State and Local Enforcement Project - Cities and Localities

Reports

Jane Flanagan and Terri Gerstein, State and local labor standards enforcement during COVID-19, Economic Policy Institute and Harvard Labor and Worklife Program, April 28, 2020.
Terri Gerstein and LiJia Gong, The role of local government in protecting workers’ rights, Economic Policy Institute, Harvard Labor and Worklife Program, Local Progress, June 13, 2022. Related: One page checklist on how local government can advance workers’ rights
Terri Gerstein, How district attorneys and state attorneys general are fighting workplace abuses, Economic Policy Institute and Harvard Labor and Worklife Program, May 17, 2021.
How States and Cities Can Respond to Workers’ Demands for Economic Security, Health and Safety Protections and Workplace Democracy, EARN Network of Economic Policy Institute and National Employment Law Project, December 17, 2020.
Jane Flanagan, Terri Gerstein, and Patricia Smith, How States and Localities Can Protect Workplace Safety and Health, Harvard Labor and Worklife Program and National Employment Law Project, May 15, 2020.
Jane Flanagan and Terri Gerstein, State and local labor standards enforcement during COVID-19, Economic Policy Institute and Harvard Labor and Worklife Program, April 28, 2020.

Op-eds, blog posts, articles

Terri Gerstein and LiJia Gong, The Growing Role of Localities in the United States in Enacting and Enforcing Protections for Gig Economy Workers, Competition Policy International, TechREG Chronicle, July 20, 2022.
Terri Gerstein and LiJia Gong, Cities are leading in efforts to advance workers’ rights, Mayors Innovation Project blog, July 5, 2022.
Terri Gerstein and LiJia Gong, How Local Governments Are Advancing Workers’ Rights, and Why Even More Should Get Involved, Route Fifty, June 28, 2022.
Terri Gerstein and LiJia Gong, Local governments stepping in to bolster workers’ rights, Economic Policy Institute Working Economics blog, June 13, 2022.
Terri Gerstein, Worker Safety Standard Enforcement Policies, Local Progress Dare to Imagine Briefing, January 19, 2021.

Webinar

Laboratories of Experimentation: Local Governments at the Forefront of Advancing Workers’ Rights, October 12, 2022, featuring Boston Mayor Michelle Wu; New York City Comptroller Brad Lander; Durham City Council Member Jillian Johnson; Seattle City Council Member Teresa Mosqueda; SEIU 32BJ General Counsel Katchen Locke; Local Progress Policy Director LiJia Gong; and Director of State and Local Enforcement Project (Harvard Labor and Worklife Program) Terri Gerstein. Hosted by Harvard Labor and Worklife Program and Local Progress.

Law Review Article

Terri Gerstein, State and Local Workers’ Rights Innovations: New Players, New Laws, New Methods of Enforcement, 65 St. Louis U. L.J. 45 (2021).

Select news coverage about the trend of cities and localities getting involved in workers’ rights

Report: Public development subsidy deals should guarantee better jobs, working conditions, Erik Gunn, November 29, 2022.
How do gig workers fit in to the rest of today’s labor force? David Brancaccio and Jarrett Dang, Marketplace, Aug. 31, 2022.
In the Face of Federal Inaction, Local Governments Tackle Labor Issues, Mark Kreidler, The American Prospect, July 19, 2022.
Local Governments Mobilize to Support Working Citizens, Carl Smith, Governing Magazine, July 14, 2022.
Local Policies Fill the Gaps in Workplace Protections Where State, Fed Laws Fail, Fisayo Okare, Documented, June 16, 2022.

Materials about state preemption of local laws

Julia Wolfe et al., Preempting progress in the heartland, Economic Policy Institute, October 14, 2021.
Hunter Blair et al., Preempting progress, Economic Policy Institute, September 30, 2020.
Fighting Labor Policy Preemption That Undermines Local Power and the Democratic Process, National Employment Law Project, October 27, 2022.

Workers’ Rights Roundup

This monthly collaboration between Local Progress and the Center for Labor and a Just Economy will collect and highlight some of the most exciting workers’ rights developments coming from local governments—large and small.