Contract Work: The Gap in Tech’s Shadow Workforce – Recording

February 17, 2022

Through the Contract Worker Disparity Project, we’ve found that contract workers are more likely to be paid less and have less access to benefits and protections, despite performing similar work to direct employees. They also tend to be Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, women, and nonbinary people. The result of these disparities? A widening of racial and gender income gaps.

These wage disparities and precarious working conditions have been years in the making in the tech industry, and it’s going to take bold solutions to close the gap. On Thursday, February 17th at 12pm PT/3pm ET we learned about how we can end these racial and class divisions in contract work and set an example for contracting practices across the economy.

The webinar was co-hosted by the Kapor Center (a funder of this work) and was moderated by Samantha Gordon, SVP of Programs at TechEquity Collaborative. Panelists included:

  • Hannah Holloway, Senior Policy Manager at TechEquity Collaborative
  • Mariko Yoshihara, Policy Director and Legislative Counsel at California Employment Lawyers Association
  • Dave DeSario, Director at Temp Worker Justice
  • Christopher Colley, Contract Worker and Alphabet Workers Union Member

We were also be joined by State Senator Monique Limón, who gave insights into the labor policy she’s working on this year.

Agenda

  • Webinar kicked off at 12:00 PM
  • Panel discussion began at 12:05 PM
  • Keynote address from Senator Limón at 12:30 PM
  • Q&A from attendees from 12:40-1:00 PM

This webinar was hosted on Zoom.

About the Kapor Center

The Kapor family of organizations works to remove barriers to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education and tech careers for underrepresented people of color. We take a comprehensive approach to fixing the leaks at every stage of the tech pipeline, from K-12 education through the workplace with education programs, advocacy, and social impact investing. To learn more visit kaporcenter.org and follow @KaporCenter.

About the Speakers

Hannah Holloway is a policy professional who works to transform systems of power through anti-racist policymaking. She believes that communities will work for everyone when those who have been under-served are the ones doling out seats at the table and setting the agenda. 

Hannah previously worked for a civil rights organization where she helped craft the Portland, Oregon Fair Access in Renting policy that prevents rental discrimination. Most recently, Hannah worked to redistribute $15M from inequitable policing systems into community programs as Senior Policy Advisor to Portland City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly.  

In 2019, Hannah was appointed to the Oregon Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, where she worked with a team of civil rights experts to advise the federal agency on emergent civil rights matters in the state.

Mariko Yoshihara is the Policy Director and Legislative Counsel for the California Employment Lawyers Association. In her role, she leads and organizes legislative efforts to strengthen workers’ rights in California.  In 2018, she helped pass comprehensive sexual harassment reform measures, giving California the strongest sexual harassment laws in the nation.  She also helped pass the landmark Fair Pay Act in 2015 and subsequent equal pay legislation banning inquiries into prior salary and requiring large employers to submit pay data reports to the state. Last year she helped pass SB 1383 (Jackson), giving over 6 million more workers the right to take job-protected family leave.  

Before joining CELA, Mariko interned for the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee, analyzing labor and employment law bills for the California state legislature.  She also worked for Assembly Member Swanson and Assembly Member Fuentes as a legislative aide.  Mariko graduated cum laude from UC Hastings College of the Law and summa cum laude from San Jose State University where she also played Division I soccer.  Mariko serves on the boards of ACLU of Northern California and ACLU California Action.  She was also the founding board chair of the Sacramento non-profit, the Center for Workers’ Rights. In her spare time Mariko likes to cook, travel, run and play soccer and volleyball.

Christopher Colley is a data annotator and member of the Alphabet Workers Union working at Google contractor RaterLabs. Over the last seven years, he has worked in a contract role for multiple tech companies and experienced systemic exploitation of remote workers.

Dave Desario is the Director of Temp Worker Justice. Dave has been a temporary worker many times over and his experiences led him to become an advocate for others. While working as a temp in 2009 he created the leading website for information on temp staffing issues, connecting with hundreds of temps across the country to provide resources and referrals. Dave is a member of the NIOSH NORA Services Sector Committee advising on government research priorities related to safety in staffing, on the Organizing Committee of the Temp Worker Union Alliance Project, and is the creator of the award-winning documentary about temp work A Day’s Work (2015). He has used the film in education, training, and outreach with more than 150 national and local organizations as he has worked to build capacity for collective action on temp staffing issues.