National Institute For Workers' Rights

What National Institute For Workers' Rights does

The National Institute for Workers' Rights (NIWR) is a 501(c)(3) public interest organization founded in 2008 as the related charitable arm of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA). Headquartered in Concord, California, with a Washington, DC office hosted at AFL-CIO, the organization operates with a 1-10 person staff and is led by inaugural Director Jason Solomon (appointed March 2023). NIWR functions as a research, policy, and education vehicle, not a service-delivery or technology company — its entire product surface is composed of research reports, fact sheets, policy briefs, and amicus/co-authored commentary, all freely distributed as downloadable PDFs through niwr.org.

NIWR's programmatic work concentrates on three focus areas: Economic Dignity (corporate accountability, anti-discrimination, DEI defense), Workplace Justice (forced arbitration, wage theft, NLRB enforcement), and the Future of Worker Advocacy (training and supporting the next generation of workers' rights attorneys, including via the Paul H. Tobias Attorney Fellowship). Notable research outputs include the 2024 Concerted Activities Report analyzing NLRB administrative law judge decisions from 2015-2020, the Forced Arbitration "Race to the Bottom" report, the Gig Economy By The Numbers report, and fact sheets on concerted activity developed with the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee. The organization has also engaged in corporate accountability campaigns, including joint advocacy with LatinoJustice PRLDEF urging CalPERS, NYCERS, and TRS to divest from Tesla, and opposition comments to the New York Public Service Commission on the Charter-Cox merger.

The business model is donation-based: NIWR is a tax-exempt nonprofit (EIN 26-2270705) that raises funds through Network for Good and other channels, including planned giving and cy pres designations. It does not sell products or services and does not disclose revenue figures. Customer segments are non-paying: individual workers, employment rights attorneys (via NELA), state and local policymakers, and partner advocacy organizations. Distribution is entirely digital and self-serve via the website, with amplification through email newsletters, earned media (e.g., Slate), and coalition partners. There is no disclosed technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and no mobile presence.

Name

National Institute For Workers' Rights

Legal name

National Institute for Workers' Rights

Website

https://niwr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The National Institute for Workers' Rights is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008 as the charitable arm of NELA, producing research reports, fact sheets, and policy briefs on workers' rights, economic dignity, and workplace justice for policymakers, advocates, and individual workers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Rights Advocacy and Research

NAICS

Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Contractor Compliance & Classification (IC vs Employee) (BPACAGAA)

Keywords

• Workers' rights research
• Labor policy advocacy
• Workplace justice education
• Employment law research
• NLRB enforcement analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and charitable contributions: The organization is a 501(c)(3) public interest organization (EIN 26-2270705) that raises funds through donations. The website features a donation portal through Network for Good (networkforgood.com/projects/65614-vision-action-invest-in-workers-rights).

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NIWR is a 501(c)(3) public interest organization that produces research reports, fact sheets, policy briefs, and educational materials on workers' rights, with a focus on economic dignity, workplace justice, and corporate accountability. It conducts original research on NLRB enforcement patterns, gig economy labor conditions, and forced arbitration, and translates legal analysis into accessible resources for workers, attorneys, advocates, and state and local policymakers.

Product overview

The National Institute for Workers' Rights (NIWR) is a non-profit advocacy organization that advances workers' rights through research, policy analysis, and educational resources. The organization produces reports (such as 'The Right to Talk to Co-Workers and Management About Working Conditions'), fact sheets on concerted activity rights, policy briefs on workplace justice and economic dignity, and corporate accountability resources. These publications work together to inform workers, advocates, and policymakers about employment rights, enforcement mechanisms, and strategies for improving working conditions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Right to Talk to Co-Workers and Management About Working Conditions: A Study of Enforcement at the NLRB A research report for workers' rights attorneys, advocates, and policymakers analyzing all NLRB administrative law judge decisions on concerted-activity retaliation complaints brought by individual workers between 2015 and 2020, and identifying factors that correlate with success or failure in retaliation cases.
• What is Concerted Activity Fact Sheet A fact sheet developed in partnership with the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee that provides guidance on understanding and exercising workers' right to concerted activity under federal law, intended for individual workers and organizers.
• Protecting A Worker's Right to Concerted Activity Fact Sheet A fact sheet for individual workers explaining their rights to engage in discussions about wages, hours, and working conditions and to join together to improve conditions through protected concerted action.
• Gig Economy By The Numbers Report A research report for workers, advocates, and policymakers providing statistical analysis of the gig economy workforce, including labor conditions and worker demographics.
• Forced Arbitration: A Race to the Bottom A research report for workers' rights attorneys, advocates, and policymakers examining forced arbitration practices, their prevalence in employment, and their impact on workers' ability to seek legal remedy.
• Workplace Discrimination in the Wake of Equal Opportunity Rollbacks Report A research report for policymakers, advocates, and attorneys examining workplace discrimination trends and the impact of equal opportunity rollbacks on corporate America, including the implications for DEI-related initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• 62% of individual non-union employees won reinstatement and backpay from NLRB administrative law judges when cases reached hearing, with 92% of decisions upheld on appeal
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIWR developed a fact sheet on concerted activity in partnership with EWOC, providing essential guidance on understanding and exercising workers' rights under federal law. The partnership combines EWOC's organizing expertise with NIWR's policy research capabilities.
• LatinoJustice PRLDEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIWR and LatinoJustice PRLDEF have jointly advocated for corporate accountability, including urging public pension funds (CalPERS, NYCERS, TRS) to divest from Tesla over discrimination concerns. They have also filed joint comments with the New York Public Service Commission opposing the Charter-Cox merger.
• Color of ChangemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIWR partnered with Color of Change to request IRS investigation of Goldman Sachs for potential tax compliance issues related to donor-advised funds and anti-diversity funding.
• National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIWR is the related charitable public interest organization of NELA. Founded in 2008, NIWR advances workers' rights through research, thought leadership, and education. NELA is the largest professional membership organization of lawyers who represent workers in employment, labor, and civil rights disputes.
• AFL-CIOminorOthersNIWR maintains a Washington, DC office at the AFL-CIO headquarters location, indicating an operational relationship with the labor federation.
• National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)majorOthersNIWR conducts research on NLRB enforcement patterns and advocates for increased NLRB funding and enforcement authority. The organization's concerted activities report analyzed NLRB administrative law judge decisions between 2015-2020.
• Democracy ForwardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIWR co-authored a blog post on disparate impact civil rights claims with Democracy Forward, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Legal Defense Fund.
• A Better BalanceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIWR, NELA, and A Better Balance filed a joint amicus brief with the Fourth Circuit in Shipton v. BGE on 'Honest Belief' doctrine issues.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• PolicyLink: PolicyLink is a national research-and-action institute advancing racial and economic equity. Partial overlap with NIWR's DEI and economic-dignity agenda, though broader across sectors beyond employment.
• Coworker.org: Coworker.org is a non-profit platform supporting worker-led organizing across the gig and traditional economies. Compares to NIWR's gig-economy research and worker-empowerment framing, but operates as a tech-enabled organizing platform rather than a policy shop.

Direct peers

• Jobs With Justice: Jobs With Justice is a coalition-based workers' rights advocacy organization linking labor unions with community allies. Comparable to NIWR's coalition-driven advocacy model and worker-center orientation, though it leans more on direct organizing than policy research.
• Interfaith Worker Justice: Interfaith Worker Justice is a non-profit network of worker centers, labor unions, and faith communities advancing worker rights. Comparable to NIWR's coalition model and worker-center roots, with broader religious-community reach.
• Economic Policy Institute: Economic Policy Institute is a non-profit think tank producing research on wages, labor markets, and economic inequality. Directly comparable to NIWR in research-driven policy advocacy, think-tank delivery model, and focus on issues including wage theft, NLRB enforcement, and worker power.
• National Employment Law Project: National Employment Law Project is a non-profit legal advocacy organization that advances workers' rights through policy reform, research, and litigation support for low-wage and vulnerable workers. Comparable to NIWR in mission, target beneficiary population, and reliance on policy research plus coalition advocacy.
• Center for Economic and Policy Research: CEPR is a non-profit economic policy think tank publishing research on labor, inequality, and social policy. Comparable to NIWR in policy-research delivery and worker-economics focus, though broader in issue scope.
• Workplace Fairness: Workplace Fairness is a non-profit dedicated to educating workers about their legal rights and combating workplace discrimination. Directly comparable to NIWR's fact-sheet-driven worker-education approach and individual-rights framing.
• A Better Balance: A Better Balance is a non-profit legal advocacy organization focused on workplace policies affecting working families. Comparable to NIWR in legal-policy research, amicus work (the two have jointly filed), and focus on under-enforced worker protections.

Regional players

• National Domestic Workers Alliance: National Domestic Workers Alliance is a non-profit advocacy organization for domestic and care workers, focused on labor standards and policy reform. Comparable to NIWR in policy advocacy for marginalized workers, though narrower in occupational focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/workersrightshq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Institute For Workers' Rights