As Labor Day approaches, a new report, State of the Unions: california Labor in 2024, from researchers at the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) and the UC berkeley Labor Center, offers insights into the state’s labor landscape.The study analyzes the latest data on union density, member demographics, and organizing activities in California and across the nation.

The report also includes case studies showcasing worker victories in the fast-food, warehousing, and agriculture sectors. It paints a picture of a vibrant labor movement in california, supported by state policies and focused campaigns.

Key findings of the report include:

• California’s union representation remains stable, contrasting with a national downward trend.
• Union membership varies across California,with areas like greater Oxnard,Stockton,and Riverside showing higher concentrations.
• California’s labor movement is active, with unions and worker centers engaging in over 200 strikes or protests in 2024, averaging nearly one every other day.
• California union members mirror the state’s diverse population, with critically important representation from Black, Latino, and white workers, though young workers and AAPI workers are underrepresented.
• California policies have played a crucial role in worker successes in the fast food, warehousing, and agriculture industries.

“We are just beginning to feel the effects of recent political shifts across the nation on working Californians and the labor movement,” said Justin McBride, project director of the UCLA IRLE’s Strategic Research Lab and a co-author of the report. “Our report provides baseline data as we continue to assess how dramatic changes in national policies around immigration, international trade, and labor law will affect California’s unions and workers.”

“Unions are proving resilient and determined, organizing workers across California despite steep challenges like housing costs, health care, and new technologies,” said Enrique Lopezlira, director of the UC Berkeley Labor Center‘s Low-Wage Work Program and a co-author of the report. “We’re also seeing real momentum and new opportunities to grow union power.”

“Unions are proving resilient and determined, organizing workers across California despite steep challenges like housing costs, health care, and new technologies.”