ProGov21 Policy Library

2023-2024 State & Local Policy Agenda

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town, State

State(s) All States

Source EARN

Policy Areas Economic Justice

Workers face economic threats including eroding wages, unfair firings, union busting, and entrenched occupational segregation. As workers organize to fight back, they need local policymakers to implement new policies that raise labor standards and crack down on abuses. This report...

Minneapolis Living Wage Ordinance

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2018

Level City or Town

State(s) Minnesota

Source Minneapolis City Council

Policy Areas Economic Justice

This ordinance establishes a minimum wage in Minneapolis. As of July 1, 2021, an employer shall pay an employee no less than fifteen dollars per hour....

Building Back Better Means Raising Wages for Public-Sector Workers

Type Article

Year 2022

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source Economic Policy Institute

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

Local governments can use federal recovery funding to invest in their workforces and prevent employee turnover. This article examines public-sector employee wage data and finds that increasing wages for local government employees can mitigate gender and racial pay gaps. It highlights...

Why Do Parents Pay So Much for Child Care When Early Educators Earn So Little?

Type Fact Sheet or Infographic

Year 2018

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source Center for the Study of Child Care Employment

Policy Areas Children & Families, Economic Justice, Education

Although the average cost of child care rivals college tuition, early educators are among the lowest-paid workers in the country. This infographic outlines the consequences of insufficient wages on early educators' livelihoods....

Aspen Institute Quality Job Tools Library

Type Policy Brief or Report, Fact Sheet or Infographic

Year 2020

Level City or Town, County, Other Boards and Agencies

State(s) All States

Source The Aspen Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice

The Aspen Institute's Economic Opportunities Program developed this Job Quality Tools Library to provide actionable tools – including checklists, instructions, and guidelines – to help leaders adopt practices to strengthen job quality in their own organizations, in the businesses...

Using State and Local Governments’ Purchasing Power to Combat Wage Theft

Type Article

Year 2024

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source Courtlyn G. Roser-Jones

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

Because the likelihood of being penalized is low, some employers commit wage-theft on a large scale. This report explores government contracting approaches for mitigating wage theft, including disclosure obligations, ineligibility sanctions for wage-theft offenders, and government...

City Strategies to Combat Wage Theft and Empower Workers

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2013

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Economic Justice

This policy brief outlines policy levers local jurisdictions can use to address wage theft and support local workers. Some of the policies detailed include quality administrative systems, reliable data for tracking wages, and stronger sanctions for violating wage theft provisions....

2011 Los Angeles Ordinance 181520 Establishing Targeted Hiring Requirements

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2011

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source Council of the City of Los Angeles

Policy Areas Economic Justice

This ordinance requires Los Angeles' Board of Public Works to approve a project labor agreement that includes provisions to promote the hiring of local residents, apprentices, and disadvantaged workers (i.e. unemployed and under-employed workers). City public works contracts are subject...

2014 Newark Ordinance 2010 Requiring Employers to Provide Paid Sick and Family Leave

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2014

Level City or Town

State(s) New Jersey

Source Newark City Council

Policy Areas Health

This ordinance requires employers to provide a minimum level of paid sick time, including time for care for family members. The purpose of this ordinance is to protect the public’s health in Newark by reducing the risk of and spread of contagion, and to promote preventative health...

Best Value Contracting and Public Works Contracts

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2010

Level County

State(s) Wisconsin

Source City Of Madison Engineering Division

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance

Best Value Contracting creates a set of enforceable qualifications with a single point of accountability, pervormance qualifications, workforce development, oversight and transparency on publicly funded projects....

Data for the People _ Oregon Center for Public Policy.pdf

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year -

Level State

State(s) Oregon

Source Oregon Center for Public Policy

Policy Areas Data & Technology, Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice

All Oregonians deserve economic security, but for many it remains an elusive dream. This is particularly true for marginalized groups who face steep income inequalities and an economy that does not serve low-paid people. Data for the People compiles and provides the latest publicly...

Early Care and Education Programs During COVID-19: Persistent Inequities and Emerging Challenges

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, Finance & Procurement

This report analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on the early care and education system using data from the 2020 California Early Care and Education (ECE) Workforce Study. Findings show that the pandemic worsened existing disparities within the ECE workforce based on program type and funding....

Government on Workers’ Side: How State and Local Policymakers and Advocates can Raise Standards for Publicly Supported Work

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source Center for American Progress

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

State and local governments can raise standards for workers and the public through a variety of labor-focused procurement policies including prevailing wages and project-labor agreements. This report outlines best practices for improving conditions for public workers and highlights...

Do Responsible Contractor Policies Increase Construction Bid Costs

Type Article

Year 2014

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States, Ohio

Source Fair Contracting

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement

Local government procurement policies can require that public contractors provide health and retirement benefits to their workers. However, skeptics of such "responsible contractor policies" argue these approaches inflate project costs. This study examines the impact of responsible...

Working From Home: From Invisibility to Decent Work

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source International Labour Organization

Policy Areas Economic Justice

With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, large portions of the world’s workforce shifted to homeworking, joining hundreds of millions of other workers who had already been working from home for decades. Given the continued struggle to improve the rights and working conditions...

20 Kansas City Wage Theft Ordinance 040964

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2004

Level City or Town

State(s) Missouri

Source Council of Kansas City

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Children & Families, Finance & Procurement

This ordinance redefines "stealing" to include wage theft. A person may be criminally prosecuted if they refuse or fail to pay for the labor or services provided by an individual pursuant to an agreement....

Hungry for Good Jobs: Food Service Workers in Public Schools

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level National

State(s) California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Vermont

Source UC Berkeley Labor Center

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Food

Food service jobs in public schools persistently receive low pay, creating a lack of economic security for their own households. This report provides an overview of the working conditions of public school service workers and provides recommendations. Best practices include ensuring...

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...

Leveraging Anchor Institutions for Economic Inclusion

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2015

Level County

State(s) All States

Source PolicyLink

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Education, Health, Environment & Natural Resources, Children & Families

Anchor institutions can be important drivers of economic growth. Through their spending and investment, employment and contracting, and their ability to generate ideas, information, and talent, they can spark innovative enterprises grounded in place. Their existence can be especially...

Wages & Benefits Roadmap

Type Roadmap

Year 2021

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source ProGov21

Policy Areas Economic Justice

Presently, the average American worker is unfairly compensated for their labor. In response to this challenge, ProGov21's updated Job Quality Roadmap provides information and resources that enable the creation of a healthy and productive workforce. It calls on local governments to...

Raising Wage & Benefit Standards

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Economic Justice

This guide differentiates between the various types of paid leave (i.e. sick, medical, family, and parental leave) and highlights their respective benefits. It discusses options cities can take to enact local paid leave legislation, such as enacting ordinances that expand coverage...

Harnessing the Economic Power of Anchor Institutions

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, Education, Health, Environment & Natural Resources, Children & Families

This report examines the economic power of anchor institutions in addressing economic disparities and creating opportunities for low-income residents. Anchor institutions are influential organizations, such as universities and hospitals, deeply embedded in local communities. The report...

Tax Breaks and Inequality: Enriching Billionaires and Low-Road Employers in the Name of Economic Development

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2014

Level County

State(s) All States

Source Good Jobs First

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Community Development, Finance & Procurement

The intensification of economic inequality, one of the defining issues of our times, has many causes, ranging from the weakening of labor unions to the decimation of inheritance taxes. This report argues that another factor belongs on the list: subsidies given by state and local governments...

Using State and Local Government Purchasing Power to Combat Wage Theft

Type Article

Year 2024

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source Washington and Lee Law Review

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

Because the likelihood of being penalized is low, some employers commit wage-theft on a large scale. This report explores government contracting approaches for mitigating wage theft, including disclosure obligations, ineligibility sanctions for wage-theft offenders, and government...

2017 San Diego Ordinance 10-2017 Mandating Equal Pay

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2017

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source City of San Diego

Policy Areas Economic Justice

This ordinance ensures compliance with non-discrimination laws and the California Equal Pay Act. It further requires businesses to equalize wages between employees who perform equal or substantially similar work, regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity....

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