Days from the end of the legislative session, political observers are once again asking themselves whether a bitter, unresolved battle over labor standards will spell the end of California’s most ambitious proposal to solve its housing affordability crisis. Assembly Bill 2011, which would unlock commercial real estate for residential use, potentially leading to more than […]
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Buckle Up for a Busy Month in Sacramento
Welcome to the final countdown. Today, state lawmakers will reconvene in Sacramento after a month-long summer recess — during which some traveled abroad on trips funded by special interest groups that lobby them on various issues — for the final, frenzied month of the legislative session. Legislators face an Aug. 31 deadline to determine the […]
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When Employers Steal Wages from Workers
Some of the lowest wage workers are getting their livelihoods stolen by their own employers. Employers deny workers overtime premiums, ask them to work “off the clock” or take their tips. In California, workers lost nearly $2 billion from not being paid the minimum wage in 2015, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning […]
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A Silicon Valley Lawmaker Wants to Protect Workers from Employer Spying
Workers today are subject to more monitoring and tracking on the job — often without their knowledge — than ever before, advocates say. Various productivity applications, often on workers’ smartphones or other devices, track and predict delivery drivers’ and warehouse workers’ every move, collecting data on their location, speed, and accuracy in finishing orders, according to […]
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A Democrat Wants to Crack Down on Employers that Exploit Workers. Will this help?
Fresno Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula introduced a new bill that would establish a labor trafficking unit within Cal/OSHA to investigate and prosecute people who force or coerce vulnerable people into jobs with little or no pay, often under unsafe working conditions. The bill is cosponsored by the Western Center on Law and Poverty and the Sunita […]
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California Still Won’t Make COVID-19 Workplace Outbreaks Public
Supporters of a push to require companies to report workplace coronavirus outbreaks publicly say they plan to keep fighting despite recent setbacks that they say allow big businesses to keep outbreaks secret. In February, Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes, D-San Bernardino, proposed a law requiring the California Department of Public Health to report COVID-19 outbreaks by […]
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‘People Over Profits’ Caravan in Eureka this Afternoon
A caravan of cars will circle through Eureka this evening, calling for society to put “people over profits.” “The coronavirus pandemic has clearly shown the flaws in our institutions,” reads a press release announcing the caravan. “It’s also showing how much we need each other and how powerful we can be when we stand together.” […]
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How to Not Fuck Up Humboldt
Every year, hundreds of people travel to the Emerald Triangle in hopes of making a few grand trimming cannabis during harvest season. Some use that money to finance further world travel. Some stay in the area, hitting the wall of the region’s limited housing market and washing up in homeless camps. These seasonal workers, dubbed […]
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Plumbers Union Calling for Lost Coast Brewery Boycott
Rumors of this boycott had been brewing for some time, but apparently it’s official. In a poster that appeared in Old Town overnight, the Plumbers and Steamfitters Local No. 290 accuses Lost Coast Brewery of hiring out-of-town contractors to build its new brewery on south Broadway, undercutting local wages and eliminating training opportunities. The subcontractor, […]
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Co-op and Union Reach Tentative Agreement
Labor negotiations have been tense between the North Coast Co-op and the Local 5 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, but a union rep just released the following press release: After 7 difficult months of contract negotiations, UFCW Local 5 is pleased to announce they have reached a tentative agreement with the North […]
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Co-op Employees to Picket Board Meeting
The clash between North Coast Co-op management and unionized employees continues. Here’s a press release from the union: United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 5 will hold a rally and picket at the North Coast Co-operatives Board of Directors meeting on Thursday November 14th. The rally will highlight the Co-op’s use of union busting […]
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Construction Workers Shorted Nearly a Quarter Million Dollars on Eureka Holiday Inn Project, Says State Labor Commissioner
You’ve probably seen it on your way to Costco — a new Holiday Inn Express going up on the southwest corner of Broadway and West Wabash in Eureka. Well, according to California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su, the construction workers erecting the hotel have been shortchanged wages totaling $247,681. Su is filing a mechanics’ lien […]