About a million people in Orange County currently qualify for Medi-Cal, and a study issued earlier this year by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the UC Berkeley Labor Center projects that as many as 249,000 of those people could lose their plans over the next two years. The same study projects that by 2028, the number of newly uninsured could rise by 1.1 million in Los Angeles County, by 189,000 in Riverside County and by 177,000 in San Bernardino County.
The Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California, Berkeley “estimates the Medi-Cal cuts could lead to a loss of 72,000 to 145,000 healthcare jobs throughout California, representing 3% to 5% of the state’s 2.65 million healthcare positions,” the Register noted. “These job losses include positions in hospitals, clinics, and home care.”
“Having the union and workers at the table to even have this discussion is absolutely critical, if there’s a chance that we can ensure that the technology is benefiting society as a whole,” said Lisa Kresge, of discussions of worker safeguards around burgeoning AI technology.
Rideshare and delivery app workers often earn well below the minimum wage, according to a study from the U.C. Berkeley Labor Center.
“The need to generate predictable income from 401(k)s is a legitimate, longstanding concern for plan sponsors and policymakers,” Rhee testified. “But given the complexity of annuity products, workers need robust guardrails against unnecessary costs and risks.”
“Some folks will find coverage through their employer or a family member’s employer, but there will be a lot more uninsured,” Dietz said. And county health systems — clinics — are one place uninsured people turn to for help when they get sick.
A joint analysis from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the UC Berkeley Labor Center estimates that as many as 2.98 million fewer Californians could be enrolled in full-scope Medi-Cal by 2028 if the federal and state policy changes move forward.
The UC Berkeley Labor Center estimates the Medi-Cal cuts could lead to a loss of 72,000 to 145,000 health care jobs throughout California, representing 3% to 5% of the state’s 2.65 million health care positions. These job losses include positions in hospitals, clinics and home care.
According to the UC Berkeley Labor Center, several cities in the county have higher minimum wages, including Alameda ($17.46), Berkeley ($19.18), Emeryville ($19.90), Fremont ($17.75), Hayward ($16.90) and Oakland ($17.34).
Janus “has allowed some unions to have more ongoing conversations with represented workers,” said Brenda Muñoz, the executive director of the UC Berkeley Labor Center. “Because they have to be able to demonstrate the value of being part of a union.”
The University of California, Berkeley Labor Center predicts that 2 million Californians will lose health care coverage in the coming years, due to federal and state policy changes.
By 2028, up to 3 million people could lose Medi-Cal, both due to the OBBA and changes made in California’s budget, Miranda Dietz, director of the Health Care Program at UC Berkley Labor Center, told California lawmakers in February.
“Are we going to let the gaps created by federal policies and state budget cuts leave millions of people uninsured?” said Laurel Lucia, deputy executive director of programs at the UC Berkeley Labor Center. “I think a lot of that question comes down to revenues.”
By aligning their contracts, the unions are raising awareness in major metro areas of the need to invest in schools, Ken Jacobs, senior policy adviser at the UC Berkeley Labor Center, said in an interview with EdSource last year.
Getting more women into construction requires a growing economy with opportunities. “There’s one thing to recruit women into these occupations, but you also have to train them through actual opportunities,” Enrique Lopezlira told CBS News Bay Area.
While bronze-level plans may offer people some peace of mind, the high deductibles and copays tend to discourage people from seeking care, said Miranda Dietz, director of the Health Care Program at the UC Berkeley Labor Center.
Statewide, roughly 1.7 million undocumented immigrants are enrolled in full-scope Medi-Cal, but a February 2026 report from the UC Berkeley Labor Center projects combined state and federal cuts will leave 29,000 fewer Kern County residents covered by 2028, part of the 2.98 million losing coverage statewide.
Around 3 million Californians are projected to lose Medi-Cal coverage by 2028 as a result of policy changes from HR 1 and the state budget, according to a new report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the UC Berkeley Labor Center. Roughly 250,000 Orange County residents are projected to lose coverage in the next two years.
The legislation also directs the EDD to work with the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education to develop recommendations for transitioning the fund from a pilot program into a permanent statewide initiative.
Many workers, especially tech workers, are not in unions. Lisa Kresge detailed how non-unionized workers are often kept in the dark about the technology their employer is using or rolling out, or may not even know what technologies are being deployed behind the scenes.
A new UC Berkeley Labor Center report finds that while East Bay workers experienced real wage growth (adjusted for inflation) during the recovery from the COVID-19 recession, many still lived at or “near” poverty, struggling to make ends meet.
A report from the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) and the UC Berkeley Labor Center that provides a snapshot of the California labor movement. It analyzes the most recent publicly available data on union density, member demographics, and labor organizing activity in California and the nation, and features case studies highlighting victories for workers in the fast-food, warehousing, and agriculture industries.
A new case study released by the UC Berkeley Labor Center looks at the lessons for current elected officials, unions, and community groups from redeveloping the Oakland Army base 25 years ago.
New research from the UC Berkeley Labor Center and UCLA Center for Health Policy Research finds that if Congress does not extend the expanded subsidies implemented under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, some 2.4 million Californians in the individual market—most of whom are enrolled in Covered California—would face higher health insurance premiums.
A first-of-its-kind analysis of app passenger and delivery drivers’ wages in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, and Seattle metropolitan areas finds that most gig drivers in these cities make significantly less than minimum wage when all work time, gas, and vehicle wear and tear are factored in.
A predicted boom in warehouse automation did not materialize, according to this new report.
Monterey County has some of the highest hospital costs in the state. 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.
A new report by the UC Berkeley Labor Center finds that defined benefit pensions—especially public pensions—are critical to providing adequate retirement income for California seniors, especially for women, Black, and Latino retirees, and those without a four-year college degree.
This report provides 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 finds that, while there is not a shortage of people interested in truck driving, the industry faces challenges with retaining drivers, with turnover being especially high for long-haul drivers.
A study by the UC Berkeley Labor Center finds that union members are more likely to be women and people of color than 20 years ago.
The UC Berkeley Labor Center seeks applications for the position of Policy Researcher/Senior Policy Researcher in its Green Economy Program
Security guards are essential workers who ensure public safety in buildings, hospitals, and transportation hubs—but their compensation and working conditions do not reflect their important role. Our series of briefs examines wages, job quality, and workforce characteristics in the private security industry across multiple geographies.
The UC Berkeley Labor Center seeks applications for the position of Technology and Work Program Director.
The UC Berkeley Labor Center seeks a Policy Researcher / Senior Policy Researcher for its Health Care Program.
Join us in 2026! Announcing the dates of our new year of Leadership Development courses: Power and Participation in Negotiations, Skills to Win, our all new training Power Structure Analysis, and Lead Organizer Training!
Miranda Dietz, who has been the Labor Center’s interim Health Care Program director since July, has taken over as the permanent lead of the program.
With excitement and gratitude, we announce the just-established Low-Wage Workforce of Color Endowment, spearheaded by former Labor Center Chair Katie Quan, to ensure ongoing support for research and capacity building for years to come.
The UC Berkeley Labor Center seeks a Grants and Contracts Administrator.
The Labor Center is deeply saddened by the passing of our long-time colleague and friend, Kent Wong, project director for labor and community partnerships and former director of our sister labor center at UCLA for more than 30 years.
The UC Berkeley Labor Center seeks applications for a Research & Policy Associate in the Low-Wage Work Team.
Author Scott Kurashige joins UC Berkeley Geography Professor Charmaine Chua for a conversation about the history of pan-ethnic coalition.
This two-session workshop will focus on the “why” and “how” of moving towards high-power, high-participation negotiations. It is designed for unions at all stages of contract negotiations, including workers organizing for first contracts. It it draws from Rules to Win By: Power and Participation in Negotiations by Jane McAlevey and Abby Lawlor to stimulate a robust conversation about collective bargaining.
The Skills to Win Workshop is a six-week series for rank and file members and staff of unions, worker associations, worker centers, and community organizations that are embarking on, or in the midst of, organizing campaigns.
This four-day, in-person workshop is offered to lead organizers in labor unions and community-based organizations who want to strengthen their skills in effectively managing their teams to win campaigns. Ofrecemos esta capacitación de 4 dias en persona para organizadores principales en uniones y organizaciones comunitarias quienes quieren fortalecer sus habilidades de dirigir sus equipos para ganar campañas.
