University of Wisconsin–Madison
Progressive Local Government
For the 21st Century

ProGov21 Policy Library

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Year
Sustainable and Safe Recycling: Protecting Workers Who Protect the Planet
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2015
Level City or Town
State(s) All States
Source Partnership for Working Families
Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Public Safety, Health
Recycling workers face serious hazards on the job. For long hours, they work with heavy equipment in dangerous situations and deal with an array of unsafe materials (needles, broken glass, etc) that should not be on the recycling line. As a result of these unsafe conditions, recycling...
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San Francisco Values: The New Social Compact
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2009
Level City or Town
State(s) California
Source U.C. Berkeley Center For Labor Research and Education
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Health, Finance & Procurement
This paper evaluates the large number of progressive policies the city of San Francisco has enacted in the last decade. This includes increased labor protections, enhanced union rights, local earned income tax credits, and a universal health access program....
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Seattle Executive Order 2014-03: Equity in City Contracting
Type Executive Order
Year 2014
Level City or Town
State(s) Washington
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Children & Families, Democracy & Governance
An Executive Order to affirm Seattle's commitment to equity in City contracting and to advance the City's mission to promote race and gender equity in contracting. This Executive Order directs City departments and offices to increase the opportunities for women and minority owned...
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San Francisco Local Hiring Policy for Construction Fact Sheet
Type Fact Sheet or Infographic
Year 2011
Level City or Town
State(s) California
Source San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights
This fact sheet briefly summarized San Francisco's Local Hiring Policy for Construction. It requires 30% of all project hours within each trade to be performed by local residents, and no less than 15% of all project work hours within each trade to be performed by disadvantaged workers....
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Exploring Targeted Hire: An Assessment of Best Practices in the Construction Industry
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2014
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Children & Families, Democracy & Governance
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...
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Key Elements of a Targeted Hiring Program
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2014
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Children & Families
Most targeted hiring programs include mechanisms that do two things: 1) Maximize the chances that workers from the targeted category who are already in the construction industry will get called to work on that job. 2) Create opportunities for new workers - aspiring apprentices who...
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University of Pennsylvania: Powering Philadelphia and Pennsylvania
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2015
Level County
State(s) Pennsylvania
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Education, Health, Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Children & Families
A report examining the University of Pennsylvania's economic imapct on Philadelphia and Pennsylvania....
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Contracting for Equity: Best Local Government Practices that Advance Racial Equity in Government Contracting and Procurement
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2015
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Housing, Public Safety
Inclusive contracting refers to the process of creating the environment for businesses owned by people of color and/or women to participate in a governmental procurement and contracting process. Inclusive business participation in local government procurement and contracting is an...
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Seattle Priority Hire on City Construction Projects
Type Fact Sheet or Infographic
Year 2015
Level City or Town
State(s) Washington
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Democracy & Governance, Children & Families
The City of Seattle supports construction jobs and meaningful employment for those in our community through programs that prepare and train workers for careers with family-sustaining wages. In early 2015, the Seattle City Council adopted a new City law, proposed by Mayor Ed Murray,...
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The Big Rig Overhaul: Restoring Middle-Class Jobs at America's Ports Through Labor Law Enforcement
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2014
Level City or Town
State(s) California
Source Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Transportation & Mobility
In The Big Rig: Poverty, Pollution, and the Misclassification of Truck Drivers at America’s Ports, we examined changes in labor practices in the port trucking industry. These changes, originating in the 1970s, have led to the development of an industry characterized by “fierce competition,...
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Building America While Building Our Middle Class: Best Practices for P3 Infrastructure Projects
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2016
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance
Policymakers have long understood the job creation opportunities that public infrastructure projects provide. To enhance these jobs' economic and social impact and lift families out of poverty, many cities and states have incorporated job quality and equity policies into public infrastructure...
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Leveraging Anchor Institutions for Local Job Creation and Wealth Building
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2012
Level County
State(s) All States
Source The Democracy Collaborative
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Children & Families, Health, Education, Democracy & Governance
Anchor institutions (often referred to as "eds and meds") are place-based enterprises, firmly rooted in their locales. In addition to universities and hospitals, anchors may include cultural institutions (such as museums), health care facilities (such as nursing homes), and municipal...
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What Do We Know About Gig Work in California? An Analysis of Independent Contracting
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2017
Level City or Town, County
State(s) California
Source U.C. Berkeley Center For Labor Research and Education
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights
This report outlines the issues of gig work evaluating its implications for independent cotnracting and job quality....
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The Top 5 Enforcement Tools for Local Minimum Wage Laws
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2015
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Children & Families
Approximately 42 percent of workers in America now earn under $15 per hour. They are nursing assistants, home care workers, janitors, waiters and waitresses, cashiers, truck drivers, and many others who keep our families and businesses going. They are also disproportionately women,...
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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...
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Local Technical Assistance Toolkit: Lead by Example
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2011
Level City or Town
State(s) All States
Source American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Policy Areas Energy, Community Development, Public Spaces, Environment & Natural Resources, Economic Justice, Civil Rights
Local governments can advance energy-efficient technologies and practices in the marketplace by promoting energy efficiency in their own everyday operations, a practice commonly known as "Leading by Example" (LBE). Taking actions to improve the energy efficiency of government-owned...
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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....
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Project Labor Agreements and Bidding Outcomes: The Case of Community College Construction in California
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2017
Level County
State(s) California
Source U.C. Berkeley Center For Labor Research and Education
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Finance & Procurement
This report using both case studies and statistical analysis of construction projects at local community colleges in California found that projects with Project Labor Agreements did not reduce the number of bids received or the costs of the projects....
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A New Anchor Mission for a New Century
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2014
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Finance & Procurement, Education, Health, Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Children & Families
As the community foundation field reaches the century mark and faces growing pressure on its business model, many communities at the same time are struggling with economic distress. To meet these converging challenges, an innovative group of community foundations are beginning to...
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Willing to Work and Ready to Learn: More Adult Education Would Strengthen Michigan's Economy
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2019
Level State
State(s) Michigan
Source Michigan League for Public Policy
Policy Areas Community Development, Education
State policymakers consistently neglect adequately funding adult education, making it less accessible for low-skilled workers who want to build their skills, become financially self-sufficient and contribute to Michigan’s economy. Adult education is the key to preparing these workers...
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The Anchor Dashboard: Aligning Institutional Practice to Meet Low-Income Community Needs
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2013
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Education, Health, Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Children & Families
Anchor institutions are place-based entities such as universities and hospitals that are tied to their surroundings by mission, invested capital, or relationships to customers, employees, and vendors. These local human and economic relationships link institution well-being to that...
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Striking a (Local) Grand Bargain: How Cities and Anchor Institutions can Work Together to Drive Growth and Prosperity
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2015
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Finance & Procurement, Children & Families, Health, Education, Democracy & Governance
Cities need partners. At a time when local governments are confronting challenges on multiple fronts ranging from rising inequality to fast-moving global economic tides and reduced state and federal support, collaboration has never been so important. Historically, cities have proven...
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What Is a Project Labor Agreement?
Type Fact Sheet or Infographic
Year 2013
Level County
State(s) California
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance
A fact sheet summarizing project labor agreements....
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Building Resiliency: The Role of Anchor Institutions in Sustaining Community Economic Development
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2013
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Education, Health, Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Children & Families
Chester, Pennsylvania, a small, formerly industrial city located on the Delaware River, not far from Philadelphia, exemplifies the problems and possibilities faced by older manufacturing cities across the United States, especially in the Northeast and Midwest. Chester's problems of...
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The Stakes for Workers in How Policymakers Manage the Coming Shifts to All-electric Vehicles
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2021
Level Other
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Data & Technology, Economic Justice, Transportation & Mobility
The shift toward electric vehicles (EVs) will change large sectors of the economy, and these changes will require workers take on new roles. These changes provide an opportunity to reconsider existing policies that are currently failing workers and to improve labor protections. If...
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