2020 Summer Schools

The UALE has made the difficult decision to cancel all the regional 2020 women’s summer schools, in response to COVID-19.

We have made this decision in order to prioritize the health and safety of our communities. The women who attend the UALE summer conferences each year include health care workers, educators, social and public safety workers, food and service workers, transportation, manufacturing and building trades workers. We know that many of our past conference attendees are considered essential workers, and that much of the low-wage essential labor in our country is performed by women and workers of color. We also know that at this time of crisis, many of our past attendees are caring for their own children who cannot attend school, helping their children navigate on-line and at-home learning, figuring out how to keep their homes supplied while practicing social distancing, and performing the emotional labor of caretaking. These women provide essential labor inside their homes and for our communities. These women workers must be at the center of the conversation when we emerge from this crisis, the conversation of how to build a stronger labor movement, better workplace protections, and more racial and gender equity on the job and in our communities.

Stay tuned for dates and locations for 2021 Women' Schools

Western Summer Institute on Union Women Canceled

• Dates: July 7-11, 2020
• Location: Evergreen State College, Olympia WA
• Contact: Adair Dammann, Director, Washington State Labor Education and Research Center
• Save the date flyer: pdf SaveTheDateSIUW2020 (338 KB)

 Midwest School for Women Workers  Canceled

• Dates: June 22-26, 2020
• Location: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Coordinator: Stephanie Fortado
• Brochure: pdf Midwest Women's School 2020 (362 KB)
• Register online: http://bit.ly/msww2020

Northeast School for Women in Unions and Worker Organizations Canceled

• Dates: Tuesday, July 21 - Saturday, July 25, 2020
• Location: The Labor School, Penn State University, University Park PA
• Coordinators: Mary Bellman and Valerie Braman
• Save the date flyer: pdf Save the Date NE Summer School 2020 (777 KB)

Southern Women Worker Summer School Canceled

• Dates: Thursday, July 16- Sunday,19, 2020
• Location: Tommy Douglas Conference Center (formerly the National Labor College), 10000 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20903
• Coordinators: Elise Bryant, phone: 202-637-3963; and Susan Williams
• Save the date flyer: pdf Southern WSS Save the Date (52 KB)

Other (not UALE) Women's Summer Schools

The Regina Polk School

• Dates: May 13-17, 2002
• Location: Pere Marquette Lodge in Grafton, Illinois (only 30 minutes from St. Louis, MO).
• Brochure: 2020-Polk Brochure
• Application form: Polk Application-2020
• Online application: https://publish.illinois.edu/polkschool/
• Scholarships are available. For more information, email

Women's Institute for Leadership Development (WILD)

• Dates: Friday, June 26 - Sunday, June 28
• Location: Worcester (MA) State University
• Coordinator: Terry King

WILD is planning to hold webinars related to women workers and Covid-19 on Saturday, June 27

More information coming soon