When working class folks fight back against millionaire bosses, they know the deck is stacked against them. That’s especially true of IATSE members who recently took a stand against the powerful and wealthy producers who have been exploiting their labor for profit. Critics who suggest that the recent IATSE tentative agreement is a gradual gain […]
Read MoreOrganizing Wave Builds as Santa Ana Workers Take on Global Conglomerate Kingspan Over Pollution, Unsafe Working Conditions
The wave of worker organizing continues! Workers at Kingspan, a global “green” building materials maker, filed complaints with Cal/OSHA on October 15, and with the State Water Resources Board/CalEPA on October 19, alleging violations of worker safety and clean water laws at the company’s manufacturing facility in Santa Ana. The workers’ stories were featured […]
Read MoreWorkers Powered the Defeat of the Recall, and We’re Just Getting Started
To some, the crushing victory over the harmful effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom this week didn’t come as a surprise. After all, it’s California. A recall of a Democratic Governor couldn’t happen here, right? Wrong. When right-wing extremists qualified the recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this year, few were paying attention. […]
Read MoreJuneteenth and the Struggle for Black Worker Equality
This week the California labor movement joins in the celebration of Juneteenth, recognizing the end of slavery in the U.S. with a proclamation in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865. While many are aware of the historical significance of this day, few know about its connection to the struggle for workers’ rights and equality for […]
Read MoreHouse Passes Historic Labor Law Reform – What’s Next for the PRO Act?
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 More5 Reasons the CA Legislature Must Say Yes on AB 5
In last April’s landmark, unanimous California Supreme Court ruling in the Dynamex case, the court delivered one of the most pro-worker decisions in decades, enshrining a simple A-B-C test that employers must comply with to designate workers as “independent contractors.” The ruling was made necessary by the growing trend of corporations calling workers contractors just […]
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 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.
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