights, improve their working conditions and gain a voice in their workplaces, trade unions, and communities in the U.S. and across the globe.
- Washington State Rainbow Coalition History Project: Perhaps best known for organizing Black activist Jesse Jackson’s surprising 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns, the Rainbow Coalition was a nationwide group that advanced a variety of different causes for social justice. In Washington state, the organization brought together veteran organizers from a wide variety of communities across the state, playing an important role in both labor organizing (such as the decade long struggle to unionize farm workers at Chateau St. Michelle wineries) and electoral campaigns, among many other issues.
In submitting the on-line application, a student will provide the following materials:
- A resume, highlighting skills such as language abilities, personal, and academic interests that speak to your interest in this position.
- College transcript. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
- Up to date contact information, including e-mail and phone number.
- Written responses (no more than 400 words) to the following questions:
- Why are you most interested in working with a particular position? What do you hope to gain from this experience? Further information about positions and additional host-specific questions are available in the BAM Labor Internship application itself.
- Tell us about what drew you to the BAM Labor Internship. Why are you interested in labor organizing and labor studies?
- How does this internship fit into your broader career, academic, and personal goals?
- List any significant time commitments you expect to have throughout Winter 2023. If selected for the internship position you indicated interest in, how will you balance this commitment with your other commitments?
- If possible, would you like to earn academic credit for the BAM Labor Internship position? Please note, students have an 18 credit limit per quarter – if you would like to add academic credit to this internship and you are already signed up for 18 credits in the upcoming quarter, you may incur additional tuition fees from the UW.
Questions?
Contact Soohyung Hur, Graduate Staff Assistant for the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies at hursh@uw.edu.
Internship Eligibility
The BAM Labor Internship is open to current undergraduates of any year and in any field of study at the University of Washington who have a vested interest in working people’s issues and/or labor organizing. Students from any one of the UW’s three campuses (Bothell, Seattle, Tacoma) are eligible to participate.
We encourage students of all backgrounds and identities to apply, and are committed to supporting undocumented students at the UW. We are additionally committed to working with partner organizations that reflect and serve a variety of communities in the Greater Seattle Area, and hope to connect students with organizations that best align with their personal and academic interests and investments.
What Will the Internship Look Like?
The internship is both a paid opportunity as well as a source of academic credit. We hope to work with partner organizations to determine the weekly number of hours that students will be expected to work remotely, that allows for integration into daily operations, community building and capacity to run individual projects that further the organization’s goals. Students will be compensated at a pay rate of $20 per hour, including a weekly meeting with other BAM interns and mentors.
In their accompanying coursework, students will be expected to reflect on their experiences with their mentors and peers, and how their work with partner organizations aligns with their own academic and personal interests and goals.