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Willa Needham2026-10-05 16:23:032026-10-05 16:23:03UCLA IRLE Celebrates its 80th AnniversarySince 1946, the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) has shaped labor policy and practice, sustained the vitality of unions and community organizations and prepared researchers and organizers for impactful careers.
Today, the IRLE supports a robust group of research, education and public engagement programs including the UCLA Labor Center, the Department of Labor Studies, the Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program (LOSH) and the Human Resources Round Table (HARRT). The IRLE also hosts research initiatives including the Entertainment and Media Research Initiative (EMRI), the Memory Work Research Initiative (MWRI) and the Strategic Research Lab.
IRLE Today
The UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) advances labor research and education for economic justice through the work of its units, academic department and research initiatives. As the oldest organized research unit at the University of California, the IRLE has for 80 years supported transformative knowledge production and outreach programs that connect UCLA with the diverse working communities of Los Angeles.
Read more about IRLE’s units and projects in the featured stories below.
News
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Willa Needham2026-10-05 16:23:032026-10-05 16:23:03UCLA IRLE Celebrates its 80th Anniversary
Recipients of HARRT’s Corporate Governance Certification for CHROs, May 19, 2025 / HARRT at UCLA
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Willa Needham2026-10-05 13:27:462026-10-05 13:27:46HARRT at UCLA advances transformative HR strategies
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Willa Needham2026-08-13 13:29:392026-09-24 13:00:53UCLA Strategic Labor Research Conference 2026 Highlights
Group photo of the UCLA Labor Studies class of 2026 / Sydney Cattouse
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Marcos Ruiz2026-07-08 09:59:222026-07-16 17:36:36Labor Studies Celebrates Its First Graduating Class as a Department
UCLA LOSH team poses for a group photo at strategic planning retreat, 2025 / UCLA LOSH
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Willa Needham2026-07-07 09:53:012026-07-07 09:53:01UCLA LOSH promotes worker health and safety for all
Community members and staff gathered at the James Lawson Jr. Worker Justice Center main room during the reopening celebration on April 23, 2026 / UCLA Labor Center
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Willa Needham2026-05-06 09:17:322026-05-06 09:17:56UCLA Labor Center welcomes the community home as it celebrates historic building reopening
A selection from the new Power from the Past website - Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) leads a Grocery Workers Justice Pilgrimage during the Southern California supermarket strike of 2003-2004. LAANE Collection, IRLE Archives.
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Willa Needham2026-04-01 09:51:052026-07-16 17:37:11Power from the Past: Inspiring organizing in the present and future
Ana Christina Ramón, director of the UCLA Entertainment and Media Research Initiative (EMRI) at the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE)
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Willa Needham2026-03-11 10:46:432026-09-24 12:54:05UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report reshapes the industry conversation on representationEvents
Meeting the Moment, Building the Movement Part 1– Proposition 187: Labor’s Fight for Immigrant Rights
Date and Time: October 9, 2026, 10-11:30 am PDT
Location: Virtual
Meeting the Moment, Building the Movement Part 2– Labor Strategies to Defend Immigrant Worker Rights Today
Date and Time: October 16, 2026, 10-11:30 am PDT
Location: Virtual
