While running for Congress, Representative Ami Bera made a lot of promises to the people of his district. He made it clear that protecting jobs in the Sacramento region would be one of his top priorities. Yet, to the frustration of working people in his district, Rep. Bera has fallen back on that promise by committing to voting yes on Fast Track legislation that would steamroll a job-killing trade bill through Congress.
Read MoreCalifornia Musicians Support AB 1199 With Live Performance at the Capitol
New legislation will save jobs for California film and TV musicians
On May 18th, members of the American Federation of Musicians from Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco hosted a live musical performance and press conference outside the state capitol in support of AB 1199, a bill proposing changes to the Film & Television Tax Credit Program they say will bring more music work to the state.
Read MoreA Recess They Won’t Forget
by Rachel Johnson
Working people of California are making sure this a recess some members of Congress won’t ever forget!
Members of Congress are visiting their home districts and states until tomorrow and with a critical vote to authorize Fast Track on trade bills looming, now is the time to make our bottom line clear: stand with working people to support good jobs! Vote NO on Fast Track!
Read MoreBuilding Immigrant Worker Power
Angie Wei
If you are organizing workers in California, it’s likely you are organizing immigrant workers. It’s also very likely that the employer has threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when the workers begin to assert their rights and talk about forming a union. Too often, employers use the threat of deportation as a form of intimidation, harassment, and retaliation against workers and their families. Nothing chills an organizing drive quicker than the threat of calling ICE…it can separate workers from their children, parents and spouse.
Read MoreSen. Wieckowski: Prioritizing financial stability for California’s working families
Senator Bob Wieckowski
California’s economy is making tremendous strides since the Great Recession hit in late 2007. However, throughout the state, Californians have witnessed an era of vast income disparity. Too many individuals and working families have not experienced the wage growth needed to keep up with the cost of living.
Read MoreGains made in workforce, but obstacles persist
By Rachel Johnson
After reading the recent workforce report by Career Builder it’s easy to feel like our nation has mastered the “One step forward, two steps back” move. We have made progress but it’s also clear we have much work to do before every American has an equal shot at sharing in our nation’s economic prosperity.
Read MoreWalmart Closes Stores to Quell Worker Movement
Earlier this month, Walmart closed 5 stores in 4 states nationwide, giving workers just hours' notice that they would be laid off. The closings impacted a reported 2,200 employees who were told there was no guarantee they would be transferred or maintain their pay and hours and that if they would like to work at the stores when they reopen, they would need to reapply as if they had never worked there previously.
Read MoreFast-Track Trade Legislation Suffers Setback in Senate
In a victory for workers, health and safety, the environment and democracy, a motion to bring Trade Promotion Authority to the Senate floor failed to garner the necessary votes, halting the effort to fast track the secretive, job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal….for now.
Read MoreReport: State’s Low-Income Workers Are Falling Behind
“If we’re serious about fighting inequality, we need to understand it and track it to see how we’re doing,” Dr. Annette Bernhardt tells Capital & Main. Bernhardt is the lead author of Low Wage Work in California: 2014 Chartbook, the first of what will be an annual report from the University of California, Berkeley Labor Center. “Our goal was to show that the story of inequality isn’t just about the top one percent; it’s also about the millions of low-wage workers and their families who struggle with economic insecurity every day.”
Read MoreCaring Shouldn’t Hurt
May 6 through May 12 is National Nurses Week. What better way to celebrate and show nurses we appreciate them than to take action against workplace violence and help make the workplace safer for nurses everywhere.
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