Berkeley Labor Center Report
“Respect Us, Protect Us, Pay Us” reinforced by stunning report from Berkeley Labor Center
An in-depth report issued this week by the Berkeley Labor Center says clearly that despite providing services that are vital to the State of California, sizable shares of state workers represented by SEIU Local 1000 do not earn a family-sustaining wage even when working full time.
The report comes at a time when Local 1000 is preparing to bargain a new contract and when our represented employees are struggling with rising prices and stagnant wages.
The headline of the report says it all: “State workers struggle to make ends meet throughout California; Women, Black, and Latino workers are disproportionately affected.”
Here are some of the top-line findings of the Berkeley Labor Center Report:
- More than one-third (35%) of state workers represented by SEIU Local 1000 would be unable to support a family of four even with a working partner earning the same wage.
- More than two-thirds (69%) of these state workers would be unable to support themselves and one child on their own.
- Five percent of state workers represented by SEIU Local 1000 lack sufficient income to provide for just their own basic needs.
The information is powerful and made more so by its independent source, the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education, founded in 1964. It conducts research and education on issues related to labor and employment and is world-renowned for its thoughtful leadership on a range of topics, working with government, employers, and unions to develop innovative policy and programs.
Read the Berkeley Labor Center report on state worker economics here.