From Uber and Lyft drivers to home care workers, the fate of far-reaching labor organizing efforts hangs in the balance.
Concentration in low-paying industries and lack of education and career training mean Latinas earn 44% of what white men are paid.
Low-wage industries are forecast to lead job growth, and the share of workers 55 and older has doubled.
Contrary to common beliefs, many Californians in low-wage jobs are in the later stages of their work lives. They also play a crucial role in taking care of the state’s aging population.
From Waffle House to Dollar General to Burger King, record heat is spurring workers to organize.
California requires a minimum of three sick days, the least among 15 states. A bill to raise it to five days is opposed by the business lobby as it awaits Gov. Newsom’s signature.
Overburdened labor enforcement agency says violations are difficult to prove.
Family needs and the lack of a safety net add to a college graduate’s struggle to rise from California’s low-wage economy.
Low-income working families and people of color continue to be hit hardest.
Everyone benefits when the folks who help other folks relax get their break.
Millions in the Golden State are failing to keep on the right side of the growing wealth divide.
With parents forced to quit work to replace workers they can’t afford, the child care system is in full disarray.
Author Rick Wartzman’s new book examines how improvements in pay by the retail giant fall far short of what society owes workers.
Without public support, workers are quitting, and parents and providers are desperate.
20 years after creating the country’s first paid family leave program, California ponders how to make it useful to those who need it most.
While state coffers overflow, some California families must make hard choices about how they survive.
California tries to address dangerous work conditions, low pay and staff turnover in its care facilities.
A state secret comes into the open: how inflation targets the poor.
The state senator says ‘we’re starting to break through’ on expanding the safety net for all Californians.
A Capital & Main photo essay honors the American workers whose critical work keeps our nation moving forward.