University of Hawai'i - West O'ahu
Welcome
Aloha e na haumana! At CLEAR, we connect education with action. Our 15-credit Labor Studies Certificate prepares students for careers in labor relations, law, policy, and community leadership, while our continuing education courses offer practical training in labor law, advocacy, economics, and leadership for workers and unions statewide. CLEAR also maintains Hawai‘i’s Labor Archive and Library, an award-winning collection of oral histories, union records, and cultural resources that preserve the voices and struggles of Hawai‘i’s working people. Together, these programs ensure that the history and future of labor in Hawai‘i remain accessible, relevant, and empowering. When you’re on campus, come visit us on the 2nd floor of the James & Abigail Campbell library for a tour.
Mission
The Center for Labor Education and Research (CLEAR) was established in 1976 by State Law, HRS §304A-1601 et seq. (Act 202). Like the many other University & College Labor Studies programs nationally, the Hawai‘i Center for Labor is designed to provide labor education, research and labor-related programs to workers, their organizations and the general public through a variety of methods including classroom instruction, seminars, workshops, publications, the internet and other public media. By statute, the Center is guided and advised a Labor Education and Advisory Council, appointed by the President of the University.
Aloha and "Howzit" from Dion Dizon, Director of CLEAR
Dion Dizon, Director of CLEAR, and Christian Fern, Executive Director of University of Hawaiʻi Professional Assembly, were recently featured on HiNOW Daily, highlighting a collaborative effort to celebrate labor history and workers’ rights while discussing the Center’s 50th anniversary and the upcoming special performance, From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks, in observance of International Workers’ Day.
Two events are planned for the day: a meet-the-artist gathering at noon at University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu Library, followed by a live performance at 5:00 p.m. at International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1186. Seating is limited, and reservations may be made at go.hawaii.edu/rfi.
Latest News & Announcements
“Performance celebrates labor history, education center’s 50th anniversary.”
The University of Hawaiʻi News featured a special performance commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Center for Labor Education and Research, highlighting the center’s longstanding role in advancing labor education and worker advocacy across Hawaiʻi. Centered on the life and organizing legacy of Harry Bridges, the performance connects historical labor struggles with present-day conversations about solidarity, worker rights, and public education, reflecting CLEAR’s continued mission of linking scholarship with community engagement.
International Workers Day Teach-In, April 27, 2026
Led by the Democratic Socialists of Oʻahu (DSO) and the Center for Labor Education & Research (CLEAR), this panel will cover an overview of militant labor organizing and the different labor abuses local unions have faced and fought against.
Date: Monday, April 27, 2026
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: UHWO Library, CLEAR Conference Room (B-217) and ZOOM
“From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Dock,” May 1, 2026
May Day is globally recognized as a day to honor the struggles and achievements of working people. The Center for Labor Education & Research (CLEAR) presents From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Dock: The life and times of Harry Bridges, written and performed by Ian Ruskin.
Meet the Artist
Date: Friday, May 1, 2026
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: UHWO Library
Live Performance
Date: Friday, May 1, 2026
Time: 5:00pm
Location: IBEW 1186 Room 306
May Day events from our other community partners
New CLEAR Course!
Faculty Publication
Congratulations to Dr. Ellen-Rae Cachola on the publication of From a Diasporic Daughter: Four Letters for Kumu Haunani-Kay Trask from the Filipinx Diaspora, co-authored with Katherine Achacoso, Nadine Ortega, and Kim Compoc and published in Amerasia Journal this March 2026. This important work thoughtfully examines Filipinx working-class engagement with Hawaiian nationalism and the Indigenous feminism of Haunani-Kay Trask, offering a meaningful contribution to critical conversations on solidarity, history, and decolonial thought.
Contact clear@hawaii.edu to request a pdf version.
CLEAR at the Association for Asian American Conference
At Association for Asian American Studies Annual Conference on April 4, 2026, intern and faculty from Center for Labor Education and Research presented a panel titled “Bringing Class Back to the Classroom: Ethnic Studies and Labor Studies Pedagogy in Hawaiʻi.” Ellen-Rae Cachola highlighted how Hawaiʻi labor archives can be used as teaching tools to connect students with local labor history, while Osman Keshawarz examined the agrarian transition and the historical formation of Hawaiʻi’s working class. Dion Dizon discussed labor education as a form of public education, and Issay Matsumoto explored how service unions reflect Hawaiʻi’s evolving transpacific labor dynamics.
Research Spotlight: Rachel Rickard Tjoeng, “Found in the Folder: Vital Nurse Refusals Through Time in Hawaiʻi Nei”
Join the Center for Labor Education and Research (CLEAR) at UH West Oʻahu for a presentation by UH Mānoa PhD candidate and former nurse Rachel Rickard Tjoeng, who will share insights and experiences from research conducted in CLEAR’s archives about Hawaiʻi nurses, healthcare, and the labor movement.
REAL TALK: Workers Rights and Safety During Immigration Enforcement
Current immigration enforcement calls for coordinated response and preparedness for workplace and community safety. This attorney-informed workshop focuses on lawful support both on and off the job for all workers regardless of immigration status.
February 18, 2026
1:00-2:30pm
In-person location: ‘Ulu‘ulu Film Screening Room
UH West O‘ahu Library, 1st floor
Ah Quon McElrath: The Struggle Never Ends
From January 14-19, The Wall That Heals exhibit will be in the UH West Oʻahu Great Lawn. It is a replica of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C., honoring the lives of the soldiers who died in that war.
Check out the Center for Labor Education and Research film screening on Ah Quon (AQ) McElrath: The Struggle Never Ends on Friday January 16, 2026 at 12:30-2:30pm at the ʻUluʻulu Screening room at the UHWO Library 1st floor.
During the Wall That Heals week, CLEAR will also present a supplementary historical exhibit in the library 1st floor, showcasing archival materials on how working class people in Hawaiʻi, the U.S., and Vietnam were affected by the Cold War.
Dr. Cachola recognized as president-elect at library association conference
Dr. Ellen-Rae Cachola, Librarian II and Digital Archivist with the Center for Labor Education and Research (CLEAR) at the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu, is president-elect of the Hawai‘i Library Association (HLA). Cachola’s term will be from Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2026.
REAL TALK: Speed Chats with Elected Leaders
University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu students will have the chance to engage in brief, one-on-one conversations with elected leaders at REAL TALK: Speed Chats with Elected Leaders, an event taking place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at UH West O‘ahu’s James & Abigail Campbell Library, second-floor exhibition space.
REAL TALK provides participants an opportunity to meet local decision-makers face-to-face to ask questions, share their perspectives, and learn how their voices and choices can shape Hawai‘i’s future. In addition to these conversations, the event will include resources on civic engagement and online voter registration.
The event is hosted by the UH West O‘ahu Center for Labor Education & Research (CLEAR), James & Abigail Campbell Library, and Libraries Inspire Thinking (LIT) Club.
Congratulations to Dr. Leslie Lopez on her law school graduation!
Lopez’s dedication and accomplishments are highly commendable, and UH West Oʻahu anticipates the valuable contributions her legal training will continue to bring to our collaborative work at CLEAR.
Labor Education Advisory Council (LEAC) Meeting Announcement
The meeting of the Labor Education Advisory Council (LEAC) will be held on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at 12:00 PM.
Join Remotely:
Zoom link TBA
Meeting ID: TBA
Passcode: TBA
91-1001 Farrington Hwy., Kapolei, HI 96707.
James and Abigail Campbell Library, 2nd Floor, Room B217
Featured Programs & Resources
Labor Studies Certificate
The online 15-credit Labor Studies certificate program empowers students with the knowledge to improve their working lives and equips them with the skills necessary for careers as labor resource specialists. Courses address union structures and politics, workers’ rights, labor laws, collective bargaining, and labor theory.
Please see the Labor Studies Certificate Flyer for scholarship and application information.
Quick Links
This section contains short descriptions of a variety of different federal and State labor laws, summarizing the basic rights and benefits to employees.
Union members summary by Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by year and state.
Want more information about CLEAR?
Complete this form to request services from the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu, Center for Labor Education and Research (CLEAR). The detail you provide will aid the Center in being responsive to what you need and when. The form contains nine sections that may take about 5 minutes to complete if you have the information you need handy. You will hear from a CLEAR staff member after your request is reviewed.