Jane McAlevey
Tribute
Jane McAlevey was an organizer, scholar, author and trainer whose work touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. She was O4P’s co-founder and lead trainer until her passing in 2024. This program is an important part of her legacy, and we are proud to carry it forward in accordance with her wishes.
Jane’s organizing work took her around the world, from Buffalo, New York to Apartheid South Africa, from Philadelphia to Nicaragua, San Francisco to Berlin. Working with organizations big and small, across decades of commitment she won some of the biggest fights out there. In every campaign, her laser-like focus was on helping ordinary people win for themselves the justice they deserve.
Jane McAlevey touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
Yonli Yemboido
Burkina Faso
"Jane was a true source of inspiration to all who knew her. Her unwavering dedication and commitment to the labour movement left an indelible mark on our lives and our work. Her humanity and passion will continue to guide our actions and inspire us to fight for a fairer world. Together, we will perpetuate her legacy and keep her values alive through our daily actions."
Jane wrote four books on organizing during her lifetime: Rules to Win By: Power and Participation in Union Negotiations (2023), written with Abby Lawlor; A Collective Bargain: Unions, Organizing, and the Fight for Democracy (2020); No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age (2016) and Raising Expectations and Raising Hell(2012).
You can find out more about her books here.
To learn more about Jane, visit her website, check out this New Yorker profile from October 2023, or read Ethan Earle’s tribute or her New York Times obituary.