Union-Curious Young Workers In Santa Cruz County

The Young Workers Survey was conducted with the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC), in collaboration with local unions (SEIU local 521 and Cabrillo College Federation of Teachers), Cabrillo Community College and community organizations. From March to July 2024, a team of 50 undergraduate students from UCSC and Cabrillo College surveyed over 2,200 18-34 year olds to gauge the well being and aspirations of young people living and working in Santa Cruz County.

This report highlights one finding of the survey: that many young people are “union-curious,” that is, they generally have positive views towards unions, but may also be uncertain if they would join a union, due to lack of experience or information regarding unions.

No Place Like Home Report

The No Place Like Home (NPLH) report is the culmination of a three-year mixed-method, multimedia research project, conducted by faculty and students at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and their community-based partners, with the goal of understanding the affordable housing crisis and its lessons for the region and beyond. 

Between 2016 and 2018, the research team surveyed tenants, interviewed a range of stakeholders, gathered photographic evidence of housing conditions, and researched historical trends and policy options.

This report synthesizes the research in three main areas: the roots of the crisis, its ramifications for different populations and geographies, and potentially impactful political and policy responses.

Graduate Student Cost of Living Calculator Report

Over the course of the Spring Quarter 2020, a team of faculty senate and graduate student researchers at UC Santa Cruz created a prototype for a Cost of Attendance and Living Calculator for graduate students [GCOAL Calculator]. 

The project was launched in response to a pressing need at UCSC and other UC campuses facing escalating housing costs: to establish affordability thresholds for graduate students, so as to better understand how much support they require in order to cover basic expenses while pursuing their degree. 

This report provides five recommendations for the Graduate GCOAL Calculator, and includes background information on the calculator’s creation and formulation via student profiles, analysis of other models, and focus group data. 

Working for Dignity: Low Wage Worker Study of Santa Cruz County Report

The Working for Dignity, The Santa Cruz County Low-Wage Worker Study report reveals the harsh realities of low-wage work, highlighting widespread workplace violations, including wage theft, unsafe conditions, discrimination, and retaliation against workers who assert their rights. 

The report underscores the persistent challenges faced by low-wage workers in Santa Cruz County, exacerbated by rising housing and living costs, particularly in areas close to Silicon Valley.

It also provides policy recommendations that address the study’s findings, focusing on enhancing job quality, eliminating precarious working conditions, enabling workers to attain a decent minimum standard of living, increasing wages, improving workplace protections, and strengthening worker education, advocacy, and bargaining capabilities.