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Dear IRLE Community,
In normal times, my quarterly reports mirror the rhythm of academic life, lifting up stories you may have missed in the rush of daily life. But the past months have been anything but normal times. A second Trump Administration bent on testing the limits of executive power has fixated on California, and our community partners, our students, and the University of California itself have come under attack.
Nowhere is this clearer than in Los Angeles, where masked federal agents disappear neighbors and coworkers while troops occupy federal buildings and menace the community. Mr. Trump, who gained fame playing a boss on his TV show “The Apprentice,” appears to be subjecting us all to what the late Jane McAlevey would have called a boss campaign. When employers decide to resist unionization, they deploy fear, retribution, and rewards strategically to divide workers and weaken solidarity. They pressurize existing divisions among workers to raise the cost of siding with the union and against the company.
Something similar is happening right now in many U.S. cities where workplace and neighborhood raids seem designed to instill fear and provoke protests that can then be displayed as justification for more federal intervention. The same dynamic is playing out on college campuses where federal budget cuts and deportation drives threaten catastrophic changes that will impact tens of thousands of workers.
The boss campaign is almost always the same. The unknown factor is the response of workers, and in my analogy, the response of society at large. As summer turns into fall, we will surely find out.
In the meantime, take a movement to catch up on the activities of researchers, faculty, and staff across the IRLE, and to celebrate our students in the Labor Studies program who continue to bring hope, curiosity, and commitment to a world in need.
In Solidarity,
Toby Higbie
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Toby Higbie
Director
Institute for Research on Labor and Employment
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Spring Quarter Recap
It has been a busy quarter at the IRLE, with each of our units contending with the rapidly evolving current events Los Angeles. Meanwhile, longer term projects were completed; the Labor Center, Labor Studies and the Entertainment and Media Research Initiative all released major reports this spring. Look for the links in the Research section below.
In addition to our research reports, IRLE staff and Labor Studies faculty and students have been out in the community this quarter. Research staff and students joined the United Farm Workers in Delano to honor the work of Cesar Chavez and the current challenges for farmworkers in California. We marked International Workers Day by joining labor and community partners at the annual May Day march in Downtown Los Angeles.
Our community educators at the Labor Occupational Safety and Health program (LOSH) remain deeply engaged addressing workers’ needs in the aftermath of the Los Angeles fires, providing resources and training for clean up crews. In spring quarter, LOSH held virtual workshops on mitigating heat-related injuries and participated in Workers Memorial Day events in Downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena to commemorate workers who lost their lives on the job and share health and safety resources. In April, LOSH Director Kevin Riley gave remarks at the official launch of Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Office of Worker Health and Safety. This new office, made possible through the advocacy of many local community-based organizations, is one of the only county-level offices of health and safety in the nation.
Our Human Resources Round Table (HARRT) celebrated the graduation of its first cohort of leaders in the Corporate Governance certification program in collaboration with the UC Irvine Paul Merage Leadership Development Institute and the UCLA Anderson School Executive Education program.
A highlight of the spring quarter was our Labor Studies graduation ceremony. The graduates and their families gathered with faculty and staff to celebrate a cohort of students whose college years coincided with unprecedented social, political, and public health challenges. Read more about commencement and other IRLE happenings below.
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“They cannot steal your joy”: Celebration, community and resilience at UCLA Labor Studies 2025 commencement ceremony
On June 14, UCLA Labor Studies graduates celebrated their achievements and promising futures with their family, peers and mentors at the Labor Studies 2025 commencement ceremony. Labor Studies was honored to welcome Lorena Gonzalez, President of the California Federation of Labor Unions, to deliver the commencement address. Speeches were also given by graduating students Mia Tracy and Carolina Sarabia Garcia. During another period of troubling news for Angelenos, particularly immigrant families, commencement provided a joyful, empowering reprieve.
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Immigration Raids in Los Angeles: Solidarity Statement & Resource List
Earlier this month, the UCLA Labor Center released a solidarity statement and resource list to address the immigration raids unfolding across the Los Angeles area. The raids directly impacted some of the Labor Center’s partners including the Garment Worker Center, CLEAN Carwash Worker Center and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON). David Huerta—UCLA Labor Center advisory board member, president of SEIU California and SEIU-USWW—was also injured and detained while acting as a legal observer. Read the Labor Center’s solidarity statement and list of resources including national hotlines, know your rights materials and sector-specific information related to workplace immigration enforcement.
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Graduating Bruins spotlight the struggles of students who juggle classes and jobs
Two UCLA undergraduates who participated in the UCLA Labor Summer Research Program (LSRP) developed their research on working students into an interactive website and podcast series. Ritika Sarma and Jimmy Mancilla created accessible, engaging mediums to communicate their cohort's findings to a student audience. They were inspired to take on the project after encountering stories of “workers and learners” in the course of their research that reflected their experiences and made them feel understood. Check out their website and podcast series here.
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May Day in Los Angeles: a conversation between a historian and an organizer
To commemorate May Day this year, Tobias Higbie, labor historian and Director of the UCLA IRLE, and Victor Narro, career organizer and project director at the UCLA Labor Center, discussed the significance of the date in Los Angeles. Their conversation uncovers how May Day unites diverse coalitions fighting for justice in L.A. for a day of celebration and resistance. Higbie and Narro give viewers an inside look at the process of planning major direct action campaigns and provide expert tips on maintaining a sustainable career in social justice work.
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High Stakes: The State of the California Cannabis Workforce
This report from the UCLA Labor Center and the California Cannabis Worker Collab, “High Stakes: The State of the California Cannabis Workforce” analyzes the experiences of cannabis workers in California across agriculture, manufacturing, retail and transportation. The first comprehensive examination of California’s cannabis workforce, the report details important trends that confirm the potential of cannabis to contribute to California’s growth, well-being and environmental change, as well as challenges that must be addressed head-on.
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Shaping the Next Generation: Trends Among Oxnard’s Young Adult Latina Workforce
“Shaping the Next Generation: Trends Among Oxnard’s Young Adult Latina Workforce” is a research brief from the Latina Futures 2050 Lab, a research and policy initiative focusing on Latinas experiences in California and beyond. The Lab is a partnership between the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center and the UCLA Labor Center. This brief illuminates employment trends of young adult Latinas (ages 18-34) and proposes recommendations to address their unique labor challenges.
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The Hollywood Diversity Report 2025, Part 2: Streaming
IRLE's Entertainment and Media Research Initiative (EMRI) released its 12th bi-annual report, "Hollywood Diversity Report 2025, Part 2: Streaming," authored by Dr. Ana-Christina Ramón, Michael Tran, Jade Abston and Dr. Darnell Hunt. The report found that women, people of color and young audiences once again drove viewership on the top streaming films. Additionally, the majority of the top 20 streaming films featured diverse casts and half of the leads in the top 100 streaming films were actors of color, marking an increase over last year’s record high. See past Hollywood Diversity Reports here.
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The New York Times | How Labor Unions Came to Define the L.A. Immigration Protests, featuring Victor Narro, project director at UCLA Labor Center
The Guardian | Los Angeles, city of immigrant protests: why it’s no surprise LA rose up against Trump, featuring Victor Narro, project director at UCLA Labor Center and Chris Zepeda-Millán, UCLA Labor Studies Chair
Truthout | LA Protests Signal Public’s Readiness to Rebel Against Anti-Immigrant Fascism, by Chris Newman, UCLA Labor Studies faculty
Marketplace NPR | Many unions were once wary of immigrants. Now they march alongside them., featuring Toby Higbie, UCLA IRLE Director
The New York Times | The Mexican Flag Becomes a Potent L.A. Protest Symbol, featuring Chris Zepeda-Millán, UCLA Labor Studies Chair
LA Public Press | These LA undocumented drivers helped build Uber and Lyft. Now they’re being left behind, featuring Victor Narro, project director at UCLA Labor Center
Capital & Main | Collateral damage: How Trump is hollowing out the Black middle class, featuring Andrea Slater, Director of the Center for the Advancement of Racial Equity at Work at the UCLA Labor Center
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UCLA Coding Camp for Union Research
🗓️ July 7 - July 11 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
📍 Los Angeles (TBD)
The UCLA Strategic Research Lab will hold a five-day intensive training on using the power of Python coding to simplify tasks for union research. The training is designed by expert coder and prominent labor researcher Mellissa Chang, of Rank and File Research. Applications closed on April 1, 2025. Email srl@irle.ucla.edu for more information or if you have any questions.
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Strategic Labor Research Conference 2025
🗓️ August 8-10, 2025
📍 TBD
Hosted by the UCLA Strategic Research Lab, the UCLA Strategic Labor Research Conference (August 8-10, 2025) is an annual event that includes workshops on applied skills and discussions about strategic campaigns designed for new and experienced movement researchers. Dynamic keynote speakers and a variety of exciting training sessions will help strengthen and add new skills to your research repertoires. Come join over 200 labor and allied movement researchers in discussions about the future of research and organizing! Applications closed on May 16, 2025. Sign up to receive updates about future strategic labor research opportunities here.
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[Members only] 2025 HARRT at UCLA Executive Retreat
🗓️ September 11-12, 2025
📍 UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
The theme of the annual HARRT executive retreat in 2025 is “The HR Edge: People. Strategy. AI.” The event invites HARRT members to engage in insightful conversations on the future of HR and valuable networking opportunities.
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James Lawson Jr. Worker Justice Center Reopening
🗓️ October 2, 2025
📍 UCLA Lawson Worker Justice Center 675 S. Park View St, Los Angeles, CA, United States
UCLA Labor Center invites you to attend the grand re-opening of the UCLA James Lawson Jr. Worker Justice Center! While this event is free to attend, we invite you to support our programs by making a donation—every contribution helps us continue our work. Please reserve your ticket(s) here. If you are able, please consider supporting the Labor Center’s first endowment by purchasing a sponsorship or making a gift of any amount by downloading this sponsorship form and mailing it back with payment or click here. Please reserve your ticket by August 25th.
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This newsletter was published by IRLE's communications team. Media inquiries for the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment and its labor experts can be sent to willaneedham@g.ucla.edu.
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