2009 Annual Report: Meeting a Year of Extraordinary Challenges With Real Solutions for Working Families

By almost any economic measure, 2009 was daunting for America’s working families. Unemployment rose to its highest level in decades and long-term joblessness broke new records almost every month. Job loss, though thankfully slowing recently, has been sustained and substantial. Wages and incomes are down. And the battering of the broader economy has reverberated within workplaces, as more and more employers cut corners on workers’ wages and other workplace standards.

The National Employment Law Project (NELP) responded to the crisis with a stepped-up program that, in partnership with our allies, has won important policy reforms and raised the profile of crucial economic and workplace problems and solutions. Throughout 2009, NELP kept a spotlight on policies and programs to create good jobs, strengthen upward mobility, enforce hard-won worker protections, and help unemployed workers maintain or regain their footing. Tens of millions of jobless workers and their families have already benefited from these efforts, and the policy framework we are promoting will help ensure a post-recovery economy built on good jobs that support families and sustain communities across America.

The overview in our PDF shares highlights of NELP’s activities and achievements throughout 2009.