UC Graduate Workers Begin System Wide Strike
University of California graduate student workers are walking off the job at several campuses today and a system wide strike is expected tomorrow. Twelve thousand students represented by the United Auto Workers Union Local 28-65 have been without a contract for six months now, and spokesman Josh Brahinsky says UC is engaging in a pattern of threats and intimidation and has resisted bargaining over the workload of the grad students.
Additional Health Care Subsidies Proposed for San Franciscans
Covered California is offering a two-week extension to April 15 for those who waited until the last minute to sign up for health insurance. Many people waited to avoid paying the premiums until the last possible moment. If you're on the edge financially, health coverage competes with other priorities like rent. In San Francisco, Supervisor David Campos wants the city to help cover the cost of a plan.
Silicon Valley Spends Big Bucks Lobbying in Washington, D.C.
Silicon Valley is flexing its political muscle in Washington, D.C. the same way every other industry does: by spending big money. Tech firms have been lobbying the federal government for half a century now, but the kinds of companies that top the list have changed as the industry has over the years.