UCLA Labor Center

Reports

A Shrinking Toolbox: The Corporate Efforts to Eliminate PAGA and Limit California Worker’s Rights

2024

This report analyzes the likely impact of a ballot initiative to eliminate the Private Attorneys General Act.

Automation and the Future of Dockwork at the San Pedro Bay Port Complex

2024

This report analyzes the potential impacts of increased automation at the San Pedro Bay Port Complex.

California’s Future is Clocked In: The Experiences of Young Workers

2023

This report explores the experiences of young workers in California from 2019-2021.

Overcooked & Underserved: The Challenges of Koreatown’s Restaurant Workers

2023

This report analyzes the labor and housing conditions of immigrant workers in Koreatown’s restaurants.

Student Balancing Act: Worker and Learner Experiences in Los Angeles’ Community Colleges

2023

This brief examines the complex experiences and inequities faced by working community college students in Los Angeles.

Unlocking Potential: The Inland Empire Black Worker Center’s Transformative IE Works Program

2023

The report showcases the results of a pioneering workforce development model that addresses the Inland Empire’s Black job crisis.

Nailing New Labor Models: Exploring Sectoral Boards and High Road Training Partnerships in the Nail Salon Sector

2023

This report explores two approaches, High Road Training Partnerships (HRTPs) and sectoral boards, to addressing workplace needs across the nail salon industry.

Analysis of High Volume For-Hire Vehicle Data for New York City

2023

This brief offers an analysis of publicly available data from the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission’s High Volume For-Hire Vehicle (HVFHV) trip database.

Profile of Janitorial Workers in California

2022

This brief provides a profile of private sector janitorial workers in California—who they are, their employment conditions and the economic vulnerabilities they face due to their low wages, employment status, and gender.

Working Under COVID-19: Experiences of Nail Salon Workers in California, New York, Pennsylvania & New Jersey

2022

This brief captures national trends in the nail salon sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. Made up of mostly Asian immigrant women, nail salons in the U.S. are predominantly small businesses, and pandemic closures have uniquely devastated both workers and owners. Issues concerning labor, health, and safety have only intensified since the pandemic’s start.

Lives & Livelihoods: California’s Private Homecare Industry in Crisis

2022

The California homecare industry is facing critical issues that strain workers and consumers alike, amid growing demand that further intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meaningful and timely public investment in the state’s homecare workforce and infrastructure is imperative to its sustainability.

Essential Stories: Black Worker COVID-19 Economic Health Impact Survey

2022

This report finds that the current economic restructuring triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic is compounding the Black jobs crisis in Southern California, and suggests recovery for this community will take at least a decade without government intervention.

Resource Accessibility Across the University of California Campuses Through Undocumented Students’ Experiences

2022

This evaluation report sheds light on the challenges and disparities undocumented students experience when attempting to access resources at University of California (UC) campuses.

New Directions in Racial and Economic Justice: How California’s Worker Centers Are Bringing Worker Power into Workforce Development

2022

This research brief by our workforce development team finds that worker centers are invaluable actors in the state’s public workforce development system. Worker centers –– community-based organizations created by and for BIPOC and immigrant job seekers and workers in low-wage industries –– provide a comprehensive alternative to the status quo of workforce development through fostering leadership development, movement building, and systemic change.

Fast-Food Frontline: COVID-19 and Working Conditions in Los Angeles

2022

This report is the first in the nation to provide an in-depth portrait of COVID-19 safety compliance through the lens of fast-food workers themselves. It finds that fast-food workers in Los Angeles County are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19, in addition to facing difficult work conditions that became more acute during the pandemic. This report expands on an industry analysis conducted last year on working conditions in fast-food restaurants.

Reopening During COVID-19: The Experience of Nail Salon Workers and Owners in California

2021

This report by the UCLA Labor Center and the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative examines nail salon reopenings in California, a major hub for the multi-billion dollar industry. Nail salons have been particularly upended by COVID-19, but there have been few studies on the pandemic’s impact. This report examines how nail salons are navigating reopening and recovery amidst extended financial and emotional strain.

Back to the “New Normal”: Workers and Learners Navigate Campus and Workplace Reopening

2021

This report builds on existing knowledge about workers and learners by documenting how their academic, employment, and life experiences inform their concerns and expectations for the return to campus and work amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dismantling Disparity: Breaking Barriers to Employment

2021

This research brief by CARE At Work states that the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the systemic discrimination Black workers have long faced. Authors note it is imperative that state and federal funding allocated to workforce development prioritize addressing the barriers that impact many Black workers.

The High Road to Economic Prosperity

2021

This report offers a macro analysis of the California Workforce Development Board’s High Road Training Partnership (HRTP) initiative. The report defines the HRTP model and evaluates the successes and challenges of adopting the high road approach, including recommendations on how to strengthen the HRTP framework and model as the initiative expands.

The Fast-Food Industry and COVID-19 in Los Angeles

2021

This study finds that working conditions in the Los Angeles fast-food industry lead to an increased risk of COVID-19 transmission in communities of color, and $1.2 billion in public costs as a result of low wages that have plagued the industry for years. It will be followed by a second report on fast-food workers in summer 2021.

Profile of Domestic Workers in California

2020

This report provides a profile of domestic workers in California—who they are, where they live and work, and the economic vulnerabilities they face.

Worker Ownership, COVID-19, and the Future of the Gig Economy

2020

This report finds that gig workers in California have been hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic and worker ownership could help remedy this crisis in the gig economy.

Union Values and LGBTQ+ Worker Experiences: A Survey of UFCW Workers in the United States and Canada

2020

This report finds that advocacy efforts by rank-and-file members of the United Food and Commercial Workers broadly support union organizing for safer and more equitable workplaces for LGBTQ workers in the U.S. and Canada, but the fight toward ending workplace discrimination is far from over.

Workers and Learners during a Global Pandemic and Social Uprising

2020

This research brief documents how the academic, employment, and life experiences of workers and learners changed since the onset of the COVID-19 global health crisis.

Workers as Health Monitors in LA County

2020

This report finds that LA County’s proposed public safety councils at workplaces offer a cost-effective strategy to combat the spread of COVID19 and help speed LA’s economic recovery.

A Survey of Workers and Learners in Los Angeles County During COVID-19

2020

This study builds on existing knowledge concerning the experiences of working learners by documenting how their academic and life experiences have changed since the onset of the current pandemic and global health crisis. 

Unseen Costs: The Experiences of Workers and Learners in Los Angeles County

2020

This report examines the challenges facing learners at local public colleges and universities that are juggling the demands of studying and also working.

A Survey of Nail Salon Workers and Owners in California During COVID-19

2020

This new study finds that nail salon owners and workers face significant stress and economic hardship as they anticipate reopening in California.

Reimagined Recovery: Black Workers, the Public Sector, and COVID-19

2020

This new report is a blueprint for recovery. It presents ideas for investment and quality job creation in Black communities.

I Am a #Young Worker – Young Workers Animated for Change Workshop and Classroom Guide

2020

This curriculum serves as a guide for the UCLA Labor Center’s animated short film, I am a #YoungWorker.

Young Workers in California: A Snapshot

2020

This report analyzes the state of young workers throughout California, with a focus on the industries in which they are concentrated. The related curriculum is designed for teachers, organizers, trainers, and educators to unpack issues faced by young workers.

California’s Hero Labor Law: The Private Attorneys General Act Fights Wage Theft and Recovers Millions from Lawbreaking Corporations

2020

PAGA empowers workers to defend their labor rights, collecting millions for the workers, plus funding enforcement.

Work, Pay, or Go to Jail: Court-Ordered Community Service in Los Angeles

2019

First in-depth empirical study of court-ordered community service.

Learning Together! An Innovative Tutoring Program for Low-wage Janitor, Garment, and Domestic Worker Children

2019

Learn about the impact of our innovative tutoring model and the Parent Worker Project.

Cultural Competency, Language, and Training: Supporting the Development of Educational Resources for the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency

2018

The purpose of this report is to support the development of culturally competent resources to effectively inform farmworkers of their labor rights.

Plan de Acción para Atender las Necesidades Educativas De Familias Indígenas Migrantes

2018

El propósito de este informe es encontrar acciones comunitarias para ayudar a los estudiantes de origen indígena mexicano y sus padres a alcanzar sus metas educativas.

The Binational Farm Worker Rebellion: Interviews with Farm Worker Union Leaders

2018

David Bacon interviews three farm worker leaders in anticipation of UCLA Labor Center tri-natinal labor conference.

Nail Files: A Study of Nail Salon Workers and Industry in the United States

2018

First national study of labor conditions in multi-billion dollar nail salon industry.

Do Bills Build Homes? An Assessment of California’s 2017 Housing Package

2018

An assessment of the impact of 2017 statewide housing policies on Los Angeles County authored by the 2018 Community Scholars.

More Than a Gig: A Survey of Ride-Hailing Drivers in Los Angeles

2018

This report is the first comprehensive study of drivers working for transportation networking companies in Los Angeles County.

Know Your Top Fair Housing Rights

2018

This multilingual educational booklet highlights housing rights and protections in California, as well as prohibitions against discrimination.

Hour Crisis: Unstable Schedules in the Los Angeles Retail Sector

2018

This report is the first comprehensive study conducted in Los Angeles that details the adverse impacts of unpredictable scheduling on the city’s 140,000+ retail workers.

Undocumented and Uninsured Part 5: A prescription for a Healthy California

2017

Health insurance is an important factor in health care. Lack of health insurance dissuades people from seeking both routine and emergency health services.

Struggles and Support: California’s Homecare Employers

2017

As of 2015, half a million Californians employed homecare workers. This study provides an understanding of homecare employers’ challenges, needs and employment practices in California.

Ready to Work, Uprooting Inequity: Black Workers in California

2017

A new research brief explores the experience of the Black community in California through a labor and employment lens. As a result of widening inequality and a glaring lack of economic opportunities, California is in the throes of a Black jobs crisis.

Ready to Work, Uprooting Inequity: Black Workers in Los Angeles County

2017

As a result of a lack of economic opportunities, widening inequality, and rising housing costs, the Black community in Los Angeles is experiencing a jobs crisis. This report considers how the lack of access to quality jobs is adversely impacting the community and draws a portrait of the challenges that Black workers in Los Angeles face.

Emergency Medical Services in California: Wages, Working Conditions, and Industry Profile

2017

New study shows that EMS workers’ wages are low and stagnating and the jobs are dangerous, with high rates of mortality, injury, mental and physical trauma.

Juggling Time: Young Workers and Scheduling Practices in the Los Angeles Service Sector

2016

Young workers are a vibrant and critical part of the Los Angeles County service economy. Expanding on the findings of the I am a #YOUNGWORKER report, this report finds that young workers experience erratic scheduling practices, such as unpredictable schedules, lack of advance notice, lack of input, and on-call scheduling.

Dirty Threads, Dangerous Factories: Health and Safety in Los Angeles’ Fashion Industry

2016

Los Angeles houses the largest cut and sew apparel base in the U.S. and is the center of the country’s garment manufacturing industry. This report provides insights into the health, safety and environmental conditions of these garment factories. The report was based upon 307 surveys with garment workers in 2015.

Immigrant Youth in the Silicon Valley: Together We Rise

2016

This report intends to understand the experience of undocumented youth in the Silicon Valley. While previous studies have found that immigrant communities face low wages and difficulties in accessing affordable housing, this study presents key statistics about educational and employment prospects for immigrant youth residing in this region.

Undocumented and Uninsured Part 4: The Power of a Healthy Community

2016

Undocumented youth counter the negative effects of being undocumented by making life choices that protect their emotional and physical health.

Profile, Practices and Needs of California’s Domestic Work Employers

2016

The first statewide study of California’s domestic work employers, this report explores who domestic work employers are. Based on 501 randomly-dialed phone surveys throughout the state, this study provides demographic and household details, as well as an understanding of the employment practices and needs of domestic employers.

Get to Work or Go To Jail

2016

This report explores the ways in which the criminal justice system can also lock workers on probation, parole, facing court-ordered debt, or child support debt into bad jobs. Because these workers face the threat of incarceration for unemployment, the report finds that they cannot afford to refuse a job, quit a job, or to challenge their employers.

Get Healthy, California!

2016

This resource guide provides a list of affordable healthcare options in the state that provide services to undocumented Californians.

Conveying Carwash Owner’s Stories

2015

“Conveying Carwash Owners’ Stories: Competition, Diversity and Growth in the Southern California Carwash Industry,” a study- the first of its kind, provides an introduction to the industry, its owners, and the opportunities for this industry in Southern California.

Your Liberation Is Linked to Ours

2015

In this study, David Bacon focuses on five global campaigns: the PKC Maquiladora in Ciudad Acuña; the “El Super” Campaign in Los Angeles and Mexico City; the Cananea Mine in Sonora, Mexico; farmworker strikes in San Quintin, Baja California; and the Sakuma Farms/Driscoll growers in Washington State.

I am a #YOUNGWORKER

2015

Young people work to live, not to play. Study that reveals precarious conditions young workers experience in Los Angeles.

Young Workers in Los Angeles: A Snapshot

2015

Young Workers in Los Angeles: A Snapshot analyzes census data on young people between the ages of 18 and 29 working across Los Angeles County.

Central American Resource Guide

2015

This is a resource guide created in order to support Central American immigrant families and inform them of their legal rights, educate them on health and security, as well as feature places where they can enjoy free recreational activities.

Strategies for Economic Survival: A Labor and Employment Assessment of Westlake and Pico-Union

2015

This report, conducted by Community Scholars, aims to understand economic survival strategies of the predominantly Latino immigrant community living in the Westlake and Pico-Union neighborhoods.

Searching for Home: A Snapshot of Immigrant Renters in Westlake/Pico Union

2015

This report, conducted by Community Scholars, provides a snapshot of renter conditions and housing supply in the Westlake and Pico Union area. It explores basic demographics of the area, current renter conditions, and housing stock.

Pop-Up Public Health Fair: A Toolkit for MacArthur Park

2015

From the UCLA Community Scholars program, this report is a step-by-step manual on how to organize a health fair and other related public events in and around MacArthur Park.

Stitching Together a Story: Workshop and Classroom Guide

2015

This guide is a companion to Re:Work radio’s episode Los Callejones, which provides a framework for workshops and classrooms to build storytelling skills while learning about the issues related to the garment industry.

Policy Brief: Ridesharing or Ridestealing?

2015

This policy brief analyzes Los Angeles Department of Transportation taxi meter data from 2009 to 2014. The findings describe the economic impact of companies like Uber and Lyft on Los Angeles’s taxi industry.

Building a Movement Together: Workers Centers and Labor Union Affiliations

2015

Through interviews and surveys with worker centers and union leadership, this report evaluates the affiliation process and establishes recommendations for the AFL-CIO on how to expand and strengthen them.

Undocumented and Uninsured Part 3: Pol[ice] in my Head

2015

Undocumented youth live with exclusion from health services and fear of deportation, both of which cause and aggravate trauma. Drawing from a statewide survey of 550 undocumented and “DACAmented” Californians, this report examines how deportation impacts the mental health of undocumented youth.

Hanging by a Thread! Los Angeles Garment Workers’ Struggle to Access Quality Care for their Children

2015

The report documents findings from a worker-led study, in which Garment Worker Center members, and student supporters, conducted a survey with local garment workers about their child care needs and the barriers they encounter. 

Currículo para las Trabajadoras del Hogar

2015

Nuestros Derechos como Trabajadoras del Hogar: Educación Popular para un Cambio Laboral is a popular education curriculum for domestic workers who are seeking to organize and know their rights.

Los Angeles Rising: A City That Works for Everyone

2015

A report from the Economic Roundtable, the UCLA Labor Center, and the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment assesses the benefits and consequences of raising Los Angeles’s minimum wage to $15.25.

The State of Labor 20 Years after NAFTA

2015

A report by David Bacon on the perspectives of labor leaders from Mexico, the United States, and Canada on international solidarity and the future of labor.

El Estado Laboral 20 Años Después del TLCAN

2014

Un reporte por David Bacon que destaca las perspectivas de líderes laborales de México, Estados Unidos, y Canadá sobre el futuro del trabajo.

Health Impact Assessment of the Proposed Los Angeles Wage Theft Ordinance

2014

Human Impact Partners examines the health impact of wage theft in the city of Los Angeles. A partnership with the Los Angeles Coalition Against Wage Theft.

Orange County on the Cusp of Change

2014

This reports explores the demographic, economic and political changes happening in Orange County.

Juntas de Conciliación y Arbitraje en México

2012

This document seeks to analyze the role that the Conciliation and Arbitration (JCyA) play in the control system of the working class. For this purpose briefly examines the history of the relationship between the Mexican state and the working class, to shed light on the various forms of control over the class at different stages also considered within this time dimension some characteristics of the formation Power in Mexico

ABA Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities

2014

Low-wage workers experience labor violations regardless of their occupation or industry work. Therefore, this research project conducted by the wage theft report identifies policy efforts that would improve the conditions of low-wage workers.

Building a Culture of Cross-Border Solidarity

2011

The interests of workers in the U.S. and Mexico are tied together. This report discusses and questions how solidarity between these two countries can and do function.

Integrated Organizing Approach as a Tool in the Fight for Workers Rights: The Case of Sara Lee Workers

2012

The Integrated Organizing Approach (IOA) is an organizing method for low-wage workers engaged in struggles against multinational corporations. The case presented in this study demonstrates how the IOA can be a substantial asset for an organization in the design and execution of successful campaign strategies.

Exploring Targeted Hire: An Assessment of Best Practices in the Construction Industry

2014

A comparative study of targeted hire initiatives based on 14 in-depth case studies of project labor agreements and ordinances, as well as a scan of 20 examples of other targeted hire initiatives.

Undocumented and Uninsured Part 2: Band-Aid Care

2014

When undocumented Californians do seek medical attention, the types of care available are Band-Aid options—basic services that provide a quick-fix or temporary remedy but do not address preventative, long-term, or sustainable health needs. These limited public programs are often the only option for uninsured Californians.

Undocumented and Uninsured Part 1: No Papers, No Health Care

2014

Undocumented and Uninsured is the first study about and by immigrant youth on health care access. Researchers surveyed 550 immigrant youth throughout California.

Hollow Victories: The Crisis in Collecting Unpaid Wages for California’s Workers

2013

This report examines the challenges that workers have in recovering their hard-earned wages after winning a judgement in a wage theft case.

Left Behind: The Impact of Secession on Low-Income Residents and Workers in the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood

2002

This study looks specifically at what could happen to the low-income residents of the Valley and Hollywood, and the public employees who currently serve those areas if the Valley and Hollywood secede from Los Angeles.

Project Labor Agreements in Los Angeles: The Example of the Los Angeles Unified School District

2011

This Research & Policy Brief draws on a larger report published by the UCLA Labor Center’s California Construction Academy to discuss the role of PLAs or PSAs in creating high‐road construction industry employment and whether the LAUSD met the goals laid out in its PSA.

Diversity and Change: Asian American and Pacific Islander Workers

2011

In this report, we provide a statistical overview of the AAPI workforce in the United States. Wage inequality has been increasing within the AAPI workforce at an even faster rate than in the rest of the economy.

Loncheras: A Look at the Stationary Food Trucks of Los Angeles

2010

Loncheras, or stationary food trucks, are predominantly microenterprises owned and operated by Latino families in their own neighborhoods, contributing to their communities’ economic development by keeping profits local.

Breaking Ground, Breaking Silence: Report from the First National Asian Pacific American Workers’ Rights Hearing

2010

Breaking Ground, Breaking Silence documents findings from the first National Asian Pacific American Workers’ Rights Hearing, a historic gathering of over 200 Asian American and Pacific Islander trade unionists and community allies.

Wage Theft and Workplace Violations in Los Angeles

2010

This report focuses on the results of a survey of more than 4,000 workers in low-wage industries. Among its findings, every week in Los Angeles low-wage workers lose $26.2 million dollars in wage theft violations.

Green Buildings, Good Jobs, Safe Jobs: Social Justice Pathways to a Sustainable Los Angeles

2009

On April 8, 2009, Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance establishing a Green Retrofit and Workforce Program. This report explores how to effectively implement it.

Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers

2009

A landmark survey of 4,387 workers in low-wage industries in the three largest U.S. cities—Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. The first national study on wage theft.

Helping LA Grow Together: Why the Community Redevelopment Agency Should Adopt the Construction Careers Policy

2008

The Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency is taking a leadership role in trying to link the know-how of the building trades to an effort to create career opportunities for low income residents.

Undocumented Students: Unfulfilled Dreams

2007

On May 19, 2007, the UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education convened a hearing and conference on undocumented students about the pending California Dream Act (SB 65). This report highlights the testimonies of perseverance and hope presented by the students at the hearing.

Summary Report: Asian Pacific Islander Workers Hearing

2002

In 2002, the first ever California State Assembly Hearing on Asian Pacific Islander Workers brought together Asian Pacific Islander workers and advocates from all over California. This report synthesizes the issues and recommendations for workers, advocates, legislators, and communities.