Institute for Research on Labor and Employment

RLE Colloquia Series — Counter Culture & American Hair: Untangling race, labor and class in salons and diners
2013-11-20 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Author, photographer and cultural critic, Candacy Taylor has traveled over 26,000 miles throughout the United States documenting diner waitresses for her book Counter Culture: The American Coffee Shop Waitress (Cornell University Press). She is now working on a project with the Library of Congress examining hair, culture and identity in America for her forthcoming book and exhibit, AMERICAN HAIR. This multimedia talk will feature what Taylor has learned about women, work, class, culture and identity on America’s main streets, urban hubs and rural byways.

Annual Ben Aaron Labor Law Lecture: The Board and Its Role on the Frontiers of Employment Law
2013-11-13 00:00
Harry I. Johnson III | Board Member, National Labor Relations Board

Book Talk: Reframing the Latino Immigration Debate Towards a Humanistic Paradigm
2013-10-09 15:00 - 17:00
In Reframing the Latino Immigration Debate: Towards a Humanistic Paradigm (San Diego State University Press, 2013), his new book of non-fiction essays, Alvaro Huerta, CSRC visiting scholar, asks readers to reassess critical political and cultural issues unfolding along the U.S./Mexico border. Paired in this volume with the photography of Antonio Turok, Huerta’s words move readers “towards a humanistic paradigm” in a work that has been called as a “must read” for students, scholars, and policy-makers alike. Huerta’s presentation will be followed by a conversation with UCLA professor of history and former CSRC director Juan Gómez-Quiñones, who provided the book’s foreword.

Film Screening: The Black Fatherhood Project
2013-07-31 18:00 - 20:30
The Black Fatherhood Project poignantly reveals a history much more complex and profound than what is often seen on the surface of events. Directed and produced by Jordan Thierry, The Black Fatherhood Project unravels the roots of Black absentee parenting through the telling of his own story, interviews with prominent historians, and dialogue among a diverse selection of dads. The discussions include personal experiences, inspirations, and insight on how communities can come together to ensure the power of a father’s love is not lost on America’s Black children.
“The film explores the issues that continue to plague the Black community,” says Thierry. “It digs deep into history to identify how Black families functioned before slavery, how it and subsequent discrimination affected black fathers’ involvement in their families, and its impact today.”
Nationwide, 67 percent of Black children live in single-parent families, predominantly with the mother. This factor alone increases the likelihood of living in poverty, low educational achievement, incarceration and abuse. This ratio has tripled since the 1960s, growing in correlation with drug crimes, prisons, and income inequality to create today’s challenges for the Black family.
The first-time filmmaker adds, “The film also reveals that while the statistics may be discouraging, there is a strong faction of black men that are breaking the cycle of fatherlessness in their families and inspiring others to do the same.”
This film screening will begin at 6:00pm on Wednesday, July 31st and will be followed by a question and answers discussion facilitated by the Director. The film can also be viewed at the film’s website BlackFatherhoodProject.com. The website also provides informational resources on fatherhood as well as a list of reputable mentor and advocacy groups.

How Global Migration Changes the Workforce Diversity Equation
2013-05-31 13:00 - 2013-06-01 17:15
The increase in migration flows that took place in the last two decades deeply changed the composition of the workforce in many countries and sharpened the national and international debate about migrants in the labor market.
Today the topic is high on the policy agenda in many countries, for several reasons. First, labor market integration is arguably the most important condition for ensuring full and autonomous participation by immigrants in the society. However, the scale of migration and racial, ethnic, and religious differences of migrants raise new challenges. Second, in the context of demographic aging, many countries are experiencing labor and skill shortages. To tackle this, it has become important to better value the existing skills of some immigrants, and to find ways to upgrade the skills of others. The transferability and recognition of qualifications and work experience that were acquired in different contexts in the countries of origin thus become a relevant issue. Third, there is a persistent perception that migrants compete with native workers, especially those from less advantaged groups. Finally, immigrants have been among the groups hardest hit by the difficult labor market situation following the economic downturn of 2008-09. This is particularly true in western economies that are major destinations for international migrants. Governments, institutions, social partners and enterprises must play key roles in strengthening labor standards for migrants, as well as natives, at the macro and micro levels.
The conference aims at contributing to the current debate and attaining a better understanding of the causes, consequences and possible responses to these issues on a global scale, through an interdisciplinary and comparative approach. This conference will bring together scholars studying immigration, workforce diversity, and the intersection of the two from the United States, Europe, and around the world. The goal is not just to exchange information, but to advance discussions about strategies and solutions.

Migration, remittances, and development in Mexico, 1970-2012: Lessons and future challenges
2013-05-22 12:30 - 14:00
Presented by Rodolfo García Zamora, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, México
After 40 years of a long and rising emigration from Mexico to the United States, where from 800 thousand migrants in the 70’s, the amount of mexicans increased to 12 million in 2006, and having as consequence an increasing input of remittances, which in 2007 was reaching $26 million dollars, the lessons of states like Zacatecas and Michoacan, characterized by their high intensity of international migration, are that the increasing migration and remittances input do not achieve economic and social development, because the structural causes of migration as backwardness, unemployment and marginalization are persisting, and this raises the need for new policies on Development, Migration and Human Rights, that allow exercising the right to not emigrate in a medium term.
One of the positive products of this long migration are Mexican Migrant Clubs and Federations such as the ones in Zacatecas and Michoacán, which are recognized by the promotion of the 3×1 Program, by the incidence in new government programs to migrants and their communities, for their participation in global Forums on development and migration, and recently (2010-2013), for their suggestions to the new Immigration Law and Regulations, and this year in the battle to include the issue of migration as a central axis within the National Development Plan (Plan Nacional de Desarrollo) 2013 – 2018. The possibility that these proposals can become a Development, Migration and Human Rights, comprehensive and long term State Policy will depend on the capacity and participation of Mexican civil society and transnational communities in both countries.

Book Talk — Solidarity Transformed: Labor Responses to Globalization and Crisis in Latin America
2013-05-15 12:30 - 14:00
Solidarity Transformed provides an account of how labor unions in Latin America are developing new strategies to defend the interests of the workers they represent in dynamic global and local contexts. Anner combines in-depth case studies of the auto and apparel industries in El Salvador, Honduras, Brazil, and Argentina with survey analysis.
Altogether, he documents approximately seventy labor campaigns-both successful and failed-over a period of twenty years. Anner finds that four labor strategies have dominated labor activism in recent years: transnational activist campaigns; transnational labor networks; radical flank mechanisms; and microcorporatist worker-employer pacts. The choice of which strategy to pursue is shaped by the structure of global supply chains, access to the domestic political process, and labor identities.
Mark Anner spent ten years working with labor unions in Latin America and returned to conduct eighteen months of field research for this book. His presentation will provide updates and new developments based on recent field research in the region, including travel to El Salvador in March 2013.

Book Talk — Trampling out the Vintage: Cesar Chavez and the Two Souls of the United Farm Workers
2013-05-08 12:30 - 14:00
Frank Bardacke tells the thrilling, and ultimately tragic story, of one of the most transformative labor movements in American history.
Much has been written about the United Farm Workers, but the depth of Bardacke’s investigative reporting, the range of his historical knowledge, and the complexity of his story is unparalleled. Bardacke grounds his book in the history and tradition of union organizing among Mexican farm workers. He honors farm workers as few writers have done, emphasizing their endurance and skills.
In addition to illuminating sketches of UFW activists, organizers and staff, Bardacke presents a detailed and nuanced portrayal of the religious, political and ideological background of Cesar Chavez, the charismatic and brilliant leader of the UFW. All of this is told in the context of the civil rights movement, AFL-CIO machinations, the immigration debate, the liberal left split, the war in Vietnam and California politics.
“You can take little sections out of the book and they’re the best thing ever written on the subject,” said Hillman judge Harold Meyerson.
While the story of the decline of the UFW is painful, Trampling Out the Vintage still manages to inspire through its compelling telling of how farm workers built one of the iconic social movements of our time. Anyone intent on understanding, or more importantly building a social movement, must read this book. Trampling Out the Vintage is a monumental work of labor and social history.

Low Wage Workers & Organizing Conference
2013-04-19 09:00 - 2013-04-20 18:00
Sponsored with a grant from the Ford Foundation, this conference aims to stimulate research and discussion on key issues that impact low-wage workers and to focus on the particular role of groups, organizations, organizing strategies and campaigns in the lives of low wage workers. Senior scholars and thinkers together with emerging academics will address a variety of issues, including: engaged research; organizing impact; relevant legal issues; intersectionality; social movements and immigration; and emerging sectors and peripheral movements.

Rethinking Binationalism: Binational Mexican Labor Activism in the Early 20th Century
2013-04-17 12:30 - 14:00
“Rethinking Binationalism” explores the history of binational Mexican labor activism in the early 20th century. The perspective is from a segment of the grass roots base of an under-explored part of the Industrial Workers of the World and highlights Mexican activists who were committed members of the binational Partido Liberal Mexicano (PLM) and, simultaneously, organized Mexicans into the IWW. In this period, as others, Mexican worker/organizers were often the engines for binational solidarity. This binationalism had deep roots in the area north of the post 1848 border. The lives and work of two traveling organizer-propagandists suggests binational (and internationalist) cross generational legacies of a commitment to labor organizing and social change which resonates in the present period.

The Psychology of Colorblindness
2013-04-13 14:00 - 15:30
What psychologically fuels Whites¹ attraction to racial colorblindness? What are the correlates and outcomes of colorblindness, both in terms of Whites¹ race-related attitudes and behaviors and effects on racial minorities? What are the implications for individuals and organizations when some Whites are colorblind with respect to their own identity (i.e., what we term ³racial denial²)? More broadly, how does denying the role of race in policy-making (such as restrictive immigration laws) predict support for those policies? Finally, do Whites actually view undocumented immigrants with a blind eye to race? After addressing these questions with preliminary and published data, I will discuss implications for education, workplace, and legal contexts.

Bridging the Gap: Connecting Academics to Funder and Foundation Initiatives
2013-03-05 09:00 - 11:00
Professor Héctor Cordero-Guzmán will discuss the ways in which academics can connect to different types of funder and foundation initiatives, detailing strategies that can increase the chances of university based researchers to access some of the funding that is available to support research and analysis on a range of policy, organization, program and community impact issues.

SHIFT CHANGE: True Stories of Secure, Dignified Jobs in Democratic Workplaces
2013-02-27 17:00 - 19:30
The Southland premier screening of Shift Change will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers, Melissa Young and Mark Dworkin. Faculty and guest speaker experts in labor relations and workplace will join the filmmakers to discuss the larger global and social workplace and employment issues that the film raises. This will be followed by an open dialogue with the audience and networking reception over refreshments.

Chaos and Grassroots Organization in Mexico
2013-02-27 12:00 - 14:00
Laura Carlsen (political analyst and writer in Mexico) and Gloria Muñoz (Director of a grassroots movement magazine) will discuss the situation, from above—national politics and regional geopolitics—and from below— grassroots responses and resistance.

Book Talk: They Say Cut Back, We Say Fight Back! Welfare Rights Activism in an Era of Retrenchment
2013-02-20 12:30 - 14:00

Neither Slave Nor Free: The Bound Labor of Migrant Workers
2013-02-15 12:30 - 14:00

Colloquium — Inequalities at work, inequalities as parents: Mothers and fathers in transnational families
2013-01-23 12:30 - 14:00

Colloquium — Radicalism at the Crossroads: African American Women Activists in the Cold War
2012-11-28 12:30 - 14:00

Death and Taxes (and other hot topics): Debating the 2012 California Ballot Propositions
2012-11-01 12:15 - 13:45
California voters face big decisions on the 2012 ballot initiatives. From tax policyto the death penalty to genetically modified food labeling, a lot is at stake on the
ballot. Join us for an educational and informative forum to analyze the initiatives.

Sea Change or More of the Same? Looking Beyond November 6: A Presidential Election Panel Discussion
2012-10-17 18:00 - 21:00
After the horse race is over and Election 2012 has been decided, the business of governing is going to get very difficult very quickly. With budget cuts looming and taxes set to rise, voters are struggling to understand competing visions for the future. Is a balanced compromise possible in an atmosphere of extreme partisanship? How does the rhetoric of an election year match our fiscal reality?
Join Mark Z. Barabak, political writer for the Los Angeles Times; Sky Gallegos, political strategist and experienced campaign veteran; Adam Nagourney, Los Angeles bureau chief for The New York Times; Dan Schnur, director of USC’s Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics; and Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr., dean of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs for an engaging discussion that’s sure to enlighten and inform.

2012 Benjamin Aaron Labor Law LectureSeparate and Unequal: Arbitration and Private Justice
2012-10-04 17:30 - 19:30
Cliff Palefsky, a dynamic speaker and leading critic of mandatory arbitration agreements, will provide valuable insights from the plaintiff’s perspective on the “hot topic” of employment dispute arbitration. Mr. Palefsky has been in the forefront of the opposition to mandatory arbitration for the past 24 years in both the courts and the legislature. He has been involved in many of the leading arbitration cases, and will reflect on the rapidly developing state of the law, including the NLRB’s D.R Horton decision, the state of class actions after AT&T v Concepcion, the alternative dispute resolution industry, the proposed Arbitration Fairness legislation, and the implications of mandatory arbitration on civil justice in America.

Impact of Colonial Policies on Contemporary Educational Outcomes
2012-06-05 00:00

Book Presentation - Just Neighbors? Research on African American and Latino Relations in the United States
2012-05-31 17:00 - 20:30
Editors Edward Telles, Mark Sawyer and Gaspar Rivera-Salgado willbe joined by distinguished panelists to discuss how African Americans and Latinos relate to each
other in contemporary American society and how these social interactions are transforming the US
political, cultural and labor landscapes. Just Neighbors? Research on African American and Latino
Relations in the US is published by the Russell Sage Foundation, 2011.

UCLA Labor Center 2012 Banquet
2012-05-10 00:00

La restructuración de la Industria Siderúrgica en México
2012-05-09 12:30 - 14:30
Starting in the 1980s, the Mexican government reduced its participation in the steel industry, a sector which had been one of the engines of national economic growth.The government closed, restructured and privatized large steel plants, including Fundidora Monterrey in 1986, Minera Cananea in 1989, and Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA) and Siderúrgica Lázaro Cardenas-Las Truchas in 1991. Steel production played a highly significant role in Mexico’s industrialization, driving the expansion of mining, the formation of the working class and the rise of the labor movement. The
restructuring of the steel industry left thousands of workers jobless and without employment possibilities elsewhere. In this presentation,Professor Martínez analyzes the employment and unemployment experiences of former metallurgic workers from AHMSA and Fundidora Monterrey
in the context of the restructuring of the steel sector, the larger modernization and privatization of the national industrial base, the dismantling
welfare provisions and the liberalization and globalization of the Mexican economy.

The Elasticity of Labor Supply to the Firm over the Business Cycle
2012-05-02 12:00 - 14:00
Recent work suggests that the labor elasticity of supply to the firm is finite. In other words, labor markets are not perfectly competitive. We provide the first estimates of the degree of labor market imperfections over a long period of time with significant variation in the state of the macroeconomy. Using data from the Ford Motor Company from 1918 through 1940 we analyze the labor elasticity of supply to the firm over the business cycle. We find significant variation in this parameter over time and consistent with predictions from a simple search model we find evidence of it being procyclical. Our analysis also contributes two methodological extensions to the empirical monopsony literature. First, we are able to relax the assumption that all employee separations in the firm are replaced by recruits. Second, we use data that allows us to isolate workers who quit for voluntary reasons. Both have significant impacts on our estimates.

Worker's Memorial Day
2012-04-28 00:00

Human Persons, Incompressible Needs and Minimum Wages in Post-war France
2012-04-25 12:30 - 14:00
The passage of minimum wage legislation in 1950 led to one of the odder chapters in the history of French bureaucratic committees. Paul Bacon, Minister of Labor, convened a High Commission on Collective Bargaining in April of that year to measure a model worker’s budget. Over thirty members strong, the meeting assembled major leaders of all three unions, representatives of large and small employers, artisans, managers, family associations and a number of state bureaucrats. Over the following two months, these men hashed out the principles and the practice of a new republican minimum standard of living. No point proved too fine for debate, from theoretical reflections on science and measurement to the durability of underwear.The minimum wage commission appears an exemplary moment in postwar French consumer society. First, it enacted a political contest between unions and employers, mediated by the state and family associations. Second, as it called upon expert testimony, the commission participated in the emergence of an empirical, policy-oriented postwar social science. Third, the commission’s work reflected French citizens’ everyday struggle to reconcile scarce resources and expanding consumer desires

Panel - Organizing Workers in the Informal Economy: Brazil, China, Mexico, South Africa ... and Los Angeles
2012-04-20 18:00 - 21:00
Across the globe, workers in the informal economy are organizing — from trash recyclers in Brazil and day laborers in China, to street vendors in Mexico and domestic workers in South Africa. Researchers from these countries will join labor activists from Los Angeles on a panel discussion about these and other organizing efforts, and discuss how labor unions and governments have responded to these grassroots campaigns.

Learning from the Past to Change the Future: 20 Years of Justice for Janitors
2012-04-19 00:00
