By approving AB 5, the California legislature solidified our state’s position as the national leader on workplace rights, setting the standard for the rest of the country to follow.
The misclassification of workers creates a corrosive effect that ripples through our entire economy, undermining our laws to protect and support working people. AB 5 is a powerful counter to the corporate greed and rampant exploitation that’s driving inequality across our state in emerging and traditional industries, alike. This historic victory clears the way for the bill to become law, setting workers and their families on a path to a better future and ending abuses that are all-too-common.
From the beginning, working people drove the campaign to pass AB 5. They are demanding real change, which includes a strong, worker-led union on the job. They’ve led this fight every step of the way, ensuring the legislature heard the voices of real people to counter the army of high-priced lobbyists enlisted by big corporations. We’re proud to stand with them to ensure the bill is signed, implemented and enforced, and that they get the union on the job they’ve been clear they need.
We thank Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez for her tireless, unwavering support of working people by shepherding this bill to passage. We hope AB 5 sparks state houses and Congress to follow California’s lead by protecting millions of workers from being cheated out of fundamental rights we all deserve.