* Federal UI extensions run out * Arizona immigration law legalizes racial profiling *
* Anthem Blue Cross withdraws plan to raise rates 40% * Justice Dept. and SEC launch investigation into Goldman Sachs * Gender discrimination class action law suit goes to trial *
Read Moreby Matthew “Oki” O’Connor
In an unprecedented move, the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor will hold a public field hearing tomorrow to examine why postdoctoral researchers in the University of California system are still without a first contract after months of bargaining with UC.
Committee Chairman George Miller will be joined by Reps. Barbara Lee and Lynn Woolsey, also California Democrats, to look into contract negotiations between UC and Postdoctoral Researchers Organize/UAW (PRO/UAW), the Postdocs’ Union.
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On Tuesday, an unprecedented coalition of labor, faith and community groups came together on the streets of San Francisco with one goal: to stop Wall Street’s corporate greed. Nearly 1,000 Californians marched to the Wells Fargo corporate shareholders meeting in order to hold the big bank accountable for its role in the loss of 5 million homes and 8 million jobs during the economic meltdown.
April 28th is Workers Memorial Day – a day when organized labor and its allies honor the millions of men and women who've needlessly suffered and died because of workplace hazards and to demand that the government act to lessen the hazards.
An average of at least 16 workers killed and nearly 5,500 badly hurt on each and every day, plus 135 or more dying daily from job-related illness. It's certain that unless federal authorities do act to expand and adequately enforce the neglected job safety laws, the number of victims will remain at a terrible and unnecessarily high level.
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Meg Whitman spent last week crisscrossing California with her Wall Street pal Mitt Romney, pumping up her already overflowing campaign coffers with even more corporate cash. Her campaign strategy is clear: write big checks and avoid a real conversation with voters about her background, her policies, and her plans for the state.
But California's workers aren't going to let Meg and her Wall Street agenda take the express jet to the Governor's office. Today, the California Labor Federation launched a massive grassroots campaign that will deploy an army of volunteers to expose the truth about Meg Whitman’s Wall Street agenda and her history on the board at Goldman Sachs.
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* Democratic state Senators vote to eliminate rights for school teachers * Republicans attack 8-hour day * Workers fight legislation to get rid of medical care in schools * Senator tries to give labor law violators a free pass * Massey Energy refuses to let workers mourn their lost colleagues *
* Bill to provide low-cost loans to create manufacturing jobs moves forward * Legislators say “no” to free trade with Colombia * March For California's Future paves way for lasting change * Wisconsin passes law to prevent union-busting * New federal bill would provide funding to avert layoffs * Study reveals CA's nurse-to-patient staffing law saves lives *
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On Tuesday, April 27th, Wells Fargo is holding its annual shareholders meeting in downtown San Francisco. The California Labor Federation, Bay Area Labor Councils, the California Nurses Association, UNITE HERE Local 2, and SEIU along with religious, community, and tenant organizations and allies will be there to demand that Wells Fargo stop fighting financial reform and start paying their fair share to create the 11 million jobs they helped destroy.
by Rachel Johnson
Yesterday marked the end of a long journey for hundreds of devoted teachers, union members and community activists marching for a better future for California. The March for California’s Future began in Bakersfield on March 5, highlighting the need for quality public education and services, an effective and efficient state government and the return of fair and equitable taxes to California.
More than 1,000 union and community activists, joined by about 200 locked-out miners and their families, marched outside the British consulate in Los Angeles on Friday to protest British-owned Rio Tinto’s two and half-month lock out of 600 miners at its Boron, Calif., borax mine. The march and rally was one of several in the United States and Canada to support the members of International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 30, who have been locked out since Jan. 31.
