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Richmond Pulse

Universal Healthcare Could ‘Save Money and Save Lives’

“I think sessions like this are an important step towards educating voters about the impacts of a single-payer system,” said Laurel Lucia, director of the health care program at the UC Berkeley Labor Center and a member of the Healthy California For All Commission. “With a change as big as single-payer, there’s a lot of education needed.”

Forbes

Why Raising Healthcare Workers Wages Pays Off

The Berkeley researchers show that the low wages paid to healthcare support workers, direct care workers, and healthcare service workers in California have resulted in their constant struggle to meet basic needs.

Bloomberg Law

Striking Hollywood Writers Have Few Options to Stop AI Creep

More and more unions are bargaining for advanced notice of new technology from employers, helping them understand in real time whether it will displace workers or change the environment, said Lisa Kresge, a researcher at the University of California-Berkeley who studies tech clauses in union contracts.

Orange County Register

Uber, Lyft drivers protest low wages, unsafe work conditions

Under Prop. 22, California rideshare drivers are guaranteed 120% of California’s $15.50-per-hour minimum wage — but only for their engaged time, rather than total work time. Drivers typically spend about 33% of their time waiting between rides or returning from trips to outlying areas, according to a study by the UC Berkeley Labor Center.

The San Francisco Standard

Oakland Teachers Are Officially Striking Again. Could San Francisco Be Next?

“Teachers had been reluctant to strike historically, over not wanting to negatively affect children’s education,” Jacobs said. “I think what turned around after the Chicago teachers’ strike was this recognition that while striking can cause real problems in the short term, in the long term, […] those strikes may be what’s needed to have strong public education.”

RELEASE: Fossil fuel layoff: The economic and employment effects of a refinery closure on workers in the Bay Area

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.

RELEASE: Technological change in five industries: Threats to jobs, wages, and working conditions

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.

JOB OPENING: Practitioner in Residence

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.

Jun 7
Online course via Zoom

Power and Participation in Negotiations

This three-session workshop will focus on the “why” and “how” of moving towards high-power, high-participation negotiations. You will use McAlevey and Lawlor's book to understand, debate, and discuss the advantages and challenges of shifting the way you negotiate.

Jun 20

Labor Summer Internship

DEADLINE EXTENDED: February 22! The UC Berkeley Labor Center offers PAID internships to graduate and undergraduate students, who learn how to organize and do research to support social and economic justice for workers in California. The program has two tracks: “Learn Organizing Skills” and “Applied Research and Policy.”

Sep 20

Skills to Win

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.