By Steve Smith The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act passed in the House this week with a 225-206 margin, sending this historic legislation to the US Senate. This bill is the most significant labor law reform legislation since 1935. All California Democrats in Congress voted YES, hearing the voices of workers who demand […]
Read More“Society is So Much More When All People are Free from the Violence of Poverty and Low Wages” A Q&A with Organizer and Social Justice Activist Cherri Murphy
Black History Month is a time to reflect on those in the struggle for racial equality who’ve moved us forward through bold and principled action. But’s it’s also a time to look to the future and the Black activist leaders making history NOW to end white supremacy and tear down systems of oppression that harm […]
Read MoreStop Uber and Lyft from Buying Their Own Law to Cheat Workers – No on Prop 22!
You probably can’t turn on the TV for five minutes without seeing a Yes on Prop 22 ad. The tech giants – Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart – are spending $184 million, which buys a lot of fancy TV spots. In fact, that $184 million is more than any campaign has spent on a ballot […]
Read MoreGig Companies’ Lawsuit Meritless, California Unions Vow to Defend Landmark AB 5 Law
AB 5 is the most important state law in decades to address widespread inequality by raising wages for workers and holding corporations accountable. Rather than comply with the law to provide workers with basic protections and economic security, big corporations embarked on a spending frenzy to overturn it. Today’s lawsuit by Uber and Postmates is […]
Read MoreLabor Department Releases New Q&A on Landmark Law, AB 5
One of the most important laws to go into effect in California on Jan. 1, 2020 is AB 5, which codified the Dynamex California Supreme Court case to clarify who is considered an independent contractor under state law. This bill addresses one of the biggest problems existing in today’s economy: the rampant misclassification of workers […]
Read MoreCan Gig Workers Have Flexibility and Protections Afforded to Employees in AB 5? Absolutely
Gig companies like Uber, Lyft and Doordash, desperate to avoid providing basic protections and decent pay to drivers, are engaged in an all-out disinformation campaign to defend their illegal business models and kill legislation that would protect workers. We can’t possibly provide flexibility AND treat our workers with dignity and respect, they say. Nonsense. The […]
Read MoreThe Uber/Lyft Sleight of Hand on AB 5 and Dynamex
When corporations violate the law by calling some workers “independent contractors” instead of recognizing them as employees, those workers are denied a host of fundamental protections like a minimum wage, overtime pay, unemployment insurance and workers’ comp. Without these protections, working people are living on the edge. Every single day. That’s why the California Supreme […]
Read MoreSupport Striking Uber/Lyft Drivers on May 8!
In a new op-ed for CalMatters, California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski tells the story of Karim Bayumi, a rideshare driver from Anaheim who will strike with thousands of other drivers on May 8 in California and around the globe. Pulaski: Like so many California families, Karim Bayumi of Anaheim, his wife and two […]
Read MoreLabor Joins Gonzalez Fletcher to Introduce New Bill to Protect Workers from Misclassification
Imagine working side-by-side with others who have all the benefits of being an employee of a company including paid sick days, a minimum wage, workers’ comp, unemployment insurance and more. Now imagine you are doing similar work without any of those protections because your boss decided to call you an “independent contractor” instead of an […]
Read MoreWhat’s the Real Story on Dynamex?
On April 30, the California Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling in Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court of Los Angeles that made it harder for companies to misclassify workers as independent contractors. In California, the test of employment status has been developed through caselaw over several decades. Dynamex built upon the earlier Court-established […]
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