Upcoming COCAL Conference

​​COCAL XIV Conference: August 5, 6, and 7, 2022


​Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor (COCAL), its Mexican Section and the 
Union of Academic Workers of Queretaro Autonomous University (SUPAUAQ) 
Call for International Conference 
COCAL XIV, QUERETARO 2022 
"ACADEMIC LABOR AND INTER-GENERATIONAL DIALOGUE IN THE AMERICAN CONTINENT IN THE
​POST-COVID ERA" 
At the Autonomous University of Queretaro 

English program & travel details

Programme de français et détails du voyage
Check out the COCAL XIV Social Media Sites Here!

    Registration Form
Please fill out the registration form to receive all the information about the conference; details and fees are described in detail above.

Upcoming Events
Check back soon for new COCAL events - in the meantime, check out our FaceBook page for COCAL and Affiliate activities

Recent Past Events

Higher Education Summit - July 7 & 9, 2021

​A new national committee representing all ranks of higher education workers across the country and initiated by some members of Scholars for a New Deal https://scholarsforanewdealforhighered.org  has been meeting these last few weeks to build an online summit July 7th & 9th, from 4-6 PM Eastern / 3-5 PM Central / 2-4 PM Mountain/ 1-3 PM Pacific to discuss the College for All plan proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Pramila Jayapal.

Across the two days, higher education workers will discuss how to organize collectively to influence legislation that could radically impact higher education. The aim is to bring together representatives from as many staff, faculty, adjunct, postdoc, grad and student worker union locals as possible to coordinate our efforts, build a joint platform, and a plan of action. 

Related Links: 
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/21/sen-bernie-sanders-introduces-bill-to-make-college-free-and-have-wall-st-pay-for-it.html
https://www.facebook.com/events/320544056431968/

​​COCAL Webinar - September 26, 2020

Due to the CORONA Virus, the COCAL XIV conference to be held in Querétaro, Mexico, has been postponed until Summer 2021. However, COCAL is pleased to announce this 2020 webinar with speakers from Mexico, Canada, Quebec, and the U.S.

Theme: "An Over-View of Higher Education and Academic Labor in Light of the the COVID Pandemic and the Global Economic Crisis"

Saturday, September 26, 2020
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time)
12 p.m. to 2 p.m. (Mountain Standard Time)
1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (Central Standard Time)
​2 p.m.to 4 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)

Translation will be provided in English, Spanish, French, American Sign-Language, French Sign-Language, and Spanish sign-language during the webinar. Please make your language selection when registering.
​Keynote Speakers
Dr. Sarika Bose
  • Lecturer at the Faculty of Arts, Department of English, Vancouver Campus.· Areas of specialization: literature, literary creation, theatre.
  • Expertise: Victorian theatre, British culture.
  • Chair of the Contract Academic Staff Committee of the University of British Columbia Faculty Association (UBCFA).
  • Chair of the 2020-2021 Contract Academic Staff Committee of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (ACPPU), a federation of associations and unions representing more than 70,000 higher education workers.
Sylvain Marois, Ph.D. student in industrial relations
  • Lecturer in the Department of Literature, Theatre and Cinema, Laval University.
  • Researcher in university trade unionism.
  • Assistant Professor in the Department of Literature.
  • Labour Relations Officer at the Union of Lecturers at Laval University (SCCCUL).
  • Former vice-president (2012-2018) of the National Federation of Teachers of Quebec (FNEEQ-CSN), a federation of 101 unions and represents more than 30,000 teachers. FNEEQ participates in various international coalitions and confederations in which Mr. Marois has been actively involved in recent years, including as a member of the COCAL Advisory Committee.
Dr. Vincent Tirelli
  • Assistant Professor of Political Science at the City University of New York (CUNY)
  • Mr. Tirelli received his Ph.D. from the CUNY Graduate Center in 2007, specializing in American politics and political theory. His thesis is entitled "The Invisible Faculty Fight Back: Contingent Academic Labor and the Political Economy of the Corporate University.".
  • He was a member of the Executive Board of the Professional Staff Congress, the CUNY teachers and staff union affiliated with the American Federation ofTeachers (PSC-AFT)..
  • Mr. Tirelli is a founding member of COCAL and a member of its International Advisory Committee.
Dr. Axel Didriksson
  • Researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in the "Institute for Research on Universities and Education"(Instituto de Investigaciones sobre la Universidad y la Educacion [IISUE]) and member of the "National System of Researchers" (SistemaNacional deInvestigadores [SNI]), Level III. l’Institut de recherche sur les universités et l’éducation » (
  • An expert in research fields such as the political economy of knowledge, public education policies in Mexico and the prospects of higher education, he has produced numerous publications that have been translated into several languages.
  • Mr. Didriksson has received fellowships from 15 countries in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Latin America, conducting comparative studies on universities.
  • He has led UNESCO's collective projects and was president of the Global Network of Universities for Innovation, representing Latin America and the Caribbean.
  • Dr. Didriksson was awarded the "National University Award 2019" in the field of social research sciences socials by UNAM.
"Towards COCAL 2021 - Querétaro, Mexico" will begin with brief greetings and words of welcome from our special guests:
  • Ms Teresa Garcia Gasca, Dean of the Universidad Aut-noma de Querétaro (UAQ)
  • Mr. Ricardo ChaparroSanchez, Secretary General of SUPAUAQ, the host union of COCAL 2021. Sindicato Único del Personal Académico de la Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro
  • Bertha G. Rodroguez Samano, chemist. Secretary-General of the Asociacion Autonoma del Personal Académico de la Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México (AAPAUNAM).
  • Aguston Rodriguez Fuentes ,engineer. Secretary-General of the Sindicato de Trabajadores of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México (STUNAM).

Political Action

Political Declaration of COCAL X

Join the participants from the tenth annual Coalition on Contingent Academic Labor (COCAL X) who have signed a political declaration that brings attention to the pernicious effects of neoliberal policies on education. It calls for "the expansion of social and democratic rights in education and in welfare for all humans, within and beyond our national borders.".

Follow us on FaceBook for Current COCAL & Affiliate Political Action ​