Researchers find that California’s tough labor laws aren’t protecting the majority of hourly workers
A new report by the Shift Project has found that California’s new strict labor laws are routinely broken and that there is a large under-reporting gap by workers who experience violations. California’s labor laws are some of the country’s toughest, offering hourly workers in the state high minimum wages, strict overtime protections, paid sick leave, and more. But researchers found that more than nine out of 10 of the hourly workers they surveyed experienced at least one labor violation and about two in five workers experienced a loss of earned income or were blocked from accessing paid sick leave. “These workers have been robbed, of their time and of their wages, but the vast majority do not come forward,” said Professor Daniel Schneider, the co-director of the Shift Project, which is based at HKS and the University of California-San Francisco. The researchers said their findings suggest that workers need more accessible ways to come forward without fear of retaliation. | 
