Heller School Dean David Weil testified on March 20 at a joint hearing of the California Assembly and Senate on the future of work and its impacts on that state’s workforce. Weil was invited by the Chair of the California Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations, State Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena).
The Joint Hearing of the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee and the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee is called "The Future of Work: How Technology and Automation Impact Workers Rights and Job Quality" and will be held tomorrow, March 20, at 10am (PST).
Bradford called the hearing in order to understand the impact of artificial intelligence, automation, and the changing structure of work on the California labor force, economy and specific industries. Weil says, "In the absence of federal direction in the area of workplace policy, states across the country are grappling with how to respond to the changing nature of work, including the impacts of AI, robotics, and the restructuring of employment through business models that use digital platforms.”
Weil is an internationally recognized expert in employment and labor market policy with a specialty in the fissured workplace and its relationship to rising inequality. He previously served as administrator of the Wage and Hour Division at the U.S. Department of Labor under President Barack Obama.
In advance of the joint hearing, Weil recalls a quote by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, who famously referred to states as the "laboratories of democracy." Weil says, “At this moment in history, states across the country are playing the role of laboratory. Therefore, it is both important and fitting to participate in panels like that being held by the Joint Committee in exploring new approaches to workplace policy."
Listen to live audio of the joint committee hearing here.