Building Worker Power Through Workforce Development final 10-4-2024 - Flipbook - Page 10
INSIGHTS
As a demonstration project, this initiative generated insights
that can advance our understanding of the worker training
approaches needed to equip people for success in the rapidly
changing labor market.
T H E 2 1 S T C E N T U RY L A B O R M A R K E T
The trust built between pilot project participants and trainers allowed for compelling moments of sharing. Workers
felt safe to speak out about their experiences with today’s labor market, a 昀椀rst step in advocating for their rights as
workers. Common themes shared by workers included:
Unstable work is common and growing across the region.
Local job opportunities are becoming less stable due to
automation, varying climate conditions, and employers
seeking more temporary employees. This contributes to a
lack of consistent quality employer openings and therefore
the placement of participants in less desirable positions to
meet their immediate need for employment.
Wage theft showed up in many forms for our participants most commonly, workers would not receive mandatory rest
breaks or compensation for earned paid sick time hours as
required under California law. Employers would also
underpay workers by excluding hours or ignoring overtime
on paychecks. However, the worst form of wage theft
occurred when workers did not receive any payment for
hours or full days of work. This was most commonly experienced by domestic workers and day laborers; oftentimes,
their unde昀椀ned immigration status makes them the most
vulnerable to performing work without contracts. Not getting
paid what they are owed for the work they do was among
the most egregious and harmful challenge for workers,
pushing some to the brink of homelessness.
“Break violations were definitely happening, but in the
mix of super busy shifts, you can’t even think of it.”
— Dexter Williams, trainee
Health and safety violations were also prevalent. Even
in work settings where safety training bene昀椀ts both the
employer and the employee, these precautionary
measures were frequently bypassed. Domestic and home
care workers in particular often dealt with exposure to
chemicals like pesticides and harsh cleaning agents, falls
without referral to medical attention, a lack of safety
equipment, and risky work assignments.
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Experiences with harassment, discrimination and
workplace violence were also shared. Participants often
struggled to 昀椀nd any recourse from workplace violence,
harassment, racial discrimination, and sexual violence.
Workers reported bullying, verbal abuse, wrongful accusations, physical violence as a form of “discipline”, physical
altercations, favoritism, and slurs within all sectors across all
four sites. One worker shared that her employer bullied her,
using slurs when referring to her, and was so abusive she
was eventually forced to leave her role as a cashier.
Participants reported that these issues were rarely
addressed as they were either perpetrated by those with
power in the workplace or were ignored and accepted as
part of the work culture.
“An employer hit my colleague’s hands because she felt
she wasn’t cleaning the dishes properly. This same
employer asked us to clean an outdoor area of her home
in the rain. We refused to do this task because it was
dangerous and she fired us on the spot.”
— Alma, trainee
Retaliation, at-will employment, and immigration threats
often chilled workers into silence, preventing them from
speaking out about rights violations and perpetuating poor
working conditions. Immigrant workers without legal status
in particular faced discrimination, mistreatment, wage theft
and a lack of accountability from employers. However, all of
the above, especially retaliation, was experienced by
workers regardless of status, age, skin color, or any other
aspects of participants’ identities.
B U I L D I N G W O R K E R P O W E R T H RO U G H W O R K FO RC E D E V E LO P M E N T
