Doug Swanson named UMSL Labor Studies Program coordinator

By SHERI GASSAWAY

Correspondent

Doug Swanson has joined the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) as its Labor Studies Program coordinator.

Swanson, who has more than 25 years of experience in a variety of Labor union roles, replaces Rob Russell who was recently promoted to director of the University of Missouri Extension’s (MU) Labor Education Program in Columbia, MO.

Prior to joining UMSL, Swanson was the director of field mobilization for the Maine State Employees Association, an SEIU affiliate which is the largest public sector union in the state.

His experience also includes serving as the business manager of the Alaska Public Employees Association/American Federation of Teachers and as a field representative for the Wisconsin American Federation of Teachers.

“I appreciate the opportunity to continue to bring outstanding labor education opportunities to union members and leaders, and I look forward to working with our local Labor unions in this ever-changing environment to make sure workers voices are heard,” Swanson said.

Swanson has a master’s degree in labor studies from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and a bachelor’s degree in union leadership and administration from the National Labor College in Washington, D.C.

Before beginning his career in the Labor Movement, Swanson had worked for the Illinois Department of Transportation doing bridge and highway construction running multimillion dollar highway projects.

It was while working for IDOT that Swanson’s craft was organized into the Teamsters, which provided his introduction to Organized Labor. Having worked around the building trades, Swanson soon became involved in his union, then a steward, eventually becoming a business agent, secretary/treasurer and acting president of his local. 

Swanson is a member of the Bread and Roses Missouri Board of Directors and the Jobs with Justice Workers’ Rights Board.  He is also a member of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA) and the Gateway Chapter of LERA.