…but nothing can be changed until it is faced. – James Baldwin

Among other things, 2020 has been a year of facing hard truths. Intersecting health, economic and racial justice crises have made clear that:

• Structural racism and sexism are embedded in, and reinforced by, our political and economic systems.
• The American narrative of individualism, and a decades-long disinvestment in the public sector, has crippled our ability to care for each other and the planet when we need it most.
• When everything breaks down, the workers we rely on to meet our basic needs are often afforded the least pay, safety, benefits and agency.

And the list goes on…

But change doesn’t come from awareness alone. It must be followed by bold ideas, and brave action.

Like front-line workers in essential jobs standing up to corporate employers, demanding adequate health protections in spite of the risk of retaliation, and family providers of subsidized child care in California unionizing for the first time ever , increasing their power to advocate for better pay and more funding for subsidies and training;

Women of color leaders in Hawai’i developing a groundbreaking, intersectional feminist economic recovery plan, including advocating that stimulus spending not just focus on cisgender male-dominated infrastructure jobs;

And the Roosevelt Institute releasing its True New Deal policy proposal, rich with transformative policy recommendations for a more equitable future.

Facing hard truths, generating bold ideas and taking brave action are all critical to realizing a diverse and equitable Bay Area. Read on for more examples of local leaders taking action, and for ways you can get involved!

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Since the last recession, the popular narrative on job quality in the Bay Area has centered around creative perks offered by tech companies. But the reality for most people is that work in our region has gotten unsustainably insecure, poorly compensated, and unsafe.

Now in the COVID era, job quality inequities are exacerbated. Many office workers have been able to adjust to the pandemic in a remote work setting, while workers now recognized as “essential” are called on to shoulder even more risk in order to continue earning a living. These low-paid retail, domestic work, healthcare, and hospitality workers are predominately women of color and immigrants.

Public, philanthropic, community and business leaders are actively engaging in conversations about economic recovery. And there is common agreement that for our region to thrive, we need to improve job quality for Bay Area workers, especially workers of color.

But where intention is strong, the details of how that change will happen are not as clear. Will it come from voluntary employer pledges, new forms of worker organizing, policy change, shifts in how workforce development programs engage employers?

For guidance on this question, we look to partners grappling with this challenge from many different seats at the table. As is our way, we start with workers.

• In the feature story of this month’s edition of The Forge focused on the future of the labor movement, economic justice leader Andrea Dehlendorf of United for Respect casts a compelling vision for a forward-looking labor movement rooted in racial, gender, immigrant and climate justice;
• We also turn to public workforce leaders like the San Diego Workforce Partnership who offers concrete suggestions to build job quality efforts into workforce development programs; and
• Pacific Community Ventures’ Good Jobs, Good Business model used to support small businesses in improving job quality for their workers.

Read on for more thought-provoking content, funding opportunities, job opportunities and more…

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