“ I’d like to think that some of these strategies are forthcoming,” said Josh Sonnenfeld, a senior researcher at UC Berkeley Labor Center. “Given this is the sixth refinery closure or conversion [in six years], I think we need to pick up our pace here.”
“What was really smart about the Biden policies is that they took an urgent need that we have, to address our energy challenges, and turned it into a real economic opportunity for the country’s economy as a whole and in a way that also supports good job quality and worker outcomes and addresses inequities,” Hammerling says.
In LA County, federal cuts could put Medi-Cal coverage at risk for more than one million residents — more than any other county in California — according to a 2028 projection by the UC Berkeley Labor Center.
Tens of thousands of private security guards in California play a critical role in public safety, but poverty-level wages and poor training put both the guards and the public at risk, according to a new study by the UC Berkeley Labor Center.
More than 3.8 million L.A. County residents, or 39% of the population, were enrolled in Medi-Cal at the start of this year. Because of federal cuts and changes, about 1.1 million of them could lose that coverage by 2028, according to an analysis by the U.C. Berkeley Labor Center.
According to a study from the U.C. Berkeley Labor Center, workers for rideshare and delivery apps also often earn below the minimum wage.
Research from the UC Berkeley Labor Center inventory of union contracts shows that collective bargaining is already being used as a tool to give workers a voice over how automated management systems improve jobs rather than degrade them
When employers spend more on health insurance, there is less money available for wages. Rising premiums are, in effect, a hidden pay cut for working families. This sad story — stagnant or reduced wages due to rising health care costs — has been documented by economists at the UC Berkeley Labor Center and the Federal Reserve.
A 2018 study from UC Berkeley Labor Center concerning the prospective automation of truck driving pointed out that a driver’s job is only partially about keeping a vehicle moving ahead between two white lines. If that were all there is to it, lorries would already be empty of humans. In reality, close ethnographic observation showed that truck drivers don’t just navigate the roads, but in fact act as complex problem-solvers in haphazard physical environments.
According to a report from University of California, Berkeley’s Labor Center, 45% of people with medical debt acquired it at both a hospital and doctor’s or dentist’s office. Approximately 28% acquired medical debt at a hospital, 21% acquired it at a doctor’s or dentist’s office and 6% acquired medical debt other types of medical providers or suppliers or did not report how they went into medical debt.
Introduced by Assemblymember Damon Connolly, D-San Rafael, and Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles, Assembly Bill 2157 also directs the EDD to work with the University of California, Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education to develop recommendations for making the fund permanent.
About half of Black workers in the East Bay were considered rent burdened, meaning they paid more than 30% of their income toward rent, according to an October report from UC Berkeley’s Labor Center. More than four in every 10 Latino workers were rent-burdened, compared to about a third of white renters.
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.
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.
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.
