Labor Studies at Cal is a collection of courses and programming that invites students to explore the histories and contemporary realities of the U.S. labor movement.
Drawing on the UC Berkeley Labor Center’s network of partners, we help students learn about labor issues while gaining hands-on experience in the field with unions, worker centers, and community organizations. Along the way, students discover how their academic and activist passions intersect with labor issues and career paths.
If you are interested in topics like income inequality, race and gender in the workplace, immigration, technology at work, environmental justice, healthcare and retirement — in short, the future of work for people and the planet — Labor Studies at Cal is the community for you. Please contact us to learn more.
Learn more about the Labor Studies program at Cal:
Dr. Anibel Ferus-Comelo’s undergraduate and graduate courses investigate the role of the U.S. labor movement in the fight for economic, racial, gender, and immigrant justice. Each class gives students the opportunity to learn about worker issues through lectures, discussion, guest speakers, and hands-on engagement with labor organizations in the community.
Students who are interested in labor may also enjoy the following courses offered in the Fall 2022 semester:
Sociological Reading and Composition: Workers of the World (SOCIOL R1B)
Examining U.S. Cultures in Place: The Workplace (AMERSTD 102)
Why Work? Gender and Labor under Capitalism (GWS 139)
Other labor-related courses
This course provides a broad, inter-disciplinary overview of the U.S. labor movement
A course for undergraduates/graduates who have an interest in social/economic justice, and seek to earn academic credit while gaining experience in organizing
SPRING 2023! Labor Research for Action and Policy (L-RAP). This course is an introduction to social science research methods connecting the Berkeley Changemaker L&S 12 to the discipline of public policy in the field of work and employment relations.
An applied research and project-based seminar offers students the opportunity to develop and hone research skills
In addition to classes, Labor Studies at Cal offers internship and service-learning opportunities for undergrad and graduate students who are interested in labor and employment issues. Whether you are new to the labor movement or a seasoned organizer, we can help you get involved with the most pressing worker campaigns in California. Learn more about our Solidarity Spring, Labor Summer, and Labor Movement Apprenticeship Program (LMAP) below.
A new statewide University of California initiative will bring Labor Summer, a paid internship to train the next generation of labor leaders, to nine UC campuses.
Meet the 2022-2023 Student Advisory Committee Members
Meet the Labor Center’s Labor Summer 2022 intern class! Now in its third decade, Labor Summer is a rare paid educational internship that connects students with the labor movement in California.
Labor Summer alumni reflect on their experiences and how the internship has shaped their perspectives and professional growth.
We are pleased to announce that Mara Ortenburger has joined the Labor Center as coordinator of student field programs!
The Student Advisory Committee (SAC) is the undergraduate student-led advisory body of the UC Berkeley Labor Center in the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE). The SAC aims to engage the broader campus community on the most critical issues facing workers through student outreach, organization, education, mobilization, and solidarity support. The SAC serves as a liaison between undergraduate students, the Labor Center, and the local labor movement, striving to create a diverse new generation of labor leaders through project-based endeavors.
Anibel Ferus-Comelo
Director of Community-Engaged Academic Initiatives
Mara Ortenburger
Coordinator of Student Field Programs
Bahaar Tadjbakhsh
Program Coordinator
