Caitlin Vega
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Labor's Edge Articles by Caitlin Vega
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.
1/4/11
Anti-Union Measures Harm ALL Workers
by Caitlin Vega
Yesterday's New York Times reports that in a number of states around the country, Republican lawmakers are taking advantage of the budget crises they face to attack unions.
Proposals include limiting collective bargaining, ending prevailing wage on construction projects, eliminating the right to strike, and even banning the union shop. Some Republican House leaders are even pushing to take the word "labor" out of the "Education and Labor Committee" and change the title to "Education and Workforce Committee." Here we are, in the midst of the greatest economic crisis since the Depression, and politicians are attacking the only voice for working people in this country.
1/3/11
Christie Out in the Cold
by Caitlin Vega
You gotta love the irony of this one. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been on a crusade against public employees since the day he came to office. Faced with a serious state deficit, he places the blame squarely on the working people of his state. In spite of the national recession and the lingering foreclosure crisis, Christie has focused solely on state workers, city employees, and public school teachers, accusing them of creating the budget problem.
Now, Christie is taking heat because while his constituents have been hit by massive snowstorms, he and his Lieutenant Governor are both vacationing out of state. Even when it became clear that the storms had created chaos throughout the state, Governor Christie chose not to return from Disneyworld.
12/31/10
Goodbye—And Good Riddance—to Governor Schwarzenegger
by Caitlin Vega
As this year draws to a close, so too does Arnold Schwarzenegger's term as California governor. Skimming the many articles that reflected on his tenure as Governor, one word was used over and over: "moderate."
So what does it mean to be a "moderate?" Sure, Schwarzenegger did not embrace the socially conservative agenda pushed by much of the Republican Party, but he has shown a deep disregard for the working people who built this state and who make it run. Every time he had to choose a side, he stood with big business, big banks, and big campaign contributors.
12/24/10
Open On Christmas
by Caitlin Vega
As I sit on the floor wrapping presents with a newborn on my lap and an excited 4-year-old bouncing around me, I see the commercials on tv promise "We are open on Christmas!" Wal-Mart reassures shoppers they will be open all day. Starbucks posts a sign: "Open on Christmas, stop by and tell us how you are celebrating."
Well this is all very convenient... Unless of course you are a worker at one of these places. For these workers, Christmas Day won't be spent baking cookies, watching their kids open presents, or catching up with relatives. Instead, they will be ringing up frantic shoppers or making frappacinos while customers describe their own holiday plans.
9/27/10
Is California Really “Bleeding Jobs” To Other States?
by Caitlin Vega
Meg Whitman keeps reciting the same misinformation about job loss resulting from California’s bad business climate, claiming that businesses are leaving California because of “over-regulation”. But the truth is, we have lost fewer jobs than neighboring states that have fewer worker protections and lower taxes on corporations and the wealthy.
As KQED’s John Myers points out, "The 'bleeding of jobs' -- the notion that a large number of jobs are businesses are fleeing California -- is a familiar talking point in state politics these days, especially among Republicans. But in the only broad, longitudinal nonpartisan study out there, the numbers don't match the rhetoric."
9/8/10
Impact of Foreclosures Goes Far Beyond Economic Damage
by Caitlin Vega
A new study conducted by the Alameda County Public Health Department and the housing rights group Causa Justa found that those who have had homes foreclosed on are twice as likely to report that their mental and physical health has declined. Many cite increased crime in their communities as a result of mass foreclsoures, as well as the strain caused by dislocating their children from friends and schools due to a forced move.
This latest report only underscores the need to protect families from the harm caused by foreclosures. Unfortunately, the lending industry that aggressively marketed sub-prime loans is now resisting efforts to protect borrowers from unnecessary foreclosures.
4/13/10
Republican “Job Creation” Plan Looks More Like a Big Business Wish List
by Caitlin Vega
With our unemployment rate at the highest rate since the Great Depression, it’s no wonder that politicians are talking about jobs 24/7. But who is serious about putting Californians back to work, and who is just paying lip service? The Governor and legislative Republicans say jobs are the top priority, but a quick look at their policy proposals reveals just the opposite.