Evaluation of Alternative Contractor License Requirements for Battery Energy Storage Systems
Final Report for UC Berkeley Contract with the Contractor State License Board for contract CSLB-20-01, entitled “Energy Storage Systems Consultant Services”
Green Economy
The Labor Center Green Economy Program conducts research on issues of job creation, quality, access, and training in the emergent green economy. In addition, we provide research and technical assistance to state agencies, labor, and other stakeholders who are engaged in developing and implementing policy related to energy and climate change in California and nationally.
Spotlight
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Press
April 29, 2022
LADWP Training Program Provides Power — and Good Jobs — to the People
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Report
April 13, 2021
High-Road Jobs and Climate Action: Lessons from California for the Nation
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Report
September 3, 2020
Putting California on the High Road: A Jobs and Climate Action Plan for 2030
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Press
September 3, 2020
Clean energy jobs are coming. Here’s how to make sure they’re good jobs
Research & Publications
April 13, 2021 -
Carol Zabin
High-Road Jobs and Climate Action: Lessons from California for the Nation
A series of briefs summarizing the recommendations for some of the critical climate sectors addressed in the Jobs and Climate Action Plan for 2030: electricity generation, energy efficiency, electric vehicle manufacturing and charging infrastructure, public transit and infill development, trucking, and waste.
November 12, 2020 -
Betony Jones
Prevailing wage in solar can deliver good jobs while keeping growth on track
Experience has shown that prevailing wage actually accelerates solar development. In California, the predominate use of union labor on utility-scale solar projects has fortified political support from organized labor for legislation and regulatory policy that continues to accelerate in-state solar development.
October 26, 2020 -
Carol Zabin
Progress on the Path Towards High-Road Jobs and Climate Action
Jobs v. environment is a false choice. And with the pandemic-induced economic downturn and the fires hurting Californians around the state, it’s clearer than ever that we must make meaningful progress on both fronts simultaneously, crafting an economic recovery that advances equity, climate resilience, and job quality.
September 3, 2020 -
Carol Zabin
Putting California on the High Road: A Jobs and Climate Action Plan for 2030
California’s ambitious path towards a carbon-neutral economy is complex, involves and affects different industries and occupations in multiple ways, and holds both promise and challenges for the state’s working families. The analysis and recommendations here present actions that show a high road to climate policy is both valuable and feasible.
Press Coverage
August 2, 2022 -
Forbes
Who Will Listen To These Truckers?
A widely-cited report authored by Carol Zabin of the UC Berkeley Labor Center casts a similar critical light on the owner-model, as it shifts risks and costs to the drivers.
June 27, 2022 -
Vice Motherboard
Shifting America to Solar Power Is a Grueling, Low-Paid Job
“Solar companies like to think of themselves as not part of the construction industry and better because they’re fulfilling a renewable energy mission to address climate change,” said Carol Zabin. “But they can be just as bad employers. There’s a fair amount of the most egregious violations of basic protections.”
April 29, 2022 -
Capital & Main
LADWP Training Program Provides Power — and Good Jobs — to the People
These are people who ordinarily wouldn’t be considered for, or themselves consider, a job at LADWP. A 2016 report from the University of California, Berkeley, found that more than two-thirds of people accepted into UPCT are from zip codes with very high unemployment rates, and where more than half of the population lives below the poverty level.
April 28, 2022 -
Capital & Main
Who Will Build California’s Electric Vehicle Charging Stations and Why It Matters
“Certification can really support good wages, and it does identify skills that help employers know what they’re hiring,” says Zabin.
February 20, 2022 -
Los Angeles Daily News
‘Just transition’ bill for oil industry workers exposes labor rift
Without a statewide plan, funding and timeline to support oil workers, Carol Zabin said, a just transition “sounds like an invitation to a fancy funeral.”
Program Contact
Carol Zabin
Director, Green Economy Program