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[bookish101]

I'm a PhD student in English Literature.  My research is on contemporary novels that deal with class and labour issues.  Part of what I'm doing is comparing these novels to radical and class narratives of the Depression and Progressive eras.  In the course of my research I have done significant reading primarily on the influence that the Communist party has had on literary movements but I have also read quite a bit on labour history of the U.S. and Canada.  Given the knowledge base that I have been accumulating and on the recommendation of my supervisor I am starting to look into the possibilities of employment related to labour, whether with a union organization, government, or NGO.  Anyone heard of humanities PhDs working in any of these fields?  Any advice or stories would be much appreciated.   

[oldfullprof]

Check SEIU or AFSME or any of the unions organizing public labor.  I'm sure you don't need a labor studies background for this.  Field organizers are like salespeople of a sort.  I'm starting to believe that NGOs are more like rackets (this may be my cynicism) because they represent yuppies/social control middle class agendas.

[systeme_d_]

One of my former students left his PhD program while ABD and now has a very successful career in labor organizing.  He was successful in helping to organize a union for grad students while in his program, which made him a very desirable hire.

I also know a couple of faculty spouses who are labor organizers.  At least one of those spouses has a PhD.  I believe the other has an MA in a humanities field.

[seniorscholar]

One of my former students left his PhD program while ABD and now has a very successful career in labor organizing.  He was successful in helping to organize a union for grad students while in his program, which made him a very desirable hire.

Hmmm. I'm pretty sure you're not at the same university as I am or in the same field, but I can register a legitimate +1 to this post, except that it's his wife who was my student; he was in a different subfield within my department.

[systeme_d_]

One of my former students left his PhD program while ABD and now has a very successful career in labor organizing.  He was successful in helping to organize a union for grad students while in his program, which made him a very desirable hire.

Hmmm. I'm pretty sure you're not at the same university as I am or in the same field, but I can register a legitimate +1 to this post, except that it's his wife who was my student; he was in a different subfield within my department.

They are assuredly two different people.  The student to whom I refer was an MA student in my program, and so was his wife. 

[historienne]

A friend of mine did her PhD on labor history.  She applied for and received a federal fellowship & now works for the federal government on labor issues.  Her background was exceptional (she got a big-name Marshall/Truman/Rhodes-type fellowship out of undergrad), but it can definitely be done.

[bookish101]

Thanks to everyone for your feedback, it's much appreciated.