The nation's oldest labor laws give employees the fundamental rights to organize and join a union. An increasing number of graduate student workers across the country are seeking to exercise these rights at the private universities where they work while they pursue their education. During the 2011-2012 school year, 12.1 percent of all graduate…

This paper seeks to enrich the conversation on biographical research in education by adding the stories of contemporary union leaders who are seeking to educate their memberships, the communities they serve, and society as a whole. Karen Lewis of the Chicago Teachers Union, Bob Peterson of the Milwaukee Teachers' Education, and Barbara Madeloni of…