Christopher Duarte is the new director of the UCI Labor Center, which is housed in the School of Social Ecology. Photo by Han Parker
Christopher Duarte focuses on helping workers and employers
Christopher Duarte envisions a world where Orange County workers and employers reap a mutually beneficial future.
The former vice president and chief operations officer of Workers United Local 50, the union that represents Disneyland employees, has begun his new job as director of the recently formed UCI Labor Center.
“I’m excited about the possibilities,” Duarte says. “The UCI Labor Center has an opportunity to move multiple groups of interest into something that's productive for everyone.”
Through research, the center is poised “to figure out the balance between labor and business,” he explains. “Everyone needs opportunities to succeed.”
That’s the goal, Duarte adds.
“The Labor Center has an opportunity to be helpful to all parties. I see us helping workers, helping their employers and helping their communities,” he says.
“Chris possesses an expansive skill set and a strategic vision honed by years of leadership experience at the local and national levels of the labor movement,” says Virginia Parks, faculty director of the Labor Center. “He brings a keen understanding of the challenges facing workers in Orange County.”
Duarte, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, has a bachelor’s degree in information system security from the University of Phoenix. He spent 12 years working at Disneyland as a waiter, a cook and shop steward before becoming vice president of Workers United International in Philadelphia and Workers United Local 50 in Anaheim in 2015.
Fun Facts
Hometown: Fullerton
Family: Wife Amy, who is expecting their first child this month, and cats named Chick and Marcel
Hobbies: Playing ice hockey, attending Comic-Con conventions, playing board games and cooking
Favorite TV show: “Friends”
— Mimi Ko Cruz