Labor Studies Journal 36(3) 363–387 © 2011 UALE Reprints and permission: http://www. sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0160449X11416673 http://lsj.sagepub.com Education and Labor in Tension: Contemporary Debates about Education in the US Labor Movement Rebecca Tarlau Abstract This article examines the conflicting visions within the US labor movement about the proper function and implementation of labor education programs, and how educational programs are connected to union structure.While this article is primarily based on interviews with union officials, the article also draws on union documents and participant observation in union meetings and educational workshops.The author argues that an analysis of worker education programs is an appropriate entry point for drawing out the similarities and differences that exist about the goals, structure, and political values of different unions in the contemporary US labor movement. Keywords worker and labor education, union democracy, Freire/Horton Introduction and Historical Backdrop The history of labor education in the United States is a story of ups and downs from times when worker education programs were viewed with suspicion to periods in which education within the movement was highly valued, and again to periods where programs were cut back because of alleged lack of resources. Although a comprehen- sive historical account of workers’ education in the United States is beyond the scope of this article, a basic account of the shifts in workers’ education is important for un- derstanding the contemporary context this article analyzes. 1 University of California, Berkeley, USA Corresponding Author: Rebecca Tarlau, 4213 34th Street, Mt. Rainier, MD, 20712, USA Email: becktar@gmail.com