Re:Work Institute for Worker Justice
Garment workers, restaurant workers, domestic workers, and day laborers do the essential work that makes this country run. ReWork Institute for Worker Justice believes that the future of the US economy depends on safe, dignified, quality jobs for its most vulnerable workers. Every day we conduct cutting-edge research and forge dynamic partnerships between worker centers and unions. Our work:
- Applied Research. ReWork conducts industry and sectoral research and is a leader in participatory research. The annual UCLA Community Scholars class, founded in 1991, brings together UCLA graduate students and labor leaders to tackle timely community issues, like worker centers, the right to health, and green jobs.
- Worker Center Capacity Building. ReWork provides applied research, policy analysis, and technical assistance to build and support worker centers in a wide range of industries, including garment, domestic, taxi, restaurant work, construction, and others. The team also provides research and support for projects that cut across worker center sectors, most recently to call attention to the nationwide increase in wage theft.
- Curriculum Development and Popular Education. ReWork develops and facilitates worker rights trainings around topics including wage and hour law, communications, and leadership skills.
- Partnerships with Labor Agencies. ReWork partners with state and federal governments to train agencies and worker centers to improve enforcement of workplace standards, collect wages, and keep employers accountable to labor laws.
Featured Research
Access to Child Care for Garment Workers ReWork: Institute for Worker Justice partnered with the Garment Worker Center and the worker-owned cooperative Research Action Design (RAD) to produce the first study of access to child care in the garment industry. Learn more.
Featured Publications
Hollow Victories
ReWork: Institute for Worker Justice partnered with the National Employment Law Project to examine whether workers who win judgments against their employers for unpaid wages ever collect those wages, and whether other states do better. It is the first study of its kind.
Exploring Targeted Hire
Municipalities and public agencies around the country increasingly adopt targeted hire tools to leverage their investment in construction into good jobs for underserved a underrepresented communities. This report, the first comparative study of targeted hire initiatives, examines the different policy options available to develop targeted hire programs as well as the experiences of public agencies in developing and implementing them. The analysis is 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.
