History and Founding

The Labor Summer fellowship began in 2023, after the state of California allocated $13 million in ongoing funding to expand University of California (UC) labor centers.

As the first joint program shared between all UC labor centers, the Labor Summer fellowship is available at eight other UC campuses in addition to UCLA: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz.

How it Works

The Labor Summer fellowship at the UCLA Labor Center is a paid, 8-week program that pairs undergraduate and graduate students with labor unions and worker centers across Los Angeles County, where they receive on-the-ground organizing and advocacy experience staffing workers’ rights campaigns. Fellows are awarded $7,000 in recognition of their participation in the program. Additionally, they receive bi-weekly base-building training and professional development opportunities, a certificate of completion, and access to a statewide network of other Labor Summer fellows across California.

Impact

• Over the last two years, the Labor Summer fellowship at the UCLA Labor Center has awarded 34 fellows and emerging labor leaders with $231,000.
  • 18 labor summer 1 cohort
  • 16 labor summer 2 cohort
  • 34 total
  • 33 x 7,000 = $231,000
• 70% of fellows are bilingual.
• 17% identify as non-traditional students.
• 41% were UCLA Labor Studies major students.
• More than 22 labor unions and worker centers in Los Angeles County hosted a Labor Summer fellow.
  • Notable organizations include: The Los Angeles Federation of Labor, UFCW Local 770, California Coalition for Worker Power, CLEAN Carwash, Garment Worker Center, UNITE HERE! Local 11, and AFT 1521.

The Labor Summer fellowship was featured in the Los Angeles Times: “The picket line is their classroom: Inside UC’s labor union boot camp for student activists.”

Applicant Profile and Requirements

• Applicants must:
  • Be over 18 years old, or will be by the start of the program.
  • Be an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled at a California community college (CCC), California State University (CSU), or University of California (UC) school, or have graduated within the last two years.
  • Reside in or near Los Angeles County.
  • Have full-time availability for the summer (i.e., 40 hours per week).
  • Have an active ITIN or SSN by the time their offer letter is received.
  • Have demonstrated interest and/or experience working with the labor movement.
  • Not have been an employee of the University of California within the last two years of the date of submission of the application, and cannot be a current employee. By “current,” we mean an on-going appointment with the University of California or plan to be employed during Labor Summer 2023. Being a University of California “employee” includes work-study and working on campus, i.e., working in student stores or restaurants/coffee shops.

Host Organizations

• 2023
  • Building Skills Partnership
  • Hospitality Training Academy (HTA)
  • Los Angeles College Faculty Guild — AFT 1521
  • Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Los Angeles chapter
  • UFCW Local 770
  • LA FED
  • UCLA Labor Center
  • UC Undocumented Bruin Center
  • NEA Border Tour
  • UCLA CILP Law
• 2024
  • California Coalition for Worker Power (CCWP)
  • KIWA
  • UFCW 770
  • LA Fed
  • Miguel Contreras
  • PWC
  • CLEAN Carwash
  • GWC
  • UNAC
  • UNITE Here! Local 11
  • UTLA
  • AFT 1521