Re:Work by the UCLA Labor Center

Who was your favorite teacher in high school? We all have that unforgettable teacher that sets us on our life’s trajectory. But most of the time we know even our most favorite teachers just inside the classroom. So what happens when we learn what they are going through outside of the classroom?

In this week’s episode of Re:Work, UCLA student Tyler Milles uncovers what happened to his favorite teacher in the four years since he last saw him. 

From the UCLA Labor Center and KPFK, we bring you Re:Work. Real stories that rethink work.

All of us are on this planet because we were born. Still, for most of us, giving birth is so mysterious. Many people don’t really learn about what it’s like to have a baby unless you’re about to give birth yourself. On this episode of Re:Work Radio, we follow Pati, a birth doula, to follow the journey of giving birth. From the UCLA Labor Center and KPFK, Re:Work brings you real stories that rethink work.

UCLA Labor Center picks up national award for radio show

A group of undocumented youth cross the border from the US into Mexico to cross back and turn themselves into border patrol. Why would you do something that would so blatantly risk you ever being able to come into this country again? We follow the story of one courageous young person, Luis Leon, and the journey that took him from a small town in North Carolina to the border crossing in Laredo TX. 

Sometimes work can take a toll on your creativity, your individuality, and what makes you human. So what is the cost of being efficient at work? Anthony Goytia describes how he navigates the hyperstructured workplace at the US’s largest employer, Walmart. From the UCLA Labor Center and KPFK, we bring you Re:Work Radio, formerly Henry Walton’s Labor Review. Real stories that rethink work.

For those of sitting in a restaurant eating, we may not be aware of what it takes to make our meal possible. What’s it really like for those working behind the kitchen door? This episode, Raw Deal, we talk with Heriberto Zamora, who worked in the kitchen of Urasawa, one of the most expensive restaurants in the country.

From the UCLA Labor Center and KPFK, we bring you Re:Work. Real stories that rethink work.

What is the future of this country's dream for black and brown communities? This week's episode, Dream On, is a fascinating conversation between two fierce women – Lola Smallwood Cuevas from the Black Worker Center and Sofia Campos, a national leader of the immigrant youth movement- as they expand, re-define, and defend this country’s dream. From the UCLA Labor Center and KPFK, Re:Work brings you stories that rethink work.

Immigration visas dictate where someone can work, how they can work, how long they can work. But what happens when you throw friendship into the mix? This episode is a conversation between two friends, Carlos Amador and Jonathan Biribesca. Having arrived on different immigration visas, we follow their friendship from when they first arrived to the US to the very different journeys their visas take them on. From the UCLA Labor Center and KPFK, Re:Work brings you stories that rethink work.

Sometimes you have to become someone different to fit into a new job. Or, sometimes the job is exactly the right fit-- but your being in that job makes people turn heads. Henry Walton describes what happens when his ambulance takes a wrong turn during the 60s when racial tensions are high. And Ramiro Gomez describes how his life changes course when he takes on a job as a nanny. From the UCLA Labor Center and KPFK, Re:Work brings you stories that rethink work.