Center for Workers’ Rights

What Center for Workers’ Rights does

The Center for Workers' Rights (CWR) is a Sacramento-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal services organization founded in August 2014 by Mariko Yoshihara and Daniela Urban. It provides free legal representation, advice, and education to low-wage workers in California regardless of immigration status, with particular focus on undocumented immigrants, women, caregivers, LGBTQ workers, and other vulnerable populations facing workplace abuse. The service portfolio spans one-on-one Workers' Rights Clinics, Know Your Rights trainings (in-person and virtual), wage recovery, unemployment insurance appeals before the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, and representation in administrative discrimination, retaliation, and harassment claims.

Service delivery is built on a lean paid staff of 1–10 employees — including the Executive Director, an Outreach Manager, and Program Administrators — augmented by volunteer law students from UC Davis School of Law and McGeorge School of Law. CWR supports communication in 8+ languages (English, Spanish, Armenian, Arabic, Korean, Punjabi, Tagalog, Vietnamese) through bilingual staff and interpreters. The organization does not deploy proprietary technology; its operational backbone is human legal expertise, a bilingual hotline, and a multilingual website. Geographic scope is fixed to California, with claims required to have arisen in California.

CWR's business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating. Income is sourced from individual and institutional donations, government grants (including pandemic-era EDD-related funding), and cy pres residual funds from class action litigation, for which CWR is an approved recipient in central and northern California. All services are provided at no charge to workers. Outreach and intake are community-led, leveraging partnerships with CLIWA (a statewide coalition of 60+ worker-advocacy organizations), the Sacramento Central Labor Council, the Mexican Consulate, La Familia Counseling Center, UC Davis, and McGeorge. Notable outcomes include a July 2021 EDD settlement that disbursed over $600 million to 300,000 unemployment insurance claimants and a 2022 $1.3 million wage-theft judgment against Sacramento residential care facilities. As of March 2025, co-founder and Executive Director Daniela Urban announced a leadership transition while remaining involved in legal programs.

Name

Center for Workers’ Rights

Legal name

Center for Workers' Rights

Website

https://rightscenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Workers' Rights is a Sacramento-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free legal services, education, and policy advocacy to low-wage and immigrant workers in California facing wage theft, unemployment insurance barriers, discrimination, or retaliation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Labor Unions and Similar Labor Organizations (813930)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAAAD

Employment & Labor Law

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Legal Services

SECONDARYBPAGAFAH

Labor, Worker Rights & Employment Policy Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

Keywords

• Workers' rights legal services
• Wage theft recovery
• Unemployment insurance advocacy
• Immigrant worker support
• Nonprofit legal aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual and Institutional Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, foundations, and institutional donors to support free legal services and community programs
2. Government Funding: Pandemic-related government funding to expand community engagement during COVID-19
3. Cy Pres Awards: Residual funds from class action litigation directed to nonprofit organizations providing civil legal services; CWR is an approved recipient in central and northern California

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Center for Workers' Rights is a nonprofit legal services organization that provides free legal consultations, representation, and education to low-wage workers in California regardless of immigration status. Core offerings include Workers' Rights Clinics for one-on-one legal advice, Know Your Rights trainings, wage theft recovery assistance, unemployment insurance benefit appeals, and representation in administrative claims before the Labor Commissioner, Civil Rights Department, and CUIAB. All services are provided at no cost to eligible workers.

Product overview

Center for Workers' Rights is a nonprofit legal services organization offering a unified suite of services to low-wage workers in California. The core offerings include Workers' Rights Clinics for one-on-one legal consultations, Know Your Rights Trainings for education, Wage Recovery services, Unemployment Insurance Benefit Appeals, and Assistance with Administrative Claims. Community engagement is supported through Building Community Connections outreach and organizing. Systemic change efforts are pursued via Pushing Government Forward advocacy and Innovative Policy development. All services are provided free of charge regardless of immigration status.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Workers' Rights Clinics One-on-one legal consultations for low-wage workers regardless of immigration status, providing accurate, useful and free information about their legal rights and where to go if a violation is identified. Staffed with support from UC Davis and McGeorge volunteer law students.
• Know Your Rights Trainings Educational sessions for workers, community advocates, and organizers about workplace rights, strategies for asserting those rights, and training on how to protect themselves from retaliation. Delivered in-person and virtually.
• Wage Recovery Non-litigation strategies to combat wage theft, assisting workers in understanding the individual claim filing process at the California Labor Commissioner's Office and providing representation in wage recovery cases.
• Unemployment Insurance Benefit Appeals Information and representation to workers who must appear at a hearing on their unemployment claim, helping them access California unemployment insurance benefits through CUIAB.
• Assistance with Administrative Claims Advice and representation for low-wage workers in administrative claims including discrimination, retaliation, and harassment cases before the California Labor Commissioner's Office and Civil Rights Department.
• Building Community Connections Community outreach and organizing efforts that connect workers to learn about their rights, take action, boost leadership, and advocate for better working conditions, including presence at job fairs and community events.
• Pushing Government Forward Advocacy efforts to improve government procedures and reduce barriers for workers seeking access to justice through collaborative meetings, legislation, litigation, press, and direct action.
• Innovative Policy Policy development to address gaps in the law that prevent workers from stamping out injustice in the workplace, including campaigns and advocacy efforts to pressure legislators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served over 24,000 workers during COVID-19 pandemic through Job Protection Helpline
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• Legal Aid Foundation of Los AngelesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partner in achieving language access improvements from EDD settlement; collaborative advocacy on unemployment insurance issues.
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law CaucusmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partner in EDD language access settlement achieving improvements to be implemented through 2024.
• California Rural Legal Assistance, IncmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partner in EDD language access settlement coalition working to ensure EDD upholds Californians' Civil Rights.
• Legal Aid at Work (LAAW)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partner in EDD language access settlement coalition.
• Coalition of Low-Wage and Immigrant Worker Advocates (CLIWA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014CWR is an active member of CLIWA and coordinates monthly meetings of the more than 60 member organizations. This statewide coalition focuses on advocating for low-wage and immigrant workers.
• Sacramento Central Labor CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWR partners with the Sacramento Central Labor Council for union job fairs, community presentations, and coordinated advocacy efforts in the Sacramento area.
• Mexican Consulate SacramentocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWR joined the Mexican Consulate's Financial Career and Resource Fair; this marked the 10th collaboration on outreach activities. Partnership focuses on reaching immigrant workers.
• La Familia Counseling CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership formed during COVID-19 pandemic to provide workers with up-to-date information regarding rights to a safe and healthy workplace.
• UC Davis School of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer law students from UC Davis participate in Workers' Rights Clinics providing legal consultations to low-wage workers.
• McGeorge School of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer law students from McGeorge participate in Workers' Rights Clinics; Executive Director Daniela Urban was involved with McGeorge Workers' Rights Clinic as a supervisor.
• Project OptimismminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for Back to School Family Resource Fair outreach event.
• Hiram Johnson High SchoolminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for labor rights community presentation for parents and guardians.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bet Tzedek: Bet Tzedek is a Los Angeles-based legal services nonprofit providing free counsel on employment, housing, and consumer issues to low-income clients. It is a direct peer given its parallel free-employment-law model for vulnerable workers in California.
• Public Counsel: Public Counsel is the largest pro bono law firm in the United States, with a dedicated employment law practice serving low-wage workers in Los Angeles. It is comparable because its employment practice directly mirrors CWR's mission, client base, and free service delivery model.
• Legal Aid at Work (LAAW): LAAW is a statewide California legal services nonprofit focused on employment law for low-wage workers. It is highly comparable because it shares CWR's mission, target population, and service mix (unemployment appeals, wage theft, discrimination), and is also a named CWR coalition partner.
• La Raza Centro Legal: La Raza Centro Legal is a San Francisco-based legal services nonprofit serving low-income Latino and immigrant workers. It is comparable for its focus on wage theft, immigration-safe services, and community-based outreach to the same demographic CWR serves in Sacramento.
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus: ALC is a civil rights legal organization serving Asian American and immigrant communities in California, with employment among its core practice areas. It is comparable in its immigration-safe, multilingual advocacy model and is a named partner in CWR's EDD settlement coalition.
• California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. CRLA provides free legal services to low-income rural Californians across employment, housing, and education. It is a direct peer because its employment practice targets the same low-wage, often immigrant worker base CWR serves, and it is also a CWR coalition partner on the EDD language access settlement.
• Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles: LAFLA provides free civil legal services to low-income residents of Los Angeles, including employment law matters. It is a direct peer as it shares the same model of free legal representation, advocacy, and coalition work that CWR operates in Sacramento, and is an explicit CWR partner on EDD advocacy.

Broad incumbents

• National Employment Law Project (NELP): NELP is a national advocacy organization that works to strengthen employment protections for low-wage workers through litigation, policy, and strategic partnerships. It is comparable as a broader-scope player in the same worker rights mission space, often partnering with California-based groups like CWR on statewide and federal campaigns.

Others

• UC Berkeley Labor Center: UC Berkeley Labor Center conducts research, education, and policy work on low-wage workers and labor standards in California. It is an adjacent/ecosystem peer that informs CWR's policy advocacy and shares the same low-wage worker focus, though it operates as an academic rather than a legal services organization.

Emerging players

• Worksafe (California): Worksafe is a California advocacy organization focused on workplace health and safety. It is comparable as a thematic peer focused on a subset of the worker rights agenda CWR addresses, though it emphasizes policy advocacy over direct legal representation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/centerforworkersrights

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Workers’ Rights