About the Scholarship

The Bill Perez Labor Scholarship Award was created in 2023 through a partnership between the Inland Empire Labor Council and the Inland Empire Labor and Community Center. Its purpose is to recognize the achievements of UCR undergraduate students that embody the spirit of William “Bill” Perez, who served the labor movement and working families in the Inland Empire for 47 years in various labor and public leadership roles. Throughout his career Bill Perez sought to uplift working families in our region regardless of the union they represented, mentored anyone that wanted to understand the rich history of organizing in the Inland Empire, and tirelessly advocated for the future that we want our region to have. All UCR undergraduate students with a major in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS), Public Policy, and/or those with a Labor Studies minor and a minimum 2.5 GPA are eligible to apply for this award. For 2025, three students who have demonstrated a commitment to labor studies, social justice, and community engagement will be awarded a $3,000 scholarship each. 

Call For Applications 

The 2025 Application for the Bill Perez Labor Scholarship is now open. If you are a UCR undergraduate student with a minimum 2.5 GPA in either CHASS or Public Policy, or are a declared minor in Labor Studies you are eligible to apply. To apply for the scholarship, we recommend that you complete the following essay questions (downloaded to a single PDF), have a PDF copy of your CV/resume, and a PDF copy of our unofficial transcript readily available before opening the application portal. Applications are due by Friday, April 4th at 11:59 PM.

The essay questions for 2025 scholarship are: 

1. Please write a personal statement discussing your interests, life experiences, goals, and social commitment.
2. Please describe any activism or advocacy that you have engaged in on or off campus. This may include involvement in union activities on or off campus, participation in labor actions, or any other efforts related to workers' rights and organizing. Have you been involved in any campaigns, strikes, or collective bargaining efforts? If so, what role did you play, and what was the outcome?
3. Please describe any course work you have taken that focus on labor and / or social justice type movements. Additionally, please reflect on how those courses have impacted your view on these movements, and how they have shaped your future potential career paths.
4. What are your immediate career goals post-graduation?

Please limit your answers to the questions to no more than 500 words per question. 

Additionally for your CV/Resume please include the following: any past employment, leadership or club activities, volunteer activities related to labor and/or community activism, and on- or off-campus community service activities.

Application

Who is Bill Perez?

William J. “Bill” Perez was born and raised in Riverside, California.  He grew up attending local public schools in Riverside County.  Bill and his siblings were raised by their parents, father Joe Perez (deceased) and Virginia Perez (resides in Riverside); his father Joe Perez Former IBEW Local 440 President and Former Executive-Secretary/Business Manager of the Riverside & San Bernardino Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO.  Bill married his wife, Terri over thirty (30) years ago, they have two (2) children, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and four (4) amazing grandchildren – all residing in Riverside County.

Bill started his career in the Electrician Apprenticeship Program in 1975.  In 1979 he graduated from the apprenticeship program as a Journeyman Electrician.

In 1995 he became Business Manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (I.B.E.W.) Local 440, a position he held for 11 years.

Throughout his career with I.B.E.W. Local 440, he has held many positions, as a Foreman, General Foreman, Estimator, Prevailing Wage Compliance Director, and Organizer.  He also was the Past-President of the California State Association of Electrical Workers and Past-President of the I.B.E.W./NECA Statewide Joint Apprenticeship Committee.

In 2006, Bill was appointed the position of Executive Secretary/Business Manager for the Riverside & San Bernardino Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO (IE BCTC).  The IE B.C.T.C. represents over 14,000 skilled craft workers, through 28 skilled construction local unions throughout the San Bernardino and Riverside Counties (Inland Empire).  In this role, he also worked with K-12 and community colleges to adopt the MC3 curriculum to expose our community, especially marginalized community members, to potential careers in the building and construction trades through apprenticeship programs. Bill worked with community members, unions, and electeds to create and pass local policies that would provide good, paying jobs in the region.

As the Executive Secretary/Business Manager for the IE BCTC, Bill was a former board member of the State of California Building and Construction Trades Council AFL-CIO, a former board member of the Inland Empire Labor Council AFL-CIO, a Past-Member labor representative for the Riverside County Community Action Commission, and Past-Board Member for the Riverside County Workforce Investment Board (W.I.B.).

After 47 years of dedicated service in the Inland Empire labor movement, Bill retired on July 29, 2022. We honor his dedication to advocating to uplift working families in our region regardless of the union and in taking the time to mentor anyone who wants to understand the rich history of organizing in the IE and to advocate for the future that we want our region to have.

Bill Perez 2024 Scholars

	David Flores David Flores is a Sociology major who plans to graduate in the summer of 2024. He first learned about the importance of unions through his mother, an active member of United Steelworkers Local 7600 which represents health care workers at Kaiser Permanente. As an active member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and Young-DSA, he actively supported labor struggles throughout Southern California, including those of striking workers affiliated with various unions, including the Teamsters, the UAW, the CFA, SAG-AFTRA, and the WGA. He has also participated in actions organized by the IE Amazon Workers United as well as Students Against Starbucks, which supports the organizing efforts of Starbucks Workers United.
	Jeddy Jacinto-Molina Jeddy Jacinto-Molina is a Political Science major who will graduate in Spring 2024. She is a student activist who has supported various social movement campaigns on and off campus, including those related to the rights of immigrants, sexual assault survivors, workers, street vendors, and Palestinians. As a Labor Summer fellow in 2023, she worked with UFCW 1167 to engage in outreach among retail workers and provide support for striking workers. In 2023-2024, she worked as a student assistant for the IE Labor and Community Center. In that position, she engaged in student and community outreach and communications work to keep others informed of the activities of the IELCC and related labor and community events, protests, strikes, and educational opportunities.
	Fanelly Millan Fanelly Millan is a Media and Cultural Studies major who plans to minor in Labor Studies and graduate in the Fall of 2025. She is currently employed as the Inland Empire organizer for the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center (PEOC). In that role, she has helped to organize day laborers in the city of San Bernardino and helped to engage workers and community members in multiple policy campaigns for the rights of immigrants and workers at the local, state, and federal levels. She also previously worked as a volunteer for PEOC’s DACA Clinic, assisting immigrants with DACA applications and renewals. In addition, she has helped to promote a healthy lifestyle by leading Pomona Valley Runners, a community running group that organizes community events, including an annual 5K/10K running event in Pomona.