ProGov21 Policy Library

From Community Benefits to Collective Bargaining, and Back: Building Worker Power in Milwaukee

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level City or Town

State(s) All States, Wisconsin

Source High Road Strategy Center

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice

Community Benefits Agreements (CBA) are negotiated between private developers, labor organizations, and community stakeholders to ensure large-scale developments create high-quality jobs during and after the construction phase. This report examines how the Milwaukee Area Service and...

Ensuring the High Road in Cannabis

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level National

State(s) All States

Source Economic Policy Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice

As federal and state governments move toward marijuana legalization, labor conditions within the industry need to be evaluated. Currently, many of the employers in the marijuana industry take a "low road" approach to their workforce, with low wages, poor to no benefits, and frequent...

Recruiting a More Diverse Workforce

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2013

Level City or Town, County, Other Boards and Agencies

State(s) All States, California

Source University of California Berkeley

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice

Increasing diversity in the healthcare workforce is associated with improved access for minority and underserved populations, improved patient satisfaction, and greater cultural competency in care environments. This guide highlights effective approaches for improving hiring diversity,...

Mutual Aid Agreement for the Sharing of Municipal Resources

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2020

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source National League of Cities

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement

This model ordinance establishes a mutual aid agreement to allow one municipality to share its services with another in a time of need. It outlines the responsibilities and obligations of each participating municipality, provides a framework for dispute resolution, and limits liabilities...

It is Time for Earned Sick Leave in Michigan

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2016

Level State

State(s) Michigan

Source Michigan League for Public Policy

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Children & Families

Michigan should enact an earned sick leave law. An earned sick leave law in Michigan would require most employers to bank sick time for their workers based on the number of hours they have worked. This would help low-paid workers keep their jobs, increase productivity, reduce employee...

Ohioans face tough test to receive unemployment benefits: Earnings requirements exceed almost all other states

Type Fact Sheet or Infographic

Year 2013

Level City or Town

State(s) Ohio

Source Policy Matters Ohio

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

Ohio's unemployment compensation benefits system is undermined by the requirement that workers earn $230 weekly for 20 weeks to qualify. Implementing a standard that links eligibility to hours worked rather than amount of earnings would increase benefits' accessibility and reduce...

All States Must Set Higher Wage Benchmarks for Home Health Care Workers

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year -

Level State

State(s) All States

Source Economic Policy Institute, New America

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice

Home health care workers are being underpaid for their work caring for vulnerable persons across the United States. This report calculates the gap between current pay levels land just-wage-for-work-performed for home health care workers in every American state, and introduces state-specific...

2011 San Francisco Ordinance 175-11 Regarding Wage Theft

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2011

Level City or Town, County

State(s) California

Source City and County of San Francisco

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

This ordinance enhances the ability of the City and County of San Francisco to enforce its minimum wage by requiring employers to create dispute resolution policies, increasing the penalty for employer retaliation, and establishing penalties for employers that fail to provide personal,...

Botched Policy Responses to Globalization have Decimated Manufacturing Employment with often Overlooked Costs for Black, Brown, and other Workers of Color

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level National

State(s) All States

Source Economic Policy Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice

This report examines the impact of misguided globalization policies, (including monetary policy, unfair trade agreements, failed agreements, and investment deals) and shows that the consequences of these policies have disproportionately affected workers of color....

Wage Theft

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2016

Level County

State(s) All States

Source State Innovation Exchange

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Children & Families

Wage theft is a catchall term for a range of situations in which an employer fails to pay an employee, and it can take many forms - from employers paying employees less than the minimum wage or failing to pay overtime to withholding tips, not providing employees with their final paycheck,...

Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Rules

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2024

Level City or Town

State(s) Illinois

Source City of Chicago

Policy Areas Children & Families, Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice

Chicago's updated paid leave and sick and safe leave rules mandate employers to provide paid leave at the prevailing wage rate, grant paid leave to employees who work remotely within the city, and allow unused paid leave and paid sick leave to carry over between benefits years. They...

Los Angeles Ordinance No. 178084

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2019

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source City of Los Angeles

Policy Areas Economic Justice

Hotels in the LAX area have instituted the practice of adding a "service charge" of 15% to 20% of the bill for banquets and other large group events. Some hotels pass a portion of the service charge to the workers who actually performed the services, while other hotels retain the...

Can’t Survive On $7.25: Higher Minimum Wages for Working Wisconsin Source: High Road Strategy Center

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town

State(s) Wisconsin

Source High Road Strategy Center

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice

Wisconsin's low-wage workers are struggling because the state has refused to raise the minimum wage since 2009, and has even failed to adjust it for inflation. This report shows that raising the minimum wage (and enforcing that increase) would improve economic growth, support employers...

2020 Jersey City Ordinance 12-090 Establishing a Prevailing Wage for Municipal Building Workers

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2012

Level City or Town

State(s) New Jersey

Source City of Jersey City

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement

This ordinance establishes a minimum wage rate for workers on building services, janitorial, and unarmed security contracts by combining the most optimal benefits and practices from existing prevailing wage ordinances. It requires that these workers should are paid the highest of...

The Role of Local Government in Protecting Workers’ Rights: A comprehensive overview of the ways that cities, counties, and other localities are taking action on behalf of working people.

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Economic Policy Institute, Labor and Worklife Program, Local Progress

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice

Local governments play an important role in enforcing labor protections. This report examines why local action matters and what can be done to improve labor law enforcement, and reviews the wave local labor protection actions taken by pro-worker local governments. ...

Preempting Progress in the Heartland

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Economic Policy Institute

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice

This report compares the prevalence of preemption in Midwestern states to other U.S. regions and finds that the Midwest is second only to the South in overreach into local affairs, preventing municipalities from being able to enact strong labor protection policy, economic health support...

Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Rules

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2024

Level City or Town

State(s) Illinois

Source City of Chicago

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement

Chicago's updated paid leave and sick and safe leave rules mandate employers to provide paid leave at the prevailing wage rate, grant paid leave to employees who work remotely within the city, and allow unused paid leave and paid sick leave to carry over between benefits years. They...

Rigging the Gig: How Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash’s Ballot Initiative Would Put Corporations Above the Law and Steal Wages, Benefits, and Protections from California Workers

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level State

State(s) California

Source Partnership for Working Families

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

In California, Uber, Lyft, Instacart, DoorDash, and Postmates workers are all classified as employees under California law entitled to the same benefits and protections enjoyed by all California employees. However, these companies are funding a ballot initiative – Proposition 22 or...

Raising Pay in Public K-12 Schools is Critical to Solving Staffing Shortages

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level Other

State(s) All States

Source Economic Policy Institute

Policy Areas Children & Families, Education, Finance & Procurement

Public school staffing shortages have been a persistent problem across the United States, and the recent pandemic has only intensified the issue. Low pay for K-12 teachers and support staff is a long standing factor in public school staffing shortages. This report suggests ways in...

The Promise and Limits of High-pressure Labor Markets for Narrowing the Racial Gaps

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level Other

State(s) All States

Source Economic Policy Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice

This report explores the case for continuing to run the economy "hot" in order to maintain low unemployment and high effective demand for labor as a strategy for reducing racial wage gaps and improving racial equity. This report also explores the promises and limits of a high-pressure...

Raising the Minimum Wage Leads to Significant Gains for Workers, not to ‘Benefits Cliffs’

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source Yannet Lathrop

Policy Areas Children & Families, Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement

Minimum wage increases have raised questions about whether income improvements will push working families above eligibility thresholds for public assistance programs. This report analyzes minimum data from across the country and finds that most major benefits programs gradually phase...

1) 2023 New York City Ordinance 1281 Providing Property Tax Exemption for Public Servants

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2023

Level City or Town

State(s) New York

Source City of New York

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement

This ordinance grants a 10 percent property tax exemption for real property owned by members of incorporated volunteer fire departments and ambulance services. It also specifies eligibility requirements and outlines the application process for the exemption. ...

Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority Construction Careers Policy

Type Executive Order

Year 2019

Level County

State(s) California

Source Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Transportation & Mobility

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) Construction Careers Policy (CCP) encourages construction employment and training opportunities in ways calculated to mitigate the harms caused by geographically concentrated poverty and unemployment in economically...

Brief: The State of Labor Organizing in Maine

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level State

State(s) Maine

Source Maine Center for Economic Policy

Policy Areas Economic Justice

Labor unions are essential in delivering better wages, benefits, and working conditions for all workers, especially women and people of color. Public approval of unions is the highest it has been in 60 years, but the share of workers represented by unions continues to decline, due...

Undertrained, Underpaid, and Unprepared: How LA's Commercial Office Building Owners Are Failing Security Officers and Compromising Public Safety

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2006

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Public Safety

This report details how substandard training practices, high turnover rates, and low wages in Los Angeles's security industry has left the city particularly vulnerable to natural disasters, crime, and terrorist attacks. The report uses case studies from across the city to provide...

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