The Los Angeles Post

California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and 61 Community-Based Organizations Across California to Launch Worker Week of Action

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SACRAMENTO – The California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) today announced the upcoming Worker Week of Action as part of their California COVID-19 Workplace Outreach Project (CWOP). The weeklong affair aims to help workers understand how to continue to stay safe at this stage of the pandemic by providing outreach and education on workplace health & safety, worker leave and pay benefits, including 2022 supplemental paid sick leave, and anti-retaliation protections.

 

“As part of our Safer at Work campaign to reach workers most at-risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, LWDA has funded over 60 organizations in key regions of California,” said Natalie Palugyai, Secretary of the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency. These trusted messengers have augmented greatly our ability to reach and educate Californians on the protections and benefits to keep the workplace safe. The Week of Action is an opportunity to bring attention to the protections that remain in effect at this point of the pandemic and which are necessary to ensure our workforce knows that their workplaces can be safer from COVID-19.”

 

LWDA and 61 community-based organizations are joining forces with several other agencies including the California’s Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, California’s Department of Public Health, and the National Labor Relations Board to plan and execute the Worker Week of Action. Set to take place from March 7 to March 13, the Worker Week of Action will target seven regions with a higher concentration of at-risk workers. Multiple in-person and virtual events, such as vaccine and testing clinics, resource fairs, training opportunities, and caravans, are scheduled throughout the week to engage workers and help to clarify and increase accessibility to state and regional educational information, resources, and paths of intervention.

 

“An essential part of our mission is to provide outreach and education to workers about their rights, and to employers about their responsibilities. This is more important than ever,” said DIR Director Katie S. Hagen. “Partnerships with community-based organizations in California help us reach workers, to ensure they are aware of their protections and benefits, and to keep them safe on the job.”

 

“Community collaborations are critical to regaining public’s trust, said Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower. “As trusted partners, community-based organizations are a bridge to reach vulnerable communities and ensure they obtain information about workplace protections like Supplemental Paid Sick Leave.”

 

This effort is a part of the CWOP, a statewide outreach effort led by LWDA and selected community organizations to conduct outreach and educate workers and employers in higher-risk industries on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. Since February 2021, the CWOP campaign has tracked nearly 1.3 million interactive engagements with workers across the state via outreach efforts like events, trainings, booths and informational flyer distributions, community canvassing, phone and text banking, and door-to-door outreach.

 

The Worker Week of Action will commence on Monday, March 7 with a roundtable event in Sacramento featuring Labor Secretary Natalie Palugyai, DIR Director Katie Hagen, Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower, and California Labor Federation organizing director Aly Young. For a complete list of events and participating CWOP organizations, please visit SaferAtWork.ca.gov.