Monday marks 131 years of Labor Day, as observed in the United States and Canada. Courses about the American labor movement are few in number at the Peralta Community College District – across all four schools, the district currently offers just one eight-week class about labor history through Laney College.
But Laney, a trade school since its founding, once offered ten courses as part of a hearty labor studies program. Alongside its technical education programs, instructors taught classes on topics like collective bargaining, worker’s rights, and even surviving stress.
That was over 20 years ago. As of Fall 2025, the lone instructor in the department is part-time labor educator Gifford Hartman…