Evaluation of Alternative Contractor License Requirements for Battery Energy Storage Systems
Final Report for UC Berkeley Contract with the Contractor State License Board for contract CSLB-20-01, entitled “Energy Storage Systems Consultant Services”
About Carol
Carol Zabin (Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley) directs the Labor Center’s Green Economy program. She is a labor economist whose research has addressed low-wage labor markets, labor standards, workforce development, and other economic development and labor issues in the United States. Dr. Zabin has consulted with numerous unions and nonprofits on strategies and policies to improve jobs in human services and the green economy. Her current research focuses on the impact of climate and clean energy policy on California’s economy, workers, and labor unions. Recent publications include Putting California on the High Road: A Jobs and Climate Action Plan for 2030, Diversity in California’s Clean Energy Workforce, Advancing Equity in California Climate Policy, and Workforce Issues and Energy Efficiency Programs. Appointed by Governor Brown, Dr. Zabin sits on the executive council of the California Workforce Development Board. Before joining the Labor Center, Dr. Zabin was on the faculty at Tulane University and UCLA.
- Publications
- Press Coverage
April 13, 2021 -
Carol Zabin
High-Road Jobs and Climate Action: Lessons from California for the Nation
A series of briefs summarizing the recommendations for some of the critical climate sectors addressed in the Jobs and Climate Action Plan for 2030: electricity generation, energy efficiency, electric vehicle manufacturing and charging infrastructure, public transit and infill development, trucking, and waste.
October 26, 2020 -
Carol Zabin
Progress on the Path Towards High-Road Jobs and Climate Action
Jobs v. environment is a false choice. And with the pandemic-induced economic downturn and the fires hurting Californians around the state, it’s clearer than ever that we must make meaningful progress on both fronts simultaneously, crafting an economic recovery that advances equity, climate resilience, and job quality.
September 3, 2020 -
Carol Zabin
Putting California on the High Road: A Jobs and Climate Action Plan for 2030
California’s ambitious path towards a carbon-neutral economy is complex, involves and affects different industries and occupations in multiple ways, and holds both promise and challenges for the state’s working families. The analysis and recommendations here present actions that show a high road to climate policy is both valuable and feasible.
Truck Driver Misclassification: Climate, Labor, and Environmental Justice Impacts
This report analyzes a major barrier to successful implementation of new clean truck standards: the common trucking industry practice of classifying (and often misclassifying) truck drivers as independent contractors rather than employees.
November 11, 2021 -
Los Angeles Times
Newsletter: Why are unions clashing with the solar industry over clean energy batteries?
Carol Zabin said she and her team — which included a chemical safety expert — found little difference between the cost of a solar system installed by a firm using certified electricians and a firm not using certified electricians.
October 28, 2021 -
Capital & Main
How Trade Unions and Climate Advocates in California Can Forge an Alliance
Some critical coalition-building opportunities in California have already been lost, according to UC Berkeley’s Carol Zabin, director of UC Berkeley’s Labor Center Green Economy Program and a governor’s appointee to the executive council for the California Workforce Development Board.
October 27, 2021 -
Capital & Main
In Protecting Good Oil and Gas Jobs, Some California Trade Unions Clash With Climate Activists
“Over time,” says Zabin, “the skilled and trained workforce standard allowed the Building Trades to have enough leverage with these contractors and these oil companies to get project labor agreements on this work.”
September 13, 2021 -
County of San Diego NewsCenter
County Examines Job Impacts of Decarbonization
Recognizing things will change for workers in a decarbonized economy, the County of San Diego has undertaken a study to better understand how different policies may affect the region’s labor force and to identify tailored workforce development resources to adapt the skills of our region’s workers, including those from disadvantaged communities.
September 13, 2021 -
Voice of San Diego
Environment Report: Why I Can’t Tell You How Many Fossil Fuel Jobs Are in San Diego
Zabin wrote that it’s hard to estimate the true impacts on natural gas jobs right now due to a “lack of clear policy signals” and research on the topic.
August 29, 2021 -
Napa Valley Register
The Climate Connection: Converging on a Solution
Dr. Zabin spoke about the current leadership of Gavin Newsom as governor, and Joe Biden as president, and the opportunity to advance climate solutions during their terms. This means labor, as well as environmental preservation. All will have a seat at the table to confront the critical issues we share.
August 12, 2021 -
Los Angeles Times
Biden wants to create clean energy jobs. Here’s what they might look like
“When the labor market does its thing, we produce tremendous wage inequality and tremendous growth in low wage jobs,” said Carol Zabin, who directs the Green Economy Program at UC Berkeley’s Labor Center.
June 17, 2021 -
CalMatters
Will California investment in new job training programs pay off?
“The folks who are justifiably critical of the conventional approach say it’s about train and pray — train a bunch of people in skills that you think they might want and pray that they might get hired,” said Carol Zabin, co-author of research for the UC Berkeley Labor Center that backed High Road.
April 26, 2021 -
Utility Dive
White House targets $38B to aid coal sector transition, but it’s likely not enough, analysts say
Providing support for workers affected by the energy transition could prove critical to accelerating climate action, Zabin said. If these communities fear they won’t be able to support their families, she said, their fear will turn into resistance that may stall climate policy.
April 19, 2021 -
Utility Dive
Equitable energy transition will require more than funding and job training, researchers say
Excessive focus on job training, the declining power of unions and other trends over the last few decades mean that green energy jobs are, in many cases, not the quality, family-supporting jobs still available in the fossil fuel industry, according to Carol Zabin.