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Dear IRLE Community,
As we wrap up another summer, it is gratifying to reflect on the creativity and energy of our hardworking staff and faculty affiliates. Among the many highlights, a memorable moment for me was the keynote address at the Strategic Labor Research Conference from Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants. The IRLE followed that up with the release of our second annual State of the Unions report.
While it may be “summer break” for some, the IRLE supports an array of educational programs in the summer months. The UCLA Labor Center uplifted the next generation of movement leaders through their Labor Summer, Dream Summer and Freedom Fellowship programs. The Labor Summer Research Program trained another cohort of California undergraduates to conduct and interpret participatory research on workers and learners in LA County. LOSH hosted another Occupational Health Internship Program (OHIP) offering graduate and undergraduate students across the US the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in worker health and safety.
We look forward to another active season of programming for students and workers as we enter fall. Read on for all the details and sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know about our news and events.
In solidarity,
Toby Higbie
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Toby Higbie
Director, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment
Professor of History and Labor Studies
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State of the Unions: California Labor in 2025
“State of the Unions: California Labor in 2025” provides the latest data on union membership, organizing activity and worker direct action in California. The report includes six case studies highlighting worker and union-led campaigns across the state. The findings underscore workers’ persistent and creative strategies to build power under challenging circumstances.
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WEBINAR: State of the Unions: The Fight for a First Union Contract
🗓️ Date and Time: September 23, 2026, 12-1:30 pm PDT
📍 Location: Virtual
The UCLA IRLE and UCLA Labor Center invite you to join labor experts and organizers for a revealing virtual panel discussion on workers’ prolonged fights to secure a first union contract.
The panel will break down a first-of-its-kind collaborative survey conducted by researchers at UC Labor Center locations across California, appearing in the IRLE's annual “State of the Unions” report.
Learn more about the speakers and webinar series here. RSVP below.
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WEBINAR: Labor Strategies to Defend Immigrant Worker Rights Today
🗓️ Date and Time: October 16, 2026, 10-11:30 am PDT
📍 Location: Virtual
Part two of the IRLE’s “Meeting the Moment, Building the Movement” series brings together three leaders at the forefront of labor and community responses to the current militarized federal immigration campaign in cities across the U.S. Facing the largest deportation campaign since the 1950s, labor unions and their members, alongside allies in the immigrant rights movement, are taking creative, nonviolent action to defend communities.
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DRC 15th Anniversary: Con Amor a Los Angeles
🗓️ Date and Time: October 10, 2026, 1:00 - 6:00 pm PDT
📍 Location: UCLA James Lawson Jr. Worker Justice Center - 675 S Park View St
Join the Dream Resource Center Saturday, Oct. 10 from 1-6 PM for “Con Amor a Los Angeles,” a vibrant community event designed to bring our immigrant community together for a joyful, celebratory storytelling space. Hear a variety of musical performances, walk through an art gallery, and visit a series of vendors—all of whom are committed to uplifting immigrant solidarity and youth leadership. Each featured guest has a connection to the 15th anniversary celebration, whether through direct participation in the fellowship as a participant or host organization, or lived experience with immigration.
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Voter Protection Training
🗓️ September 24, 2026, 4:00 - 8:00 pm
📍 Los Angeles Trade Technical-College - 400 West Washington Blvd.
Join the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor for an urgent Voter Protection Training ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. In this training, we will equip ourselves with the skills and knowledge needed to safeguard our voice and our right to decide our very own future. We will NOT be intimidated! We will stand together to defend our democracy and protect the right to vote across Los Angeles County. Dinner provided.
Together, we'll learn how to:
- Identify and respond to voter intimidation,
- Assist voters who experience problems at the polls,
- Report incidents and protect voters' rights, and
- Help ensure every eligible voter can cast their ballot and every vote is counted.
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Screening and Q&A: Who Moves America
🗓️ September 24, 2026, 7:30 pm
📍 Laemmle Monica Film Center 1332 2nd Street
WHO MOVES AMERICA follows UPS workers as they organize, argue, and campaign across the country. Through intimate access and on-the-ground storytelling, WHO MOVES AMERICA reveals the human stories behind the single largest collective bargaining agreement in North America and explores the power and complexity of collective action in modern America. Director/producer Yael Bridge and producer Yoni Golijov will participate in post-screening Q&As on 9/24 (MFC), joined by moderator Amber A'Lee Frost.
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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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Read previous IRLE Newsletters here. Support our work here.
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