Private Equity Labor Rights Platform

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP) outlines a labor rights platform calling for private equity firms to adopt a sustainable living wage, provide layoff protections, and ensure safe, non-discriminatory working conditions. The document highlights the industry's significant impact, noting it manages $11 trillion in assets and employs over 11.7 million American workers. PESP specifically urges public pension funds and institutional investors to hold anti-worker private equity firms accountable and establish mechanisms to manage human capital risks.

• The private equity industry has a massive economic footprint, managing $11 trillion in assets and employing more than 11.7 million workers in the United States, with millions more globally.
• Private equity ownership is heavily concentrated in low-wage sectors; at least 1.5 million workers are in Food Service, 1.1 million in Retail, and nearly 1 million each in Security and Healthcare.
• The proposed labor rights platform includes ten specific demands: a sustainable living wage (with a $25 floor), layoff protections (at least one week's pay per year of employment), paid sick leave, affordable healthcare, an end to occupational segregation, non-discriminatory workplaces, safe conditions, equitable scheduling, the right to organize, worker voice on boards, and protections against harmful technology and surveillance.
• Public pension funds are the largest investor group funding private equity and are urged to establish enforceable mechanisms to prevent unethical labor practices and manage human capital risks.
• The document cites a study of 15 European countries indicating that companies with workers on their boards are 30 percent less likely to experience layoffs following a merger and achieve more profitable acquisitions.

APA

Private Equity Stakeholder Project (2023). Private Equity Labor Rights Platform. https://pestakeholder.org/news/private-equity-labor-rights-platform/

Chicago

Private Equity Stakeholder Project. Private Equity Labor Rights Platform. 2023. https://pestakeholder.org/news/private-equity-labor-rights-platform/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Private Equity Stakeholder Project |title=Private Equity Labor Rights Platform |date=9 May 2023 |url=https://pestakeholder.org/news/private-equity-labor-rights-platform/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{privateequitystakeholderproject2023private, author = {{Private Equity Stakeholder Project}}, title = {{Private Equity Labor Rights Platform}}, publisher = {Private Equity Stakeholder Project}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://pestakeholder.org/news/private-equity-labor-rights-platform/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }