Institute for Research on Labor and Employment

State of the Unions: California Labor in 2025 provides the latest data on union membership, organizing activity and worker direct action in California. The report includes six case studies highlighting worker and union-led campaigns across the state. The report was prepared by the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) and features research contributions from labor centers across the University of California.

Throughout the 20th century, the combination of enormous consumer demand and an abundant supply of low-wage and immigrant workers made Los Angeles County a regional hotspot and powerhouse for meatpacking and food processing.

In the past several decades, corporate consolidations and deregulation in the industry has significantly transformed the national and local landscape. On a national scale, only a few firms dominate and control beef, pork, and chicken processing, to such an extent that they are able to maximize corporate profits while exerting greater pressures on all levels of the supply chain, from raising animals to stocking grocery stores. This unchecked corporate power has led to worsening outcomes for farmers and volatile prices and heightened food safety risks for consumers, as well as depressed wages and deteriorating working conditions for workers.

In Los Angeles County, and the industrial city of Vernon in particular, unionized processing facilities have either shut down operations or left town, relocating to the South and Midwest. In their wake, small and midsize facilities have carried on the work of processing animal proteins for Los Angeles County, largely employing the same workforce, albeit now via an opaque system of temporary staffing agencies.

Harm to Table: Vulnerability and Exploitation in Los Angeles County Meatpacking and Food Processing examines the social and economic harms associated with the systematic evisceration of a once robust local industry that formerly provided dignified long-term employment, but has now been replaced with an ad hoc network of precarious and contingent work.

Seven years into the official launch of the adult-use market, cannabis is at a crossroads in California. Rapid cycles of booms and busts, rushes and slowdowns, and threats and opportunities have made for an industry that, despite many changes, still brings significant value to the state and stands as an expanding source of economic development. Often missing from the story of the industry’s shifts are workers, who in 2024 were estimated to number at least 78,618 in the legal market alone. 

Through a research justice model guided by our community advisory board of labor and equity groups throughout the state, we built a team of worker researchers who conducted more than 1,111 surveys, collected more than 50 in-depth interviews, brought the findings to stakeholders in seven in-depth data “seshes,” and created a wide-ranging Instagram presence that shared 25 live episodes on key issues facing workers and the industry.

“High Stakes: The State of the California Cannabis Workforce” shares important trends that confirm the potential of cannabis to contribute to California’s growth, well-being, and environmental change, as well as challenges that must be addressed head-on.

Each year, tens of thousands of California high school students balance schoolwork with paid employment, contributing significantly to the state’s economy while navigating unique challenges. After the Bell: A Portrait of High School Workers in California, the latest brief from the UCLA Labor Center’s “State of Young Workers in California” research initiative, analyzes the demographics, and working conditions of high school students who work. Drawing mainly from the 2017–2021 American Community Survey, the analysis highlights the competing demands of work and school for young workers and underscores the need for policies that ensure fair wages, safe workplaces, and educational support for working students.

Working while attending school has become a common reality for many secondary and postsecondary students in California. Nearly half of young workers aged 16 to 24 also attend school, with many college undergraduates working many hours per week. While employment can provide valuable career experience and marketable skills, extensive work hours often limit access to academic and professional opportunities, contributing to lower GPAs, longer time to degree, increased debt, and reduced post-graduation earnings. To better understand these dynamics, the 2023 UCLA Labor Summer Research Program (LSRP 2023) conducted 159 surveys and 30 interviews with students working while enrolled in public colleges and universities across Los Angeles County. The study examined students’ experiences with academics, workplaces, commuting, housing, and financial aid. Findings highlight the challenges and trade-offs faced by students balancing work and education and provide recommendations for policies and programs to support working learners’ academic success, economic stability, and career development.

More than half of college students today must work, often in low-wage jobs, to cover the rising costs of tuition and living expenses. As inflation climbs and institutional financial support remains limited, students continue to shoulder the compounded effects of economic precarity, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pressures of balancing work, academics, and personal well-being. These overlapping challenges have placed a significant strain on the mental health and stability of worekrs and learners. This study builds on previous research examining the experiences of workers and learners, or students navigating employment and education in a post-pandemic context. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study draws on 151 survey responses and 30 in-depth interviews conducted in July and August 2022 with students attending public colleges and universities in Los Angeles. Findings highlight the economic, emotional, and academic tradeoffs faced by working learners and underscore the need for stronger institutional and policy interventions to support student workers’ success and well-being.

California is home to the largest number of nail salons and licensed manicurists in the United States, making it a central hub of the national nail salon industry. Transformed largely by Vietnamese refugee women, the industry has grown into a dynamic and culturally significant space, yet it continues to be marked by deep inequities. Nail salon workers face persistent labor violations, including subminimum wages, misclassification, and unsafe exposure to toxic chemicals, compounded by limited language access and enforcement of labor protections. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified these challenges, revealing the fragility of the industry and the intersecting racial, gendered, and economic vulnerabilities of its workforce. 

Using a mixed-methods approach, including a review of existing literature, secondary labor and licensing data, and in-depth interviews with workers, owners, and advocates across California, this report examines the industry’s structure, pay systems, and workforce needs. It identifies key policy gaps and outlines opportunities to strengthen labor standards, worker health and safety protections, and build a stronger nail salon sector for workers and owners. 

The introduction of automated cargo-handling technology at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach marks a transformative shift in the nation’s largest port complex, raising pressing questions about its impact on workers, operations, and surrounding communities. The Future of Work at the San Pedro Bay Port Complex presents findings from a mixed-methods study commissioned under Assembly Bill 639 and conducted by the UCLA Labor Center. Guided by a panel of industry stakeholders representing labor, management, and public agencies, the study draws on literature reviews, interviews, and expert testimony to assess the potential consequences of automation on job quality, workforce development, and regional economies. As automation expands across terminals, the report highlights the importance of collaborative planning, transparent data, and proactive workforce strategies to ensure technological innovation advances shared prosperity rather than deepening inequality.

Young people are essential contributors to California’s economy and labor force, yet they face a complex landscape shaped by societal shifts, economic pressures, and the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. California’s Future is Clocked In: The Experiences of Young Workers presents findings from the UCLA Labor Center’s “The State of Young Workers in California” research initiative, examining the conditions of workers aged 16 to 24. Drawing on survey and administrative data, as well as existing literature, the report analyzes the employment, educational, financial, and household experiences of young workers in California between 2019 and 2021. It highlights the challenges faced by this population and underscores the need for targeted policies and interventions to support young workers’ economic security and future prospects.

Koreatown in Los Angeles, is a vibrant, multiethnic neighborhood whose renowned restaurant industry relies on a predominantly immigrant workforce from South Korea, Mexico, and Central America. Despite the neighborhood’s rapid gentrification and economic growth, many restaurant workers continue to face low wages, poor working conditions, and housing insecurity—challenges that were further intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report, produced in collaboration with the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA), the UCLA Labor Center, Cal Poly Pomona, and San Diego State University, draws on 338 surveys, 12 in-depth interviews, and demographic and industry data to document the realities of immigrant restaurant workers and outline policy solutions to improve labor standards, protect affordable housing, and promote equitable development in Koreatown.