National Employment Law Project

09/10/2026

What do workers need now, and what will it take to build an economy that truly works for working people?

In September in Washington, D.C., NELP brought together advocates, experts, partners, and friends to dig into those questions and share ideas for what comes next.

We talked about strengthening unemployment insurance, building momentum toward living wages, improving enforcement of worker protections, and creating a future where good jobs are within reach for everyone.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and brought their ideas, energy, and expertise to the conversation. There’s much more to come!

16/09/2026

Please join NELP and The 75 Million Campaign for “Supporting Survivors: Strengthening Unemployment Insurance for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV),” a 1-hour webinar next Wednesday, September 23rd at 2 pm ET.

An expert panel of women leaders, moderated by NELP Senior Policy Fellow Michele Evermore, will include: Bella Book (Futures Without Violence), Julia Simon-Mishel (Philadelphia Legal Services) and Lisalyn Jacobs (Just Solutions).

Be sure to register today!
https://nelp.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__6CfgTHFT4GB6_hVinF9zQ #/registration

16/09/2026

"The foundations of economic security rest entirely on employment and job quality. As AI puts that structure under strain, we need to build the supports that keep shocks from becoming crises," writes NELP President & CEO Rebecca Dixon in Newsweek.

"When engineers see a bridge’s infrastructure is experiencing stress, they don’t wait for it to collapse before doing something."

04/09/2026

Please join NELP and The 75 Million Campaign for “Supporting Survivors: Strengthening UI for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV),” a 1-hour webinar on Wed Sept 23 at 2pm ET.

An expert panel of women leaders will describe what states can do to improve unemployment insurance to support survivors of IPV. Register today! https://bit.ly/4xUdlgO

19/08/2026

🎉 We are proud to announce another labor leader is joining our senior policy team!

Teresa Acuña has joined NELP as Visiting Fellow for Good Jobs Democracy. Teresa brings deep experience in developing and advancing pro-worker policies as a legislative director for members of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the California State Legislature, and more recently as the Director of the Good Jobs Initiative at the U.S. Department of Labor in the Biden-Harris administration.

Under the leadership of Acting Secretary Julie Su, Teresa helped shape the federal government's approach to ensuring that investment in infrastructure, clean energy, and manufacturing created high-quality jobs and expanded pathways into the middle class.

As Visiting Fellow for Good Jobs Democracy, Teresa will move NELP’s pioneering research and development of high-impact policy solutions into advocacy strategies that expand opportunity for all workers.

We're thrilled to have Teresa join us in turning policy ideas into tangible wins for workers and ensuring that every job is a good job.

17/08/2026

🎬 NOW STREAMING: NO SOMOS MÁQUINAS: WE ARE NOT MACHINES

We’re excited to announce that a film supported by NELP, No Somos Máquinas: We Are Not Machines is now available to stream on Prime Video, Tubi, and FawesomeTV — and is also available on DVD.

The documentary follows the staff and members of New Labor in New Jersey, sharing the voices of workers confronting the realities of temporary and subcontracted labor and showing how education, organizing, and collective action can empower workers to demand dignity, rights, and equity. The film brings audiences inside a worker-led movement for change.

🎬 WATCH: Access all of the links to stream and buy the DVD here: https://www.silentseaproductions.com/we-are-not-machines-film

🎓 FOR NONPROFITS, ORGANIZATIONS, LIBRARIES, AND UNIVERSITIES:
Educational distribution and licensing are available through Collective Eye Films:
https://www.collectiveeye.org/products/we-are-not-machines

Follow the film at: https://www.facebook.com/Wearenotmachinesdocumentary

06/08/2026

We cannot turn back the clock on workers’ rights.

For decades, workers have fought to win workplace civil rights protections and the ability to hold employers accountable for discrimination. New reporting from The Washington Post raises serious concerns that those hard-fought protections are at risk after the Trump administration has quietly blocked federal workers' discrimination claims from moving forward.

We cannot let decades of progress be undone. A good-jobs economy depends on strong enforcement, meaningful accountability, and equitable workplaces where everyone can work with dignity.

30/07/2026

Justice shouldn't be discounted, but for the last 30 years, federal caps on damages in workplace discrimination cases have done just that.

In a recent Bloomberg Government story, NELP’s Senior Policy Fellow Michele Evermore calls for an update to this policy and a federal fix for equal application across state lines.

Workers deserve laws that hold employers accountable and strengthen protections against workplace discrimination.

24/07/2026

Accessibility should be at the heart of our unemployment insurance system.

This Disability Pride Month, NELP’s Michele Evermore outlines practical steps to make unemployment insurance more accessible for workers with disabilities, while strengthening the program for everyone.

Currently, people with disabilities are more than twice as likely to experience unemployment as people without disabilities. That means we need a strong system that is there to support them.

From improving digital accessibility and simplifying applications, to expanding eligibility for workers who need part-time employment as an accommodation, Michele details essential reforms that would ensure more workers can access support, creating greater economic security for all.

20/07/2026

NELP Senior Staff Attorney Cassandra Gomez is featured in a new Labor Notes story on California stadium workers winning the right to strike if ICE threatens their safety.

Cassandra explains why this victory is so significant, calling it "an important tool to keep themselves and their communities safe" at a time when immigration enforcement tactics are creating fear for workers across the country.