Research Strategies for Ballot Initiative Campaigns

Workshop Description:

This workshop will provide an introduction to ballot initiatives as both a path to winning pro-worker policy and an effective campaign tool. It will be led by researchers from SEIU United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU UHW), a healthcare workers union of over 120,000 members which has led ballot initiative campaigns for over ten years, including the current California Billionaire Tax Act. This workshop will go over the role that researchers play in a ballot initiative campaign, from idea generation to campaign execution. Finally, we will complete an interactive activity to give attendees a chance to practice the research skills needed to develop and implement a ballot initiative campaign.

Workshop Leaders:

Youjin B. Kim is a Senior Research Specialist at SEIU-UHW. With a primary focus on data and policy analysis, her work has supported major ballot initiative campaigns, including California’s $15 minimum wage, the billionaires’ wealth tax, and fair pricing for dialysis. Youjin holds a PhD in Urban Planning and Public Policy from the University of California, Irvine, where she was a researcher at its Labor Center, a head steward and unit chair for UAW2865, and a worker-organizer with Student Researchers United-UAW. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, she was a policy analyst at Demos, a public policy organization in New York City, working on voting rights and election law research.

Bernadette King Fitzsimons is a Research Analyst at SEIU UHW. Her work includes employer research in the healthcare industry, as well as research to support SEIU UHW’s policy and ballot initiative work. She has also researched and written on the intersection of unions and worker ownership. Her work has appeared in Labor Notes, Nonprofit Quarterly, and the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee Blog. She is currently pursuing an M.A. in Labor Studies at the City University of New York School of Labor and Urban Studies.