We were thrilled to host the 2025 Milton Derber Lecture at LER, where we welcomed Professor Rosemary Batt. Interim Dean Simon Restubog kicked things off by honoring the legacy of Professor Milton Derber, one of the founding architects of our School. Professor Derber’s work and vision helped establish LER as a leading center for labor scholarship, which we continue to be proud of today.
Professor Rosemary Batt, the Alice Hanson Cook Professor of Women and Work at Cornell University’s ILR School, shared her groundbreaking research on the impacts of financialization in healthcare. Her talk focused on how financial ownership models like private equity, franchising, outsourcing, and subcontracting are transforming how we think about work and employment in healthcare and other essential sectors. This aligns perfectly with LER’s focus on real-world issues in the world of work, and we’re excited about the new insights her forthcoming book, Healthcare in the Age of Finance Capital: Public Goods for Private Gain, will bring to the conversation.
Following the lecture, we hosted a panel discussion with Professor Johnnie Kallas moderating, joined by LER’s own Professor Andrew Weaver, alumnus Steven Merkin, AM 83, and Jarrett Clem, Business Manager of IBEW Local #601. It was an engaging conversation that touched on the key points from Professor Batt’s presentation and opened up a dialogue on the future of work in sectors impacted by financialization.
We wrapped up the event with a Q&A session and a reception, where attendees had the chance to connect with Professor Batt, the panelists, and one another. The 2025 Derber Lecture was a great reminder of how our work here at LER continues to build on the important foundations laid by Professor Derber, and we’re grateful for everyone who joined us to celebrate his legacy and engage in these important discussions.