UC Berkeley Labor Center

Big news in Labor.

“This is a breakthrough moment in tech policy,” Annette Bernhardt, Senior Tech Policy Advisor at the UC Berkeley Labor Center, tells me. “Right now, it’s the Wild West when it comes to how employers use electronic monitoring and algorithmic management, because there are literally no rules of the road. For sure there’s much more to be done to build out a robust set of worker technology rights for the 21st-century labor market, but California’s unions have put the first big stake in the ground.”

California just passed the strongest AI labor laws in the US Finally, some good news

Almost 1 in 10 jobs in the Bay Area is in the manufacturing sector. But are these good jobs? For most blue-collar workers, the answer is no: their median wage is only $24.50; less than a third of production workers in the Bay Area are paid a living wage. The impact of poor wages is especially felt by workers of color and immigrants, who make up the vast majority of all production workers in the region. Read more in our new report "Making it in the Bay," which provides a comprehensive analysis of the Bay Area’s manufacturing labor market. https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/making-it-in-the-bay/

As policymakers and others consider strategies to promote manufacturing in the Bay Area, it is essential to take into account job quality and equity challenges in the sector. Good jobs don’t happen by accident: creating quality jobs requires intentional strategies to grow a high-road sector that supports long-term investments in workers and labor-management partnership. Learn more about high-road strategies to grow manufacturing in the Bay Area through our work with the Bay Area High Road Manufacturing Initiative (https://wpusa.org/bahrmi/)

Working Partnerships USA, California Labor Federation, New Energy Nexus, Working Partnerships USA

Making It In the Bay: Bay Area Manufacturing Labor Market Analysis An overview of job quality and equity in existing manufacturing employment in the Bay Area, identifying challenges and strategies for cultivating a high-road manufacturing sector.

Webinar: "Understanding How AI Impacts Worker Health and Safety," on Wed, October 7, 2026, 12-1 PT.
A discussion of AI in the workplace looking at recent laws, worker experiences and a conceptual framework for safety professionals. By UC Berkeley LOHP and COEH.

10/07/2026: Understanding How AI Impacts Worker Health and Safety | Center for Occupational and Environmental Health About the webinar: Corporations are spending billions to integrate AI and automation technologies into workplaces that are rapidly reshaping how we work and live. How is US policy keeping up with these changes? How are workers encountering these new technologies in their workplaces and how can safet...

AI in the workplace got you worried? Check out this EBASE event. Time for a worker voice at the AI table!
Hosted by East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE)
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM PDT
Greenlining Building 360 14th St, Oakland, CA 94612

AI in the Workplace: Workers and Unions Respond Wednesday, September 30 · The Alameda Labor Council, California Federation of Labor, and EBASE host a panel on the role of AI in the workplace, including workers from across industries, to…

Despite living in a largely pro-labor state, with a Democrat-controlled Legislature and dozens of cities and counties with wage floors higher than the state minimum, low-wage workers in California are losing ground. Capital & Main

She Leaves Home Before Dawn to Get to Her Low-Wage Job. She’s 83. Salud Garcia’s struggles echo those of millions of low-wage workers across the nation, where mounting costs erode their already precarious footing.

Lead Organizer Training/Capacitación para Organizadores Principales

Our four-day bilingual workshop happens December 1-4! Learn more and register now!

https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/workshop/lead-organizer-training/

Image description: Large group photo of adults posing on the steps of a historic stone-and-red-brick building.

Thousands of security workers for CA tech companies are on strike. Our research found 44% of security officers in California qualify as low-wage workers; in the Bay Area it's 2/3 of them. Fast Company SEIU United Service Workers West https://www.fastcompany.com/91609749/thousands-of-security-workers-for-major-tech-companies-are-on-strike

Median pay for CA security workers is now around $20 per hour. In the Bay Area it's $24, compared to a regional median wage of $42. Learn more in our report: https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/demographic-and-job-characteristics-of-the-security-guard-workforce-in-california/

Thousands of security workers for Big Tech companies are on strike in California As their services become more critical to AI companies, security officers represented by SEIU-United Service Workers West are fighting for a $30 hourly wage and improved benefits.

Unions are pushing for better pay and training for security officers. “They’re playing this critical public safety role, but their wages and training have not kept pace with those responsibilities and risks with the job.”—Enrique Lopezlira

Security Guards Offer Protection, But Get Paid Little in Return A recent high-profile shooting outside a mosque and rising threats to houses of worship have focused attention on security guards. Now, unions are pressing for better pay and training.

Best states to work in the US based on wage policies, worker protections, and rights to organize. California is #1 🌟

The Best States to Work in the US 2026 Oxfam's Best States to Work index reveals where working families have opportunities to thrive. Where does your state rank?