A new report from the University of California Berkeley Labor Center released Wednesday documents the difficult post-layoff job search and working conditions of hundreds of California fossil fuel workers in the aftermath of the 2020 closure of the Marathon Martinez oil refinery in Contra Costa County, providing an illuminating case study of the perils and needs of workers in the nation’s changing energy landscape.

A new Labor Center report looks at the impacts of a proposal to raise the health care minimum wage in California to $25 an hour.

An unprecedented ongoing $13 million allocation will fund five new centers, expand labor studies and occupational health programs across UC

A report released today by the UC Berkeley Labor Center finds that many workers essential to keeping the state running and providing crucial services are struggling to make ends meet.

A new research brief, “How public pensions support race and gender equity,” finds that public pensions play an outsized role in the retirement security of every racial group– particularly in Black and Latino communities–in Marin County and the rest of the state.

This research brief finds that public employee pensions in Sonoma County help to balance the gap with private sector salaries and are financially sound, though they have a way to go in protecting many retirees from inflation.

Drawing on dozens of examples of public sector technology use across local, state, and federal government agencies, this comprehensive report identifies how governments use technology, what drives technology adoption, and how these technologies impact public sector work and the nation’s twenty million public sector workers.

The UC Berkeley Labor Center has released a report on how and why employers in key industries are deploying new technologies, and what effects these changes could have on workers. The report, “Technological change in five industries: Threats to jobs, wages, and working conditions,” synthesizes the findings from studies released by the Labor Center and Working Partnerships USA from 2018 to 2022. The report concludes that technology’s effects on job quality – like wages and working conditions – should be just as big of a concern as its effects on the total number of jobs available.

New research finds that an $18 minimum wage would give five million California workers a pay raise; the ballot initiative would help lift 3.5 million Californians out of poverty.

Designed as a resource for policymakers and journalists, this brief explains how public pension costs are calculated and funded, and explains how reforms adopted by CalPERS, CalSTRS, and MCERA have put the systems on stronger footing in recent years. This is the second of three briefs in the Marin Public Pension Series.

Our 2023-24 Practitioner in Residence position provides an opportunity for practitioners to carry out research, reflect on their experience, write, and engage on the strategic issues that face worker organizations in the state. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage with graduate or undergraduate students-through lectures, seminars and mentorship. The program is designed for mid-career practitioners who have built experience through their work and are looking for a time to reflect before the next chapter in their career.

The UC Berkeley Labor Center is searching for a second-year journalism graduate student to fill a graduate student researcher position.

An unprecedented ongoing $13 million allocation will fund five new centers, expand labor studies and occupational health programs across UC

We are pleased to welcome labor activists Seema N. Patel and Sam Appel to the Labor Center for a year-long residency.

Meet the 2022-2023 Student Advisory Committee Members

This month’s “Expert Focus” from Washington Center for Equitable Growth highlights leaders in the field of the future of work who are examining technology’s impact on workers and the U.S. economy. Learn more about the work of Annette Bernhardt and and other leading researchers in the field.

We strongly support UC academic workers’ right to strike, and call on the University of California to bargain in good faith and reach fair contracts with the unions.

The California Energy Commission just announced that Carol Zabin has been awarded a 2022 Clean Energy Hall of Fame Award for Lifetime Achievement! This annual award honors those who have made exceptional contributions to our state’s progress toward a 100 percent clean energy future.

We are thrilled to announce and welcome our new co-directors of the Labor Center’s Green Economy Program: Dr. Jessie HF Hammerling and Francisco Arzu.

The University of California’s labor centers and initiatives have received historic funding from the state to advance their work. California’s 2022-23 budget, signed by Gov. Gavin Newson last Thursday, includes $13 million to fund research, education, and public engagement on labor issues throughout the UC system.