http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/iir_lre_rw/rss Recent eScholarship items from Recent Work Sat, 6 Jun 2026 03:23:42 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8wr5z67s Testimony of Josh Sonnenfeld before the California State Environmental Quality Committee at a hearing on Environmental Impacts of and Considerations for Refinery Closures. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8wr5z67s Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Sonnenfield, Josh https://escholarship.org/uc/item/89f845ft Comments submitted to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors highlighting Labor Center research on the economic harms associated with H.R. 1 due to the need for funding to backfill the federal Medi-Cal cuts. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/89f845ft Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lucia, Laurel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/82p0v3rm This factsheet highlights the characteristics of the private sector security guard workforce in California, the Los Angeles MSA, and the five-county Bay Area, and highlights the need to improve labor conditions in the industry. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/82p0v3rm Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hernandez, Kassandra Lopezlira, Enrique Rhee, Nari https://escholarship.org/uc/item/78b3387x Miranda Dietz testified before a joint session of the California Senate and Assembly Health Committees on the challenges Californians face with health care access and affordability. View video and slideshow. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/78b3387x Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dietz, Miranda https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6jp56970 This paper uses data from January 2022 to determine the earnings of delivery network company drivers in Seattle prior to implementation of the city’s App-Based Worker Minimum Payment Ordinance, and to calculate what their earnings would have been had the policy been in place at that time, finding that earnings would have been below the city’s minimum wage. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6jp56970 Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5v93m2cd For students like Levin Lam, Labor Summer is a game-changer. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5v93m2cd Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Light, Julie https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5qj912h2 Enrique Lopezlira testified at the March 11, 2026, hearing of the California Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee on “A Year in Review: 2025 Federal Policy Impacts on California’s Labor Market.” View video and slideshow. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5qj912h2 Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lopezlira, Enrique https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4nx2s5vs Testimony by Nari Rhee before the U.S. House HELP Subcommittee highlighting the challenges that most American workers face in the existing retirement system and offering some considerations for integrating lifetime income products into 401(k) plans. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4nx2s5vs Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Rhee, Nari https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4k87w99h We provide county-level projections of how many fewer Californians will be enrolled in full-scope Medi-Cal by 2028 as a result of policy changes in federal H.R.1 and the enacted 2025-26 state budget. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4k87w99h Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dietz, Miranda Kadiyala, Srikanth Rak, Annie Ho, Sun-Yin Roby, Dylan H Lucia, Laurel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4gv205cp <p>Berkeley Blog post. When it comes to jobs and the economy, not all solutions to the state’s budget shortfall are equal. Most measures designed by well-meaning state leaders to reduce the deficit also will depress employment and economic growth in California. But the magnitude of those impacts will vary significantly – depending on what measures are enacted – and the worst effects can be avoided.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4gv205cp Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2r0736v1 Miranda Dietz testified before the California Senate Budget Committee on the potential impacts of federal and state cuts to Medi-Cal. View video and slideshow. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2r0736v1 Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dietz, Miranda https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1gh430gw This factsheet describes the characteristics of the private sector security guard workforce in Seattle and the state of Washington, highlighting the need to improve labor conditions in the industry. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1gh430gw Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hernandez, Kassandra Lopezlira, Enrique Rhee, Nari https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1c39x5vc Miranda Dietz testified before the California Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 3 on Health and Human Services about who in the state is employed, who has health coverage, what the gap is, and why there are people who are working full time who do not have health coverage.&nbsp; https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1c39x5vc Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dietz, Miranda https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9q9452rd This report is the second in a series of reports looking at wages, living conditions, and economic challenges for workers and their families in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. It finds that while East Bay workers experienced real wage growth during the recovery from the COVID-19 recession, many still lived at or “near” poverty, struggling to make ends meet during the years 2021-2023. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9q9452rd Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hunter, Savannah Tjiang, Leila Lopezlira, Enrique https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9n48x9tm UC Berkeley Labor Center and partners produce resources for all high schoolers. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9n48x9tm Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Light, Julie https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9jp405br The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential impacts of consolidating collective bargaining for California’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) providers from the county level to the state or regional level. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9jp405br Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Rhee, Nari Jacobs, Ken Lucia, Laurel Lopezlira, Enrique Manzanilla, Alexis Hunter, Savannah Quinn, Kelly https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9gk786qd Joint letter providing input on the California Privacy Protection Agency’s current rulemaking for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which will detail a set of important worker rights and employer responsibilities for the use of data-driven technologies in the workplace. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9gk786qd Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 ACLU Northern California UC Berkeley Labor Center National Black Worker Center https://escholarship.org/uc/item/99m7p7kj The Data Explorer shows that workers of color, women, and immigrants are overrepresented among the 5.6 million workers paid a low wage. A clear understanding of these demographic patterns in low-wage work is essential to addressing economic inequality in the state.&nbsp; https://escholarship.org/uc/item/99m7p7kj Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hunter, Savannah https://escholarship.org/uc/item/98d4b7gg When Labor and Community Come Together: Lessons from the Oakland Army Base Redevelopment https://escholarship.org/uc/item/98d4b7gg Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jaeger, Andrew https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9516s1bq Data and methods appendix to the brief “California health care minimum wage: New estimates for impacts on workers, patients, and the state budget.” https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9516s1bq Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lucia, Laurel Lopezlira, Enrique Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/91m253q8 This study of gig passenger and delivery driver earnings in the Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay, and Seattle metros finds the typical drivers earned less than the applicable minimum wage in all five metros. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/91m253q8 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jacobs, Ken Reich, Michael Challenor, Tynan Farmand, Aida https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8vr9f6bp <p>This brief analyzes the impact SB 525 is projected to have on workers, patients, and the state budget in the first year of the policy. It is an update of our June 2023 and April 2023 briefs, both of which analyzed preliminary versions of the bill.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8vr9f6bp Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lucia, Laurel Lopezlira, Enrique Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8t88n5j7 This post explains the the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)’s new guidelines that employers must follow when they use algorithmic scores or background reports generated by third parties to make employment decisions. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8t88n5j7 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Khan, Mishal https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8bm0q2ts <p>An overview of current U.S. public policy that regulates employers’ use of digital workplace technologies.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8bm0q2ts Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Khan, Mishal Bernhardt, Annette https://escholarship.org/uc/item/87m5b4rk Joint letter providing recommendations in response to the California Privacy Protection Agency’s request for comments on proposed regulations for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). https://escholarship.org/uc/item/87m5b4rk Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 SEIU California California Coalition for Worker Power UC Berkeley Labor Center https://escholarship.org/uc/item/86d3m3hc At the latest Labor Center Lead Organizer Training 19 organizers strengthened their organizing skills and learned to cultivate new leaders within their organizations. The frontline leaders from teacher, grocery, and flight attendant unions, and Black, Latino, and Filipino worker centers, among others, learned to adapt different leadership approaches to different circumstances. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/86d3m3hc Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Murphy-Marcos, Cora del Mar https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8487w55x California’s economy is growing, but millions of workers are being left behind. The state can do more to ensure every Californian has access to a family-sustaining career by incorporating workforce standards into public spending and regulations. This factsheet describes workforce standards and how policymakers can apply them in this critical moment for climate and infrastructure spending. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8487w55x Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 UC Berkeley Labor Center https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7xc9197c Last week, the UC Regents suspended for one year a proposal to allow undocumented students to be employed in campus jobs. The announcement comes after months of protests and a hunger strike by over 20 students. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7xc9197c Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Murphy-Marcos, Cora del Mar https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7t27z3td We provide an overview of existing research that attempts to measure the prevalence of employers’ use of workplace management technologies – i.e., technologies that are used to monitor, evaluate, or make predictions about workers, or assist or augment their tasks. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7t27z3td Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Mast, Nina Kresge, Lisa https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7n62b3dw Medical Debt in California: Causes, Consequences and Solutions https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7n62b3dw Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Manzanilla, Alexis https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7k61w2xz What does it take to build a union at the world’s largest coffee chain? Jaz Brisack is trying to get it down to a system. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7k61w2xz Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Murphy-Marcos, Cora del Mar https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7j68v8bb Over the last few months, we have heard any number of outrageous claims about the potential impacts of the proposed health care bills (death panels, end to private insurance, etc.). Still, the claim made by Republicans during debate in the house—that the bill would result in a loss of 5.5 million jobs—stands out. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7j68v8bb Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/71d3v1pn As the new executive director of the Labor Center, I would like to introduce myself and share a bit about my background and the values that drive my unwavering commitment to workers. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/71d3v1pn Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Muñoz, Brenda https://escholarship.org/uc/item/70v2t266 Who is paid low wages in California? The UC Berkeley Labor Center just updated its Low-Wage Work in California Data Explorer, which provides a wide range of data on the state’s 5.6 million workers who are paid low wages. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/70v2t266 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hunter, Savannah Lopezlira, Enrique https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zz0f3tp Supporting early educators and expanding childcare access isn’t just morally right—it’s smart economic policy. Higher wages, stable programs, and affordable care options strengthen families and unlock economic potential across generations. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zz0f3tp Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lopezlira, Enrique https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6sb636hc Accessible, non-technical FAQ answering common questions about AI and other digital technologies in the workplace, how employers use them, and how workers are impacted. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6sb636hc Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bernhardt, Annette Kresge, Lisa https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6d0730k1 Republicans are considering major cuts to Medicaid to offset tax cuts. Depending on the specific mechanisms and timing for cutting Medicaid, California could expect to see between $10 billion and $20 billion fewer federal dollars per year coming to Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. These federal cuts would lead to significant job loss in health care and other sectors. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6d0730k1 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lucia, Laurel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6bv988pz In this blog post, we look at veterans’ prominent role in California’s labor unions, using the data and methodology from our recent report, “State of the Unions: California Labor in 2024.” https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6bv988pz Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wade, Patrick Hunter, Savannah https://escholarship.org/uc/item/67m1w90j Our report assesses the impact of AB 1228 by estimating how eligibility for Medi-Cal might change for workers covered under this law. From this, we also estimate potential reductions in federal and state Medi-Cal spending. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/67m1w90j Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hunter, Savannah Farmand, Aida Lopezlira, Enrique Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/65p754wj The onerous documentation needed with Medi-Cal work requirements would increase administrative costs and reduce enrollment and access to care, including for people who are already working or otherwise should be exempt. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/65p754wj Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Rhee, Nari Lucia, Laurel Dietz, Miranda https://escholarship.org/uc/item/62q131pb The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) included additional federal subsidies to make health insurance more affordable in the individual market, but these expire at the end of 2025. If Congress does not extend the expanded subsidies and levels revert to those in the original Affordable Care Act, all 2.37 million Californians in the individual market—including those not receiving subsidies—would face higher health insurance premiums and be forced to choose between more expensive coverage, less generous coverage, or forgoing coverage all together and going uninsured. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/62q131pb Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dietz, Miranda Kadiyala, Srikanth Rak, Annie Ho, Sun-Yin Lucia, Laurel Roby, Dylan Kominski, Gerald F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5vp9f5tv California is home to the largest population of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN) in the country. To better understand the social and economic forces affecting low-wage AIAN workers in the state, our Low-Wage Work in California Data Explorer includes analysis on this group. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5vp9f5tv Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hernandez, Kassandra https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5gg6375q <p>Berkeley Blog post. For better or worse, the Affordable Care Act was designed to leave our system of employer-sponsored insurance in place as the main source of coverage for Americans under the age of 65. The employer responsibility provisions are a necessary part of the law.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5gg6375q Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5bp5c79n This factsheet highlights the characteristics of the private sector security guard workforce in NYC, home to a large part of the nation’s security guard workforce. With its scale and visibility, NYC has the potential to set a national standard for improving labor conditions in the security services industry, which has national revenues of $22.7 billion for unarmed guard services alone. The labor conditions of security guards are also foundational to broader questions of how cities achieve public safety. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5bp5c79n Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Brick, Carmen Lopezlira, Enrique Rhee, Nari https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5861w733 Until the state can make much-needed improvements to its property and commercial tax structure, officials will continue to propose drastic service cuts. Eliminating or freezing vacant positions in state and local budget processes may be a convenient way to cut expenses, but without substantive staffing analysis the impact of leaving those positions empty could pose a severe burden on existing staff, Californians, and the economy. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5861w733 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hinkley, Sara https://escholarship.org/uc/item/57b3950m We outline core principles for how government action on AI can benefit public and private sector workers, and comment on how two recent executive orders reflect those principles. Our goal is to help inform the significant work that lies ahead for federal, state, and local governments in their efforts to model responsible use of AI. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/57b3950m Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bernhardt, Annette Hinkley, Sara https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4rt26065 &nbsp;California has a serious low-wage jobs problem, and it’s only gotten worse over the past 15 years. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4rt26065 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bernhardt, Annette https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4k29b71n <p>The study analyzes workplace retirement plan coverage, retirement account ownership, and household retirement savings as a percentage of income, and estimates the share of working families that meet financial industry recommended benchmarks for retirement savings.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4k29b71n Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Boivie, Ilana Rhee, Nari https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4g737406 In this report, we discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Contra Costa as it prepares for the cascading effects of an energy transition that is already unfolding. We propose a just transition framework to guide an economic development strategy capable of addressing the specific challenges facing Contra Costa and setting the county on a path toward a more resilient, healthy, and equitable local economy. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4g737406 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hammerling, Jessie HF Toaspern, Will Schmahmann, Laura https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4c764951 <p>Our Low-Wage Work in California Data Explorer offers disaggregated data by regional subgroup for AAPI workers, showing important differences across occupation, gender, and nativity status within this diverse group.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4c764951 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hernandez, Kassandra https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4666b6wh Berkeley Blog post. Yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling on Harris v. Quinn may seem like a narrow decision on the technical details of union dues. In fact, it lays bare one of the fundamental injustices to workers’ rights in the U.S., and a looming policy failure as the country struggles to care for a rapidly aging population. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4666b6wh Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bernhardt, Annette https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3ph2h9p4 <p>Berkeley Blog post. Some of the savings from health savings accounts turns out to have been illusory after all.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3ph2h9p4 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3hr0n1f1 An innovative new way of thinking about inequality is emerging, where urban centers and regions like the Bay Area with higher costs of living use a range of tools, including robust minimum wage laws, to ensure that growth and prosperity are broadly shared. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3hr0n1f1 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jacobs, Ken Bernhardt, Annette https://escholarship.org/uc/item/39j314sj This report provides an overview of the working conditions and characteristics of public school food service workers, in comparison to other relevant workers in public schools and other food service workers. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/39j314sj Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hinkley, Sara https://escholarship.org/uc/item/36t2s75n <p>Berkeley Blog post. As the discussion begins at today’s bi-partisan meeting on health care, it is important to remember the stakes in this debate. Nationally 31 million people are projected to gain health coverage under the President’s proposal.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/36t2s75n Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3071h85b <p>Berkeley Blog post. With 2.3 million Californians out of work, the California legislature should take care to minimize harm to the State’s economy as it works to close an estimated $20 billion budget gap.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3071h85b Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2rs4m51q This research note evaluates the impact of PLAs on the costs of affordable housing construction projects under Proposition HHH in Los Angeles, making it a critical case study given the city’s efforts to address homelessness. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2rs4m51q Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lopezlira, Enrique Farmand, Aida https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2fw148rp The Labor Center sat down with Practitioner in Residence Alex Caputo-Pearl to delve into some of the work he’s completing during his residency, his role during the 2019 UTLA teacher’s strike, and his upcoming book about the teacher’s labor movement in recent years. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2fw148rp Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Murphy-Marcos, Cora del Mar https://escholarship.org/uc/item/28q5668n <p>Berkeley Blog post. The health care proposals under consideration would take an important step towards expanding access to affordable health care for all Americans.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/28q5668n Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/252361g3 Rolling back Medicaid access through cuts and bureaucratic hurdles will have far-reaching and disproportionate impacts on older adults. In particular, the work documentation requirement poses an especially draconian barrier to older adults, given the steady dropoff in employment after age 50 due to deteriorating health, age discrimination, and increasing responsibility to provide care for aging family members. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/252361g3 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Rhee, Nari https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1z04j9mq <p>Berkeley Blog post. Health reform is reaching an end game. Obama came out strong in his speech today for the first time drawing sharp distinctions between the two parties views on health care reform, and calling for an “up or down vote” on the bill.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1z04j9mq Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1ts0j5zj This blog post examines the extraordinary growth in job-based health care costs, how this impacts California workers, and what the state can do to mitigate the problem. We focus on costs for family coverage, though a similar story could be told about the cost of single coverage. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1ts0j5zj Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Manzanilla, Alexis Dietz, Miranda https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1qz9s2b3 A proposed ordinance in the Chicago City Council would set minimum standards for transportation network driver compensation. In this brief we analyze drivers’ earnings in Chicago under current law, and what drivers would earn under the proposed policy. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1qz9s2b3 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jacobs, Ken Farmand, Aida https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1m41c176 The report&nbsp;<em>State of the Unions: California Labor in 2024&nbsp;</em>provides a snapshot of the California labor movement at a time of dramatic political and economic shifts nationwide. Led by researchers at the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) and the UC Berkeley Labor Center, the report analyzes the most recent publicly available data on union density, member demographics, and labor organizing activity in California and the nation. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1m41c176 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hunter, Savannah Lopezlira, Enrique Wade, Patrick McBride, Justin Zepeda-Millán, Chris Lin, Cristhian Flores, Jesús “Chuy” Mickey-Pabello, David Reese, Ellen https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1k47q8ks Undergraduates spend spring break learning firsthand about Bay Area labor during the 2025 Solidarity Spring at UC Berkeley. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1k47q8ks Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Putri Grissom, Lastiann Vasquez, Kelly https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1f0696n8 States can act to preserve and advance President Biden’s most important accomplishment: a set of policies aimed at growing jobs in strategic clean energy sectors across the U.S. while supporting fair wages and equal access to employment. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1f0696n8 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hammerling, Jessie HF https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1c5739h5 <p>Berkeley Blog post. When Californians passed Proposition 39 last year, they voted for more carbon reduction, school improvements and jobs – all through a five-year, $2.5 billion program using revenues from newly closed tax loopholes to pay for investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Now state policymakers are making critical decisions as they craft the guidelines for this massive new investment.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1c5739h5 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Zabin, Carol https://escholarship.org/uc/item/19h662rt <p>Berkeley Blog post. I was invited to South Africa earlier this month to participate in a Competition Tribunal about a proposed merger of Walmart and South African chain Massmart. Facing falling sales in the U.S., Walmart seeks a stake in emerging African markets, and last September offered $4 billion to purchase a controlling portion of Massmart.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/19h662rt Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1520t3kr Consumer health care affordability has deteriorated over the past two decades in California due to rising premiums along with increasingly common and increasingly large deductibles for job-based coverage. This report documents these trends and their implications for Californian’s health and financial well-being, and recommends how California’s new Office of Health Care Affordability can monitor consumer affordability metrics in order to ensure that consumers benefit from the office’s efforts to control growth in per capita health care spending. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1520t3kr Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dietz, Miranda Lucia, Laurel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0w32f194 Blog post exploring the factors surrounding a proposal to expand Covered California to undocumented Californians by creating a “mirror marketplace.” This would give undocumented Californians, who are prevented by federal law from participating in Covered California, the ability to shop, compare, and enroll in health plans. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0w32f194 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Manzanilla, Alexis Lucia, Laurel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0s61n7qs California’s historic expansion of coverage to undocumented individuals has not only brought the state closer to universal coverage, but has also reduced racial disparities in health coverage. However, this progress is at risk due to a new state budget proposal that would curtail Medi-Cal benefits for certain immigrants, ahead of additional severe federal cuts to Medicaid being considered. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0s61n7qs Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lucia, Laurel Dietz, Miranda Manzanilla, Alexis https://escholarship.org/uc/item/07p5r02g California can build on the success and lessons of ScholarShare, CalSavers, and CalABLE to provide affordable consumer banking services that meet the needs of economically marginalized communities through CalAccount. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/07p5r02g Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Rhee, Nari https://escholarship.org/uc/item/02t9c97r <p>This report both documents and forecasts trends in job-based health care coverage that will be of interest to policy makers, health care analysts, and concerned citizens in California and nationally.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/02t9c97r Tue, 11 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Dube, Arindrajit Jacobs, Ken Muller, Sarah Brownstein, Bob Ellis-Lamkins, Phaedra https://escholarship.org/uc/item/97k2v8qg Until the state can make much-needed improvements to its property and commercial tax structure, officials will continue to propose drastic service cuts. Eliminating or freezing vacant positions in state and local budget processes may be a convenient way to cut expenses, but without substantive staffing analysis the impact of leaving those positions empty could pose a severe burden on existing staff, Californians, and the economy. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/97k2v8qg Thu, 1 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Hinkley, Sara https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8033v3k7 We outline core principles for how government action on AI can benefit public and private sector workers, and comment on how two recent executive orders reflect those principles. Our goal is to help inform the significant work that lies ahead for federal, state, and local governments in their efforts to model responsible use of AI. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8033v3k7 Thu, 1 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Bernhardt, Annette Hinkley, Sara https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6wf6v8v2 An overview of current U.S. public policy that regulates employers’ use of digital workplace technologies. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6wf6v8v2 Thu, 1 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Bernhardt, Annette Pathak, Laura https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1r4523hj Consumer health care affordability has deteriorated over the past two decades in California due to rising premiums along with increasingly common and increasingly large deductibles for job-based coverage. This report documents these trends and their implications for Californian’s health and financial well-being, and recommends how California’s new Office of Health Care Affordability can monitor consumer affordability metrics in order to ensure that consumers benefit from the office’s efforts to control growth in per capita health care spending. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1r4523hj Thu, 1 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Dietz, Miranda Lucia, Laurel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0nf4t0dt Workers and their unions took center stage in 2023 by negotiating landmark agreements that address emerging workplace technologies. Alongside establishing fundamental rights regarding the adoption of new technologies, unions negotiated protective measures for workers, provisions ensuring workers share in the benefits of these advancements, and even reined in certain technological applications. Here’s a closer look at some of the major technology bargaining agreements reached this year. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0nf4t0dt Thu, 1 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Kresge, Lisa https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9tr950kt This study analyzes the impact of defined benefit pensions, especially public pensions, on retirement income security and wealth distribution by race, gender, and educational attainment in the U.S. It serves as a companion report to Closing the Gap fact sheets, which are designed to inform the public about the social equity impact of pensions in each state and the District of Columbia. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9tr950kt Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Rhee, Nari https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9d44f576 The California Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) will establish statewide and sectoral health care spending targets with the goal of achieving a more sustainable per capita rate of spending growth on health care provided by a range of health care entities. This policy brief will discuss the various economic indicators that can be used in setting the statewide target. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9d44f576 Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Lucia, Laurel Dietz, Miranda Challenor, Tynan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9cn4f1zr The pandemic’s myriad effects on the U.S. economy will be the subject of research and attention for many years to come. In this report, we delve into some of the pandemic’s impacts by focusing on one question: How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect technology adoption in U.S. warehouses? https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9cn4f1zr Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Gutelius, Beth Theodore, Nik https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8xv9c9m4 This report presents a current snapshot of the state’s progress in implementing several of the strategies outlined in our 2020 report&nbsp;<em>A Jobs and Climate Action Plan for 2030</em>. Specifically, we review existing high road standard policies in California, and assess the reach of high road standards across the state’s proposed climate investments in California’s 2022-23 state budget. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8xv9c9m4 Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Appel, Sam Hammerling, Jessie HF https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8t70s8k5 Monterey County has some of the highest hospital costs in the state, and working families are struggling to pay their health care bills. To better understand why health care costs are so high in this Central Coast county, there is an urgent need to collect and analyze data that can help point to causes and solutions to the problem. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8t70s8k5 Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Lucia, Laurel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/539302rf This report is the first in-depth look at the labor market for agricultural truck drivers in California and the first study of this workforce anywhere in the U.S. in almost 30 years. It found that better efforts in recruiting and training drivers would ease turnover and improve job satisfaction, particularly for agricultural trucking, which is critical to California’s economy but can often be seasonal or require specialized equipment. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/539302rf Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Viscelli, Steve Balcom, Eric https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3j98x15n Teachers’ willingness to strike represents not just a resurgence of union power, but also their determination to call attention to the dire consequences of decades of California’s underinvestment in K-12 education. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3j98x15n Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Hinkley, Sara https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3h46t95p This report finds that public pensions play an outsized role in the retirement security of every major demographic group in California, with the strongest impact on women and people of color. It is also a powerful tool for reducing wealth inequality. As private pension coverage declines, public pensions remain a critical bulwark of middle-class retirement security alongside Social Security, particularly for marginalized communities who have been historically shut out of other wealth-building opportunities. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3h46t95p Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Rhee, Nari https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2bf48122 We find that job vacancies in local government appear to be a widespread and significant problem for the public sector affecting a wide range of occupations across wage levels and educational requirements. We offer suggested policy solutions raised by subject matter experts and other reports and analyses on job vacancy challenges in local government. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2bf48122 Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Hunter, Savannah Hinkley, Sara Castaneda, Adriana H. Lopezlira, Enrique https://escholarship.org/uc/item/10s5k60k Union membership today is different than a generation ago. It’s not your grandfather’s union anymore. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/10s5k60k Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Hunter, Savannah https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0tq49760 Chartbook comparing California union membership and coverage from 2001-2002 and 2021-2022. Findings show that at least half of all of California’s 2.5 million union members are women and that the majority of all union workers are people of color. By contrast, 20 years ago the typical union member in California was a white man. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0tq49760 Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Hunter, Savannah Gailliot, Annette Lopezlira, Enrique Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/01k9z1fk This memo provides an overview of workers’ rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and how workers can exercise these rights. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/01k9z1fk Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Feng, Kung https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0kz373bn <p>Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit and the other public benefits programs discussed in this report provide a vital support system for millions of Americans working in the United States’ service industries, including fast food. We analyze public program utilization by working families and estimate total average annual public benefit expenditures on the families of front-line fast-food workers for the years 2007–2011.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0kz373bn Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Allegretto, Sylvia Doussard, Marc Graham-Squire, Dave Jacobs, Ken Thompson, Dan Thompson, Jeremy https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7b30z54f <p>In this brief we estimate the new costs to the state resulting from SB 525 as well as the savings it would generate through reductions in safety net program enrollment of affected workers and their family members.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7b30z54f Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Lucia, Laurel Lopezlira, Enrique Jacobs, Ken Hunter, Savannah https://escholarship.org/uc/item/73720506 Our goal in this comment is to highlight evidence indicating the prevalence of automated workplace surveillance and management technologies, impact on workers resulting from employers’ use of these systems, and principles and policy models for worker technology rights and protections. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/73720506 Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Bernhardt, Annette Kresge, Lisa Feng, Kung https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6wb5c4sz Despite being applauded for their essential role and dedication during the COVID pandemic, many low-wage health care workers struggle to make ends meet. A recent UC Berkeley Labor Center Study study looks at what a proposal before the California State Legislature to raise the health care minimum wage to $25 an hour would mean for workers, patients, and industry. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6wb5c4sz Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Light, Julie https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6hq4m4sw This report examines the state of work in the East Bay prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that even before the pandemic, when the economy was strong by conventional economic metrics and had recovered from the Great Recession, many East Bay workers were earning low wages, housing cost-burdened, and struggling to make ends meet, with workers of color in particular making wages too low to support themselves and their families. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6hq4m4sw Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Hunter, Savannah Vasquez, Vivian Lopezlira, Enrique Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6c0153qw <p>This report shows that the proposed California Senate Bill No. 525 (SB 525), which would establish a new $25 per hour minimum wage for health care employees, has the potential to substantially improve conditions for low-wage health care workers that provide essential services to the state, ameliorate staffing shortages in the industry, and improve quality of care.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6c0153qw Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Lopezlira, Enrique Jacobs, Ken https://escholarship.org/uc/item/68p7574f California continues to make remarkable progress in expanding access to health coverage, including by expanding Medi-Cal eligibility for low-income undocumented residents. Yet, we project there will be 520,000 uninsured undocumented residents who earn too much for Medi-Cal and do not have employer coverage. This group remains categorically excluded from enrolling in Covered California and cannot receive federal subsidies to make coverage more affordable. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/68p7574f Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Dietz, Miranda Lucia, Laurel Kadiyala, Srikanth Challenor, Tynan Rak, Annie Chen, Yupeng Haile, Menbere Roby, Dylan H. Kominski, Gerald F. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6526x3p1 <p>In April, the Biden Administration announced a proposed rule that would allow an estimated 40,000 uninsured DACA recipients in California access to subsidized health coverage through Covered California. This fills an important gap in health coverage options, but it renders access to Covered California contingent on DACA status—which itself is at risk of being overturned by the courts.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6526x3p1 Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Dietz, Miranda Kadiyala, Srikanth Lucia, Laurel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/53x9x3vg Passage of AB 2257 has caused only minor changes in coverage of the ABC test under AB 5. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/53x9x3vg Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Jacobs, Ken Lopezlira, Enrique Vazquez, Vivian https://escholarship.org/uc/item/37w0x0c0 The California state government has close to a quarter of a million employees, almost half of whom are women and almost two-thirds of whom are workers of color. But across occupations and throughout the state, many state workers earn well below what is needed to attain a decent standard of living in California. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/37w0x0c0 Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Farmand, Aida Challenor, Tynan Hunter, Savannah Lopezlira, Enrique Jacobs, Ken