IRLE Publications

Student labor has become increasingly prevalent in secondary and postsecondary institutions. Research has shown that working while also attending school is a common practice, if not an expectation, for college students. Data collected on young workers in California (UCLA Labor Center & Stuart Foundation, 2023) shows that nearly half of young workers between 16 and 24 years old also attend school. Additionally, over a fourth of high school workers and learners, and over half of college undergraduates, work over 20 hours per week.

Media Contact

Emily Jo Wharry, emilyjowharry@g.ucla.edu

After the Bell: A Portrait of High School Workers in California, the latest brief released by the UCLA Labor Center as part of its “State of Young Workers in California” research initiative, analyzes the demographics and work conditions of high school students who work using 2017–2021 American Community Survey data. This brief is an extension of the UCLA Labor Center’s report “California’s Future is Clocked In: The Experiences of Young Workers,” which explored the experiences of all California young workers ages 16–24.

Media Contact

Emily Jo Wharry, emilyjowharry@g.ucla.edu

Nail Files California: A Study of Nail Salon Workers and Their Industry profiles the industry and its workforce to identify the gaps in research as well as the policy needs of the sector to better address its inequities and challenges, with a focus on (1) workers and owners across the state; (2) wages, pay structure, pricing, and consumption; (3) needs of the workforce; and (4) opportunities to strengthen the workforce.

Media Contact

Emily Jo Wharry, emilyjowharry@g.ucla.edu

Taken for a Ride: Poverty and Food Insecurity Among Workers at Universal Studios Hollywood, the latest report released by the UCLA Labor Center and the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, focuses on the working and living conditions experienced by workers at Universal Studios in California. Based on a survey completed by 1,330 Universal Studios Hollywood workers, the sample represents nearly a quarter of the average year-round workforce in the two largest groups of workers at the park: a unit of food service workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 11and a unit of retail workers, tour guides, and a variety of other positions represented by IATSE B192. Both unions collaborated on this project. The authors complemented these surveys with detailed qualitative interviews with approximately twenty workers and with company data.

Media Contact

Emily Jo Wharry, emilyjowharry@g.ucla.edu

This report is the eleventh in a series of annual studies produced by UCLA’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) to explore relationships between diversity and the bottom line in the Hollywood entertainment industry. Housed within the IRLE and Division of Social Sciences, the Entertainment and Media Research Initiative (EMRI) – which explores equity and access issues affecting entertainment industry workers and tracks the viewing habits of increasingly diverse audiences – produced the report

Media Contact

Barbra Ramos, bramos@stratcomm.ucla.edu; Willa Needham, willaneedham@ucla.edu

Despite having the strongest workplace laws in the nation, workers in California experience high rates of labor violations that disproportionately harm workers of color and workers in low-wage industries. Lawmakers created the Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) in 2003 to broaden the state’s labor enforcement capacity. Under PAGA, workers file lawsuits on behalf of the Labor & Workforce Development Agency (“LWDA”) for company-wide violations. “A Shrinking Toolbox: The Corporate Efforts to Eliminate PAGA and Limit California Worker’s Rights” is the first to analyze the likely impact on workers of a ballot initiative that would dramatically alter California’s tools for preventing and correcting wage theft and other workplace abuses.

Media Contact

Emily Jo Wharry, emilyjowharry@g.ucla.edu

Current studies on the impact of politics on personal well-being have often come from the perspective of constituents. However, recent news headlines have made clear the need for additional research on the role of mental health and mindfulness for public servants. We argue that in order to practice sustainability and be more effective and compassionate public servants, our leaders need more tools to withstand the many stressors of holding elected office.

Media Contact

Media Inquiries: Emily Jo Wharry, emilyjowharry@ucla.edu

Automation and the Future of Dockwork at the San Pedro Bay Port Complex is a mixed-methods study of the potential impacts of increased automation at the San Pedro Bay Port Complex, commissioned by the California Workforce Development Board as part of the California Legislature’s 2020 Assembly Bill 639. A panel of 10 industry stakeholders drove this research, composed of two legislative appointees with backgrounds in workforce development, as well as representatives of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), and the Los Angeles and Long Beach Port Authorities. This panel convened six times over 18 months, and individual panelists participated in a series of in-depth interviews.

Media Contact

Emily Jo Wharry, emilyjowharry@g.ucla.edu

This report is the tenth in a series of annual studies produced by UCLA’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) to explore relationships between diversity and the bottom line in the Hollywood entertainment industry. Housed within the IRLE and Division of Social Sciences, the recently launched Entertainment and Media Research Initiative (EMRI) – which explores equity and access issues affecting entertainment industry workers and tracks the viewing habits of increasingly diverse audiences – produced the report. This report draws attention to the racial, ethnic, gender (including transgender and non-binary) identities and, starting this year, disability status of those working in key above-the-line jobs in Hollywood’s top films and TV shows in any given year.

Media Contact

Barbra Ramos, bramos@stratcomm.ucla.edu; Willa Needham, willaneedham@ucla.edu

California’s Future is Clocked In: The Experiences of Young Workers presents the latest findings from the UCLA Labor Center’s “The State of Young Workers in California” research initiative, focusing on the conditions of young workers aged 16 to 24 in the state of California. The research brings together data from survey and administrative data sources and existing literature to explore the employment, educational, financial, and household circumstances of young workers in California in the years surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic (2019-2021). The report details the realities faced by California’s young workers and highlights the need for interventions and policies to address the challenges facing the state’s youth and their future.

Media Contact

Emily Jo Wharry, emilyjowharry@g.ucla.edu