LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Oct. 7, 2024) – In partnership with the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Labor Center, PCL Construction Services, Inc. is spearheading the seismic upgrades of the historic 1940s-era James Lawson Jr. Worker Justice Center. The project, which is being overseen by UCLA’s Capital Programs, has a strong focus on supporting the local community. As part of the upgrades, 68% of the workers on site are residents of the local area, all of whom are unionized craftspeople. Additionally, 35% of the total contract spend has been directed to small, local, and diverse businesses, with 22% going specifically to certified women-owned businesses.

This community-centered approach was highlighted during a recent site tour led by PCL and UCLA, which welcomed State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas to witness the progress firsthand. Senator Smallwood-Cuevas commended the project for its contribution to both workforce development and economic empowerment in the region. The state-funded seismic upgrades to the building, which aims to preserve its historic significance while enhancing safety, serve as a model for responsible construction and community engagement. Upon completion, the project will better serve the UCLA Labor Center with a large community room and new office configurations, establishing it as the hub for community, labor and justice research in the heart of Los Angeles.

“Our work is integrally tied with the California labor movement, focused on worker-centered research and programming that prepares the labor movement’s future leaders, and building strong movements and positive narratives of workers and our communities. The PCL project team has ensured the local community has had equitable access to the economic opportunities within the process of building this project” said Saba Waheed, Director of the UCLA Labor Center.

The UCLA James Lawson Jr. Worker Justice Center is located nine miles east of the UCLA campus at 675 South Park View Street in Los Angeles’ Westlake neighborhood. The building was constructed in 1941 and is recognized as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places by the City of Los Angeles. In 2021, UCLA named the building after Reverend James Lawson Jr., a civil rights leader who worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and taught a nonviolence course at UCLA for over 20 years. The purchasing and naming of the building was made possible by a $15 million state allocation, supported by officials such as California State Senator Maria Elena Durazo, along with $300,000 from private donors.

"I want to thank PCL for the fact that this project is on time, within budget, and built with the highest standards of union labor. It's crucial for us to support institutions that value skilled, well-trained, and well-paid professionals, ensuring that when we build, we build right. This not only benefits the workers but strengthens our economy as a whole—and that’s exactly what the UCLA Labor Center represents," said Senator Smallwood-Cuevas.

To date, the project has completed seismic structural upgrades and is now restoring key historical elements such as windows and interior lighting, blending preservation with modernization.

PCL has been a leader in seismic retrofitting for over 20 years, completing nearly 100 projects across California and the Pacific Northwest. Since its first U.S. seismic retrofit at UCLA’s Kinsey Hall in 2006, PCL has completed about $350 million in retrofits at UCLA alone.

“We are proud of our partnership with the UCLA Labor Center, which has strengthened our commitment to community engagement," said Thai Nguyen, district manager for PCL’s Los Angeles office. “By utilizing a strong local hire workforce, we ensure our projects like the James Lawson Jr. Worker Justice Center positively impacts local employment and development in Los Angeles.”

To learn more about PCL’s UCLA projects, visit our website.

About the UCLA Labor Center
Established in 1964, the UCLA Labor Center, a unit of the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE), housed at the UCLA James Lawson Jr. Worker Justice Center in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, believes that a public university belongs to the people and advances cutting-edge research, education, and service guided by our core values: economic equity, racial and immigrant justice, and worker power and solidarity.

Through our signature approaches and methodology that employ research justice, narrative storytelling, student and leader-to-movement pathways, and culturally and racially responsive evaluation, we partner with workers, unions, worker centers, students, and impacted communities to advance economic justice across California, the nation and globally.

About PCL Construction
PCL is a group of independent construction companies that operates throughout the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Australia. As one of the largest contracting organizations in North America, PCL completes more than $7 billion USD in work annually, building projects that shape communities. The company’s 100% employee ownership model fuels a culture of commitment for clients in the buildings, civil infrastructure, heavy industrial and solar markets. With a strategic presence in more than 30 major centers, PCL’s leadership teams consistently drive innovation and set new benchmarks for excellence, bringing unparalleled skill to every project. Watch us build at PCL.com.