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Charting His Own Course

GIVING LEGACIES 

Stories of generosity from donors across the UCLA College community

Nathan Seidman ’96

Jaime Ballesteros/Blue Veil Films

This feature, authored by Emma Horio, was originally published by the UCLA College Magazine on December 11, 2024 as part of their “Giving Legacies” article.

Nathan Seidman ’96 came to UCLA to study economics and quickly discovered that his passion was for studying the workplace and workers’ rights, rather than numbers. He’s now a staunch long-term supporter of UCLA’s Labor Center — during his time as a student, it helped him chart a course to a long and fruitful career that aligned with his interests.

In those years, the Labor Center had not yet had its growth spurt, and there was no labor studies major or formal program to speak of (these would come later, in 2019). But in the heart of Southern California, Los Angeles was growing into a vibrant community for workers to organize. The labor rights campaign Justice for Janitors gained traction in 1990, as the city’s janitors fought en masse for better working conditions, and went on to involve more than 225,000 janitors across the U.S. and Canada.

Seidman recalls witnessing early union activity on campus, including a gathering hosted by UCLA involving representatives from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, or AFL-CIO, a national trade union center. Fascinated, Seidman chose a specialization in organizational studies — UCLA’s version of a minor at the time — where he found an introduction to studying trade unions and professional associations.

His studies soon led Seidman to seek out internship opportunities in labor and employment relations, which brought him to UCLA’s Labor Center. In the ’90s, the center housed a folder of faxes from local unions searching for interns and not much else.

“The Labor Center, if I recall correctly, was just an inconspicuous office in a building somewhere in Westwood Village,” he says. “At that time, it was not much more than an entrance.”

For Seidman, it proved to be the entrance to a fulfilling career. After interning with a local hotel workers’ union and with the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, he began working with the federal government as an investigator in the Department of Labor. Now serving as the assistant to the regional director for the National Labor Relations Board, Seidman has not forgotten his beginnings: he has consistently given to the UCLA Labor Center for nearly 20 years.

“The Labor Center is very positive and forward-thinking and forward-looking,” he says. “It is tremendous to watch the good people there continue to do their good work in researching and assisting with the workplace in Southern California.”

Another way Seidman gives back to his alma mater is by volunteering as a mentor with UCLA’s Alumni Mentorship Program. He meets with undergraduate and graduate students to talk about their interests, give them ideas and be the support that many students don’t get elsewhere. As one who charted his own course in a still-burgeoning field, Seidman’s goal is to help students consider all of the options open to them so that they can map their paths, too.

He encourages other alumni to consider the fulfilling nature of giving back to UCLA.

“If there’s an organization at UCLA that played a part in their career goals, I would encourage alums to say thank you however they can,” Seidman says. “It’s a great way to remember the helping role UCLA played in allowing us alums get to where we want to be in our lives.”