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The State of California Labor 2004

November 17, 2004 -- The University of Californias Institute for Labor and Employment has just released its annual publication, "The State of California Labor," which examines key developments affecting the California workforce and is designed to inform and inspire public debate about critical issues facing the state. Nearly one hundred tables and figures support the discussion.

"Among those (broader economic policy) dilemmas is the unrelenting growth of inequality in the state and, especially, the continuing proliferation of low-wage jobs at the bottom of the labor market--a trend that, as previous issues of The State of California Labor have documented, is even more pronounced in California than it is in the United States as a whole." - Ruth Milkman, editor

The State of California Labor 2004

This 2004 edition examines issues that relate to the state`s lowest-paid workers, yet have implications for all Californians. Among these issues are the hidden costs to the state`s taxpayers as a result of unrestrained growth of low-wage jobs that offer few or no fringe benefits, survey findings regarding California`s new paid family leave law, and the transformation of low-wage jobs through unionization and political action into positions that provide a living wage.

Table of Contents
Part 1 Economic Inequality and Public Policy
The Hidden Public Costs of Low-Wage Jobs in California
Paid Family Leave in California: New Research Findings

Part 2 Unionization, Wages, and Job Quality
Upgrading Californias Home Care Workforce: The Impact of Political Action and Unionization
Immigration, Union Density, and Brown-Collar Wage Penalties

Part 3 Unions and Collective Bargaining Trends in California
Recent Developments in California Labor Relations

The University of California Press is one of the largest nonprofit publishers in the United States, introducing over 180 new books and 50 journals each year in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Founded in 1893, UC Press today attracts manuscripts from the world`s foremost scholars, as well as writers, artists, and intellectuals outside the scholarly community. For more information about UC Press publications or supporting membership opportunities, please visit www.ucpress.edu or www.californiajournals.com.