The Dignity of Work Institute is a think tank founded in March 2025 by former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) following his defeat in the 2024 election. Based in Columbus, Ohio, the organization advocates for left-of-center labor policies aligned with labor unions.  ^{1 2}

Background

The Dignity of Work Institute was founded by former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in March 2025 following his loss to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) in the 2024 election. In announcing the launch of the organization, Brown claimed, “American workers built this country and are working harder than ever, but have less and less to show for it. They’re producing more than ever, but their wages have barely budged and the cost of living keeps getting worse. Working people have not given up on the American Dream, but they know they’re working in a rigged system.” ³

The organization’s policy agenda includes advocating left-of-center policy towards wages, health care, and worker protections. Brown has also claimed the group would conduct “in-depth, ongoing research on how workers view themselves in the economy and society today and the changes they want to see.” ¹

Activity

In March 2025, the Dignity of Work Institute conducted a national survey of registered voters conducted which claimed that 60 percent of respondents had worked more than one job at a time, and 20 percent had held three jobs at once to make ends meet. More than half of respondents also claimed they could not afford a $1,000 emergency expense. The survey further claimed that “The economic indicators used most often by policymakers to tout a strong economy do not reflect most Americans’ economic reality. Workers’ responses make clear that a slowing rate of inflation is not enough– Americans need their overall cost of living to decrease and their income to increase.” ⁴

Leadership

Sherrod Brown is the founder and executive director of the Dignity of Work Institute. Brown previously served as a Democratic U.S. Senator from Ohio from 2007 to 2025. ¹

The group’s advisory board includes Sarah Benzing, Brown’s former Senate chief of staff; Carolina Ferrerosa Young, the vice president of the Wessel Group; Sue Helper, an economics professor at Case Western Reserve University; Patrice Willoughby, Chief of Policy and Legislative Affairs at the NAACP; and Julie Su, the former Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor in the Biden administration and senior fellow at the Century Foundation. ⁵

Other board members include Joyce Frazier-Powdrill, Prentiss Haney, Malik Hubbard, Bianca Ortiz Wertheim, and John Ryan. ⁵

1. “Former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown Launches Pro-Worker Organization.” WTOL. March 24, 2025. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.wtol.com/article/news/state/sherrod-brown-former-ohio-sen-pro-worker-organization/512-7fc62574-7074-4de6-9357-954e8c5f0b74
2. “About Us.” Dignity of Work Institute. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.dignityofworkinstitute.org/#about
3. Skolnick, David. “Dignity of Work Institute: Sherrod Brown Creates Worker-Focused Think Tank.” Marietta Times. March 28, 2025. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/2025/03/dignity-of-work-institute-sherrod-brown-creates-worker-focused-think-tank/
4. “Dignity of Work Survey Memo for Release.” Dignity of Work Institute. March 19, 2025. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.dignityofworkinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/DIgnity-of-Work-Survey-Memo-for-Release.pdf
5. “Advisory Board.” Dignity of Work Institute. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.dignityofworkinstitute.org/#advisory-board