Art for Social Justice by Ricardo Levins Morales

For many, the legacy of Labor Day has been forgotten. We forget about the struggle that so many fought and even died for to achieve decent working conditions. We take for granted that children no longer have to slave away in American factories for 17 hours a day, six days a week. We undervalue what it took to get the weekend. After all, that’s what makes Labor Day such a treat in the first place–we get a three-day weekend instead of the boring old two. And for those of us still lucky enough, the 40 hour work week is just the standard.

 

 

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Legislation That Would Hold Companies Accountable For Labor Suppliers’ Violations Advances

The California Senate approved AB 1897 Wednesday evening. The bill will hold companies accountable for serious violations of the rights of workers on their premises that are committed by their own labor suppliers.

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President, California Professional Firefighters

It’s the end of August and, like the rest of California, Sacramento is seeing temperatures rise. But over at the Capitol, legislators are sitting in the middle of a blizzard of alarmist rhetoric from the chemical industry about legislation to disclose the use of toxic flame retardants on furniture. From banner advertising to op-eds to a torrent of legislative attacks, the chemical lobby has unleashed a torrent of fear mongering about fire safety to take down SB 1019.

 

 

 

 

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IBEW 1245 members swarmed across the Napa area in the hours after the 6.0 magnitude earthquake on Aug. 24, responding to over 400 PG&E customer calls of gas odors. In many cases, a visit by a gas serviceman was all it took to address the problem.

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Yesterday I went to Sacramento to join folks from the Organization United for Respect (OUR Walmart) campaign for a Lobby Day. It was one of those days where a big group gets together and knocks the doors of those legislators who have sworn to make laws that serve and protect the needs of their California constituents.  In a coordinated effort we split up, each sub-group taking its designated floor of the Capitol by storm.

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Activists from throughout the North San Joaquin Valley came together for a graduation ceremony Saturday, the culmination of a four-week program designed to identify and activate rank-and-file members through a series of trainings. 

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We all remember “Marv” from Home Alone– the not-so-clever “Wet Bandit” burglar, played by Daniel Stern. Thanks to great acting and the several talented makeup and special effects artists— we all laughed as 10 year old Macaulay Culkin repeatedly beat the ever-living-crap out of Stern and his co-star Joe Pesci. The ability to deliver this kind of pain-free magic to families the world over, generation after generation, is what California’s movie industry is famous for. And each and every worker on the production contributes to the magic we see on-screen. But recently, that magic–and the livelihoods of the workers who bring it to life– have been under attack.
 

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San Francisco taxi drivers last week voted to form the San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance (SFTWA) and affiliate with the National Taxi Workers Alliance (NTWA). They are the second group of taxi workers in recent weeks to join with NTWA following the Montgomery County (Md.) Professional Drivers Union’s affiliation.

 

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Cutting the pay and pensions of city employees has become a public safety issue for one of California’s largest cities.

After San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed implemented the cuts, an alarming number of city employees left to pursue better wages and benefits elsewhere.  As a result, the San Jose Police Department’s 911 Emergency Dispatch Center is operating at critical staffing levels.

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As we get closer to the end of the California legislative session, you see a lot more corporate types in fancy suits roaming in and around the Capitol. The goal? Stamp out worker-friendly bills. Near the top of their hit list this year is AB 1522, an effort authored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez to allow all California workers to earn a few desperately needed paid sick days on the job.

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