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JOB QUALITY NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER 2020

The Dual Crisis: How the COVID-19 Recession Deepens Racial and Economic Inequality Among Communities of Color

In this brief, The Dual Crisis: How the COVID-19 Recession Deepens Racial and Economic Inequality Among Communities of Color, CLASP analyzes Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment data from April through September 2020. We uncovered the stark disproportionate impact the COVID-19 recession has had on key communities including Black, Latinx, and Asian workers, women workers, youth aged 16-24, workers earning low wages, part-time/self-employed workers, public sector workers, and more. The brief also includes an analysis of the concerning trends in job gains and losses in the economy and the rising risk that people will lose their housing and go hungry.

Amended New State and Local Laws and Guidance on Paid Sick Days in Response to COVID-19

Many of the emergency paid sick leave provisions provided by states and localities will expire December 31st. Without the mandated emergency leave, many workers and their families will lose access to paid leave while the economic ramifications of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continue to rise. The Job Quality team at CLASP has updated our resource that tracks states and localities across the country that have added or expanded paid sick days laws and guidances in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Colorado Workers: We Want and Need Paid Leave for All

This CLASP blog post discusses how Colorado recently passed a paid family and medical leave law through a historic ballot initiative. The passing of Proposition 118 was possible thanks to the work of grassroots organizers and advocates who were willing to build on lessons learned from the nine states and D.C. that already have paid leave programs. The overwhelming support across party lines for Prop 118 shows that paid leave is the way forward and that a solvent and equitable program must be comprehensive, universal, and inclusive.

Reports We're Reading

Worker Ownership, COVID-19, and the future of the Gig Economy

This UCLA Labor Center report uses approximately 302 worker surveys to examine the current conditions of gig work in California in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report also evaluates a California legislative proposal called the Cooperative Economy Act (CEA) that would introduce worker ownership into the gig economy. This would fundamentally restructure the relationship between workers and platforms like Uber, Lyft, and Instacart.

COVID-19 Emergency Sick Leave Has Helped Flatten The Curve In The United States

This paper by researchers Stefan Pichler, Katherine Wen, and Nicolas R. Ziebarth tests whether the COVID-19 emergency sick leave provision of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) reduced the spread of the virus. Comparing states with pre-existing paid sick leave laws and newly implemented FFCRA paid sick leave provisions, the research found states gaining access to paid sick leave through FFCRA saw a statistically significant 400 fewer confirmed cases per day.

Washington's First Paid Family and Medical Leave Program Report

Washington’s Employment Security Department (ESD) has just released its first annual report to the legislature on the state’s Paid Family & Medical Leave Program. The report provides preliminary data on the program’s first three quarters of full operation, a summary of implementation and outreach activities, and a sampling of comments ESD received from workers and small business owners expressing deep appreciation for the program.

Welcome to CLASP, Nat Baldino!

The Job Quality Team would like to intrdouce our new Policy Analyst, Nat Baldino! Nat is joining us from the labor movement, where as a service worker he helped bulid worker power and educate workers on their rights. With a focus on the coffee industry and small businesses, he cares about combatting "just-in-time" management practices and increasing racial and gender equity. Prior to that, he was a doctoral student and instructor in Women's Studies at The University of Maryland, College Park. Welcome to the team, Nat!