In a keynote address at this month’s UCLA Strategic Labor Research Conference, Kim Kelly, journalist, organizer and author of “Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor,” spoke about the unifying potential of the labor movement in our polarized society. “Every struggle is connected,” she said. “At every protest you can think of, for every cause or issue you can imagine, almost every person you see there is going to have to clock into work the next day. Labor is one of the few truly universal experiences in our divided society.” Now in its second year, the conference held Aug 2-4 at the Luskin School provided a valuable educational and networking opportunity for individuals and organizations that leverage research and data to improve work standards and advance social justice. In workshops, talks and panels, participants learned how intricate policy details, geographic data about constituents and detailed corporate earnings reports could be used to maximize the efficacy of labor and economic justice campaigns. “The conference provides an exciting opportunity for cross-fertilization, with researchers realizing that they have a lot in common and are organizing against the same targets. There’s a coalition building that happens, not only within movements but between them as well,” said Chris Zepeda-Míllan, UCLA Labor Studies chair and associate professor of public policy and Chicana/o and Central American studies, who initiated the annual conference. This year’s gathering drew 200 attendees from across North America, including labor researchers and those working in adjacent social movements such as climate change, food justice and housing. — Willa Needham

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