The 2020 Action Plan
In June 2020, the Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California, Berkeley published a report titled Putting California on the High Road: A Jobs and Climate Action Plan for 2030 (2020 Action Plan). The 2020 Action Plan identifies industry sectors, such as drayage and short-haul trucking, that pose challenges to attaining California’s clean air objectives. The 2020 Action Plan faults drayage and short-haul trucking as high-risk subsectors for labor abuses, such as misclassification, unpaid wages, and denial of unemployment benefits, workers’ compensation, or disability benefit. The intent of AB 794 (2021) is to implement the 2020 Action Plan’s recommendations for high-road job development and working conditions.
AB 794 (2021) proposes workforce standards that do the following:
- Create high-quality jobs.
- Prepare workers with the skills needed to adapt to new zero- and low-emissions technologies.
- Broaden career opportunities for workers from disadvantaged communities.
- Support workers whose jobs may be at risk. (Health & Saf. Code, § 39680 et seq.)