Cultivating Solidarity: Students learn about the Bay Area labor movement through Solidarity Spring

Iris De Leon, Class of 2027, was this year’s Solidarity Spring Student Facilitator

During this year’s spring break, we welcomed 50 students committed to understanding the history and future of the labor movement through Solidarity Spring 2026, a three-day Labor Center spring break program. Students had the opportunity to meet with workers, tenants, artists, and organizers in the Bay Area to engage in a wide range of activities and learn firsthand what solidarity means.

As the student facilitator, I planned and led the introduction to the program. I also worked closely with the rest of the Solidarity Spring team to support students throughout the three days. I chose to become a student facilitator because of my experiences in the Solidarity Spring cohort last year. As a participant, I valued the opportunity to learn about the labor movement and connect with other students who share a passion for social justice. I wanted to give back to the program by creating a similar experience for this year’s participants.

Through my student facilitator role, I see how spaces like Solidarity Spring can foster confidence by providing an environment where students can step into new experiences to learn new labor and community organizing skills and see the impact of their contributions. Our union and community hosts were so excited to connect with young people who are interested in organizing.

Day One

Solidarity Spring opened with a brief overview of the labor movement. We examined organizing from the 20th century to the present. As a student facilitator, I explained the nuts and bolts of how a union works and defined some key terms. Students discussed their own experiences and how they might connect to the labor movement. They examined how to express their solidarity both as students and workers.

The discussion resonated with many students. “One thing I learned from Solidarity Spring that I’ll carry forward is the importance of unions. I gained a deeper appreciation for how collective organizing can protect workers, build power, and create lasting change,” said senior Maya Hilmi, studying political economy at Berkeley.

Students engage in enthusiastic discussion about unions and worker power.

This feeling was echoed by other students as we continued our learning by phone banking long-term care workers with SEIU 2015. Students were excited to practice this skill, with many trying it for the first time. Some even used their Spanish language skills to engage with workers!

Later, we explored how artistic expression can empower workers. We watched and discussed “Our Work, Our Dignity,” a short documentary about a theater performance by domestic workers and day laborers in San Francisco. Then, we enjoyed a passionate workshop and poetry reading by retired ATU 1555 transit worker and poet, Drew Sage.

“It’s so important for workers to have the freedom and space for creativity, art, and self-expression,” observed freshman Lucinda Zhou, who is majoring in political science and psychology. “They’re often dehumanized and seen only as a means for profit, and I had never thought to draw the connection between art and labor.”

This portion of the program was especially meaningful as “artivism” has become a means of resistance in the Bay Area. Throughout the first day of Solidarity Spring, we explored how artistic creation can be both a tool workers can use for resistance, as well as a bridge that connects different workers’ struggles.

Day Two

On the second day, we heard from members of the UC Berkeley Labor Center Advisory Board and learned from campaign organizers and researchers with UNITE HERE Local 2. Board members were enthusiastic about connecting with students who are passionate about labor. We had the opportunity to meet board members from unions we would work with throughout the week, like Local 2 President Anand Singh and SEIU 2015 chief of staff, Jennie Busch. The experience gave us an opportunity to hear from seasoned labor leaders about their work, setting the stage to go out into the field and apply our knowledge.

After meeting with Labor Center Advisory Board members, we had the opportunity to learn from campaign organizers and researchers with UNITE HERE Local 2. Then, we joined them in the field to talk to neighbors about the environmental impacts of a proposed development. “Community members were just so taken aback by the fact that people cared, or that we were students. Just seeing their reactions to that was really eye-opening and showed just how powerful solidarity can be,” said first-year student Penelope Oliver, a political science and international relations major.

UNITE HERE Local 2 researcher Cynthia Gómez prepared students for canvassing (left). Students Penelope and Sarah getting ready to door-knock (right).

Other students had a similar reaction. “I specifically enjoyed door knocking; I felt that I was informing the community of causes they were not familiar with,” said freshman Caesar Torres, who is studying biology and economics. “I felt like I was truly making an impact.”

While many students were new to discussing the issues, this hands-on learning introduced them to skills they plan to use to advocate for the many causes they are passionate about. They learned the power their voices hold as students when they stand in solidarity with workers.

VIDEO: Check out and share video testimonials from Solidarity Spring Students on YouTube

Day Three

On the final day of Solidarity Spring, we learned about gig worker organizing in the Bay Area with SEIU 1021. We joined gig workers for breakfast, where they shared their experiences working in the ride-share industry. Later, they drove us to join a rally in San Francisco to support drivers’ organizing efforts. Students brought their handmade signs in support of the rideshare drivers’ right to form a union.

“I wanted to do something meaningful with my spring break, and it’s been just that. I think it’s very important for us to be out here today with the Gig Workers Union. We are here with SEIU because students and workers have so much in common,” said sophomore Richard Zeng, who is studying political science and political economy.

Workers also appreciated our presence at the rally. “Artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles are technologies that we all really need to deal with, and it’s important that students understand how these technologies affect us all,” said John Mejia, a Bay Area rideshare driver and leader in the California Gig Workers Union. “I was excited to see students stand up for worker power, and it gives me hope to see our future leaders willing to take on issues that impact us as a community.”

After the rally, we met with organizers from Housing Rights Committee SF (HRC) and a tenant leader from 907 Valencia St. who is on a rent strike with their neighbors. We had the opportunity to learn about the tenants’ organizing efforts and the many neighborhood businesses that put up solidarity posters to support them.

“Students supported tenants on rent strike at 907 Valencia by gathering over 100 support signatures and getting more than 75 local businesses to put up solidarity signs,” said HRC organizer Hayle Meyerhoff. “Two weeks after Solidarity Spring’s canvassing, tenants at 907 Valencia received their first written response from their landlord since the start of the strike. The neighborhood canvassed expanding a building-level fight into a neighborhood-wide issue and contributed to pressuring the landlord to respond.”

This outcome reflects exactly how collective action can bring about change. It demonstrates meaningful community support when students, workers, and neighbors come together. It was a satisfying end to a whirlwind three days.

Sophomore Luca Martinez, who is studying political science, summed up the program: “Labor is really the backbone of our society, and we cannot function, cannot thrive, cannot prosper without labor. If we don’t have healthy workers, we don’t have a healthy society.”

As a student facilitator and 2025 Solidarity Spring alum, I see the goal of Solidarity Spring as fostering a connection between students and workers as we work towards a future where we all can win dignified working conditions, pay, and respect. This year, we deepened that connection by actively engaging alongside workers and organizers. The Solidarity Spring 2026 cohort left the three-day experience feeling empowered to continue in our movement as students to amplify working-class voices and causes.

 
The Labor Center would like to thank the Mario Savio Social Justice Program at the Public Service Center for supporting the fifth annual Solidarity Spring.