by Kevin Banatte and Kenneth Quinnell
Rachel Bryan is currently the governmental relations and community liaison at Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 595 in Stockton, Calif. She became involved in the labor movement as a member of the local’s apprenticeship program.
Read Moreby Rachel Johnson
Tech is booming. Record-breaking profits, inspiring innovations, ideas that turn into life-changing products are all examples of the news we hear about tech companies in California. The top 150 companies brought in over $103 billion in profits in 2013, and this was pre iPhone 6!
But this prosperity is not being shared with everyone who works for the tech industry.
Read Moreby Rachel Johnson
There’s trouble brewing in Washington D.C. for American workers. In the coming weeks, our congress will decide whether or not to pass Fast Track legislation that will allow trade deals to be made behind closed doors and without any oversight from the people most impacted: American workers.
Read Moreby Rachel Johnson
In honor of Black History Month, we sat down with one of California's most dynamic labor leaders, Willie Pelote with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) to discuss the intertwining history of the labor movement and the civil rights movement and how to continue that legacy.
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In the face of aggressive attacks on the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), a wide range of national organizations are standing up and fighting for one of the more widely used and important public goods in the United States. The Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service unites more than 60 groups in opposition to weakening the USPS for the sake of private investment and profit. Actor and activist Danny Glover supports the alliance and explains why, in a new video (see above) sponsored by the organization.
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Six out of every ten Californians with incomes below the poverty line (less than $25,000 for a family of four) live in a working family.
Working for low-wages not only leaves working families with not enough money to last the month, it also means they go without their basic needs met. According Shelved: How Wages and Working Conditions for California’s Food Retail Workers have Declined as the Industry has Thrived, authored by Saru Jayaraman of U.C. Berkeley’s Food Labor Research Center and co-founder/co-director of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United and U.C. Davis Associate Professor of Community and Regional Development Chris Benner, many low-income workers in the retail industry and food retail industry were paid so little that they were unable to afford enough food to prevent hunger for them and their family.
Read Moreby Rachel Johnson, California Labor Federation
Yesterday Judge Andrew Hanen, a district court judge in Texas, issued a politically-charged injunction to block the implementation of immigration initiatives designed by President Obama to improve our system for millions of immigrants living and working in the United States. Today was supposed to kick-start the planned expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, granting immigrants at least 30 years old who came to the US as children and teenagers the right to apply for deportation relief and work authorization.
The Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare (CIR) hit the ground running in 2015! Within the first month of the year, our Southern California region welcomed 37 resident-physicians from St Mary Medical Center in Long Beach. It is thrilling to be a part of a union that continues to grow and thrive in spite of the many challenges facing unions in our country today, particularly a union largely comprised of young and notoriously busy healthcare professionals.
By Dr. Joanne Suh, Southern California Regional Vice President
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by Rachel Johnson
Delivering compassionate and efficient care to Californians is something that should be appreciated and regularly applauded. When our doctors, nurses, and hospital staff stand up to bring attention to unsafe working conditions, it’s imperative for our state leaders and regulators to listen.
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AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre led a delegation of US labour leaders to meet with their Honduran counterparts. “What we witnessed was the intersection of our corporate-dominated trade policies with our broken immigration system.”
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