ProGov21 Policy Library

The traditional public workforce development system has struggled to serve California's most marginalized workers. Worker centers, community-based organizations created by and for BIPOC and immigrant workers in low-wage industries, provide an alternative approach to workforce development...

Workers in Los Angeles' fashion industry experience high rates of wage theft and frequent health and safety violations like excessive heat and obstructed emergency exists. The Garment Worker Center recommends ending the piece rate system, which leads to wage theft and unsafe conditions,...

Worker centers often lack resources but are crucial to addressing labor issues like wage theft, workforce development, immigrant rights, and workplace safety. To tackle this, the AFL-CIO has encouraged affiliations between worker centers, unions, and state labor federations to enhance...

Across California's Inland Empire, Black workers have the highest unemployment rates and lowest median earnings. To address this, the Inland Empire Black Worker Center implemented a pre-apprenticeship program that prioritizes the dignity of Black workers while preparing them for high...

Workers in the nail salon industry suffer from unsafe working conditions, wage theft, and employment misclassification. This report explores two potential models for solving these: High Road Training Partnerships (HRTPs) and sectoral bargaining legislation. Comparing the two approaches,...

Immigrant workers in Koreatown restaurants are critical contributors to the local economy but face unfair wage practices and housing risks. This report provides strategies for improving their conditions, such as establishing industry standards boards, integrating workplace justice...

High rates of labor violations in California disproportionately harm workers of color and workers in low-wage industries. The 2003 Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) expanded the state's labor enforcement capacity by allowing workers to sue on behalf of the Labor & Workforce Development...

While Universal Studios receives millions of dollars in government subsidies, it pays minimum wage to most of the 6,000 workers at its Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, resulting in widespread food and housing insecurity, including hunger and homelessness. These workers struggle...

Fast-food workers in Los Angeles County face high rates of injury, violence, harassment, wage theft, and retaliation from management. The COVID-19 pandemic made these jobs even riskier. Local governments should pass and enforce ordinances to protect workers, involve workers and community...

In 2017, the California Workforce Development Board launched the High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) project to create a workforce development framework for improving skills, increasing competitiveness, and creating economic mobility. This report evaluates the HRTP and finds that...

The potential of technological advancements to improve service delivery, expand access, reduce costs, and improve chronic disease management in the health care sector, also presents critical challenge to the workforce. This report finds that technologies like telemedicine, portable...

The San Pedro Bay Port Complex is the 10th busiest port in the world, responsible for more than 30% of domestic containerized imports. New automation technology, introduced in 2014 and rapidly expanding, may erode job quality and threaten workers' career prospects. This report analyzes...

More than half of college students must balance low wage jobs on top of academics. This report examines the competing demands of work and school and provides recommendations for helping students thrive. Best practices include funding affordable mental health care, expanding eligibility...

Public construction projects are an expenditure of public tax dollars; as such, public agencies have an opportunity to develop policies for public construction projects to benefit taxpayers with employment and business opportunities. Targeted hire initiatives create institutional...