Now Open for Business: The Workers Lab’s New Technology Division

 We’re thrilled to announce that we have made incredible strides with our new technology division at The Workers Lab, including securing two new client partnerships – with SEIU 503 and MLK Labor Center.

Last quarter, we shared news about our acquisition of WorkIt as a key step in scaling our technology-building capacity to help shape modern and inclusive systems that serve all workers in this country, building on our strength as the national home for worker-centered innovation. 

Our expanded team of seasoned technologists, designers, and product specialists started in service as labor organizers and are committed to co-creating technology with workers and organizers. Our comprehensive suite of tools harnesses data to highlight and expose systemic workplace issues, empowering workers to learn about and enforce their rights, and generating new opportunities to connect and organize for meaningful change.

In an era of rapid technological advancement, including Generative AI, leveraging these tools for good to improve workers' lives and build trust in public institutions is critical. The Workers Lab is committed to giving new ideas for and with workers a chance to succeed. Our technology division will take on the risks of experimentation, ensuring thorough worker-centered input, evaluation, and testing before rollout.

These two newest client partnerships follow on the heels of four successful launches of proprietary technology products earlier this year:

	An upgraded version of the Aged Care Watch platform that helped win the big pay raise in Australia for aged care workers.
	Shift Change to help track wage theft and harassment in the hospitality sector in Chicago.
	A portal for United Farm Workers to help streamline their membership program.
	Safety Protections in Occupation Tool (SPOT) with UC Merced Community and Labor Center to support and coordinate farmworker health and safety enforcement.

By securing new partnerships and leveraging cutting-edge technology like Generative AI, our technology division is dedicated to designing, developing, and delivering tools that put power in the hands of workers.

We are so proud and excited to announce that our technology team is officially open for business and in search of client partners looking to build technology for and with workers.

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

SEIU Local 503 provides valuable services to workers doing more than 500 different jobs in 85 state, local government, and non-profit agencies and care facilities. The Workers Lab’s partnership with SEIU Local 503 will support the launch of a new member chatbot for their 72,000 members working across Oregon State offices to ask contract-related questions and connect directly with their union in a streamlined, mobile-first way. The Workers Lab will be leveraging Generative AI to customize, train, and provide pro-worker support to their members.

MLK Labor, an affiliate with the National AFL-CIO, is the central body of labor organizations in King County, Washington. Our partnership with MLK Labor Center will leverage technology to re-imagine their union jobs platform – offering workers a new, more modern, accessible, and inclusive pathway to high-road careers with dignity on the job while helping employers recruit and retain qualified workers across Seattle.