The Peggy Browning Fund Fall Newsletter 2021

Margaret A. (Peggy) Browning A Beacon for Workers’ Rights Our namesake was, by all accounts, an exceptional person whose life and qualities left their mark upon the legal community and on the national scene. Born in Tennessee and educated at Swarthmore and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Peggy was a creative and dynamic attorney. While her name could have graced the masthead of any mega law firm, she chose to devote her energies to workers’ rights. In her defense of workers’ interests, she never lost a case in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Peggy was tirelessly focused on issues such as union representation, fair and equal pay and decent working conditions. Her achievements strongly justified President Clinton’s nomination of her as the first union-side lawyer in history to be appointed to the National Labor Relations Board. The Peggy Browning Award is presented annually to social justice champions who have distinguished themselves with passion and dedication to the rights and needs of workers and their families. MISSION STATEMENT: The Peggy Browning Fund educates and inspires the next generation of advocates for workplace justice. Through fellowships, workers’ rights conferences, networking and other programs, the PBF provides unique opportunities for law students to work for economic and social justice. 2 Transitions can be Challenging PBF is Rising to Meet Them Our biennial Chicago Awards Reception is always a joyous event, bringing together union activists and lawyers to honor beloved members of Chicago’s labor community. As always, we will be gathering at a UNITE HERE Local 1 hotel, this time the Sheraton Grand, on November 9th. But this year there will be something very special about the fact that we’ll be able to shake hands and hug one another because the Chicago event will be our very first in-person reception since the Spring of 2020, and it will be the first event when we’ll celebrate 25 years of recruiting law students for the labor movement. PBF’s main program, our Summer Fellowship Program, placed 81 law students this year in paid positions at union legal departments, law firms representing workers and unions, and public interest labor law organizations. Once again, these fellowships were mostly virtual and you can read about a few of their experiences in this newsletter. These are times of transition in this country and at PBF.With the retirement of Mary Anne Moffa and the entry of Rachel Del Rossi as our new executive director, we are transitioning from one generation to the next. Our country is currently in the midst of the largest transition of generational powers in American history. The Baby Boomers are retiring in record numbers and PBF alumni are well- positioned to meet the demand for new lawyers. Many of our alumni are already in powerful positions in government, union-side law firms and organizations that fight for workplace justice. Over the next 25 years, we will continue to grow our impact by focusing on long term sustainability, supporting our alumni network more deeply and evolving our programming to focus on equity and community representation. With your continued support, PBF’s future is a bright one. Richard J. Brean, Chair PBF Board of Directors 2021 Conference Sponsors Program Sponsor IUE-CWA Schwartz Steinsapir Dohrmann and Sommers LLC SEIU Southern University Law Center Session Sponsor California Teachers Association Laborers Eastern Region Organizing Fund McDonough PLLC Workshop Sponsor Michael J. Hayes Kraw Law Group, APC Laborers’ Int’l Union of North America McKnight, Canzano, Smith, Radtke & Brault, P.C. Pitta LLP Southern California District Council of Laborers Ullico Inc.