Caitlin Vega
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Labor's Edge Articles by Caitlin Vega
9/26/11
What Small Businesses Need
by Caitlin Vega
This year, there were about twenty-five bills introduced in the California legislature taking aim at the regulatory process. Listening to those pushing bills that would eviscerate core worker and environmental protections, regulations are to blame for our battered economy. They say regulations have created a bad business climate and that's why small businesses can't keep their doors open.
Hmmm. Sure makes for nice soundbites. But is it true? Not so much.
In actuality, deregulation is a far greater threat to our economy. Those pushing so-called "regulatory reform" seem to conveniently forget that it was deregulation of Wall Street and Big Banks that caused our economic collapse. And there are important worker safety regulations, like heat stress protections, that took decades to get enacted. Other regulations, like nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, protect public health and have literally saved lives.
9/23/11
To Rebuild a Fair Economy, We Must Tackle the Underground Economy
by Caitlin Vega
We all know that in this economy, we could easily face cutbacks and we'd be in the unemployment line with millions of other laid off workers. So imagine what times are like in California's underground economy. That's what we call the sectors that operate under the radar of enforcement agencies. Where employers pay in cash, don't carry workers' compensation, and treat workers like they are disposable.
So it’s no wonder that wage theft is rampant. Wage theft includes a range of labor law violations, including failure to pay minimum wage, overtime and meal periods, tip-stealing, off-the-clock work and more. A UCLA study released in 2010 found that wage theft costs Los Angeles County workers $26 million a week. According to the study, nearly 30 percent of low-wage workers were not paid the minimum wage and 75 percent of those entitled to overtime did not receive it.
9/20/11
Labor and Business Standing Together to Make Progress for California
by Caitlin Vega
It is not every day that labor and business come together to co-sponsor legislation. But the truth is, we have a lot of shared interests. We all care about creating and protecting jobs, ensuring a skilled workforce and revitalizing our battered economy. This year, the California Labor Federation sponsored two bills with the business community to further these shared goals.
These partnerships show that while the Chamber of Commerce may call any bill that helps workers a “job killer,” the employer community is not monolithic. Small businesses care about our local communities and are often ignored by their own trade associations. Manufacturers create the jobs that can rebuild our economy, and we plan to work closely with them to make that a reality.
7/18/11
Cuts to Higher Education Shortchange California’s Future
by Caitlin Vega
When I went to Cal State Hayward in the late 90's, I couldn't understand why anyone went anywhere else. Small classes, great teachers, and a student body who were passionate and excited to be there. We all worked, many had kids, most were the first in the family to go to college. We were tired, bedraggled, and usually late to class but we were in love with this new life of learning.
I worked as a tutor in the afternoons and as a waitress on the weekends. I paid each quarter as it came, maybe $400 dollars tuition and $200 more on books? I was able to pay my way through college, five years and a double-major, on two part-time jobs and a Cal-Grant. And after graduation I had the freedom to do exactly the work I wanted without the crushing burden of massive student loans.
4/22/11
No Unions, No Middle Class
by Caitlin Vega
When I look around, I see families struggling harder than ever just to get by. Foreclosed homes with "For Sale" signs up, thousands of workers standing in line to apply for a handful of jobs at McDonalds, those who lost jobs realizing there are none to be found. I see it in my family, among my friends, throughout my neighborhood. The working people of California who once enjoyed a degree of economic security have seen it washed away in a tidal wave of hard times.
This is not just anecdotal. The recent census numbers show the highest level of inequality on record. That means not only are working families suffering, but they are suffering alone. The wealthy, the banks, and the CEOs are all making record profits, while jobs disappear and aid to the poorest elderly and disabled is slashed.
Is this the world we want to live in?
If you are saying, "There’s gotta be a better way," you are right. There is one. It’s called the Labor Movement. A new study by the Center for American Progress confirms the cornerstone of our philosophy: unions are essential to creating a fair economy and rebuilding the middle class.
3/31/11
Remembering Cesar Chavez
by Caitlin Vega
The Napa I grew up in is probably not the place you'd come to spend a long weekend winetasting. Real Napa, as we call it, is not glamorous or exclusive. In the old days, my dad says, "it used to be a place where poor kids could grow up in the country." Today, even with the fancy restaurants and expensive tourist shops, Napa is still an agricultural town at heart, which means it is a farmworker community.
My mother-in-law, Emma, started working as a farmworker at the age of 19. The daughter of a bracero, she joined her father in Napa to work beside him in the fields. A few years in, everything changed. A young organizer named Cesar Chavez came to town. At first workers were scared but they were soon inspired to make a better life by joining the farmworkers union. As longtime worker advocate Aurelio Hurtado recalls, “He had a simple message: we're people and are not afraid of anything when it comes to our future. We're here to work, not to beg."
3/25/11
California GOP Legislative Wish List Targets Workers’ Rights and Jobs
by Caitlin Vega
As Californians hold our collective breath hoping for a budget breakthrough, so far there's not a Republican vote to be found. GOP legislators won't support new revenue, they won't vote for the cuts they claim they want, and they won't close corporate tax breaks. Months of budget stalemate prompted Governor Brown to ask, "If they're not going to do anything, why even take a paycheck?"
Turns out, Republicans have had a few other things on their to-do list this month. The downside is that just about everything they want to do just makes life harder for working people in California. While they don't seem to care about a balanced budget, here are a few things that Republicans would like to do for the people of California...
3/11/11
Municipal Bankruptcy Threatens Workers, Communities and the Economy
by Caitlin Vega
When I was growing up, my dad was a union laborer, helping build tunnels and bridges throughout the Bay. He could be old-school and had a lot of rules I didn't like (no slurping my straw at a restaurant, no backtalk, no whining when he brushed my hair too hard) so I got more than my share of spankings.
But there were a few of my dad's rules that I took to heart and one of the most important ones was that your word is all you got. He told me that you live by your commitments or you get no respect. We all learn that lesson at some point, right?
But now it sounds like those who have spent decades preaching personal responsibility have changed their minds about what that means. Conservative superstar Newt Gingrich recently proposed that states be allowed to declare bankruptcy for one specific purpose: to break commitments made to workers and retirees.
2/9/11
California Love
by Caitlin Vega
We Californians are a pretty proud bunch. We like living in a state that has been in the forefront of pushing for workers’ rights, civil rights, and environmental protection. We are happy to lead the way and watch the rest of the nation follow.
But every year, we hear the same smack talking. You know the line: "California has a terrible business climate." We hear it over and over from the employer associations and Republican politicians. They say businesses are leaving because we have too much regulation, high business taxes, and too many worker protections.
Wow, they make it sound so bad it's almost like they are trying to convince companies to leave! And I’m not sure who he considers “productive people,” but workers across the country have been setting records for productivity. And I haven’t heard about all these “productive people” jumping on buses out of state. As for businesses fleeing, a recent Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) study already debunked that myth.
2/7/11
The True Legacy of Ronald Reagan
by Caitlin Vega
Last Friday would have been Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday. I really didn’t want to write about Reagan. I know at this point we are all supposed to say that whether or not we agreed with him, we admired his optimism, his skillful communicating style, and his bold vision. Once considered deeply divisive, Reagan is now showered with bipartisan praise every year on his birthday and who am I to rain on that parade?
Sorry, but I couldn’t help myself. I was four years old when Reagan was elected. At the age of 10, when my parents got divorced, I had no doubt that Reagan was to blame. I know, it sounds silly. But I grew up in a union family and my parents believed in The Labor Movement (yes, with caps) like it was a religion. The reality is that Reagan’s presidency was devastating for union workers.
2/2/11
Safety Now at Napa State Hospital
by Caitlin Vega
"If I get murdered tomorrow doing my job, how much will you give my family and what will you say to my children?" Napa State Hospital social worker Corinne Weaver's haunting question brought the overflow crowd to their feet. Hundreds of Napa State workers filled the room, testifying to the level of danger and violence they must confront everyday.
Last week's forum on how to improve safety for patients and workers at the Napa State Hospital was convened by newly elected Assembly Member Michael Allen and co-hosted with Senator Noreen Evans. Workers finally had an opportunity to speak publicly about the working conditions that have been overlooked for years.
2/1/11
Rep. Issa Seeks to Eliminate Vital Home Loan Modification Program
by Caitlin Vega
First, he asked big business to tell him which regulations to eliminate. Now, it seems that Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) is asking the big banks what to do about home foreclosures.
According to the LA Times, Rep. Darrell Issa plans to scrap President Obama's home loan modification program. The Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) offers incentives to home loan servicers who successfully got families into modified loans, preventing unnecessary foreclosures. The program was put in place in the face of widespread evidence that loan modifications were not happening. Between April 2009 and October 2010, 1.4 million Americans were able to keep their homes due to HAMP loan modifications.