@ucblaborcenter.bsky.social
The Labor Center conducts research and education on issues related to labor and employment. Our trainings serve to educate a diverse new generation of labor leaders. We also engage UC Berkeley students in learning about the labor movement.
Tech workers are speaking up! Lisa Kresge's research found three "main buckets" of provisions in tech-related union contracts: Decision-making power & governance; Worker protections & employer obligations; & Technology itself & how it will be used. Panel discussion: techequity.us/2026/02/24/t...
03.03.2026 16:02 — 👍 5 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0
In late 2024, @tahlia-k.bsky.social and her coworkers became the first @alphabetworkersunion.org members on the Google Help team to secure a collective bargaining agreement with Google vendor Accenture that includes workplace tech protections.
How did they do it? www.youtube.com/shorts/_lMcd...
Tahlia joined us last month to talk about their journey and give advice to other workers who want to speak up in the workplace.
Find out what she, as well as Lisa Kresge @ucblaborcenter.bsky.social and Varun Iyengar @amzn4climate.bsky.social had to say: techequity.us/2026/02/24/t...
Those out-of-pocket costs do impact people's decisions to get care, so that's worrisome as well. Miranda Dietz, Health Care Program Director, UC Berkeley Labor Center.
Miranda Dietz @ucblaborcenter.bsky.social explains why it's a problem that 1 in 3 new Covered California enrollees chose the cheapest, highest deductible health plans in the the latest from @ab-ibarra.bsky.social @calmatters.org
Read the article: calmatters.org/health/2026/...
With extended federal subsidies expired, more Californians are choosing Covered CA bronze-level plans, with lower premiums but higher deductibles and copays. But these out-of-pocket costs may discourage people from seeking care, which is worrisome, said Miranda Dietz. calmatters.org/health/2026/...
02.03.2026 17:23 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Lisa Kresge: “There is a concerted effort among many tech leaders to create mystification around AI as a tactic...to disempower workers, policymakers & anyone who might be critical of the growing concentration of funding & resources.” @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/technology/n...
19.02.2026 18:37 — 👍 7 🔁 4 💬 1 📌 0
Students! Do you want a meaningful PAID summer experience learning how to build worker and community power? Then check out our Labor Summer internship program!
APPLY by EOD Saturday, Feb 21: laborcenter.berkeley.edu/labor-summer...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rxq4...
The @ucblaborcenter.bsky.social is hiring a health care policy researcher.
Join a high-impact team at the forefront of research on the most pressing economic challenges affecting working families in California and across the country.
Learn more and apply: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05275
Students, if you...
🔹 believe all workers in deserve to work and live in dignity
🔹 want to learn how to build worker and community power
...then @ucblaborcenter.bsky.social's paid Labor Summer internship is for you!
Learn more and apply by Feb 21: laborcenter.berkeley.edu/labor-summer...
Seeking applicants with strong foundational research skills and an interest in labor and economic justice to conduct policy-relevant research related to health coverage, health care affordability for workers and their families, and the health care workforce. laborcenter.berkeley.edu/job-opening-...
13.02.2026 00:51 — 👍 5 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 2
They are organizing together across districts with parents and students to demand the schools that every California student deserves. Danielle Mahones, UC Berkeley Labor center, on the wage of CA teacher strikes
Danielle Mahones @ucblaborcenter.bsky.social breaks down why educators across California are striking for fully funded classrooms, appropriate staffing, access to quality healthcare, and more in the latest from @kqednews.kqed.org
Listen and read: www.kqed.org/news/1207316...
Why are so many California Teachers Going on Strike? Danielle Mahones discusses this on The California Report. "Educators and families are questioning, in a state with such a large economy, why can't we make different decisions to fund our schools?" omny.fm/shows/kqed-s...
11.02.2026 23:28 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The UC Berkeley Labor Center / Institute for Research on Labor and Employment seeks a Policy Researcher / Senior Policy Researcher – Health Care Program (Associate/Full Specialist) to be based in Berkeley, CA. Details at: unionjobs.com/listing.php?... #1u #UnionStrong @ucblaborcenter.bsky.social
11.02.2026 21:46 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
CORRECTED JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: The UC Berkeley Labor Center seeks a Program Coordinator to support its Labor Management Partnerships program and other programs that engage worker organizations. laborcenter.berkeley.edu/job-opening-...
11.02.2026 20:52 — 👍 1 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Speech bubbles reading "We're Hiring!"
We're hiring! The UC Berkeley Labor Center seeks a Program Coordinator to support its Labor Summer Program and other programs that engage worker organizations. Learn more and apply ➡️ laborcenter.berkeley.edu/job-opening-...
05.02.2026 00:17 — 👍 1 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
Apply for our Labor Summer internship program by February 21! We're accepting applications from students for this PAID internship, as well as from organizations interested in hosting interns this summer. Learn more: laborcenter.berkeley.edu/labor-summer...
04.02.2026 23:45 — 👍 4 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Apply for our Labor Summer internship program by February 21! We're accepting applications from students for this PAID internship, as well as from organizations interested in hosting interns this summer. Learn more: laborcenter.berkeley.edu/labor-summer...
03.02.2026 20:56 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0This post brought a smile to our faces.
23.01.2026 20:27 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Nari Rhee's testimony before the U.S. House HELP Subcommittee highlighted the challenges that most American workers face in the existing retirement system and offered some considerations for integrating lifetime income products into 401(k) plans. laborcenter.berkeley.edu/house-help-t...
23.01.2026 20:15 — 👍 4 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
@german-c.bsky.social and @tnewmsblues.bsky.social will moderate the conversation. Panelists include:
- Tahlia Kirk @alphabetworkersunion.org
- Lisa Kresge @ucblaborcenter.bsky.social
- Varun Iyengar @amzn4climate.bsky.social
REGISTER NOW: techequity.us/event/worker...
An email from UC Berkeley Labor Center that says labor summer opens new worlds for students interested in organizing
When Levin Lam applied for Labor Summer in his senior year at UC Berkeley, he was interested in labor issues but unsure of what path he might pursue after graduation. Almost a year and a successful union internship later, Lam is an organizer assigned to hospitality and custodial workers at Oakland Children’s Hospital. He credits the eight-week Labor Summer internship with the political department at AFSCME Local 3299 with opening up a new post-college pathway. “I would not have been exposed to organizing, “ he said. “I wouldn’t have known it was a path to go down. It’s very fulfilling.” Lam spent his summer signing up union members for training sessions on issues affecting their lives outside of work, such as housing and immigrant rights. He said those efforts helped build support for the union as members saw the organization active in issues that impact their daily lives beyond the workplace. He also shadowed an organizer at UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco who had been having trouble connecting with some Chinese-speaking workers. The workers were resistant to the organizer’s overtures, physically pushing him out the door and even unintentionally slamming it on his foot. Lam, who grew up in a Chinese-speaking home, stepped in and used his Cantonese. A wary janitor decided to give her phone number to the organizer once Lam earned her trust. The experience immediately showed Lam that he had what it takes to be an organizer.
“He’s someone who cares, and this makes all the difference in this work,” said his Labor Summer mentor, Laura Watson, a former AFSCME 3299 organizer who now works at the Labor Center. “He can connect with people and listen.” Lam is drawn to union work because it resonates with his own experience as the child of immigrants, who has, at times, felt marginalized for many reasons. His job now is to support Oakland Children’s Hospital workers in their contract fight, which has been ongoing for about two years. “I didn’t realize how much I enjoy empowering others to fight for themselves,” he said. For more than 25 years, Labor Summer has successfully trained hundreds of students and opened a pathway into labor organizing. “Labor Summer provides a pipeline for young people to enter labor and social justice movements,” said Labor Center Senior Trainer Beatriz Herrera. “Many students want to learn to organize and help change the world, but just don’t know how to get involved. We aim to bridge that gap and enjoy supporting students to develop their skills and step into the labor movement.” For students like Lam, Labor Summer is a game-changer.
This email from @ucblaborcenter.bsky.social brought a smile to my face ❤️❤️❤️ mailchi.mp/berkeley/lab...
21.01.2026 21:19 — 👍 15 🔁 5 💬 2 📌 0
Our new factsheet describes the characteristics of the private sector security guard workforce in Baltimore, highlighting the need to improve labor conditions in the industry. laborcenter.berkeley.edu/demographic-...
14.01.2026 20:08 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Baltimore has “a unique opportunity to be one of the first cities in the nation in setting higher labor standards” for private security, an industry that the report calls “growing and often overlooked.”
www.msn.com/en-us/news/u...
After a 40-day strike last spring, workers at the longtime Berkeley salvage yard Urban Ore have secured a collective bargaining agreement with ownership.
13.01.2026 15:58 — 👍 6 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
AI experts at UC Berkeley explain what they are watching for in the coming year. For Annette Bernhardt, it's progress on worker technology rights.
news.berkeley.edu/2026/01/13/w...
With gratitude, we announce the Low-Wage Workforce of Color Endowment, spearheaded by former Labor Center Chair Katie Quan, to support our research and capacity building for years to come. We sat down w/ Katie to discuss her vision for the endowment. laborcenter.berkeley.edu/the-low-wage...
08.01.2026 20:09 — 👍 4 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
We're thrilled to announce that Miranda Dietz is our new Health Care Program director! @mirandadz.bsky.social
laborcenter.berkeley.edu/labor-center...
Lisa Kresge: “It really has in the last few years been at an inflection point, which reflects where we are in the moment of AI, as well as where unions are in recognizing the potential threat of AI.” @npquarterly.bsky.social nonprofitquarterly.org/can-the-figh...
07.01.2026 17:33 — 👍 7 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
TODAY: Do you know about the federal proposal to let employers roll your 401K into an annuity w/o transparency or safeguards? Learn more from UC Berkeley Labor Center's Nari Rhee, who testifies before a congressional subcommittee 1/7/26 @ 7:15 PT/10:15 ET. www.youtube.com/live/t2ukEhd...
07.01.2026 15:08 — 👍 7 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Did you know that for workers nearing retirement, the median balance in their household retirement accounts is just 20K? Find out more as the UC Berkeley Labor Center's Nari Rhee testifies before a congressional subcommittee 1/7/26 @ 7:15 PT/10:15 ET. www.youtube.com/live/t2ukEhd...
07.01.2026 01:50 — 👍 0 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0