Technology
for the Labor
Movement

Co-building and testing proprietary
worker-centered solutions.

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Since 2017, The Workers Lab has partnered with the public, private, and philanthropic sectors to co-build and test proprietary technology solutions for and with workers and the labor movement.

 

Our digital products have supported:

44+

partnerships across private, public, and philanthropic sectors

3 Million+

workers across 13 industries with low wages

1000+

organizers and worker leaders across the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand

We co-design, develop, and deliver technology that puts power in the hands of workers.

AI Supported Infrastructure

Our AI chatbots provide 24/7 personalized help and resources for workers trying to make sense of complex contract and policy documents while connecting them to useful resources and support.

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Case Study

  • SEIU Local 503 recently introduced a member chatbot to more than 400 worker leaders, achieving an adoption rate of over 77%.
    • 24/7 Support: AI handles routine queries, freeing staff time for other complex issues. 
    • Users reported high satisfaction with the chatbot’s information on issues including contract questions, benefits, and workplace health and safety.

Data & Insights Visualization

Our Issue Tracker improves access to data on the issues affecting low-wage workers, empowering them to take action and share their stories. It creates data visualization of worker reports, offering insights into industry trends and worksite hotspots.

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Case Study

  • By collecting and visualizing worker stories of the effects of understaffing in the aged care industry in Australia, the Aged Care Watch platform helped win a historic $7.5B pay rise for aged care workers.
    • Aged Care Watch collected 11,162 reports from workers, residents, and families across Australia, providing concrete evidence of industry issues.
    • An interactive map shows widespread participation, covering all of Australia's populated coastal regions and increasing the visibility of sector challenges.

Enforcement Support

Our enforcement tools help workers report violations, streamline the collection of evidence, auto-populate complaint forms, and track outcomes more efficiently.

Hazard report

Case Study

  • SPOT Safety is a hazard reporting system in partnership with UC Merced Community and Labor Center to support and coordinate farmworker health and safety enforcement in California's Central Valley.
    • Enables farmworkers to easily report health and safety hazards they encounter.
    • Coordinates enforcement efforts across multiple agencies and stakeholders to enhance workplace safety in agriculture.

What You Can Expect From Being a Partner

 

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We invite our partners to dream big, using our deep labor experience and technical expertise to craft a strategic roadmap aligned with your vision.

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Our commitment to exceptional customer service reflects our deep investment in a shared vision of success: building power for and with workers.

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We build trust through proven results, functioning more like your in-house tech team than an external provider.

We Collaborate With

  • Government agencies shaping labor policies and protecting workers' rights.
  • Policymakers that need data-driven insights to inform more equitable and effective labor legislation.
  • Unions and worker centers seeking to leverage cutting-edge technology to support their organizing, power-building, and narrative change work.
  • Academic institutions that conduct rigorous research and develop evidence-based solutions for worker challenges.
    Industry leaders that promote fair labor practices and worker-centered innovations.
  • Mission-driven enterprises that want to see their business make a difference in workers' lives.

Past partners include states, cities, workforce boards, unions, grassroots worker and labor centers, community-based organizations, research and academic institutions, and mission-driven private companies.

States, cities, and local government agencies

  • New Jersey Future of Work Accelerator
  • Alabama Department of Labor
  • Louisiana Workforce Commission
  • The City of Long Beach Economic Development Department Workforce Development Bureau

Unions & membership organizations

  • National Domestic Workers Alliance
  • MLK Labor
  • SEIU 503
  • United Farm Workers
  • Philadelphia Drivers Union
  • Massachusetts Immigrant Collaborative
  • American Federation of Teachers Texas
  • American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts
  • United Workers Union (Casino, HospoVoice, Homecare)
  • Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA)
  • Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE)
  • NYSUT
  • Illinois Education Association
  • Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT)
  • Chicago Teachers Union (CTU)
  • UFCW 3000
  • South Australian Salaried Medical Officers Association
  • New South Wales Nurses and Midwives_ Association
  • Queensland Nurses and Midwives_ Association copy

Grassroots worker centers, labor centers & community-based organizations

  • Workers Defense (Defensa Laboral)
  • Workers Strength Fund
  • One Fair Wage
  • UpTogether_
  • Gig Workers Rising_
  • Adelante Alabama Worker Center
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  • Warehouse Workers Resource Center
  • Athena Coalition
  • United for Respect
  • Organizers in the Land of Enchantment
  • Center for Popular Democracy
  • Green Workers Alliance
  • Surivivors Know
  • Chaad

Research institutions, academic institutions & mission-driven private companies

  • UCLA Labor Center
  • UC Merced Community and Labor Center
  • SteadyIQ
  • Canary Benefits, Inc_
  • Columbia University, Sociology
  • Rutgers University, Sociology
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan Business School
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Through our Design Sprints and strategic projects, we collaborate across sectors to co-design, develop, and implement solutions that drive meaningful change for workers.

Strategic & Technical Consulting

We meet capacity-building needs such as worker-centered research, rapid prototyping, product design, roadmap development, and technical strategy or assessments.

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Case Study

  • Our 2021 partnership with the New Jersey Future of Work Accelerator built a model for how state governments can invest directly in worker-led and worker-centered solutions.
    • 9-month program supporting innovations for New Jersey workers' health, safety, and benefits.
    • Offers custom coaching, expert connections, and funding introductions to participants.
    • Open to startups, non-profits, public sector entities, unions, and grassroots organizations.

Custom Software Development

We build custom applications for worker-centered institutions, organizations, and enterprises to streamline their specific organizing, advocacy, and member services needs.

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Case Study

  • A portal for United Farm Workers to help streamline their membership program.
    • Streamlines membership management processes, improving efficiency and accuracy.
    • Simplifies member registration and renewal procedures.
    • Provides easy access to important union information and resources for members.
  • Our 2020 Design Sprint on Unemployment Insurance led to the founding of SteadyIQ, and a worker-informed tech solution called the "Income Passport" designed to improve gig workers' access to safety net benefits.

Software Licensing

We partner with worker-centered institutions, organizations, and enterprises to leverage our suite of software applications to enhance communication and coordination.

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Case Study

  • Our Issue Tracker improves access to data on the issues affecting low-wage workers, empowering them to take action and share their stories. 
    • Create data visualization of worker reports, offering organizations insight into industry trends and worksite hotspots.
    • Applications are designed to enhance communication and coordination in labor organizations.
    • Licensing allows for quick deployment, reducing costly custom development and time-to-implementation for partners.

Cross-Sector Leadership

We partner with government, policymakers, and leaders across sectors, including academic and research institutions to enact change in the service of workers.

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Case Study

Strategic Incubation

We understand that new solutions often need a jump start and more intensive support.

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Case Study

  • Our 2018 incubation of Canary Benefits, Inc., a social enterprise working with employers to provide emergency cash to their employees, led to the delivery of dignified, equitable employee relief grants to the global workforce.

  • Our 2017 Design Sprint on Emergency Cash led to the 2019 pilot of The Workers Strength Fund, which made $1,000 in emergency cash available to gig workers.

Want to know how our technology products and services can support your organization?

Fill out this form to speak to a member of our technology team.

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Pioneering Worker-Centered Technology

At The Workers Lab, we believe modern and inclusive systems for all workers are achieved through worker-centered design. Together, we are co-building and testing tech products and services for and with workers.

Co-building worker-centered tech starts with being rooted in the experience and expertise of frontline community and grassroots organizers. Our goal is to modernize tech infrastructure for institutions, organizations, and enterprises working on improving the lives of workers.

Testing worker-centered tech demands lived experience, collaboration, and a willingness to take risks. We leverage our Google-inspired Design Sprint methodology to address complex labor challenges by prototyping solutions for and with workers. We partner across sectors and solve problems with discipline, elegance, and sophistication.

Workers are central to our process of innovation from start to finish. 

Stay updated about our technology products, services, and support offerings for your institution, organization, or enterprise. 

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Melissa Unger from SEIU Profile

“We are excited to be partnering with The Workers Lab to streamline how we provide info to our members in a new and innovative way.  By harnessing the power of Generative AI, we’ll be launching a new AI chatbot to make contract information easily accessible and personalized to our member’s needs."

- Melissa Unger, Executive Director, SEIU 503

 

Rigo Valdez

“We need to meet workers where they’re at. Now more than ever, that means on their laptops and phones. The development and integration  of worker-centered technology has allowed us to innovate barrier- breaking access to unionized positions in the Greater Seattle area.  We are proud to be collaborating with The Workers Lab’s technology team on our UnionHiringHall.org project.”

– Rigo Valdez, Presidents’ Organizing  Initiative Coordinator, MLK Labor Council

Investing in new ideas that ensure all workers are safe, healthy, secure, and have power.