“Based on the experience of other states, even if you spend a ton of energy on outreach, a lot of people just don’t realize what they have to do,” said Nari Rhee.

Nationally, the bill guts Medicaid spending by $700 billion, which could lead to California losing as much as $20 billion a year and 217,000 jobs, according to an April analysis by the UC Berkeley Labor Center.

The companies have said the law has increased gig workers’ pay to an average $34.46 an “active hour” in California, but research last year from the UC Berkeley Labor Center, which took into account drivers’ expenses over their entire shift, found that the average pay for drivers, with tips, was $9.09, and for delivery workers was $13.62.

More than 200 trade union members and technologists gathered in Sacramento this week at a first-of-its-kind conference to discuss how AI and other tech threatens workers and to strategize for upcoming fights and possible strikes.

Approximately 426,000 workers are expected to benefit from the law, according to estimates from the UC Berkeley Labor Center. This includes medical assistants, front office staff, medical billing personnel, patient techs, janitors, food service workers, among others.

Gig companies have said that, due in part to the initiative’s earnings guarantee, workers now make more than $30 an hour. But a May study by the UC Berkeley Labor Center found that, for California ride-hailing drivers, average earnings after expenses, not including tips, is about $7.12 an hour, and for delivery workers, $5.93. With tips, drivers’ average hourly earnings are $9.09 an hour, and $13.62 for delivery workers, the study found.

Here’s a look at how California made almost everyone eligible for health insurance and what’s happening to extend coverage to the rest.

The carpenters have countered that the Terner Center estimates are inflated, that residential construction workers are disproportionately reliant on public safety programs and that taxpayer funding should be used not solely as a means to build more housing, but also to support and expand the labor force needed to build it.

Long-haul truckers spend weeks on the road, away from friends and family, and in some cases, they end up earning less than minimum wage, according to a 2023 report from the UC Berkeley Labor Center.

The skyrocketing cost of living has prompted local officials in more than two dozen cities to enact their own, faster-growing minimum wages since 2016. Now, 40 cities and counties have a higher minimum wage than the state.

Labor unions usually push for wage hikes on behalf of their members. In California, only about 18% of workers are covered by a union contract. The health care minimum wage, Lucia said, helps level the field for health workers who do not participate or benefit from labor negotiations.

“Even though there’s been some wage gains at the bottom, the reality is that low-wage workers are still not earning a living wage,” said Lopezlira.

Approximately 426,000 workers are expected to benefit from the law, according to the latest estimates from the UC Berkeley Labor Center. This includes medical assistants, front office staff, medical billing personnel, patient techs, janitors, food service workers, among others.

A study released by the UC Berkeley Labor Center this week found that after expenses are taken into account and not including tips, average earnings for ride-hailing drivers in the state work out to $7.12 an hour, while for delivery workers that number is $5.93.

The UC Berkeley Labor Center estimates the cost to the state to be much lower. Total health spending in California would increase by about $2.7 billion because of the law, but the state would be responsible only for a fraction of that, according to the Labor Center’s analysis.

Ken Jacobs said establishing a union among Kaiser residents could have far-reaching impacts given the size of the health care behemoth, which is often looked at as a leader for worker pay and benefits. “It’s a big deal to take on something the size of Kaiser,” Jacobs said.

California is the first and only place where employees are getting critical info about their data, UC Berkeley Labor Center Director Annette Bernhardt told the board during public comment ahead of the vote, and recent amendments threaten to deprive workers of agency over algorithmic tools.

Ken Jacobs and others discuss the new California Fast Food Workers Union, a “minority union” of SEIU that cannot yet collectively bargain but that will have unique opportunities to implement change through the California fast-food council.

A recently published study by the UC Berkeley Labor Center found that costs like deductibles are becoming more common. In 2002, 33% of private sector workers enrolled in coverage through their job had a deductible. By 2022, 77% of workers did.

Sara Hinkley said that changing degree requirements is “one small part” of the solution to the civil service vacancies problem in California.

“It is likely we’ll see a continued push for both more sectoral labor standards … as well as the use of labor standards boards in certain industries, where the structure of the industry makes traditional collective bargaining more difficult,” said Ken Jacobs.

State budget surpluses and Democratic dominance in the Capitol opened a lane for Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign the law that provided Medi-Cal to income-eligible undocumented residents of any age.

High prices at hospitals in Monterey County are “an anomaly even among the most expensive” communities in California. One insurance plan there saves money by paying for members’ travel to other counties for procedures.

Sen. María Elena Durazo, the Los Angeles Democrat who wrote the original health care wage increase, pointed to a different cost estimate for the law provided by the UC Berkeley Labor Center. It projected the new law could save the state money by ensuring workers earn enough to avoid using public assistance.

Sen. María Elena Durazo, the Los Angeles Democrat who wrote the bill, points to data from the UC Berkeley Labor Center that anticipates how the new law could save money by helping workers avoid using public assistance. Better pay also means some relief with staffing issues, healthcare workers argue, which would benefit patients too.