Jenifer
MacGillvary

Publications Coordinator

Phone: (510) 642-9157

jmacgill@berkeley.edu

Program Area

Communications

About Jenifer

Jenifer MacGillvary is a writer and editor at the Labor Center, and coordinates the production of Labor Center books and reports. She is co-author of several reports on the public cost of low wages and has also written on the union difference. With other members of the communications team, she manages the Labor Center’s website and social media. She joined the Labor Center staff in 2003; prior to that she worked at nonprofit advocacy, training, and educational organizations in New York City and North Carolina. A native of Connecticut, she received her master’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

    Ken Jacobs,Kuochih Huang,Jenifer MacGillvaryandEnrique Lopezlira

    The Public Cost of Low-Wage Jobs in the Arizona Construction Industry

    In this research brief we provide estimates of safety net use among families of construction workers in Arizona. We find that 45% of families of construction workers in Arizona are enrolled in one or more safety net programs at a cost to the state and the federal government of over $700 million per year. By comparison, among all Arizona workers, 32% have a family member enrolled in one or more safety net programs. Over one-third (36%) of construction workers lack health insurance, almost three times the rate for all workers in Arizona (13%).

    Ken Jacobs,Kuochih Huang,Jenifer MacGillvaryandEnrique Lopezlira

    The Public Cost of Low-Wage Jobs in the Georgia Construction Industry

    In this research brief we provide estimates of safety net use among families of construction workers in Georgia. We find that 44% of families of construction workers in Georgia are enrolled in one or more safety net programs at a cost to the state and the federal government of approximately $400 million per year. By comparison, among all Georgia workers, 33% have a family member enrolled in one or more safety net programs. Nearly half (49%) of construction workers lack health insurance, more than three times the rate for all workers in Georgia (15%).

    Ken Jacobs,Kuochih Huang,Jenifer MacGillvaryandEnrique Lopezlira

    The Public Cost of Low-Wage Jobs in the Michigan Construction Industry

    In this research brief we provide estimates of safety net use among families of construction workers in Michigan. We find that 35% of families of construction workers in Michigan are enrolled in one or more safety net programs at a cost to the state and the federal government of almost half a billion dollars per year. By comparison, among all Michigan workers, 30% have a family member enrolled in one or more safety net programs. Twenty percent of construction workers lack health insurance, almost three times the rate for all workers in Michigan (7%).

    Ken Jacobs,Kuochih Huang,Jenifer MacGillvaryandEnrique Lopezlira

    The Public Cost of Low-Wage Jobs in the Nevada Construction Industry

    In this research brief we provide estimates of safety net use among families of construction workers in Nevada. We find that 42% of families of construction workers in Nevada are enrolled in one or more safety net programs at a cost to the state and the federal government of over a quarter of a billion dollars per year. By comparison, among all Nevada workers, 33% have a family member enrolled in one or more safety net programs. Over one-third (35%) of construction workers lack health insurance, compared to 13% of all workers in Nevada.

    Ken Jacobs,Kuochih Huang,Jenifer MacGillvaryandEnrique Lopezlira

    The Public Cost of Low-Wage Jobs in the New Hampshire Construction Industry

    In this research brief we provide estimates of safety net use among families of construction workers in New Hampshire. We find that 22% of families of construction workers in New Hampshire are enrolled in one or more safety net programs at a cost to the state and the federal government of $48 million per year. Among all New Hampshire workers, 19% have a family member enrolled in one or more safety net programs. Twenty-three percent of construction workers lack health insurance, almost three times the rate for all workers in New Hampshire (8%).