Students at Jefferson High School learned their workplace rights and were paid a visit by AB800 bill author, Assemblywoman Liz Ortega
By: Jazmin Rivera
For 12th-grade students at Thomas Jefferson High School in Los Angeles, the last week of March looked a bit different than their usual week of instruction. The UCLA Labor Center Young Worker Initiative (YWI) and the Young Worker Education Project (YWEP) were there to teach workplace readiness and Assembly Bill 800 – the California law that requires all CA 11th and 12th graders to learn about their workplace rights. For an entire week, students were engaged in impassioned conversations on wage and hour laws, unions, and health and safety protections. At the end of the week, students were visited by Assemblywoman Liz Ortega, AB800 bill author and fierce labor advocate. Jefferson students left the week empowered with their labor rights and inspired by the advocacy of Liz Ortega.
The week spent at Jefferson High School in Mr. Leng’s 12th-grade Economics class is part of the Young Worker Initiative’s mission to promote AB800 and the Workplace Readiness Week 5-day learning cycle. Workplace Readiness Week was scheduled for April 28th – May 2nd, 2025, but the 5-day learning cycle can be taught anytime during the year. For students at Jefferson, the lesson came after their discussion on unions and workplace democracy. The 5-day learning cycle on labor rights was a natural fit in their lesson plan. The lesson plan is linked to CA State Standards in U.S. History, Principles of American Democracy, and Principles of Economics, meaning teachers have the flexibility to fit the lesson where it makes most sense for their classroom learning. At the UCLA Labor Center, every week is Workplace Readiness Week. Students deserve to know their labor rights at all points in the school year.
Below, an LAUSD Jefferson High School student video testimony highlights Alexa Miranda’s classroom experience participating in the AB 800-Workplace Readiness 5-Day Learning Cycle.
At Jefferson High School, Assemblywoman Liz Ortega spoke passionately about the need for young people to know their rights. Students listened intently to her speak and were thankful for her visit.
“Mr. Leng’s students were engaged and thoughtful as we dug deep to help students better understand their workplace rights and the supportive resources available to them,” says Nicolle Fefferman, director of the YWEP. “Assemblymember Liz Ortega’s presence on the last day of learning was an incredible moment for students to get time with the lawmaker who made this critical learning possible.”
Saba Waheed, director of the UCLA Labor Center, also visited the classroom on the last day and remarked, “The powerful team of trainers led by Nicolle did an exceptional job engaging the students and making workplace laws accessible and relevant. This innovative, first-of-its-kind program arms young people with the power of knowledge about their workplace rights.”
In the next month after workplace readiness week, the YWI team, led by Dr. Janna Shadduck-Hernández, UCLA Labor Center project director, contributed data and insights on young worker experiences in a statewide webinar hosted by the California Department of Education and in partnership with the UCLA Labor Center. Superintendent Tony Thurmond’s office and district superintendents from across the state came together to discuss the implementation of AB 800.
These efforts continue to address the needs of providing workplace rights education to students across the country, ensuring equitable standards are upheld at every employer and company.
