New law helps California high school students know about their rights when applying for work
UC Berkeley Labor Center and partners produce resources for all high schoolers
Berkeley, CA–As the fall semester enters full swing, all California public high school students have a new tool to educate them on their rights when they apply for work. AB 800 (Ortega), signed into law by the governor a year ago, calls for a Workplace Readiness Week in April each year to educate teens about their rights on the job. It also requires that students applying for a work permit from their school receive a “Know Your Rights” flyer, written and designed by the UC Berkeley Labor Center in collaboration with youth labor advocates.
“Young people from working-class families often work while in school to help their families make ends meet. Too often, they experience sexual harassment, wage theft, and misclassification without knowing there are laws to protect them,” said Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, President of the California Federation of Labor Unions. “This law will ensure that young workers know about their rights to fair wages, a safe workplace, and to join a union, as well as opportunities for union apprenticeships.”
The Labor Center worked with labor groups and educators, including the UCLA Labor Center, the UC Berkeley Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP), and the Young Workers Education Project, among others, to craft and field test the flyer with students last spring.
“I’ve seen first-hand how young people are being taken advantage of,” said Nicolle Fefferman, a veteran Los Angeles high school teacher and director of the Young Workers Education Project, who collaborated on the flyer and also created and piloted a five-day curriculum for Workforce Readiness Week. “AB 800 will benefit students with information that is accessible and informative without being overwhelming–it is invaluable for young people.”
Child labor violations are up 88% nationwide in the past five years, according to the Department of Labor. Advocates working with young workers say this especially vulnerable part of the workforce may not even know that they have rights or what to do if their workplace rights are violated.
“Kids don’t have the skills to bring up issues in the workplace and employers take advantage of it and put them in risky positions,” said Hestia Rojas, a program coordinator with UC Berkeley LOHP. “ Providing young people with the skills to be able to stand up for themselves is an important part of AB 800.” Rojas helped field test the educational materials designed with the Labor Center during LOHP’s annual Young Worker Leadership Academy last spring.
The Know Your Rights flyer, which includes a QR code linking to a website with more details and information, covers basic labor rights–especially those relevant to new and young workers–as well as resources for getting help when labor rights are violated. Topics include:
- Minimum wage laws
- Tips
- Wage theft
- Breaks and sick leave
- Jobs teens are not allowed to do
- The right to join a union
“Too many minors are working with too little protection,” said Erle Hall, an educational programs consultant with the state Department of Education. Hall said the Department had a longstanding goal of getting information into the hands of students so they can advocate for themselves on the job. He added that Assemblymember Ortega’s legislation was a “perfect meeting of the minds.”
Migrant child workers are among the most vulnerable student populations, according to Hall, which is why the legislation calls for the “Know your rights” flyer to be translated into five languages–Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Korean.
Resources:
Know your rights at work: Information for new workers in California
AB 800 workplace readiness week: Five-day learning cycle (for teachers)
After the Bell: A portrait of high school workers in California