For women in less well-paying industries, the problems are compounded. Roughly 4 in 10 low-wage workers in California are the sole earners in their families, the UC Berkeley Labor Center notes.

The plan backed by SEIU California would primarily benefit workers in home health, skilled nursing facilities and outpatient clinics, a brief from the UC Berkeley Labor Center shows.

One analysis out of UC Berkeley estimated that a driver working 15 hours a week for companies like Uber and Lyft could legally earn $4.82 an hour — slightly above one-third of the state’s minimum wage — after factoring in unpaid idle time, unreimbursed mileage and other costs.

“Success begets success,” Jacobs adds about the unionization effort. One victory can increase hope and change people’s views of what’s possible.

Medicaid, Affordable Care Act plans and special employer subsidies helped many who lost coverage, but “the pandemic has showed the risks of having health insurance tied to employment,” said Laurel Lucia.