Summer 2023

IRLE's Quarterly Newsletter

UCLA Labor Summer and UCLA Dream Summer 2023 fellows at the opening retreat at UCLA. Photo: Ju Hong/ UCLA Dream Resource Center.

Director's Message

As strikes and protests captured headlines during "hot labor summer," the staff, faculty and students affiliated with the IRLE have been exceptionally busy, engaging with community partners to tackle the big challenges we face as a city, a state and a society.

We kicked off summer with the commencement for our Labor Studies undergraduates featuring an inspiring talk from Senator María Elena Durazo. Shortly after, we hosted over 100 researchers from unions and community organizations for our first annual Strategic Labor Research Conference. We also helped convene a big cohort of Labor Summer interns from across the state who worked closely with unions and community organizations. Our staff and faculty also supported the leadership of six new University of California labor centers as they launched their campus programs. IRLE units won some big new grants over the summer, including a major climate action project spearheaded by LOSH that will develop plans to protect the health and safety of migrant workers who clean up after our ever more frequent fires and floods.

Across the country, workers are organizing to challenge the status quo at work. New leadership in the Teamsters led a successful nationwide contract campaign this summer, and the United Auto Workers are poised to strike tomorrow if negotiations fail. Ongoing strikes across Los Angeles by hotel workers, writers and actors highlight common challenges faced by many working people today: the need for jobs that sustain life rather than lives to serve jobs.

With that in mind, we look forward to celebrating September 22, 2023 as "Rev. James Lawson, Jr. Day" in Los Angeles County. As the County Board of Supervisors noted in their declaration, Rev. Lawson's life work has been to "advance the philosophy of nonviolence, end racial discrimination, strengthen workers rights, and promote human dignity." He has also been inspiring UCLA students for more than 20 years through his classes on nonviolence and social movements. Not content with mere declarations, the County Supervisors also directed L.A. County departments to launch a "know your rights" campaign in October in Rev. Lawson's honor. Congratulations, Rev. Lawson!

Sincerely,

Tobias Higbie

Director, UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment

• Our first-annual UC Labor Research Conference at UCLA witnessed an impressive turnout, attracting over 160 new and seasoned labor researchers. The event was organized by UCLA’s labor studies interdepartmental program and led by Labor Studies Faculty Chair, Chris Zepeda-Míllan, and was offered free of charge to participants. Read more about the event and plans to grow educational offerings of this type here.

• IRLE Director’s award-winning project and course: “Out of the Archives Into the Streets: Community-Engaged Learning for History and Labor Studies” was spotlighted by the UCLA College and the UCLA Newsroom. In this feature, Tobias Higbie discusses his journey into the field of labor studies and why he thinks having students engage with labor ephemera represents a powerful learning tool.

• The UCLA Labor Center released a report, “Student Balancing Act: Worker and Learner Experiences in Los Angeles’ Community Colleges,” which analyzed the experiences of Los Angeles County community college students who attend school and also work. Read the report here.

• A recently released report, “Taken for a Ride: Poverty and Food Insecurity Among Workers at Universal Studios Hollywood,” by the UCLA Labor Center and UCLA IRLE presented the working and living conditions experienced by workers at Universal Studios. Read the full report here.

• CARE at Work's recently released report, "Unlocking Potential: The Inland Empire Black Worker Center's Transformative IE Works Program," showcased the results of a pioneering workforce development program, which has a 95% completion rate. Read the study here.

• CARE at Work presented at the 3-day Black Organizing Institute that was led by the Southern California Black Worker Hub for Regional Organizing, the California Labor Federation and the LA County Federation of Labor with a deeper focus on the Black jobs crisis and building Black worker power. Congratulations to all of the Black Organizing Institute graduates!

• The inaugural UC Labor Summer 2023 created an opportunity for students and recent graduates to immerse in the labor movement and social and economic justice topics at the intersection of race, class, gender and immigration status. Learn more about the fellowship here. Following the fellowship’s closing retreat, participants shared their experiences and memories via a series of submissions, read here.

• In June, the UCLA Dream Resource Center kicked off Dream Summer 2023, an annual fellowship that empowers undocumented immigrant youth and allies to be the next generation of social justice leaders. 78 fellows were placed in community-based and social justice organizations to strengthen labor, immigrant rights and social justice movements across the United States. Watch Dream Summer 2023 fellows share why they applied to Dream Summer and what they learned here.

• COVID-19 Worker Outreach Project (CWOP): LOSH is playing a leading role in the latest phase of the COVID-19 Worker Outreach Project (CWOP), a statewide effort funded by the California Department of Industrial Relations to reach workers and employers with information about labor rights related to COVID and other workplace issues. As part of the CWOP initiative, LOSH will partner with up to 18 worker and community organizations in Southern California to support outreach, education and capacity-building activities.

• Addressing the Growing Epidemic of Silicosis Among Workers: LOSH staff and graduate student researchers are supporting efforts to address a growing epidemic of silicosis among workers in the artificial-stone fabrication industry in Southern California. An estimated 50 workers in Los Angeles have been diagnosed with the deadly illness since 2016, with more cases emerging. LOSH is collaborating with the LA County Department of Public Health, the California Department of Public Health, UCLA researchers, and several community-based organizations to conduct worker outreach and education, interview workers in the industry and inform new state policies related to silica dust exposure to prevent new silicosis cases.

• Protecting Workers from Extreme Heat: With summer temperatures soaring across the state, LOSH has been rolling out a series of educational messages regarding the hazards of extreme heat and workers’ rights to heat protections under California law. In addition to information in English and Spanish, LOSH developed short videos in six Indigenous languages from Mexico and Central America. Check out the videos on LOSH’s social media channels and website here. Go deeper: LOSH’s efforts to reach Indigenous workers in a previous article were spotlighted on our site previously, read here.

• As part of a partnership between the University of California and the State of California, LOSH received a $2 million grant to advance: "Health and safety of migrant workers responding to climate-related disasters.” Led by LOSH Director Kevin Riley, this research team will investigate the challenges facing migrant workers currently responding to our nation’s climate disasters and recovery efforts. Learn more here.

HARRT

• On October 1-3, the UCLA Human Resources Round Table (HARRT) Senior Executive Member Retreat will explore the theme "Rediscover The Human in Human Resources." Our Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) members will gather for three days with renowned faculty, thought leaders and fellow HR executives to gain insight into the trends that will impact the future of work.

• On August 23, students participating in the Labor Summer Research Program (LSRP) presented their findings, key issues impacting workers and learners and shared strategies and solutions to support student workers.

• On September 28, classes resume at UCLA and we will welcome the UCLA Labor Studies Class of 2027! Check out UCLA’s 2023-2024 academic calendar here.

• To kick off the new academic year, our Labor Studies interdisciplinary program will host its annual Labor Studies Open House on Tuesday, October 17. The event will feature more information on this dynamic field of study. Participants will meet faculty, staff, alumni and fellow students. For more information, click here.

• UCLA Labor Center Director Kent Wong spoke with The Washington Post on the history of strikes in Los Angeles and its current effects. Wong spoke about the new generation of labor leaders in the 80s and 90s that prioritized immigrant workers, changing the dynamic of the labor movement, and the current economic inequality that has pushed workers into mobilizing for justice.  

• The Los Angeles Times reported on the recent inaugural UCLA Labor Summer — documenting the organizing experiences of two fellows, Karen Magaña and Abril Olalde, with UFCW Local 770 as they picketed in front of a carwash. The journalist points out how Labor Summer has been a “boot camp of sorts, where picket lines have been their classrooms and learning how to yell from their stomachs was an assignment.”

• UCLA labor studies professor and historian Caroline Luce spoke to LAist about the history of LA’s labor movement. Luce describes LA’s anti-union history, the growth of union support and how monumental it is to see workers from different industries unite in solidarity and be able to share and connect their struggles and experiences this summer. 

• LAist spoke with Project Director Victor Narro about the housing crisis that is pushing workers to organize and go on strike. Narro described how wages are disconnected from rising rent and how this not only affects union workers, but all workers in general who are forced into longer commutes to be able to live in affordable housing. 

• Dr. Nosakhere Thomas, the Executive Director of the Inland Empire Black Worker Center, appeared as a guest on KBLA Radio, to discuss the findings of a new report: "Unlocking Potential: The Inland Empire Black Worker Center's Transformative IE Workers Program." The study was published by the UCLA Center for the Advancement of Racial Equality at Work.

IRLE Upcoming Events

• A special teach-in commemorating Rev. James Lawson, Jr.’s 95th Birthday will take place this upcoming Saturday, September 23. The event will be held at the Holman United Methodist Church, where Rev. Lawson served as pastor for decades. RSVP here.

General Labor Upcoming Events

• What is a Good Job Now? - On Wednesday, Oct 18, 2023, a panel hosted by Zocalo Public Square will consider: How can workers make sure they’re treated fairly in the workplace? The event hosted virtually and in-person will feature: California State Senator Maria Elena Durazo, warehouse worker Sara Fee, and California Labor Commissioner Assistant Chief Daniel Yu. The event forms part of the “What is a Good Job Now?” series. Learn more and register here.

Job Opportunities at the IRLE

• UCLA Labor Studies: Tenure-track professor of Labor Studies, application deadline is Sept 29, 2023. Learn more here.

• UCLA Labor Center: Associate Director of Development, application deadline is Sept 26, 2023. Learn more here.

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 citlallichavez@ucla.edu.

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