Media Experts

UCLA Labor Center

Trusted Insights on Labor, Unions, Immigration and Workers' Rights

For over 60 years, the UCLA Labor Center has been a leading voice in labor research and advocacy. Our team of experts offers timely, insightful commentary on the most pressing labor and workforce issues, from policy changes to strike actions, always grounded in research and real-world experience. UCLA Labor Center staff are available for interviews with reporters.

Frequently Featured in the Media

Saba Waheed, Director of the UCLA Labor Center

Saba Waheed offers analysis and commentary on labor issues, especially as they impact marginalized communities.

Featured in Politico

Areas of expertise: research justice, economic equity, worker rights.

Victor Narro, Project Director for ReWork Research

Victor Narro is a trusted voice on immigrant labor and worker justice, drawing from decades of frontline experience.

Featured in LA Times

Areas of expertise: immigrant rights and low wage workers.

Tia Koonse, Legal and Policy Research Manager for ReWork Research

Tia Koonse provides legal insights into labor legislation and policy reforms and makes complex legal topics accessible to the public.

Featured in TechTarget, Marketplace

Areas of expertise: Labor law, policy development, worker protections.

Kent Wong, Project Director for Labor and Community Partnerships

Kent Wong is one of the most prominent voices on labor organizing, and Asian American racial justice.

Featured in USA Today, LAist

Areas of expertise: labor studies, union organizing, labor history, labor movement strategies

Experts on Emerging Topics

Gaspar Rivera-Salgado, Project Director of Global Solidarity

Gaspar Rivera-Salgado brings a global perspective and analysis on the intersection of immigration and labor.

Featured in Portside, Reuters

Areas of expertise: labor justice, immigration

Janna Shadduck-Hernández, Project Director for ReWork Research

Janna Shadduck-Hernández focuses on worker education and empowering marginalized communities through educational and learning initiatives.

Areas of expertise: labor education, worker advocacy, immigration

Brian Justie, Senior Research Analyst

Brian Justie focuses on technology and articial intelligence in the service sector, with an emphasis on the impact on supply chains and policy.

Featured in LA Times, LAist

Areas of expertise: automation in the supply chain, labor conditions in meatpacking, technology, and labor, and AI policy.

Specialized Perspectives

Ju Hong, Project Director of Dream Resource Center

Ju Hong is a key voice on issues related to undocumented workers in the context of labor rights and immigration policies.

Areas of expertise: undocumented workers, immigration policies

Lucero Herrera, Senior Research Analyst for ReWork Research

Lucero Herrera brings her expertise in human rights and focuses on low-wage industries and worker challenges in Los Angeles.

Areas of expertise: community organizing, worker rights, low-wage industries

Ana Luz Gonzalez-Vasquez, Project Director for POWER in Workforce Development

Dr. Ana Luz Gonzalez-Vasquez focuses on developing workforce training programs for underrepresented communities and equip them with the skills needed to thrive in today’s economy.

Areas of expertise: workforce development, labor, and worker education