Worker Centers
Contributors
Wena Teng is currently a student at Columbia University studying History and Political Economy. She is a research assistant for economic development and legal history. Most recently, she worked on legal for an international bank, policy for the White House, New York State Senate, and participatory organizing for the Urban Justice Center and New York City Civic Engagement Commission.
Key things to know
As a result of various laws and policies, it is sometimes difficult for certain groups of workers to integrate into the labor market and other institutions, civic groups, political parties, and especially labor organizations.
Taxi workers, gig workers, and ride-share drivers, for example, have been misclassified as independent contractors. Others including domestic workers and day laborers have been excluded from coverage by U.S. labor laws.
While “worker centers,” are non-profit organizations whose members may be short of the legal right to collective bargaining, many are union-backed and provide a variety of services including advocacy on issues such as compensation, terms, and conditions of employment, lobbying labor policy, education, training, and community organizing.
Worker Centers provide an alternative to traditional unions, which are considered to be and are regulated as “labor organizations” under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA). This means worker centers are not obliged to the laws’ election rules, unfair labor practice regulations, and reporting requirements, allowing them to, sometimes, operate more freely.
For a more extensive list of worker centers, please explore this page.
Case Study
Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance
KIWA is one the nation’s oldest and most established worker centers; they organize primarily Latino and Korean workers, with a focus on the restaurant and retail industries, in Koreatown Los Angeles, and beyond.
Their work combines organizing, leadership development, services, coalition-building, and policy advocacy in order to improve the lives of immigrant workers in low-wage industries in Koreatown and build a foundation for social change.
Organizing: KIWA is a base-building organization. Part of their leadership development strategy is the one-on-one “house visit,” which connects KIWA staff and volunteers to workers and their networks.
Outreach and Education: KIWA has contracted with city, county, and statewide governmental agencies on projects.
Worked with the Los Angeles Housing Department to conduct outreach and application assistance for the Lead Hazard Remediation Program (LHRP), which provides grants to property owners to make their properties lead-safe and to eliminate health and safety hazards.
Worked with California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to carry out outreach and community education around immigrants’ rights, including legal advice on how to change your immigration status, information and referrals for application assistance for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Naturalization, Other Immigration Remedies (OIR), and immigration protections for Unaccompanied Undocumented Minors (UUMs).
Worked with the AAPI Equity Alliance to provide direct services, prevention services, and intervention services for victims of hate, administered through the California Department of Social Services.
Worked with the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications (OCPSC) to provide outreach and education on extreme heat, water conservation, vaccine equity, and the individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN).
Worked with the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) for the California COVID-19 Workplace Outreach Project (CWOP) which helps workers understand how to continue to stay safe during public health pandemics by providing outreach and education on workplace health and safety, worker leave, and pay benefits, including supplemental paid sick leave and anti-retaliation protections.
California Center for Labor Organizing (CCLO): fills pivotal gaps in the workforce development infrastructure for worker organizing statewide. CCLO brings together career organizers and university professors to carry out 4-week organizer training programs for selected cohorts of entry and mid-level organizers.
Worker Empowerment Clinic: trilingual worker empowerment clinic that provides information on labor law and assists workers who have experienced wage theft to advocate for themselves. The clinic covers know-your-rights and guidance on all employment law, including wrongful termination, discrimination (including sexual harassment), whistleblowing, unemployment insurance, and retaliation.
Coalitions: KIWA is part of coalitions including United to House LA (UHLA), California Coalition for Worker Power (CCWP), Our Future LA, and ACT-LA.
Conclusion
Worker centers represent a transformative approach to labor organizing by providing essential services and support to workers who often fall outside traditional union structures, particularly immigrants and those in precarious employment. Through their holistic model combining direct assistance (like legal aid and training) with leadership development and policy advocacy, these centers build worker power from the ground up while addressing members' immediate needs.
Further readings
Worker centers: Organizing communities at the edge of the dream
Worker Centers Union Front Groups and the Law
Worker Centers: Past, Present, and Future
Day-Labor Worker Centers: Advancing New Models of Equity and Inclusion in the Informal Economy
On the Job: The Untold Story of Worker Centers and the New Fight for Wages, Dignity, and Health
