by Rolado Araiza

I’ve worked as a cook at Pomona College in Southern California for 6 years. My coworkers and I have been asking the college to agree to a fair and neutral process to let us choose whether or not to join a union, but the college hasn’t agreed yet.

A few weeks ago, some of my coworkers and I filed a complaint with Cal/OSHA about the injuries food service workers have suffered while working at Pomona. UNITE HERE and Workers for Justice have compiled a new report documenting the injuries in Pomona’s dining halls.

Take a look at the facts:

• In 2010, Pomona’s injury rate for food service workers was 195% of the national rate for cafeterias, as explained in the report
• In a UNITE HERE survey of 51 current and former Pomona food service workers, 39 people reported having pain, discomfort, or an injury they believe to be caused by working at Pomona, but only 17 of those reported it to a supervisor.
• 71% of surveyed workers report they have not been trained by managers in the safe use of machinery or equipment, and 73% report they have not been trained by managers on how to avoid getting injured or sick on the job.

Too many of my coworkers have been injured at work. Pomona College must choose a different course. We should feel empowered and protected at work. We should feel like we can report injuries without fear.

Please read and share this new report: "Pain and Fear: Injuries and Silence in Pomona's Dining Halls and Kitchens".

Learn more about the fight for justice at Pomona.

by Mike Henneberry, UFCW local 5

On the heels of an overwhelming strike vote at Raley’s/Nob Hill, Northern California grocery workers are continuing to mobilize for a new contract. UFCW members at Lucky/SaveMart, Raley’s/Nob Hill and Safeway, as well as their retired sisters and brothers, are joining forces with community allies and elected officials. They are bringing the fight for a settlement that preserves affordable healthcare and good jobs directly to store management.

At 7am on the morning of May 17, delegations will board buses in Novato, Salinas and Vacaville for an important mission. On their way to a late afternoon rally in San Jose, riders will stop at stores along their route and present letters to store management, addressed to the companies' CEOs, calling for a settlement that is equitable and just and soon in coming. Delegations will make it clear to management that support for grocery workers amongst fellow union members and community members is high.

When the buses carrying the delegations reach UFCW Local 5 headquarters in San Jose, they will be greeted by more members from the stores. At 4pm they will walk across the street to Cesar Chavez Park where they will join CWA members from AT&T, UNITE HERE members from the Hilton and SEIU-USWW members from some of California’s biggest janitorial contractors, all of whom have ongoing contract disputes. After a few words from the union leaders and elected officials, workers will become marchers and proceed to the AT&T building on Almaden for further action.

For more information on UFCW Local 5’s efforts to get a good contract for members in Northern California’s grocery industry, visit www.ufcw5.org and www.supportgroceryworkers.com, where you can sign a pledge card to support the effort, adopt a store, and sign up for texts and emails. To sign up to get on a bus, click here. We also invite you to follow us on Twitter, visit our Facebook page and download the UFCW 5 smartphone app.

Unions, Kaiser Permanente Reach Tentative Agreement

by Mike Hall, AFL-CIO

Kaiser Permanente and the nearly 100,000 members of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, reached tentative agreement yesterday on a new, three-year national contract. The tentative agreement covers workers at hundreds of Kaiser Permanente health care facilities in nine states. The current agreement expires Sept. 30.

The tentative agreement includes wage increases and maintains current benefits plus improves the dental plan.  Kaiser Permanente also has committed $19 million annually to two existing educational trust funds to ensure career development for its diverse workforce.

According to the unions and Kaiser, the new tentative agreement includes measurable performance improvement goals for Kaiser Permanente unit-based health care teams.  It also provides for continued performance sharing bonus payments tied, on a regional basis, to the achievement of quality, service, financial, health, and preventive screening goals.

John August, executive director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions says:

Health care simply costs too much, and as union workers we are absolutely committed to addressing cost and access – as well as care and quality. The agreements we made today provide union members with the tools to improve care and efficiency – rather than chop care or benefits.  Improvement, delivered by workers at the frontline, is the key to extending quality care to every person in our country.

The workers are represented by 28 different local unions, and include hundreds of job classifications including registered nurses, pharmacists, maintenance and service workers, technicians of many kinds, psychologists, lab scientists, and many others.

by Julia Wong, UNITE HERE local 2

2012 has been a year of wars. There’s the War on Women – an intense legislative assault on women’s access to reproductive health care – and the War on Workers – be they public sector workers trying to hold on to their right to bargain collectively or private sector workers staving off subcontracting, outsourcing, and union-busting. The battleground in the War on Immigrants has shifted from Arizona to Alabama and, finally, to the US Supreme Court. The War on Moms was an attempt by Republicans to brand Democrats as hostile to stay-at-home mothers, and the Real War on Moms was an attempt by Democrats to refocus the debate on the disastrous effect that right-wing economic, immigration, and health care policies have on poor and working-class women and their families.

At the nexus of these wars are immigrant women struggling to make a living and raise their families. And the rhetoric of warfare makes it tempting to cast these women as victims. But this Mama’s Day, I want to recognize an incredible group of women who are fighting back – the women who work for Hyatt Hotels.

Let me introduce you to some of these women:

• Nenita Ibe is 69 years old. She lives in a garage with her son. She came to the US from the Philippines 15 years ago, hoping for a job that would help her to support her five children.
• Victoria Guillen came to the US in Peru as a single mother, hoping for a better future for her daughter. She now has another daughter, Cielo, who is two-years old.
• Martha Reyes has five children, and custody of three grandchildren. Her sister, Lorena Reyes, has three children, and is the sole supporter of her family since her husband was laid off.
• Sonia Ordonez came to the US from Nicaragua twenty years ago with a baby in her arms to escape a civil war. She arrived, only to find herself in an abusive marriage. For her own and her two children’s safety, she left her husband, and worked one job by day and another at night to support her family.

All of these women work (or used to work) for Hyatt, as room cleaners, servers, cooks, and dishwashers. All of these women are immigrants and mothers. All of these women have spoken up and demanded better treatment for themselves and their co-workers. And all of these women have been hurt or attacked by the Hyatt Corporation.

Nenita has lost the full use of her right arm after injuring herself making Hyatt’s heavy beds. Victoria was threatened with being fired by Hyatt when she could not return to work a few days after giving birth by Caesarian Section. Martha and Lorena were fired after an objection was made to the posting of demeaning pictures of housekeepers in bikinis on a company bulletin board. Sonia was unjustly fired just a few weeks ago, after sharing her story of Hyatt’s abuses with countless community leaders and even speaking out at Hyatt’s shareholder meeting last year.

In a traditional war, these women and their co-workers would be outgunned and outmatched. Hyatt, after all, is a global corporation controlled by a family of billionaires. Hyatt leads the hotel industry in the abusive practice of subcontracting, which enables it to pay housekeepers poverty wages while evading legal liability for unsafe working conditions. Hyatt housekeeper injury rates are high, and, in a first for the hotel industry, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a letter to Hyatt notifying it of ergonomic risk factors faced by housekeepers in the course of their daily work. Just last month, Hyatt posted E-Verify posters at a non-union Hyatt property in Santa Clara, causing concern among long-term immigrant workers at the hotel. And Hyatt has refused the request of workers across the country that Hyatt accept a fair process to enable them to choose whether or not to join a union without employer intimidation.

But these are strong, immigrant mamas and they’re fighting back! Victoria’s co-workers at the Grand Hyatt in San Francisco took the fight to management and successfully fought for her reinstatement. Victoria has met with dozens of Bay Area organizations to share her story and galvanize support for Hyatt workers. Nenita filed an injury complaint with OSHA alongside housekeepers from eleven other Hyatt hotels, and continues to speak out about housekeeper injuries at the Hyatt. Martha and Lorena Reyes have traveled across the country advocating for immigrant women workers. They were recently honored for their work by the South Bay Labor Council Committee on Political Education (COPE). Sonia continues to fight for her job, and she too refuses to allow Hyatt’s abuse to silence her. In a letter to supporters, she said,

I need this job, but I’ve come too far to take abuse from anyone. That’s why I have raised my voice. I believe that all workers should have this right.

And the number one message that all of these women are sharing? Boycott Hyatt!

That’s right, workers at Hyatt’s across the country are calling on customers not to eat, sleep, meet, or spend any money at their hotels until they achieve justice from the Hyatt corporation. So in celebration of Mama’s Day and in honor of Victoria, Nenita, Martha, Lorena, Sonia, and all of the mothers who work at Hyatt, please join our campaign and pledge to boycott Hyatt Hotels.


This post originally appeared on Strong Families as part of the Mama’s Day Our Way blog series.

by Alice Sunshine, California Faculty Association

The California State University Trustees were meeting inside, first in closed session to discuss “executive personnel matters” and collective bargaining. Then they met in committee on yet another new policy to give more raises to campus presidents, now from university auxiliaries.

Meantime, 150 faculty from 20 campuses all over California protested outside. The faculty made a strong pitch that the CSU Trustees and management need to adopt policies that put instruction and student services first, and to settle a fair contract with the faculty.

The protest outside the Trustees meeting was held just a week after the California Faculty Association announced a 95% member vote to authorize rolling two-day strikes through the California State University's 23 campuses if bargaining fails to get a settlement. The strike would affect some 400,000 students.

CFA President Lillian Taiz, who was among the rally speakers today, called for CSU management “to get their priorities straight.”

Andy Merrifield, CFA Bargaining Team chair, said the hard work of the faculty this semester, as well as today’s actions, “provide the Bargaining Team the support it needs to work toward a fair contract at the table.”

Art Pulaski, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Federation, said fair contracts for university faculty affect every campus community’s capacity to deliver quality education to students.

Leaders of other unions spoke, including Rich Anderson from UAW/Academic Student Employees, Steve Teixeira from Academic Professionals of California, and Pat Gantt and Joseph Dobzynski, Jr. from the CSU Employees Union.

Faculty solidarity actions, including banner drops and informational pickets, took place on many campuses. See photos from the actions by faculty members on CFA Facebook. (You don’t need to be a Facebook user to view the photos.) Extensive media coverage can be found including MSNBC, KTLA TV video, and KABC-TV video.

by Tula Connell, AFL-CIO

Mother's Day in California will be extra special this Sunday, as working families, students and elected officials honor mothers by recognizing the role of domestic workers in our households. The events coincide with the launch of video highlighting the work of domestic workers around the state and the need for the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.

Domestic workers and their supporters will gather in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Santa Rosa to celebrate working mothers and preview the video, by Brave New Foundation’s Cuéntame.

Last year, the state Assembly passed A.B. 889, authored by San Francisco Assembly member Tom Ammiano, that would give domestic workers some state-recognized rights in their efforts to curb abusive conditions. It would provide meal and rest breaks, overtime and reporting pay as enjoyed by other workers and expand domestic workers' access to workers' compensation. In addition, it would guarantee eight hours of sleep for those who work around the clock and allow them to use kitchen facilities.

The bill would affect the 200,000 people who work in California domestic service, who are almost entirely women and immigrants or people of color. While domestic workers face the same excuses for substandard conditions faced by other women, namely that they're only working to supplement the income of men, most of them are either the sole source of income for their families or are bringing home pay that their families can't live without. They perform the fundamental duties of the home, including child care, house cleaning and cooking, as well as caring for people with disabilities, the sick and the elderly.  

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka traveled to Sacramento in February to lend the AFL-CIO's support for the bill.

In coming days, a statewide delegation of domestic workers will gather to have a breakfast with legislators in Sacramento and distribute Mother’s Day cards in the state Capitol, while in Los Angeles, domestic workers will convene at a press conference, view the Cuéntame video and hold several state senator district office visits. During these visits, they will bring banners, balloons, giant Mother's Day post cards, signs and flowers to deliver to the senators.

California domestic workers are part of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, a membership-based organization with 35 affliates in 19 cities and 11 states around the country for nannies, housekeepers and caregivers for the elderly. In fall 2010, a first-ever Domestic Workers Rights Bill was signed into law in New York, following a years' long campaign by domestic workers in that state.

By Lisa Hoyos, Blue-Green Alliance

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system needs new rail cars. But will BART seize the opportunity to hire a company to manufacture the rail cars that will create as many jobs as possible here at home? That’s the subject of tomorrow’s BART Board of Directors meeting, where the Board will have the opportunity to move toward selecting a company that will produce rail cars using 95% domestic content.  

Alstom is a NY-based rail car manufacturing company that has produced more than 7,000 safe and reliable metro cars for transit systems throughout the country. If they’re selected by the BART Board of Directors (as opposed to another company that would use nearly one-third less domestic content), the company would help create and sustain a passenger rail supply chain that will serve commuter systems in California and across the country. The $20 million aluminum car body facility, for instance, would be the first of its kind in decades. Establishing this level of domestic manufacturing capability helps eliminate the expensive shipment of shells from offshore manufacturing facilities. This is true for all major components of passenger rail cars. By making investments in American manufacturers and American workers, we can strengthen our domestic supply chain and establish a reliable, cost-effective domestic source for our nation’s passenger rail and transit systems.

Additionally, domestic manufacturing assures appropriate environmental regulations are followed.  Making it in the United States avoids the emissions associated with transporting manufactured goods from countries that lack strong environmental protections, therefore reducing the lifecycle emissions of products.

The BART Board of Directors needs to prioritize creating quality, union jobs here at home. Wall Street talks about a "jobless economic recovery." We know that's an oxymoron. An economic recovery is defined by putting people to work, as well as maintaining the manufacturing and other jobs we currently have.

Tomorrow is our chance to make sure the BART Board of Director do the right thing in selecting a company that will maximize job creation here at home. Please join us for a rally, just before the hearing, where union leaders, including the California Labor Federation Executive Secretary Treasurer Art Pulaski, will be joined by BART riders and community members to urge BART to select a company that will take the boldest steps to grow US jobs. The rally starts at 8am at the BART Board Room in the Kaiser Center in Oakland (344 20th St, 3rd Floor). The hearing itself starts at 9am, and all are encouraged to stick around and speak out in favor of BART for America!

Learn more at www.BARTforAmerica.com.

By Danielle Tipton, California Labor Federation

Today is the 30th annual California Day of the Teacher, a day to appreciate everything teachers do for our state, our children, our communities and our future.

Teachers are often the first role models we remember in life. They teach us facts, but they also teach us about the kinds of people we want to be, and they are frequently the reason we end up pursuing a particular passion or career path.

Just about everyone has had at least one teacher that really made an impact on their lives. For California Teachers Association President Dean Vogel, that person was his 4th grade teacher, Mr. Chavez. In today’s Long Beach Press Telegram, Vogel recalls how Chavez’ accepting and encouraging personality influenced him to become a teacher years later:

He was one of those teachers who could nourish the gift that every child had. I remember that he was very open to everybody, not just the kids who were the best behaved or the kids who seemed to be the smartest or got their work done on time. And I was a kid who needed that kind of connection. I needed to know there was an adult in the world who believed in me, and he was that guy.

Vogel’s story is one we can all relate to. We all have our own “Mr. Chavez” -- for me, it was my third grade teacher, Ms. Purdue, who first shaped my dreams and made me realize my potential. She was sweet and caring, allowing me to feel safe to break out of my shell. Her unique “country party” incentive system taught me about the immensity of the world. Here’s how it worked: Ms. Purdue had a miniature airplane that travelled around the classroom, and every time the class had a good day, it would move a foot closer to its “secret destination.” I can still recall the feeling of the adrenaline in the classroom as the plane moved around, knowing we were days away from the destination-themed “country party” which celebrated the cultures of different countries. I remember the tasty pizza at the Italy party, and the dancing and music from the Ghana party.  Thanks to Ms. Purdue’s country parties, I became immensely interested in other cultures. I started with pen pals in elementary school and eventually travelled the world following high school. Traveling has in turn inspired me to fix the inequalities that I’ve encountered, which are present even here in my own backyard.

Ms. Purdue was more than just a teacher to me – she was an inspiration. I remember her staying late to help my peers or to decorate the classroom with our work. I even recall how much I missed her nice, patient personality when she was out for a week with a serious illness.  She did not make much and had to pay for a lot out of pocket (now that I’m older and understand the meager supply budgets for public school teachers, I realize that Ms. Purdue probably financed the “country parties” for a class of 25 all on her own) but she still worked hard and long hours because she loved her students. And we loved her back.

Today, California’s hard-working teachers are still struggling to make a difference for our students and their future, despite $20 billion in severe budget cuts, 40,000 layoffs, increased class sizes and even fewer resources than ever before. So on this Day of the Teacher, we’re not just celebrating teachers, we’re fighting for them, the way they’ve always fought for us. That’s why we need the Governor’s revenue measure to fund education, protect our students and keep more teachers like Mr. Chavez and Ms. Purdue in the classroom. And that’s why we need to make a commitment to “Invest in California” going forward.

Because every student deserves an education inspiration… and our state’s future depends on the next generation of thinkers and innovators to keep California on top.

Learn more about the Day of the Teacher.

by Ollie Allen, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers

Last year, SEIU-UHW launched “Let’s Get Healthy, California,” a big and bold campaign whose aim is to improve the quality of healthcare in California, lower costs, create good healthcare jobs and dramatically reduce the number of people who suffer from chronic health conditions.

We knew when we set out that what we were attempting to achieve was going to be tough, but that if we were successful, we would have fundamentally changed the healthcare system in California–for workers, for patients, and for communities– for the better.

This week, we took two giant steps forward on the road to a healthier California by creating valuable partnerships that will help make our vision a reality.

This morning, Diana Dooley, the head of California’s Department of Health and Human Services, joined us at our Executive Board meeting to announce that the Governor has issued an Executive Order that makes our “Let’s Get Healthy, California” campaign the policy of the state. Our vision for a healthier California is one that the Governor and his administration believe in, and they are now working with us to move that vision forward.

Our second giant step forward is a landmark agreement with the hospital industry that will allow us to work together on our joint priorities, namely reducing the levels of chronic disease; advocating for quality care and lower costs; changing how the healthcare system is funded; and developing high-road labor relations that will pave the way for thousands of healthcare workers to join a union.

Working together with hospitals and with the State of California, we know we will be able to create the California that we have envisioned: a healthier one where everyone can access the care they need.

Check out this video clip of Secretary Dooley announcing the Executive Order:

By Rebecca Band, California Labor Federation

One BILLION Dollars. That’s how much California gives away every year to big corporations, thanks to a wasteful tax loophole that actually incentivizes companies to close up shop in California and move those jobs elsewhere.

According to LA Times columnist George Skelton:

You might think a tax law that rewards companies for killing California jobs and resurrecting them in another state would be dumped. Very quickly. Especially if it also rewards them for selling off property here and rebuilding elsewhere. Or, put another way, if the law provides a tax incentive not to hire or invest in California in the first place. You'd repeal it. A no-brainer.

Makes no sense, except for the companies using the loophole while profiting from selling their products here in the nation's largest consumer market. You wouldn't even have voted to pass such a mind-boggling law. But then you aren't a member of the California Legislature — especially a Republican who believes that any corporate tax loophole is good, any loophole closure is an evil tax increase.

Well, yes, closing the loophole would raise taxes for some out-of-state outfits — but only to the level already paid by California companies that hire and invest here heavily, and contribute substantially to our economy.

As if a billion-dollar giveaway to out-of-state corporations isn’t bad enough, the “single sales factor” loophole is just one of several corporate tax breaks California is wasting big money on, while at the same time slashing funding for schools, health care, public safety, vital services, assistance for the poor, roads, bridges, parks and just about everything else that makes California a great place to live and work.

While the rest of us are struggling in the face of high unemployment and draconian budget cuts, corporations are actually being paid to shed California jobs, and it’s all thanks to their high-powered corporate lobbyists in Sacramento who know just how to sneak these loopholes into budget negotiations. In addition to the “single sales factor” loophole, corporations also benefit hugely from the “enterprise zone” tax loophole, which doles out $37k to employers for every worker they fire and replace in a “targeted” part of the state.  According to the California Budget Project, enterprise zones have cost the state $3.6 billion since the program began – that’s money that could have gone to funding schools, rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, keeping firefighters and cops on the job… it’s almost overwhelming to think about the cuts that could have been avoided if not for these excessive and abusive tax breaks.

With California unemployment hovering around 11 percent, we ought to be investing in creating jobs, not rewarding companies that lay off hard-working Californians for no other reason except to boost their bottom line.  That’s why Governor Jerry Brown has voiced his strong opposition to enterprise zones and other wasteful tax breaks for corporations.

The Governor isn’t alone on this. Economists, legislators, labor unions and working families have been fighting for years to expose the waste, fraud and abuse in our state’s corporate tax loopholes. Even some members of the 1% recognize the need to close these loopholes. Investor and philanthropist Thomas Steyer told the LA Times:

How is it possible we could have this kind of tax loophole that's so bad for the state and for the people? It's just crazy. It's so nuts that I got exasperated.

We’re exasperated too Mr. Steyer. That’s why closing these tax loopholes is a top priority and integral part of the “Invest in California” jobs plan. Because that’s where the waste, fraud and abuse in our budget really lies, and it’s time to put a stop to it.

by Ken Deitz, RN and Barbara Blake, RN, United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals

Registered Nurses at Beverly Hospital ratified our first contract this week, winning protections for patient safety after a year of tough bargaining.

Beverly is a community hospital in Montebello that serves working families in East Los Angeles and the small nearby cities. After years of individual efforts to address concerns about safe staffing and broken equipment, Beverly nurses voted to join United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) in February 2011.

But when we sat down at the bargaining table to negotiate our first contract we faced classic bad faith bargaining tactics from management: refusals to provide information or bargain often enough, and stalling. The NLRB determined to prosecute the hospital in March 2012 after a thorough investigation.

Meanwhile, Cal-OSHA launched an investigation after our reports of a malfunctioning Code Blue system in Intensive Care, malfunctioning electrical outlets, flooding, water damage and mold in the hospital.

We refused to give up. We rallied with Congresswoman Judy Chu. We held a candlelight vigil. We launched a community petition drive. We fought for fairness on multiple fronts.

And we received much-needed morale boosts from a steady stream of our union brothers and sisters who visited the hospital and demanded to see the CEO. He kept ducking them, but we have no doubt that they had a cumulative effect. Delegations included Montebello Firefighters, Clean Carwash Campaign, Grocery Workers (UFCW), California School Employees (CSEA) and AFSCME.

And finally, we won! On May 2 we voted 96% for our first contract, with a decent wage increase after years of a freeze that cost us good nurses, and most importantly: language that will help us improve the quality of patient care.

Our story demonstrates once again the power of collective action, persistence and solidarity. When we stand strong together, we benefit, and so does our community.

by Caroline O'Connor, LA County Federation of Labor

On May Day in L.A., waste haulers and sorters at American Reclamation were joined by more than 500 Teamsters and union members from across L.A. Labor, from teachers and grocery workers to carwash workers and film crews in support of their efforts to form a union. American Reclamation treats is workers worse than the garbage they work with, paying poverty wages with no benefits, exposing employees to health and safety hazards on a regular basis and firing workers who filed a safety complaint with Cal/OSHA.

Karla Campos was fired by American Reclamation after she and some of her co-workers filed a complaint with Cal/OSHA.

When we were hurt, cut by a sharp object we handled on the line or pricked by a dirty needle we didn’t see, we weren’t given proper first aid. Sometimes we bandaged wounds with pieces of paper or material from the trash, and we were told to get back on the line as we bled.

Margarita Castro, a waste sorter at American Reclamation, addressed the May Day crowd, telling them about the deplorable and dangerous working conditions at American Reclamation.  She also said that some workers have been there for 20 years and are still making minimum wage.

Recently announced 2012 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Dolores Huerta joined the protest. When talking about receiving the Medal of Freedom, Dolores Huerta stated boldly, "Freedom means workers must be free to organize." She also talked about how bosses and CEOs have their own associations they belong to that represent their interests. They pay dues, so it is only fair that workers also have the the same rights to have unions.

Los Angeles City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles Controller and mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel, L.A. Labor’s Maria Elena Durazo, President of Teamsters Joint Council 42 Randy Cammack and Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters 396 Ron Herrera also spoke out in support of the waste workers right outside American Reclamation's front door.

Maria Elena Durazo, leader of the Los Angeles labor movement:

Today a new generation of immigrant workers have revitalized and brought May Day back to life.  Today is about immigrant rights. It is about a worker’s right to safe working conditions. It is about eliminating poverty for men and women who work hard every day. Today is about raising the standard of living for all workers. No worker deserves to be treated as less than human. Today-- is about what kind of country we want to be.

Ron Herrera, Secretary-Treasurer of the Teamsters Local 396:

Teamsters are here to fight the war against waste workers and we demand that all workers be treated with dignity and respect. We’re here to show American Reclamation and the entire City of Los Angeles that we won’t tolerate exploitation of any workers, including an immigrant workforce.

Randy Cammack, President of the Teamsters Joint Council 42:

We’re joined here by community groups and elected officials who know that waste workers are the eyes and ears of the community when it comes to the range of harmful impact this industry can have. Waste workers are our first line of defense against the harms that companies like American Reclamation can bring -- because when you put workers at risk in a dirty facility and dangerous trucks, you’re putting communities at risk, too. We breathe the same air and drive on the same roads with those dirty, dangerous trucks.

The May Day protest included the premiere of “Workers are not Garbage” a new video by Brave New Foundation’s Cuentame about the dangerous and even deadly working condition inside Southern California’s waste and recycling industry. NYC-based Outernational played live from their new album “Todos Somos Ilegales/We are all Illegals.”

by Jennifer Badgley, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 569

Some of the volunteers who gathered at the IBEW 569 union hall last Saturday laughingly called the day “Good Karma Day.”  That's because the last Saturday of April is the annual day of action when electrical workers put their skills to work at Rebuilding Together San Diego’s (RTSD) Annual April Rebuilding Day event. 

It’s an yearly tradition for IBEW 569 electrical workers, who spend the day doing much-needed electrical work for low-income residents, veterans, elderly and disabled residents -- and that's where the 'good karma' comes in. This year, Wounded Warriors and Big Sister League Facilities were also beneficiaries of this impressive  renovation event.

Daniel Machain, an organizer with IBEW 569 and a board member of Rebuilding Together San Diego, says IBEW 569 electricians play a critical role in ensuring homeowners-in-need have healthy and safe places to live:

We often see electrical systems that are very unsafe and inefficient, so it is important for the personal safety of residents and the long-term safety of the home that licensed and skilled electricians are a part of this community effort.

This is more than just a union action -- collaboration with the employers is critical to the electricians having a successful "Good Karma Day". Their employers, members of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), donate the use of company equipment and trucks to the effort. Says Daniel Machain:

We wouldn’t be able to do all this work for home-owners in need and for injured warriors without generous contributions from NECA contractors.

San Diego’s Freedom Station is one of the places being renovated by a team of IBEW 569 electricians and other community volunteers. Freedom Station provides transitional housing for injured warriors. and is an important place for all San Diego veterans. Sandra Lehmkuler, President of Freedom Station and Director of the Warrior Foundation explains that

Injured warriors must wait until they are medically retired before entering the job market.  With the help of Freedom Station and the firestorm of giving from San Diego, we have had a very high success rate of our warriors moving on already having jobs or starting out at college.

Congressman Bob Filner, ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, participated in the Rebuilding Together Day, and thinks collaboration is critical to injured warriors facing life outside the armed services:

We need to come together today, and every day, to provide assistance to transitioning warriors who need help acquiring permanent housing and pathways to education and employment.

San Diego is a military town, and for IBEW 569 members, helping ensure warriors get a hand-up is not just good karma, it’s deeply personal.

Professional electrician and veteran Richard Jacob, who headed the team of electrical workers at Freedom Station that did things like replacing wiring and installing solar light fixtures, had this to day:

I participate in this event every year, and as a veteran I am glad I can make a difference for the vets at Freedom Station. We will make this a better lit, safer, and more energy-efficient place.

While the last day in April is the largest single volunteer event of the year, IBEW 569 participates with Rebuilding Together all year long. For example,  IBEW 569 apprentice volunteers recently teamed up with San Diego City Councilwoman Marti Emerald and Rebuilding Together on a 'Safe Lights' program in the San Diego neighborhood of Mount Hope. Volunteers went door-to-door and asked residents if they would allow union electricians to install a solar light on the exterior of their home.  After getting permission, 80 solar lights were installed.  Now that sidewalks and alleyways are lit-up, crime has decreased in the neighborhood.  

Now that’s good karma!

by Santos Castaneda, Warehouse Workers United

My name is Santos Castaneda and I am a warehouse worker in Chino, CA. I unload containers full of shoes shipped from China, and load them into trailers that carry them to your local Walmart store. I have worked here for three years at minimum wage through a staffing agency in hot, dangerous conditions. 

Wednesday, I spoke at the California Assembly Labor committee hearing in support of AB 1855, a bill that would change the labor code to force employers in the warehouse industry that use subcontractors take responsibility for the conditions they create. Assemblymember Norma Torres of Pomona introduced this bill because she was struck by the fact that these warehouse employers are acting so irresponsibly in her district. The California Labor Federation prioritized the legislation because the warehouse industry is so important to our state- more than 200,000 Californians work in this industry, and these are jobs crucial to our economic recovery.

If the bill passes, warehouse companies and retailers will no longer be able to set low standards with tight contracts and then hide behind staffing agencies when labor law violations are found. AB 1855 was approved Wednesday, and we are moving forward for better conditions in the industry. 

In the last year, I have gone from watching the problems at my warehouse and not knowing how to make change, to speaking up about the problems to my employer and Cal/OSHA. I have been fired for standing up for my rights for a safe workplace. I have learned the power of solidarity as workers stood up to support me and I got my job back.  I have fought retaliation and demotion, and been vindicated by the state citing my employer and forcing them to change their health and safety conditions.

I have met workers from other Walmart contract warehouses in the area and their experiences are not different from mine. These workers have stood up against Walmart and its contractors for the poor conditions and wages stolen from them over years of hard work, unloading thousands of boxes per hour for less than minimum wage.

I have met Walmart associates who work in the stores – workers who unload the goods I put into containers –  and are raising their voices for better conditions at their stores. Walmart is responsible for creating conditions of poverty and exploitation in the warehouses and distribution centers that serve them in Southern California.  By setting low standards, Walmart and other retailers get away with theft from tens of thousands of workers in California.  Of all companies, Walmart, the biggest company in the world, can afford to do better.

Read about my visit and AB 1855 in La Opinión.

by Jamie Way, Making Change at Walmart

In light of reports that Walmart not only bribed public officials in Mexico, but that top executives had known of the scandal and chose to cover it up, one employee is questioning whether she can trust Walmart with her future.

Walmart employee and OUR Walmart member Venanzi Luna:

I’ve given a lot to this company, and I’m very angry that top executives at Walmart are said to be involved in bribing public officials in Mexico, and then trying to cover the whole thing up. I’m worried because while I am working hard, now I’m hearing that they’re risking our company by lying and cheating. For years, my coworkers and I have been saying that this company has lost its way. I didn’t realize it had gotten this bad!

Luna decided that something needed to be done. She started her own petition calling for the resignation of Walmart CEO Mike Duke and Chairman Rob Walton, as well as a thorough and independent investigation into what really happened. Her petition received over 4,000 signatures within the first day it was posted.

The reported cover-up by Walmart executives at the highest levels is the latest evidence that a culture of lawlessness dominates the highest levels of the company’s leadership.  Walmart employees have experienced this first hand; time-and-time again workers have been forced to resort to legal action to protect themselves from discrimination, to ensure their rights are not violated and to simply receive an hour’s pay for an hour worked.

Said Luna:

It is time for things to change. Walmart needs to take responsibility for its actions and change its leadership.

Click here to sign Luna's petition.

Learn more about OUR Walmart.