On Sunday November 5, nearly 300 students, faculty, and members of the labor community gathered in the Husky Union Building ballroom on the University of Washington campus in Seattle for the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies Awards Celebration.

Each year, the Center extends its commitment to fostering the study and advancement of the labor movement by awarding thousands of dollars in scholarships and grants to dedicated scholars band activists. This year, the Center proudly allocated close to $70,000 in scholarships and fellowships to both graduate band undergraduate students at the University of Washington.

Established in 1992, the Bridges Center as a tribute to the legacy of Harry Bridges, the founding president of the ILWU. Its inception was the outcome of a grassroots fundraising initiative spearheaded by ILWU members and pensioners, setting it apart as a distinctive institution within a university otherwise characterized by millionaire and billionaire donors.

Aligned with the values of Harry Bridges and the ILWU, including pragmatic labor organizing, democratic unionism, principled antiracism, and social justice, the Bridges Center advocates for the rights of working people and the exploration of their issues within higher education. The Center funds working-class students, facilitates classes on labor issues, and backs research initiatives conducted by faculty and students focusing on labor related topics.

In 2010, the Bridges Center took a crucial step in safeguarding and promoting the history of labor in the Pacific Northwest by establishing the Labor Archives of Washington. In 2023, the Bridges Center received increased support from the Washington State legislature, allowing it to expand its programs.

At the helm of the Bridges Center is Moon-Ho Jung, History Professor and the current occupant of the Harry Bridges Endowed Chair in Labor Studies.

"We are at an exciting moment of growth at the Bridges Center," said Jung. "The increased state support over the next two years will allow the Bridges Center to expand our capacity Significantly."

Several scholarships within the Bridges Center have been realized through the contributions of both current and retired ILWU members, as well as locals associated with the ILWU.

The Robert Duggan Distinguished Supporter of Labor Studies Award, which recognizes individuals whose efforts have helped to establish the Harry Bridges Center, was posthumously awarded to Local 98 member Jon Halgren, who passed away

“The Center funds working-class students, facilitates classes on labor issues, and backs research initiatives conducted by faculty and students focusing on labor -related topics.”

earlier this year on January 11, 2023. Jon epitomized the generous, intergenerational spirit of the ILWU pensioners, and always had a friendly smile and welcoming approach to life. Jon and his mother Fern were at the forefront leading the campaign to fund the Harry Bridges Chair, cementing his loyalty and dedication to the Center. He never received widespread public acknowledgement of his contributions and support, and he preferred it that way. The Harry Bridges Center is proud to finally be able to recognize Jon’s selfless efforts and generosity, which made the continued work of the Center possible.

Another major contributor to the ILWU’s history was the late Dr. Ron Magden, a labor historian and professor at Tacoma Community College who became an honorary member of the Local 23 Pensioners Club through his dedication in educating young workers on the union’s history. After his retirement from teaching, Dr. Ron began studying and collecting the records of Puget Sound’s waterfront workers, authoring several books and articles on the subject for more than 40 years.

His work provided the basis for the multimedia web project titled ‘The Waterfront Workers History Project,’ an archive sponsored by the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies. With the sponsorship of Local 19 and the ILWU Coast Longshore Division, Magden’s book, ‘Seattle’s Working Waterfront, 1884-Present’, was recently updated and published posthumously by the Bridges Center. Funds remaining from the book’s publication were

The final award announcement of the ceremony was the Distinguished Labor Studies Alumni Award, which recognizes former students who are making a difference by working to advance the labor movement. The award was presented to Eunice How, class of 2012, who as a leader in the

Seattle chapter of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), became one of the most recognizable figures in the local Seattle movement. She was first recognized as the inaugural recipient of the Gundlach Scholarship back in 2011 and has most recently joined the Bridges Center’s Visiting Committee, while continuing to support students through the BAM Internship and speaking in Labor Studies classes at the University of Washington.

This annual celebration of labor through scholarships, internships, classes, and research projects, is an ever-growing facet of higher education at UW. Through the constant support of the ILWU, local unions, and the members of the Visiting Committee, Standing Committee, Bridges Chairs, Bridges staff, and the Labor Archives team, the Center is meeting the challenges of bringing the labor movement into a new era. The VOICE of the ILWU—Published by Local 142,