The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, set forth a set of civil, social, and economic rights that inspired the development of human rights’ laws around the world. In this context, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and The New School’s Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy announced the Partnership for a Human Rights Economy in 2022. In this event, panelists discuss the legacy and lasting influences of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the philosophies and values that have come to shape our economy, and their consequences; and ideas to build a moral and inclusive economy based on human rights.

The US government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world, spending over $600 billion per year. And public procurement exceeds $2.1 trillion annually when state and local governments are included. In this event, panelists consider what it would mean if good jobs principles were embedded in procurement decisions.

This article summarizes “The Rewards of Work: Lessons from the Fair Labor Standards Actt,” an Opportunity in America event EOP hosted in 2022 to explore the history of the FLSA and how it could be updated and strengthenedt to improve workers’ wages and working conditions.

This article summarizes “Worker Power and the National Labor Relations Act,” an Opportunity in America event EOP hosted in 2022 to explore how the NLRA could be updated and strengthenedt to support workers’ right to organize and join a union.

This article discusses the growing use of subcontracting work in the tech industry and the negative consequences this “fissuring” has had on job quality for workers.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act made it illegal to discriminate in employment decisions on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or religion. Despite this, however, racial and gender wage gaps persist, discrimination still limits opportunity for many, and harassment continues to make many workplaces unproductive and unsafe. In this event, panelists discuss ongoing progress to realize equal opportunity at work, given the ever increasing diversity of the workforce. As we look to address the issues of today, and build toward a better future, what can we learn from the history and legacy of Title VII?

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 established the federal minimum wage and overtime pay, created a standard work week, and prohibited children’s employment in dangerous conditions. But the FLSA doesn’t cover everyone — the legacy of biases against professions largely occupied by women and people of color — and it has suffered setbacks over the years. In this event, panelists discuss what what lessons we can learn from the FLSA, innovations to create a more just economy that rewards work fairly, and how we can restore the commitment to a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.

In recent years, headlines have been filled with stories of workers from various industries on strike and attempting to unionize. The roots of these efforts lie with workers in the 1800s and early 1900s who first attempted to organize and used strikes to protest low wages and poor working conditions. Those early labor movements contributed to the passage of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935, which gave workers the right to organize into unions and made it the official policy of the US to encourage collective bargaining. Although union membership surged after its passage, the NRLA had less of an impact for women and people of color, whose main occupations in agricultural and domestic work were deliberately excluded from the law, exclusions that still negatively affect millions of workers today. And the impact of NRLA in supporting collective bargaining has also waned over time, as membership declined from 35% of wage and salary workers in 1954 to just 10% in 2022. As panelists discuss in this event, the future of work and job quality rests in part on workers having the ability to influence their work and workplace, and the NLRA provides the legal foundation for workers’ right to exercise that agency. As we look to shape the future of work, what lessons can we learn from the NLRA’s history, impact and effectiveness today?

In “To Build Back Better, Job Quality is the Key,” Maureen Conway (The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program), Jeannine LaPrad (Corporation for a Skilled Workforce), Amanda Cage (National Fund for Workforce Solutions), and Sarah Miller (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta) make the case that improving job quality should be a central goal of economic recovery and rebuilding efforts, and they lay out practical policy ideas toward that end. The report includes a framework illustrating the multiple dimensions of job quality and outlines the variety of institutions and organizations that can play a role in improving job quality. Particular attention is given to the role of federal policy and to the practices of local governments, economic development, and workforce development organizations.

While California boasts a strong economy by many measures of growth, too many Californians have not enjoyed the benefits of the state’s broader economic success and the extraordinary wealth generated. As the nation grapples with demographic and geographic economic inequities that have been growing over the first two decades of the 21st century, and that have been exacerbated in this time of national crisis, what does the Golden State plan to do so that workers of every race, ethnicity, geography and gender have what they need to support themselves and their families, and thrive now and in the future?

Established prior to the COVID crisis, California’s Future of Work Commission has been tasked with confronting this question. It aims to create a new social compact for California workers, based on an expansive vision for economic equity that takes work and jobs as the starting point. We invite you to join this discussion and hear firsthand what California is doing to build a brighter future of work.