ProGov21 Policy Library

City Governments Are Raising Standards for Working People—and State Legislators Are Lowering Them Back Down

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level City or Town, State

State(s) All States

Source Economic Policy Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice

This report looks at the rising use of preemption by state legislatures to undercut local labor standards. It provides an overview of five key areas of labor and employment policy affected by preemption—including minimum wage, paid leave, fair work scheduling, prevailing wage, and...

Preempting Progress in the Heartland: State Lawmakers in the Midwest Prevent Shared Prosperity and Racial, Gender, and Immigrant Justice by Interfering in Local Policymaking

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source EARN

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance

Across the midwest, conservative state lawmakers have increasingly used preemption—a tactic whereby a higher level of government limits or eliminates the power of a lower-level government to regulate an issue—to reduce the policy tools and power available to local lawmakers. This...

Berkeley Minimum Wage Ordinance

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2011

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source Berkeley City Council

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement

This ordinance requires employers to pay their employees no less than the City's minimum wage. Beginning at $12.53 in 2016, the minimum wage shall increase yearly by an amount corresponding to changes in the Consumer Price Index. It also requires any service or gratuity charges to...

2022 Madison Living Wage Ordinance 12.363 Mandating a Living Wage for City Employees

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2022

Level City or Town

State(s) Wisconsin

Source Madison City Council

Policy Areas Economic Justice

This ordinance requires employers that contract with the City of Madison, receive financial assistance from the City, or operate in City-owned facilities to pay their employees a living wage. The City of Madison must also pay their employees a living wage. This ordinance defines a...

Impact of the Los Angeles Living Wage Ordinance on Workers and Businesses

Type Article

Year 2015

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice

Living wage laws establish wage and benefit standards for companies that do business with the government to improve job quality and increase living standards for low-income workers. The Los Angeles Living Wage Ordinance greatly improved pay for low-income workers, with an average...

10 Ways to Rebuild the Middle Class for Hard Working Americans

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2012

Level City or Town, State

State(s) All States

Source Partnership for Working Families

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Public Safety, Health

The U.S. economy is headed towards greater inequality as middle-class jobs are becoming increasingly scarce, while low wage jobs are growing. This report details ten proposals to strengthen the economy for the long term by creating “good” jobs and addressing the economic insecurity...

High-Road Workforce Guide for City Climate Action

Type Roadmap

Year 2021

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Inclusive Economics

Policy Areas Economic Justice

Implementing climate policy has the potential to promote high-road workforce development (HRWD) that increase economic opportunity for low-income communities. At the same time, HRWD can facilitate the successful implementation of climate plans and broaden community support for climate...

At the Wage Floor: Covering Homecare and Early Care and Education Workers in the New Generation of Minimum Wage Laws

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source U.C. Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Health, Education, Children & Families

This report discusses the shared and divergent challenges in the home care and early care and education industries. It also reviews emerging policy initiatives to fund wage increases for home care and early care and education workers and identifies principles for public policy going...

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 National Employment Law Project

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...

Focus on Wisconsin’s 1 Percent

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2015

Level State

State(s) Wisconsin

Source Economic Policy Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice

Income inequality is expanding in Wisconsin, with the top 1% capturing a significant share of income growth. This mirrors broader economic trends and national changes in workers' rights, education, technology, and trade. Policymakers should invest in workforce education, support working...

Establishing Partnerships to Improve Enforcement of Workplace Standards

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) California, Washington

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Economic Justice

Local governments have raised minimum wages and increased workers rights, but worker violations are widespread. This fact sheet identifies the challenges that municipalities face in enforcing workplace laws and provides recommendations. Best practices include providing funds to worker...

2014 Los Angeles Ordinance Establishing a Minimum Wage for Hotel Workers

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2014

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source Council of the City of Los Angeles

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

According to the Economic Development Department, 43 percent of the people who work in hotels in Los Angeles earn wages that put them below the federal poverty line. This ordinance adds Article 6 to Chapter XVIII of the Los Angeles Municipal Code requiring a minimum wage for hotel...

The Role of Local Government in Protecting Workers Rights

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States, Wyoming

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Community Development, Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Health, Public Safety

Protecting and advancing worker' rights are central functions of local governments. This report provides an overview of some of the most noteworthy ways in which localities have taken action on behalf of working people, in spite of challenges imposed by federal and state preemption...

Washington DC Living Wage Fact Sheet

Type Fact Sheet or Infographic

Year 2020

Level City or Town

State(s) District of Columbia

Source City of Washington D.C.

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice

This factsheet outlines Washington D.C.'s living wage requirements for Government contractors, subcontractors, and recipients of government assistance. It also specifies pay agreements that would be exempted from the living wage rate (such as collective bargaining agreements) if future...

The Proposed Minimum Wage Law for Los Angeles: Economic Impacts and Policy Options

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2015

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source U.C. Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

This report evaluates the City of Los Angeles' proposed minimum wage increase to $13.75 by 2017 and $15.25 by 2019, It evaluates the proposal's impact on workers, businesses, and the overall economy....

Model Living Wage Ordinance

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year -

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source -

Policy Areas Economic Justice

This model ordinance requires every “covered employer,” or contractor that enters into a city contract where the annual value of payments is $25,000 or more, to pay their employees no less than a living wage. Beginning at $10.55 per hour, each year the living wage shall be adjusted...

“The Forgotten Ones”—The Economic Well-Being of Early Educators During COVID-19

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level State

State(s) California

Source Center for the Study of Child Care Employment

Policy Areas Children & Families, Economic Justice, Education

This report provides a closer look at the well-being of California's early educators during the COVID-19 public health crisis, using data collected from the 2020 California Early Care and Education Workforce Study. Key findings show that educators' low wages leave them vulnerable...

Racial Wage Gaps in Early Education Employment

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level State

State(s) All States

Source Center for the Study of Child Care Employment

Policy Areas Children & Families, Economic Justice, Education

Early educators are some of the lowest-paid workers in every state, which especially burdens African American and Hispanic women in this profession. This report analyzes the racial disparities that exist in early education employment. Findings show that African American early educators...

The Impact of Oakland's Proposed City Minimum Wage Law: A Prospective Study

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2014

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source U.C. Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

This report evaluates the potential impact of the 2014 ballot measure to raise Oakland's minimum wage to $12.25. They find that it would increase wages for 25% of the workforce. Meanwhile, costs would be managed through savings from reduced turnover, increase productivity, and small...

Enforcing City Minimum Wage Laws in California: Best Practices and City-State Partnerships

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2015

Level City or Town, County

State(s) California

Source U.C. Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance

California has lead the nation in the development of local minimum wage ordinances. This report details how cities and counties have developed enforcement regimes for these new laws while also working within existing state enforcement systems....

Raise LA: How Good Hotel Jobs Will Boost Local Businesses, Strengthen Neighborhoods and Renew Our Economy

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2013

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Health

This report examines how establishing a minimum wage for hotel workers in Los Angeles would improve job quality, reduce poverty, and bolster the city's tourism industry. It recommends policymakers set the starting hotel minimum wage equal to the existing living wage set for workers...

Action Plan for the People: How to Build Economic Justice in Oregon

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level State

State(s) Oregon

Source Oregon Center for Public Policy

Policy Areas Economic Justice

Communities of color continue to face obstacles to economic equality. Structural reforms are necessary not only to lift underresourced communities but to improve outcomes for all Americans struggling to make ends meet. This roadmap details campaigns in Oregon to raise the minimum...

$15 Minimum wage would improve incomes, increase equity

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town

State(s) Ohio

Source Policy Matters Ohio

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

The minimum wage for Ohioans is too low to cover the basic cost of living. A $15 minimum wage by 2023 will boost the Ohio economny by benefiting low wage workers, parents and children, and improve racial eand gender equity....

Minimum Wage

Raising the Minimum Wage to $10.10: A Win-Win for Rhode Island Workers and the Economy

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2013

Level City or Town

State(s) Rhode Island

Source The Economic Progress Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

This brief outlines results from the Economic Policy Institute's study on the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, which would raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 by 2015. It finds that raising the minimum wage will dually improve the economic well-being of Rhode Islanders and strengthen...

San Francisco's Proposed City Minimum Wage Law: A Prospective Impact Study

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2014

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source U.C. Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

This study evaluates the impact of the proposed 2014 ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage in the city to $15 an hour by 2018 in four steps. The study evaluates the number and demographics of workers impacted as well as the economic impact on workers and business. They find...

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