Job Quality Trends
Labor Center Reports
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Beyond the Mountaintop: King’s Prescription for Poverty
Black Economists Mark the 40th Anniversary of the Assassination
April 2008, by Steven C. Pitts and William Spriggs
» Report 
» Press Release
» Press Coverage
Beyond the Mountaintop: King’s Prescription for Poverty, by Steven Pitts of UC Berkeley and William Spriggs of Howard University, is a policy brief that analyzes African Americans’ economic progress over the last 40 years and uses Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, vision of economic justice as the basis for policy recommendations to dramatically reduce poverty.
A Downward Push: The Impact of Wal-Mart Stores on Retail Wages and Benefits
December 2007, by Arindrajit Dube, T William Lester and Barry Eidlin
» Research Brief
This study finds that Wal-Mart store openings lead to the replacement of better paying jobs with jobs that pay less and are less likely to provide health benefits. Wal-Mart’s entry also drives wages and benefits down for workers in competing industry segments such as grocery stores.
Small Raise: Jobs, Wages and Healthcare in 2007
August 2007, by Arindrajit Dube, Ken Jacobs and Dave Graham-Squire
» Powerpoint Presentation
» Press Coverage
The Labor Center's annual briefing on California and national wage, employment and union trends.
Firm Entry and Wages: Impact of Wal-Mart Growth on Earnings Throughout the Retail Sector
August 2007, by Arindrajit Dube, William T. Lester and Barry Eidlin
» Report
This paper estimates the effect of Wal-Mart expansion on wages, benefits, and skill-composition of retail workers during the 1990s. We exploit the spatial pattern of Wal-Mart diffusion, radiating outward from the original store in Benton county, Arkansas, to control for potential endogeneity in store openings using both instrumental variable and control function approaches. Estimates from state and county level data suggest that store openings reduced both the average earnings and health benefits of retail workers. At the county level, a new Wal-Mart is found to reduce retail earnings, on average, by .5 to .9 percent. Moreover, we find that changes in skill-composition explain only a small part of compensation reduction, indicating that the decline in retail wages reflect a reduction in labor market rents.
Job Quality and Black Workers: An Examination of the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York
August 2007, by Steven C. Pitts (updated May 2008)
» Report
» Executive Summary
» Press Release
» Press Coverage
This study that finds that more than half of U.S. Black workers earn low wages and lack advancement options. The study also explores how new global economic realities are having an impact on future employment prospects for Black workers.
 Declining Health Coverage in the Southern California Grocery Industry
January 2007, by Ken Jacobs, Arindrajit Dube and Felix Su
» Summary Findings
» Powerpoint Presentation
» Press Coverage
These summary findings assess the effects of a new contract for grocery workers in Southern California in March 2004 that significantly restructured health insurance coverage. The research draws on United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) actuarial and membership data and union survey responses to document the impact of benefits changes on health coverage and utilization in both Southern and Northern California. It concludes that the contract changes have dramatically reduced health coverage in the grocery industry in the Southern half of the state, diminished the rate of health care utilization, and exacerbated the annual turnover rate for grocery workers in Los Angeles.
Black Workers in the Bay Area: Employment Trends and Job Quality 1970-2000
November 2006, by Steven C. Pitts
» Report
» Executive Summary
This report presents a detailed view of the Black workforce, with a focus on the incidence of low-wage work. It finds a two-dimensional crisis of work in the Black community: that of unemployment, and that of low-wage jobs. The author argues that not enough attention is paid to the crisis of low-wage jobs or to the task of transforming the millions of low-wage jobs into jobs that pay family-sustaining wages. The report includes recommendations on policies that will increase standards in the areas of wages (minimum wage laws; living wage laws); benefits (protecting employer-based health care and pension plans); and the right to unionize.
Where Have All the Wages Gone? Jobs and Wages in 2006
August 2006, by Arindrajit Dube and Dave Graham-Squire
» Policy Brief
» Powerpoint Presentation
» Press Release
» Press Coverage
This study uses household survey data and other sources through June of 2006 to evaluate changes in employment, wages and composition of jobs in the United States and in California. The authors find that job growth was moderate over the past year, but that productivity and corporate profits have grown strongly since the post-recession recovery began in 2002. The gap between productivity and compensation is at an all-time high (with labor’s share of GDP at an all-time low) since 1947.
Trends to Watch for in 2006-2007
August 2006
» Powerpoint Presentation
This presentation provides a brief snapshot of current job quality trends in California and the U.S., focusing on union coverage in the public and private sectors and changes in job-based health care policies. It shows that during the past five years, public sector coverage has remained relatively stable in both the U.S. and California, while private sector union density continues to decline. It documents the continued decline of job-based health care coverage, and concludes that for unions, this issue will remain a major source of labor-management conflict in upcoming negotiations.
Wal-Mart and Job Quality—What Do We Know, and Should We Care?
October 2005, by Arindrajit Dube and Steve Wertheim
» Report
This report addresses a range of issues surrounding worker earnings and health benefits at Wal-Mart stores. Comparing the company’s wages and employee benefits spending against the US retail and grocery sectors as a whole, the authors find that Wal-Mart is significantly below the sector averages on both measures. The research also reveals that the earnings of US retail workers have suffered due to Wal-Mart’s market presence. Finally, the authors consider the possibility of raising Wal-Mart’s employee compensation, and the effects this might have upon the prices of Wal-Mart goods.
Black Workers in the Bay Area: 1970-2000
September 2005, by Steven C. Pitts and Steve Wertheim
» Policy Brief
» Press Coverage
This data brief illustrates the worsening condition of the Bay Area Black working population, drawing special attention to the problem of low-wage employment. The study reveals that, from a numerical standpoint, low-wage employment is a greater concern than unemployment in the black population. The report also highlights the dramatic downturn in the fortunes of the black male and young black working populations, respectively.
Jobs and Wages in California Over the 2000-2005 Period
August 2005, by Arindrajit Dube
» Policy Brief
» Press Release
» Press Coverage
The study tracks recent trends in state job growth, the composition of new jobs, and wage movements. Significant findings include continued job growth, but employment levels still below 2001 levels; a reversal of the 2000-02 patterns of high-wage job creation/low-wage job reduction; and a decline in aggregate wages from 2003 onwards.
Living Wage Policies at the San Francisco Airport: Impacts on Workers and Businesses
January 2005, by Michael Reich, Peter Hall and Ken Jacobs, Industrial Relations, vol. 44, no. 1.
» Report
The authors evaluate the costs and benefits of a living wage ordinance implemented at the San Francisco Airport (SFO). Impacts of these policies are measured in terms of wages, turnover, worker morale, work effort, and employment, all of which improved. The authors find that pay for low-wage workers rose dramatically at SFO as a result of the ordinance, and earnings inequality among low-wage, non-managerial workers declined significantly as well. The study concludes that there was no overall employment loss, and that additional costs to employers are negligible.
Are Jobs Getting Worse? The Evolving Distribution of Wages and Job Composition Over the 2001 to 2004 Period
October 2004, by Arindrajit Dube
» Report
This study evaluates how the economic recovery of 2001 has been felt throughout the workforce, with the overall conclusion that the worst-paid kinds of jobs are growing the fastest. The study uses household survey data from 2001 through August of 2004, and specifically examines changes in the average wage, distribution of wages, and differences in the composition of growing and shrinking jobs.
The Wages and Self-Sufficiency of Unionized Hotel Workers in San Francisco
September 2004, by Carol Zabin
» Report
Study analyzes the adequacy of wages for San Francisco’s hotel workers, based upon 2003 employment data. The author tests for adequacy/inadequacy using the “Self-Sufficiency Standard,” a unique measure taking into account such factors as local cost-of-living, family size and composition, ages of dependent children, and so on. The author determines that 2003 workers’ wages were doubly inadequate, given the industry’s wage rates per se, and the lack of full-time employment opportunities in the sector.
Wage and Health Benefit Restructuring in California’s Grocery Industry: Public Costs and Policy Implications
July 2004, by Arindarjit Dube and Alex Lantsberg
» Report
This study analyzes the 2004 labor agreement between southern California grocers and employees, and examines the implications for grocery workers statewide as well. The authors predict that the agreement will result in the loss of employer-sponsored health insurance for one-third to one-half of the sector’s employees. The ensuing shift to public health care plans and emergency room care will translate to greatly increased costs to taxpayers, effectively transferring the burden from employers to the public. The authors conclude with policy solutions to this looming problem.
Living Wages and Economic Performance: The San Francisco Airport Model
March 2003, by Michael Reich, Peter Hall and Ken Jacobs
» Report
This report examines the living wage ordinances in place for San Francisco International Airport employees, focusing specifically on the Quality Standards Program (QSP). The authors profile the various low-wage occupations based at the airport before QSP, and trace the development of the low-wage labor market in the airport jobs complex. The study then assesses the impact of QSP on workers, firms, taxpayers, and airport security, ultimately finding the ordinance to be an exemplary model of “high road” economic policy.
The Impact of a Large Wage Increase on the Workforce Stability of IHSS Home Care Workers in San Francisco County
November 2002, by Candace Howes
» Working Paper
Study traces changes to San Francisco’s homecare labor market following recent wage increases and the extension of healthcare benefits to workers. The author profiles the workforce of in-home support services (IHSS) before and after the major changes, looking at employment figures, income, worker turnover, “match” with consumers, and worker demographics. The author concludes with a discussion of the costs to county, state, and federal government.
Why Do Working Youth Work Where They Do?
March 2002, by Stuart Tannock
» Report
This report examines the current state of youth labor in the US, explaining the decades-long development of the low-wage, deskilled service sector jobs, and the funneling of young workers into those jobs.
Recession and Reaction: The Impact of the Economic Downturn on California Labor
2002, by Manuel Pastor and Carol Zabin, The State of California Labor 2002, University of California Institute for Labor and Employment.
» Report
Book chapter highlights the ways in which the recession of 2001 exposed the downside of the "new economy." For example, labor market flexibility helped businesses respond quickly to competitive challenges during the boom, but the temporary workers who made that flexibility possible now face not only layoffs but also limited access to public and private safety nets. This analysis suggests the continuing importance of public policies that address the issues of economic inequality and employment insecurity.
Living Wages and Airport Security
September 2001, by Michael Reich, Peter Hall and Ken Jacobs
» Report
A preliminary report dealing with the San Francisco Airport’s living wage ordinance, written in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The report looks at pre-ordinance airport security, finding weaknesses that stemmed from low wages, low worker morale, high turnover, and inadequate training. The authors contrast this with the San Francisco Airport security screening after the living wage was implemented. The authors find the San Francisco Airport model to be superior to the FAA’s security standards revisions being proposed at the time.
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