My family was undocumented

 

We’ve been holding our breath all of June, waiting for yet another Supreme Court decision that could change the lives of millions of Californians.  Heartbroken, disappointed, but not surprised, this Court denied our dream of opportunities for the millions of immigrant workers who are at risk every day.  At risk of getting separated from their families, at risk of employer exploitation, at risk of returning to a country they hardly remember, at risk of losing their children.

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The Invisible Silicon Valley

by Maria Noel Fernandez

Invisible. That’s how Nahima Aguiniga feels at work. She works as a cashier in the cafeteria run by food service company Eurest at Intel, one of the world’s most visible tech brands. She rings up free food for the “blue badges” – direct employees of the company, many earning six figures – and collects payment from the other “green badges” – the subcontracted workers like her.

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Can You Feel the Heat In Sacramento?

This week, temperatures have reached over 110 degrees in Inland Southern California. Thousands of workers are toiling in steel shipping containers across Southern California delivering goods to all of us from companies like Amazon, Walmart and Target.  These workers, like millions of other workers in California, have no protections from the heat under the law. Employers do not have to have a plan to deal with indoor heat, even as these workers make millions of dollars for massive multinational corporations that employ them

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Everyone wants transparency…except Big Pharma

Senate Bill 1010 (Hernandez) will likely be up for a vote next week in the California State Assembly Health Committee before heading to the floor for a vote. The bill has already passed the CA State Senate, and everyone – except Big Pharma – seems to be coming out in favor of this commonsense, pro-transparency bill.

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A Day for Dad

A step-by-step guide to a union-made Father's Day

By Michael Messina

steak bbq

Our dads have done a lot for us over the years; from carrying us on his shoulders when we were small to guiding us through life’s lessons as we became adults. Once a year we give a little back to Dad on Father’s Day, and Labor 411 has put together a union-made day that will put a smile on his face.

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16 Million Kids Experience the Indignity of Hunger in America

Speaker Ryan’s Proposal to Block The School Meal Program will Make that Worse!

By Jessica Bartholow 

This year, Congress has been considering the reauthorization of the Nation’s Child Nutrition programs.  With insight from the Congressional debate during the reauthorization of the Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the federal Agricultural Act of 2014, we knew this debate would be meager, not include the voices of families experiencing hunger and, in the end, fall far too short to offer a meaningful response to the crisis of millions of Americans, 16 Million of them children, experiencing hunger.

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Pride Month: Why Working People in Unions Are Fighting LGBTQ Discrimination in the Workplace

by Jerame Davis

Pride Month: Why Working People in Unions Are Fighting LGBTQ Discrimination in the Workplace

The strongest protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer working people are found in a union contract. Working people in unions have fought hard to make sure that employers cannot discriminate against people. This includes helping pass laws that protect LGBTQ working people, especially transgender people.

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