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Dear IRLE Community,
From wildfires devastating Los Angeles communities to the raft of policy decrees coming from the new federal administration, these are challenging times for the university, for our staff, and for our communities. Through it all, the work of the Institute continues thanks to our dedicated team of researchers, teachers, and support staff.
In the aftermath of the wildfires and changes to federal immigration policies, researchers and community educators across the IRLE have shared resources and provided expert viewpoints in the media. The UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health program (LOSH) distributed bilingual resources to help workers protect themselves while working in fire-impacted areas. UCLA Labor Center reports and experts called attention to the specific challenges faced by farmworkers laboring outside during the fires and domestic workers who lost their homes and jobs. On the immigration front, the Labor Center partnered with UCLA labor studies to create immigration resources for students and staff, while IRLE affiliated faculty helped inform the public about the context and implications of immigration policy for workers, businesses, and communities. We are also pleased that our campus leadership has expressed strong support for immigrant and international students and staff.
Also this quarter, the UCLA Entertainment Media Diversity Initiative released its latest Hollywood Diversity Report featuring research on the demographics of actors, writers and directors in theatrical releases. The study found that while 2024 films featured more women in leading roles than in previous years, people of color working in front of the camera and behind the scenes lost ground.
The IRLE community also welcomed to the UCLA campus Adriana Paz Ramírez, General Secretary of the International Domestic Workers Federation, who delivered a moving keynote address at the CSW|Streisand Center’s 35th annual Thinking Gender conference. Paz Ramirez also joined a panel moderated by Labor Center Director Saba Waheed featuring organizers from United Domestic Workers/AFSCME and UNITE HERE Local 11.
In her keynote address, Paz Ramírez called attention to the long struggle of women domestic workers to gain recognition as workers—a first step to gaining rights on the job. With that history in mind, we also recognize the union women who helped establish the one of the first labor colleges on the West Coast, a forerunner of the IRLE. As we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Institute over the next year, we will have more stories to share from our rich legacy of research, learning, and solidarity.
Sincerely,
Toby Higbie
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Toby Higbie
Director
Institute for Research on Labor and Employment
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The Herstory of the IRLE
In honor of Women’s History Month 2025, the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) recognizes two trailblazing women founders of early University of California labor programs, Sadie Goodman and Rose Pesotta. These women, both immigrant garment workers and union organizers, helped launch a UC-sponsored summer school for workers that laid the foundation for the Institute more than a decade before it was established.
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Past, present and future collide in UCLA labor studies sci-fi class
In winter quarter, UCLA students in the labor studies class “Revolutionary Fantasies: Inequality and Protest in Contemporary Science Fiction” explored how the literary genre responds to and shapes cultural narratives of resistance and oppression. Students of the course reflected on how popular science fiction novels have changed over time during a class visit to UCLA Library Special Collections (LSC), where they reviewed twentieth century science fiction novels from two archival collections stewarded by the Library.
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Labor highlighted at 35th ‘Thinking Gender’ Conference
In March, researchers, students, activists and workers convened for the UCLA CSW|Streisand Center’s 35th annual 'Thinking Gender' conference, themed “Gendered Labors & Transnational Solidarities.” UCLA IRLE, labor studies and Labor Center faculty and staff were featured as panel moderators and contributed to organizing the event. The conference was co-presented by the IRLE's Transnational Gender and Labor Working Group, led by IRLE Associate Director Jennifer Chun. Saba Waheed, UCLA Labor Center Director, facilitated a workshop with keynote speaker Adriana Paz Ramírez, General Secretary of the International Domestic Workers Federation, and led a panel discussion with Paz Ramírez alongside local labor leaders.
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Public Health Council Toolkit
In February, UCLA Labor Occupational Safety & Health (LOSH) co-published the Public Health Council Toolkit with the LA County Department of Public Health, Southern California Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (SoCalCOSH) and community worker organizations. The Public Health Council Toolkit is a comprehensive resource guide for workers facing unsafe working conditions and other labor law violations in Los Angeles County workplaces. The toolkit is part of the ongoing collaborative Public Health Councils (PHC) initiative, which was created during the COVID-19 pandemic and is designed to empower workers to address these issues using councils of two or more workers.
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LAist | Unions make waves across Southern California campuses, learning from each other as they go, featuring Tobias Higbie, IRLE Director
Los Angeles Times | ‘We will not be closing.’ Amid the fires, employers and employees walk a fine line between work and safety, featuring Victor Narro, project director at UCLA Labor Center
CalMatters | As workers tackle the dangerous job of cleaning up after the LA fires, can the state keep them safe?, featuring Kevin Riley, UCLA Labor Occupational Safety & Health (LOSH) Director
KQED | Keeping ICE Out of Classrooms: How California Leaders Are Stepping Up Efforts, featuring Ju Hong, UCLA Dream Resource Center Director
Los Angeles Times | Immigration crackdown could deter workers from reporting hazards, advocates warn, featuring Kevin Riley, UCLA Labor Occupational Safety & Health (LOSH) Director
The Dig Podcast | Deportation Nation w/ Chris Newman, featuring Chris Newman, UCLA labor studies faculty
Capital & Main | She Has Worked at Subway for Over a Decade. Now She’s Suing for Nearly $54,000 in Stolen Wages., featuring Kent Wong, project director for Labor and Community Partnerships at the UCLA Labor Center
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Labor Studies Commencement
🗓️ Saturday, June 14, 2025
📍 Covel Commons, Grand Horizon Room
Congratulations Class of 2025! The faculty and staff of Labor Studies are looking forward to celebrating this incredible milestone with students and their loved ones. Stay tuned for more details, including RSVP information and other exciting announcements coming soon.
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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. Space is limited, and applications close on April 1, 2025. Don’t miss this unique training opportunity! Submit your application here. 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 open on April 1 and close on May 16, 2025. Sign up to receive updates about future strategic labor research opportunities here.
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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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