The Center for Labor and Community (founded as the Center for Labor Studies in 2007), is dedicated to the study of working people, the labor movement, and the challenges of the rapidly-changing economy as it impacts the communities of California and beyond.  Alongside workers, students, and community members, we work to address the immediate problems facing working people today.  Our major projects include young worker organizing, workforce housing, higher education, and equitable economic development.

Our Mission

We aim to connect workers, students, faculty, policy-makers and labor and community stakeholders to collaboratively pursue research, worker-led campaigns, policy analysis, and educational and public programs. 

With support through the University of California Worker Rights Policy Initiative (WRPI), the Center aims to support workers and their families, particularly those in low-income communities, immigrant communities, and communities of color on the California Central Coast.

Our Work

The Center supports unions and community organizations by developing curricula, training staff and rank-and file members, and providing technical assistance on worker-led campaigns. This includes working closely with 80+ labor unions affiliated with Monterey Bay Central Labor Council and local non-profit organizations. 

Our programs aim to engage students and the broader working class community in becoming the next generation of community organizers, researchers, and rank-and-file leaders.

We are supported by the Division of Social Sciences and the Institute for Social Transformation, both important partners and incubators for the center.

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