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 MoreRicardo Lara for Insurance Commissioner
This week we take a closer look at another race where big money is coming in from business interests trying to buy a statewide office that’s important to working people: Insurance Commissioner. In the last week, Steve Poizner, the longtime Republican who is trying to fool voters by running as a No Party Preference (NPP) […]
Read MoreUC Patient Care Workers Demand an End to Inequality, Outsourcing
AFSCME Local 3299 began a three-day strike today at campuses and medical centers across the state, fighting for fair wages, an end to outsourcing and equal treatment for patient care workers at the University of California (UC). For months, workers have demanded fair treatment for women, minorities and immigrant workers, yet UC continues to […]
Read More#MeToo Legislation Leads the Way with Help from Unions
Historically, unions have been the strongest advocate for vulnerable workers in all industries. This year, unions made it a priority to protect all California workers from these abuses.
Read MoreCalifornia First Responders Say “No on Prop 11”
Prop 11 is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. While purporting to be about protecting public safety, it actually strips first responders of their right to meal and rest breaks, which makes their jobs more grueling and makes us all less safe. Thousands of California’s first responders are in jeopardy of losing their right to meal […]
Read MoreCalifornia Labor Federation Applauds Senate Vote in Support of Landmark Measure AB 3080 to Curb Workplace Harassment, End Forced Arbitration
Today, the California state Senate resoundingly rejected the all-too-common practice of companies using forced arbitration to silence workers and strip them of their basic rights.
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 […]
Read MoreAfter Janus, Electrical Workers Show the Power is in Our Hands
The Supreme Court’s recent Janus decision was despicable, spitting in the face of decades of common-sense precedent. There’s no question about that. But Janus is not the end of our fight.
Read MoreMillennials and Unions: A Match Made in Heaven
We are at a critical point in time where the government wants to abolish public and private health care, slash the public-sector’s strength to collective bargaining, and decrease wages in return for more work. The millennial’s best response to counterblow these threats is to stand together in a union.
Read MoreAB 3080 Breaks the Silence Surrounding Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
As a result of the overwhelming support from silence breakers Juana Melara, Gretchen Carlson, Susan Fowler, and Sandra Pezqueda, AB 3080 (Gonzalez Fletcher), a bill sponsored by the California Labor Federation, passed on the assembly floor today, a huge victory for working people throughout the state.
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