The Workers Lab

The 2025 Innovation Fund Fellowship applications are officially OPEN! We're seeking early-stage innovators from across the country—entrepreneurs, worker-leaders, organizers, and technologists—who are creating what workers need to survive, adapt, and win.

Workers are once again being asked to absorb the cost of economic uncertainty. Delayed doctor visits. Debt. Multiple jobs just to cover the basics. These are the real outcomes when the systems meant to support workers keep failing them.

Bosses are calling it a "Gen Z problem." We're calling it what it is — a system failure. 6 in 10 employers fired a recent college grad shortly after hiring them. Locking a generation out of work isn't a solution. Workers need real onboarding, mentorship, and protections.

A healthcare worker is assaulted in Massachusetts every 36 minutes. Nurses get punched, threatened with guns, and called human punching bags while caring for patients. Healthcare workers deserve to feel safe in the workplace. wbur.org/news/2026/03/1…

Workers still can't afford basic necessities despite the current administration claiming "the economy is roaring back." Everything is going up while wages stay flat. Workers deserve to earn a living wage that supports their families. theguardian.com/business/2026/…

Economists expected 60,000 jobs gained in February. Instead, the U.S. lost 92,000. The workers hit hardest are the same workers our systems have always failed — workers of color, immigrant workers, and women holding this country together without a union, benefits, or protection.

Gen Z chased job security in pharmacy, biology, and teaching. This caused a rack up in debt for degrees, and they now earn $50k, a salary below the national median. fortune.com/2026/03/06/wor…

Women have always been at the forefront of the labor movement — and they still are. This Women's History Month, we're celebrating the women workers, organizers, and innovators who refuse to accept the status quo and are building something better for all of us.

Before the Iran conflict even hit, the U.S. had already lost 92,000 jobs in February — the third loss in five months. 330,000 federal workers have disappeared from payrolls since October. The crisis didn't start with the conflict. It was already here. theguardian.com/business/2026/…

The Supreme Court struck down Trump's tariffs, opening the door to $175B in potential refunds. Small businesses say they'll never see the money, with legal hurdles delaying payouts for years while costs stay high. theguardian.com/us-news/2026/m…

1 in 3 teachers works a second job just to survive. They spend thousands of their own dollars on classroom supplies, grade papers at midnight, and drive Uber on weekends. The American Dream doesn't cover the classroom. fortune.com/2026/03/04/tea…

AI isn't coming for experienced workers. It's coming for the ones who just graduated. Gen Z workers hit hardest by AI job losses. Employment down 20% for young workers in tech and finance. Experience now matters more than education. fortune.com/2026/03/04/gen…

Workers at 20 major corps earn so little they need food stamps and Medicaid. CEOs make millions while taxpayers subsidize their payroll. theguardian.com/business/2026/…

Green card holders just lost access to small business loans for the first time in SBA history. Trump's billionaire appointee is cutting off legal immigrants who've been building businesses in America for decades. theguardian.com/us-news/2026/m…

truthout.org/articles/low-w… #WorkerPower #EconomicJustice #CorporateAccountability #LaborRights #WorkerCenteredInnovation #LivingWage #SafetyNet #FutureOfWork

The biggest food stamp abusers aren't workers. They're S&P 500 corporations paying poverty wages, then collecting billions when their own workers spend food assistance at their stores. The problem isn't SNAP. It's poverty wages.

A top tech investor warns that workers who went to college for "safe" careers are most at risk from AI. Once labeled safe and stable careers, lawyers, accountants, and software engineers are now among the most vulnerable to AI disruption. fortune.com/2026/03/03/ven…

A new study exposes how immigrant workers face discrimination and harassment while powering essential businesses. Despite exploitation, workers are building cross-cultural solidarity on the job. lapublicpress.org/2026/02/koreat…

The Workers Lab developed LabReport, an AI tool that exposed how website architecture is being used to enforce executive orders without legislative oversight. More than 70% of edits happened within 30 days of related orders hiding worker rights. Read the full analysis.

Federal websites aren't just getting "streamlined"—they're being weaponized. Since January 2025, more than 8,000 federal sites have been taken down and thousands of datasets removed theworkerslab.com/updates/when-w…

Now, labor unions and tenants are joining forces in one of the most powerful displays of collective action. inthesetimes.com/article/ice-mi…

ICE raids affect entire communities. In Minnesota, immigrant workers have lost an estimated $47M in wages, pushing families to the edge of eviction. #WorkerPower #LaborRights #ImmigrantWorkers #HousingJustice