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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Thousands of San José city workers on Monday moved one step closer to a historic work stoppage by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094427/san-jose-strike-vote-this-week-could-set-up-a-major-work-stoppage\">authorizing a strike\u003c/a> that could put librarians, parks workers and other municipal employees on the picket line. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Members of two unions, IFPTE Local 21 and MEF-AFSCME Local 101, overwhelmingly approved a strike authorization vote giving union leaders the power to order a work stoppage of up to three days. The move comes after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089834/san-jose-at-a-stalemate-with-its-largest-city-employee-union\">months of gridlock\u003c/a> between city leaders who argue San José is strapped for cash and workers who are demanding better pay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The biggest thing is wages,” said Hannah Ornellas, an environmental services specialist who manages trash and recycling in the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1386\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-4-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093641\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-4-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-4-KQED-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-4-KQED-1536x1064.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kyle Wong, associate transportation specialist for the Department of Transportation, poses for a photo in San José on July 29, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During her four-year tenure, Ornellas said she’s seen massive attrition as coworkers leave for better-paying jurisdictions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The loss of institutional knowledge is just really great,” she said. “And every year with new staff, we just have to spend so much time training new staff on all of these annual processes.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A potential work stoppage by the two unions, which collectively represent as many as 4,500 workers, would be San José’s largest since 1981. City officials have been preparing contingency plans. Just three years ago, the same unions came to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">brink of a strike\u003c/a> before reaching an agreement with the city on raises. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, the city’s fiscal outlook is much worse, said Aram Kouyoumdjian, San José’s director of human resources and employee relations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2023, the council approved a budget with a $35 million surplus. The budget approved in June closed a $50 million shortfall in the current fiscal year, and another deficit is expected next year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While department directors are preparing for the “serious possibility” of a work stoppage, Kouyoumdjian said, “We are endeavoring to mitigate or prevent a strike in whatever way that we can while remaining responsible stewards of the public’s money.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Before selecting the dates of a potential strike, the two unions have requested a process known as fact-finding. A three-person panel, facilitated by the California Public Employment Relations Board, will review the offers made by the two sides and issue non-binding recommendations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The most recent public proposals show workers with the unions are asking for a 14% wage increase over three years, while the city has offered a 9% hike over that same time period. But Kouyoumdjian said the city is open to offering greater wage hikes that would be triggered if the budget situation improves.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The strike would not affect garbage and recycling services, which separate contractors provide. Depending on the length of a work stoppage and participation levels, library hours, permit wait times and operations at San José Mineta International Airport could be affected to varying degrees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not something that we take lightly,” Ornellas said.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california-state-university\">California State University\u003c/a> employees rallied for pay increases at several campuses on Tuesday, as management and union representatives in Hayward negotiated a contract for about 15,000 staffers statewide. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A vocal group of groundskeepers, clerical, academic support and other employees at the nation’s largest four-year public university system cheered after an organizer yelled “Show us the money!” to the university’s bargaining team heading into a session at a Cal State East Bay library room.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Several longtime employees in blue union T-shirts told KQED they resented that the university, which has struggled with multi-billion budget deficits and layoffs in recent years, approved controversial pay raises for campus presidents and top administrators last fall and winter. CSU \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/transparency-accountability/executive-compensation/Documents/compensation-faq.pdf\">argued\u003c/a> its executive compensation had fallen behind compared to other public universities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1777\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260812-CSUStrike-FJR-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094955\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260812-CSUStrike-FJR-01.jpg 1777w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260812-CSUStrike-FJR-01-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260812-CSUStrike-FJR-01-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1777px) 100vw, 1777px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">CSU staffers from Northern California campuses and organizers with the CSU Employees Union rally ahead of a bargaining session at Cal State East Bay in Hayward on Aug. 11, 2026. (Farida Jhabvala Romero)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Who does the job is us, the people, the 9-to-5. So, why don’t we get a yearly raise for the cost of living?” said Carmen Crum, admissions and outreach coordinator for a program supporting low-income, first-generation college students. “The problem here is that staff don’t get raises — higher-ups do.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We just want our fair shake,” said Jerry Gibbs, a student services coordinator handling student transcripts. He has worked at CSU for 25 years. “Everything’s going up around us, right? Gas prices, property taxes. It’s California.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CSU Employees Union, which represents a total of about 36,000 university workers, said it’s pushing to limit the use of contract and temporary staffers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the top priority since bargaining began in January remains members’ compensation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CSU’s budget woes have arguably lightened for the 2026-27 academic year after securing $710 million in new operating funds — mostly from increased state funding, but also tuition revenue and enrollment growth. The university plans to dedicate more than half of those funds to compensation and health benefits, according to a Board of Trustees \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/MeetingHandouts/July%2020-22,%202026/FIN%20Item%203%20-%202026-27%20Final%20Budget%20-%20HANDOUT%20BOTv1.pdf\">presentation\u003c/a> last month. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The CSU is committed to bargaining in good faith with CSUEU and achieving an agreement that recognizes and supports the work of our staff in fulfilling CSU’s mission,” Amy Bentley-Smith, a CSU spokesperson, said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The protest ahead of Tuesday’s bargaining session comes as CSU, which enrolled more than \u003ca href=\"https://tableau.calstate.edu/views/SelfEnrollmentDashboard/EnrollmentSummary?iframeSizedToWindow=true&:embed=y&:showAppBanner=false&:display_count=no&:showVizHome=no\">470,000\u003c/a> students at its 22 universities last year, is \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/faculty-staff/labor-and-employee-relations/Pages/CSU-Bargaining-Update-Multiple-Units-7-17-26.aspx\">meeting\u003c/a> with multiple units on new or recurring contracts covering tens of thousands in its workforce, including faculty, skilled trades and student workers.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Several longtime employees in blue union T-shirts told KQED they resented that the university, which has struggled with multi-billion budget deficits and layoffs in recent years, approved controversial pay raises for campus presidents and top administrators last fall and winter. CSU \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/transparency-accountability/executive-compensation/Documents/compensation-faq.pdf\">argued\u003c/a> its executive compensation had fallen behind compared to other public universities. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the top priority since bargaining began in January remains members’ compensation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>CSU’s budget woes have arguably lightened for the 2026-27 academic year after securing $710 million in new operating funds — mostly from increased state funding, but also tuition revenue and enrollment growth. The university plans to dedicate more than half of those funds to compensation and health benefits, according to a Board of Trustees \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/MeetingHandouts/July%2020-22,%202026/FIN%20Item%203%20-%202026-27%20Final%20Budget%20-%20HANDOUT%20BOTv1.pdf\">presentation\u003c/a> last month. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The protest ahead of Tuesday’s bargaining session comes as CSU, which enrolled more than \u003ca href=\"https://tableau.calstate.edu/views/SelfEnrollmentDashboard/EnrollmentSummary?iframeSizedToWindow=true&:embed=y&:showAppBanner=false&:display_count=no&:showVizHome=no\">470,000\u003c/a> students at its 22 universities last year, is \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/faculty-staff/labor-and-employee-relations/Pages/CSU-Bargaining-Update-Multiple-Units-7-17-26.aspx\">meeting\u003c/a> with multiple units on new or recurring contracts covering tens of thousands in its workforce, including faculty, skilled trades and student workers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california-state-university\">California State University\u003c/a> employees rallied for pay increases at several campuses on Tuesday, as management and union representatives in Hayward negotiated a contract for about 15,000 staffers statewide. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A vocal group of groundskeepers, clerical, academic support and other employees at the nation’s largest four-year public university system cheered after an organizer yelled “Show us the money!” to the university’s bargaining team heading into a session at a Cal State East Bay library room.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Several longtime employees in blue union T-shirts told KQED they resented that the university, which has struggled with multi-billion budget deficits and layoffs in recent years, approved controversial pay raises for campus presidents and top administrators last fall and winter. CSU \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/transparency-accountability/executive-compensation/Documents/compensation-faq.pdf\">argued\u003c/a> its executive compensation had fallen behind compared to other public universities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1777\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260812-CSUStrike-FJR-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094955\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260812-CSUStrike-FJR-01.jpg 1777w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260812-CSUStrike-FJR-01-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260812-CSUStrike-FJR-01-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1777px) 100vw, 1777px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">CSU staffers from Northern California campuses and organizers with the CSU Employees Union rally ahead of a bargaining session at Cal State East Bay in Hayward on Aug. 11, 2026. (Farida Jhabvala Romero)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Who does the job is us, the people, the 9-to-5. So, why don’t we get a yearly raise for the cost of living?” said Carmen Crum, admissions and outreach coordinator for a program supporting low-income, first-generation college students. “The problem here is that staff don’t get raises — higher-ups do.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We just want our fair shake,” said Jerry Gibbs, a student services coordinator handling student transcripts. He has worked at CSU for 25 years. “Everything’s going up around us, right? Gas prices, property taxes. It’s California.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CSU Employees Union, which represents a total of about 36,000 university workers, said it’s pushing to limit the use of contract and temporary staffers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the top priority since bargaining began in January remains members’ compensation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CSU’s budget woes have arguably lightened for the 2026-27 academic year after securing $710 million in new operating funds — mostly from increased state funding, but also tuition revenue and enrollment growth. The university plans to dedicate more than half of those funds to compensation and health benefits, according to a Board of Trustees \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/MeetingHandouts/July%2020-22,%202026/FIN%20Item%203%20-%202026-27%20Final%20Budget%20-%20HANDOUT%20BOTv1.pdf\">presentation\u003c/a> last month. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The CSU is committed to bargaining in good faith with CSUEU and achieving an agreement that recognizes and supports the work of our staff in fulfilling CSU’s mission,” Amy Bentley-Smith, a CSU spokesperson, said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The protest ahead of Tuesday’s bargaining session comes as CSU, which enrolled more than \u003ca href=\"https://tableau.calstate.edu/views/SelfEnrollmentDashboard/EnrollmentSummary?iframeSizedToWindow=true&:embed=y&:showAppBanner=false&:display_count=no&:showVizHome=no\">470,000\u003c/a> students at its 22 universities last year, is \u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/faculty-staff/labor-and-employee-relations/Pages/CSU-Bargaining-Update-Multiple-Units-7-17-26.aspx\">meeting\u003c/a> with multiple units on new or recurring contracts covering tens of thousands in its workforce, including faculty, skilled trades and student workers.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Thousands of San José municipal workers will vote this week on whether to authorize a strike, hoping to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089834/san-jose-at-a-stalemate-with-its-largest-city-employee-union\">break a monthslong stalemate\u003c/a> in contract talks with the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While a “yes” vote would not immediately launch a strike, it would give union leaders the go-ahead, moving the city closer to its largest work stoppage in 45 years. The two unions — the Municipal Employees’ Federation, AFSCME Local 101 (MEF) and the City Association of Management Personnel, IFPTE Local 21 — represent workers in city libraries, parks, housing and code enforcement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Members will begin voting Tuesday, the same day the City Council returns from summer recess, and they will continue through Friday. The vote comes after a mediation process last month failed to yield a deal.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-8-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093645\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-8-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-8-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-8-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San José City employee holds a sign reading “ready to strike for our services” at Strike School in San José on July 29, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city has offered the two unions wage increases of 3% in each of the next three fiscal years. The unions are asking for a 4% raise in 2026-27, followed by a 4.5% increase in 2027-28 and a 5.5% hike in 2028-29.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot riding on this; we have a lot of members that are hurting and not being able to just sustain their livelihoods here within the city,” said Kyle Wong, a Department of Transportation worker and IFPTE member. “We want to be able to maintain our services at the level that they are and with the institutional knowledge that is so important to us.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José has long had one of the region’s most thinly staffed municipal workforces. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The unions have argued that without meaningful raises, workers will continue to leave for nearby cities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As a resident here, I really enjoy living near where I work,” Wong said. “But it is very hard to do so.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City leaders contend that San José’s budget outlook constrains their ability to offer wage hikes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mayor Matt Mahan said the 3% annual raise offer is “as far as we can go at this moment in time without unacceptable cuts to city services.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The council \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086842/san-jose-city-budget-new-immigrant-funding-cuts-reserve-spending\">voted in June\u003c/a> to close a $50.3 million shortfall in the 2026-27 spending plan, but city staffers have projected a $26.8 million deficit in the fiscal year beginning next July. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think we’d all agree it wouldn’t be right for us to further cut library hours or have to shut down a fire station or some other impact like that to give an unsustainable raise,” Mahan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The two sides are also apart on the use of artificial intelligence in city departments. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A strike by MEF and IFPTE, which collectively represent more than 3,000 workers, would be the largest municipal work stoppage in San José since 1981, when AFSCME workers struck for nine days to advocate for equal pay for female workers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-6-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093643\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.500418643594753;width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-6-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-6-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-6-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José City employees attend Strike School in San José on July 29, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2023, Mahan was the lone vote against a contract for the two unions. The wage agreement reached at the time \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">narrowly avoided\u003c/a> a work stoppage that threatened to derail summer camps, permit processing and even flights at San José Mineta International Airport. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It remains to be seen whether the council members will ask the city manager to increase San José’s offer to the unions when they meet in a closed session on Tuesday morning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The unions are holding the strike authorization votes at large worksites, including City Hall, the airport and the central service yard. Results are expected to be tallied Aug. 17, with a potential strike date announced afterward. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last month, the unions held “strike schools” at San José First United Methodist Church, across the street from City Hall. Workers chanted, cheered and received a briefing from union leaders on what a work stoppage would entail. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are doing this because we know, because of the way the city has behaved at the bargaining table, that we have to strike to get a deal,” said Charles Allen, union representative for MEF. “Painful, but we have to do it.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thousands of San José municipal workers will vote this week on whether to authorize a strike, hoping to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089834/san-jose-at-a-stalemate-with-its-largest-city-employee-union\">break a monthslong stalemate\u003c/a> in contract talks with the city. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While a “yes” vote would not immediately launch a strike, it would give union leaders the go-ahead, moving the city closer to its largest work stoppage in 45 years. The two unions — the Municipal Employees’ Federation, AFSCME Local 101 (MEF) and the City Association of Management Personnel, IFPTE Local 21 — represent workers in city libraries, parks, housing and code enforcement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While a “yes” vote would not immediately launch a strike, it would give union leaders the go-ahead, moving the city closer to its largest work stoppage in 45 years. The two unions — the Municipal Employees’ Federation, AFSCME Local 101 (MEF) and the City Association of Management Personnel, IFPTE Local 21 — represent workers in city libraries, parks, housing and code enforcement. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Members will begin voting Tuesday, the same day the City Council returns from summer recess, and they will continue through Friday. The vote comes after a mediation process last month failed to yield a deal.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-8-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093645\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-8-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-8-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-8-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San José City employee holds a sign reading “ready to strike for our services” at Strike School in San José on July 29, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The city has offered the two unions wage increases of 3% in each of the next three fiscal years. The unions are asking for a 4% raise in 2026-27, followed by a 4.5% increase in 2027-28 and a 5.5% hike in 2028-29.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The city has offered the two unions wage increases of 3% in each of the next three fiscal years. The unions are asking for a 4% raise in 2026-27, followed by a 4.5% increase in 2027-28 and a 5.5% hike in 2028-29.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot riding on this; we have a lot of members that are hurting and not being able to just sustain their livelihoods here within the city,” said Kyle Wong, a Department of Transportation worker and IFPTE member. “We want to be able to maintain our services at the level that they are and with the institutional knowledge that is so important to us.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot riding on this; we have a lot of members that are hurting and not being able to just sustain their livelihoods here within the city,” said Kyle Wong, a Department of Transportation worker and IFPTE member. “We want to be able to maintain our services at the level that they are and with the institutional knowledge that is so important to us.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San José has long had one of the region’s most thinly staffed municipal workforces. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The unions have argued that without meaningful raises, workers will continue to leave for nearby cities. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“As a resident here, I really enjoy living near where I work,” Wong said. “But it is very hard to do so.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>City leaders contend that San José’s budget outlook constrains their ability to offer wage hikes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mayor Matt Mahan said the 3% annual raise offer is “as far as we can go at this moment in time without unacceptable cuts to city services.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The council \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086842/san-jose-city-budget-new-immigrant-funding-cuts-reserve-spending\">voted in June\u003c/a> to close a $50.3 million shortfall in the 2026-27 spending plan, but city staffers have projected a $26.8 million deficit in the fiscal year beginning next July. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think we’d all agree it wouldn’t be right for us to further cut library hours or have to shut down a fire station or some other impact like that to give an unsustainable raise,” Mahan said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The two sides are also apart on the use of artificial intelligence in city departments. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A strike by MEF and IFPTE, which collectively represent more than 3,000 workers, would be the largest municipal work stoppage in San José since 1981, when AFSCME workers struck for nine days to advocate for equal pay for female workers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-6-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093643\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.500418643594753;width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-6-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-6-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-6-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José City employees attend Strike School in San José on July 29, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2023, Mahan was the lone vote against a contract for the two unions. The wage agreement reached at the time \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">narrowly avoided\u003c/a> a work stoppage that threatened to derail summer camps, permit processing and even flights at San José Mineta International Airport. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2023, Mahan was the lone vote against a contract for the two unions. The wage agreement reached at the time \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">narrowly avoided\u003c/a> a work stoppage that threatened to derail summer camps, permit processing and even flights at San José Mineta International Airport. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It remains to be seen whether the council members will ask the city manager to increase San José’s offer to the unions when they meet in a closed session on Tuesday morning. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The unions are holding the strike authorization votes at large worksites, including City Hall, the airport and the central service yard. Results are expected to be tallied Aug. 17, with a potential strike date announced afterward. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The unions are holding the strike authorization votes at large worksites, including City Hall, the airport and the central service yard. Results are expected to be tallied Aug. 17, with a potential strike date announced afterward. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last month, the unions held “strike schools” at San José First United Methodist Church, across the street from City Hall. Workers chanted, cheered and received a briefing from union leaders on what a work stoppage would entail. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Last month, the unions held “strike schools” at San José First United Methodist Church, across the street from City Hall. Workers chanted, cheered and received a briefing from union leaders on what a work stoppage would entail. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are doing this because we know, because of the way the city has behaved at the bargaining table, that we have to strike to get a deal,” said Charles Allen, union representative for MEF. “Painful, but we have to do it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We are doing this because we know, because of the way the city has behaved at the bargaining table, that we have to strike to get a deal,” said Charles Allen, union representative for MEF. “Painful, but we have to do it.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Two city worker unions will hold a strike authorization vote as contract talks remain deadlocked. San José Mayor Matt Mahan has said the city has offered all it can afford. ",
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"title": "San José Strike Vote This Week Could Set Up a Major Work Stoppage | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Thousands of San José municipal workers will vote this week on whether to authorize a strike, hoping to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089834/san-jose-at-a-stalemate-with-its-largest-city-employee-union\">break a monthslong stalemate\u003c/a> in contract talks with the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While a “yes” vote would not immediately launch a strike, it would give union leaders the go-ahead, moving the city closer to its largest work stoppage in 45 years. The two unions — the Municipal Employees’ Federation, AFSCME Local 101 (MEF) and the City Association of Management Personnel, IFPTE Local 21 — represent workers in city libraries, parks, housing and code enforcement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Members will begin voting Tuesday, the same day the City Council returns from summer recess, and they will continue through Friday. The vote comes after a mediation process last month failed to yield a deal.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-8-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093645\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-8-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-8-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-8-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San José City employee holds a sign reading “ready to strike for our services” at Strike School in San José on July 29, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city has offered the two unions wage increases of 3% in each of the next three fiscal years. The unions are asking for a 4% raise in 2026-27, followed by a 4.5% increase in 2027-28 and a 5.5% hike in 2028-29.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot riding on this; we have a lot of members that are hurting and not being able to just sustain their livelihoods here within the city,” said Kyle Wong, a Department of Transportation worker and IFPTE member. “We want to be able to maintain our services at the level that they are and with the institutional knowledge that is so important to us.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José has long had one of the region’s most thinly staffed municipal workforces. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The unions have argued that without meaningful raises, workers will continue to leave for nearby cities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As a resident here, I really enjoy living near where I work,” Wong said. “But it is very hard to do so.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City leaders contend that San José’s budget outlook constrains their ability to offer wage hikes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mayor Matt Mahan said the 3% annual raise offer is “as far as we can go at this moment in time without unacceptable cuts to city services.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The council \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086842/san-jose-city-budget-new-immigrant-funding-cuts-reserve-spending\">voted in June\u003c/a> to close a $50.3 million shortfall in the 2026-27 spending plan, but city staffers have projected a $26.8 million deficit in the fiscal year beginning next July. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think we’d all agree it wouldn’t be right for us to further cut library hours or have to shut down a fire station or some other impact like that to give an unsustainable raise,” Mahan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The two sides are also apart on the use of artificial intelligence in city departments. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A strike by MEF and IFPTE, which collectively represent more than 3,000 workers, would be the largest municipal work stoppage in San José since 1981, when AFSCME workers struck for nine days to advocate for equal pay for female workers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-6-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093643\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.500418643594753;width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-6-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-6-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-6-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José City employees attend Strike School in San José on July 29, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2023, Mahan was the lone vote against a contract for the two unions. The wage agreement reached at the time \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">narrowly avoided\u003c/a> a work stoppage that threatened to derail summer camps, permit processing and even flights at San José Mineta International Airport. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It remains to be seen whether the council members will ask the city manager to increase San José’s offer to the unions when they meet in a closed session on Tuesday morning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The unions are holding the strike authorization votes at large worksites, including City Hall, the airport and the central service yard. Results are expected to be tallied Aug. 17, with a potential strike date announced afterward. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last month, the unions held “strike schools” at San José First United Methodist Church, across the street from City Hall. Workers chanted, cheered and received a briefing from union leaders on what a work stoppage would entail. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are doing this because we know, because of the way the city has behaved at the bargaining table, that we have to strike to get a deal,” said Charles Allen, union representative for MEF. “Painful, but we have to do it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "uber-lyft-drivers-prepared-to-form-union",
"title": "Uber and Lyft Drivers Prepared to Form Union",
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"headTitle": "Uber and Lyft Drivers Prepared to Form Union | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Hundreds of thousands of independent contractors for ride-hailing companies in California could be part of a union next month, putting to bed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12057798/california-gives-uber-lyft-drivers-collective-bargaining-rights\">a yearslong struggle for a place at the bargaining table\u003c/a> to fight for better pay and benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Gig Workers Union, which represents thousands of app-based drivers in the state, met a required 30% threshold of active drivers who are supportive of the effort, according to the state’s Public Employment Relations Board. Under a state law that went into effect this year, that support sets the stage for state regulators to certify the union within 30 days. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Drivers for ride-hailing giants like Uber and Lyft and other companies are classified as independent contractors and don’t qualify for overtime pay and other protections granted under federal law. However, state lawmakers \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034860/california-bill-would-allow-uber-lyft-drivers-bargain-collectively\">passed AB 1340 last year\u003c/a>, giving drivers a path to form a union and bargain for protections. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/GettyImages-2003719181.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11997574\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/GettyImages-2003719181.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/GettyImages-2003719181-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/GettyImages-2003719181-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/GettyImages-2003719181-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of the Rideshare Drivers United organization protest against Uber and Lyft during a demonstration in Los Angeles, California, on Feb.14, 2024. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CGWU said it expects the union certification to go through since, according to PERB, “no other driver organization is currently eligible to submit proof of support during [the waiting] period.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If it does, CGWU will become the exclusive bargaining representative for Uber and Lyft drivers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hector Castellanos, who has been driving for Uber and Lyft for about a dozen years, said that would change the lives of thousands of families. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/10/RS59361_IMG_5929-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A man with a microphone speaks while protestors holding signs rally behind him.\" class=\"wp-image-11928851\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/10/RS59361_IMG_5929-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/10/RS59361_IMG_5929-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/10/RS59361_IMG_5929-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/10/RS59361_IMG_5929-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/10/RS59361_IMG_5929-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hector Castellanos, an Uber and Lyft driver from Antioch, speaks at a rally to announce the formation of the California Gig Workers Union before Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco on Oct. 12, 2022. (Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s so incredible that we’re fighting for so long and finally we’re certified as a union,” Castellanos said. “Exciting, crying, I mean, it’s been that rollercoaster going up and down.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Castellanos said pay and benefits are the top two things drivers will be looking to bargain about with the companies. Drivers said the share that Lyft and Uber take out of fares — that could otherwise go to them — is too much. Lyft said on its website that it caps its own fees at 30% of a fare, with varying external fees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fight for better driver conditions started long before AB 1340’s passage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rideshare drivers, with organizing help from unions like Service Employees International Union Local 1021, have clashed with Uber and Lyft over the independent contractor designation. In 2020, voters across the state approved a measure known as Proposition 22 that confirmed drivers’ classification as contractors instead of employees, leaving them without healthcare and other benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Castellanos was one of the plaintiffs who appealed the measure, calling it unconstitutional. The California Supreme Court upheld the measure in 2024. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, the companies say they look forward to engaging with the drivers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CJ Macklin, a spokesperson for Lyft, said it was committed to doing so in good faith and focused on keeping the service dependable for users. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ramona Prieto, head of Uber public policy and communications in the Western U.S., said the certification was the next step in what she called the “historic compromise” of AB 1340 that gave drivers a path to representation “while preserving the independence and flexibility they’ve consistently said they value most.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Gig Workers Union said that if certified, it would be the largest union made up of gig drivers in the world. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/fjhabvala\">\u003cem>Farida Jhabvala Romero \u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The California Gig Workers Union, which represents thousands of app-based drivers in the state, met a required 30% threshold of active drivers who are supportive of the effort, according to the state’s Public Employment Relations Board. Under a state law that went into effect this year, that support sets the stage for state regulators to certify the union within 30 days. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Drivers for ride-hailing giants like Uber and Lyft and other companies are classified as independent contractors and don’t qualify for overtime pay and other protections granted under federal law. However, state lawmakers \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034860/california-bill-would-allow-uber-lyft-drivers-bargain-collectively\">passed AB 1340 last year\u003c/a>, giving drivers a path to form a union and bargain for protections. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>CGWU said it expects the union certification to go through since, according to PERB, “no other driver organization is currently eligible to submit proof of support during [the waiting] period.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hector Castellanos, who has been driving for Uber and Lyft for about a dozen years, said that would change the lives of thousands of families. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s so incredible that we’re fighting for so long and finally we’re certified as a union,” Castellanos said. “Exciting, crying, I mean, it’s been that rollercoaster going up and down.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Castellanos said pay and benefits are the top two things drivers will be looking to bargain about with the companies. Drivers said the share that Lyft and Uber take out of fares — that could otherwise go to them — is too much. Lyft said on its website that it caps its own fees at 30% of a fare, with varying external fees.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The fight for better driver conditions started long before AB 1340’s passage.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rideshare drivers, with organizing help from unions like Service Employees International Union Local 1021, have clashed with Uber and Lyft over the independent contractor designation. In 2020, voters across the state approved a measure known as Proposition 22 that confirmed drivers’ classification as contractors instead of employees, leaving them without healthcare and other benefits. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Castellanos was one of the plaintiffs who appealed the measure, calling it unconstitutional. The California Supreme Court upheld the measure in 2024. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ramona Prieto, head of Uber public policy and communications in the Western U.S., said the certification was the next step in what she called the “historic compromise” of AB 1340 that gave drivers a path to representation “while preserving the independence and flexibility they’ve consistently said they value most.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/fjhabvala\">\u003cem>Farida Jhabvala Romero \u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Hundreds of thousands of independent contractors for ride-hailing companies in California could be part of a union next month, putting to bed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12057798/california-gives-uber-lyft-drivers-collective-bargaining-rights\">a yearslong struggle for a place at the bargaining table\u003c/a> to fight for better pay and benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Gig Workers Union, which represents thousands of app-based drivers in the state, met a required 30% threshold of active drivers who are supportive of the effort, according to the state’s Public Employment Relations Board. Under a state law that went into effect this year, that support sets the stage for state regulators to certify the union within 30 days. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Drivers for ride-hailing giants like Uber and Lyft and other companies are classified as independent contractors and don’t qualify for overtime pay and other protections granted under federal law. However, state lawmakers \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034860/california-bill-would-allow-uber-lyft-drivers-bargain-collectively\">passed AB 1340 last year\u003c/a>, giving drivers a path to form a union and bargain for protections. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/GettyImages-2003719181.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11997574\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/GettyImages-2003719181.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/GettyImages-2003719181-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/GettyImages-2003719181-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/GettyImages-2003719181-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of the Rideshare Drivers United organization protest against Uber and Lyft during a demonstration in Los Angeles, California, on Feb.14, 2024. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CGWU said it expects the union certification to go through since, according to PERB, “no other driver organization is currently eligible to submit proof of support during [the waiting] period.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If it does, CGWU will become the exclusive bargaining representative for Uber and Lyft drivers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hector Castellanos, who has been driving for Uber and Lyft for about a dozen years, said that would change the lives of thousands of families. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/10/RS59361_IMG_5929-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A man with a microphone speaks while protestors holding signs rally behind him.\" class=\"wp-image-11928851\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/10/RS59361_IMG_5929-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/10/RS59361_IMG_5929-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/10/RS59361_IMG_5929-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/10/RS59361_IMG_5929-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/10/RS59361_IMG_5929-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hector Castellanos, an Uber and Lyft driver from Antioch, speaks at a rally to announce the formation of the California Gig Workers Union before Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco on Oct. 12, 2022. (Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s so incredible that we’re fighting for so long and finally we’re certified as a union,” Castellanos said. “Exciting, crying, I mean, it’s been that rollercoaster going up and down.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Castellanos said pay and benefits are the top two things drivers will be looking to bargain about with the companies. Drivers said the share that Lyft and Uber take out of fares — that could otherwise go to them — is too much. Lyft said on its website that it caps its own fees at 30% of a fare, with varying external fees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fight for better driver conditions started long before AB 1340’s passage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rideshare drivers, with organizing help from unions like Service Employees International Union Local 1021, have clashed with Uber and Lyft over the independent contractor designation. In 2020, voters across the state approved a measure known as Proposition 22 that confirmed drivers’ classification as contractors instead of employees, leaving them without healthcare and other benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Castellanos was one of the plaintiffs who appealed the measure, calling it unconstitutional. The California Supreme Court upheld the measure in 2024. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, the companies say they look forward to engaging with the drivers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CJ Macklin, a spokesperson for Lyft, said it was committed to doing so in good faith and focused on keeping the service dependable for users. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ramona Prieto, head of Uber public policy and communications in the Western U.S., said the certification was the next step in what she called the “historic compromise” of AB 1340 that gave drivers a path to representation “while preserving the independence and flexibility they’ve consistently said they value most.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Gig Workers Union said that if certified, it would be the largest union made up of gig drivers in the world. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/fjhabvala\">\u003cem>Farida Jhabvala Romero \u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>An initiative to establish the nation’s highest minimum wage in parts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/alameda-county\">Alameda County\u003c/a> will not make it onto the November ballot, after the county’s Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to further study its economic impact.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure, which would gradually raise the minimum wage in unincorporated areas and county buildings to $30 an hour, will now miss a deadline to go before voters on Nov. 3, even though proponents collected more than the 49,000 required voter signatures. Voters could still decide the proposal in March 2028 or sooner, if a special election is called. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the initiative by the Living Wage for All coalition, large employers with 100 or more employees and annual revenues exceeding $1 billion and janitorial firms would have until July 2030 to make the full jump. Smaller employers would have additional years to adjust.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Supervisor Nate Miley, whose district includes parts of Oakland and the unincorporated communities of Ashland and Castro Valley, called the board’s decision “the prudent thing to do.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I don’t want to do anything that’s going to impact the quality of life in unincorporated areas without a study … so we can get all questions answered,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"680\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/018_KQED_OaklandReparationsListeningSession_05282022_qut-1020x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11989385\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/018_KQED_OaklandReparationsListeningSession_05282022_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/018_KQED_OaklandReparationsListeningSession_05282022_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/018_KQED_OaklandReparationsListeningSession_05282022_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/018_KQED_OaklandReparationsListeningSession_05282022_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/018_KQED_OaklandReparationsListeningSession_05282022_qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nate Miley of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors speaks during a California Reparations Listening Session at the California Ballroom in Oakland on May 28, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A full-time worker without dependents must make at least $32.31 to support themselves in Alameda County, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator. The highest minimum wage countywide is the city of Emeryville’s $20.34 per hour.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Low-income workers said they increasingly struggled to afford the basics in one of the country’s most expensive regions. But many local restaurant owners, retailers and other small business representatives urged supervisors to better understand the potential impacts of the proposed measure before sending it to voters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I would respectfully ask that this board do its fiduciary responsibility to the voters, the workers, and the business owners of Alameda in seeking a full and well-regarded economic study as to the repercussions,” Scott Rodrick, a second-generation business owner, said during the 90-minute public comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supervisors Miley, David Haubert and Lena Tam directed county staff to bring back a report within a month examining the measure’s effects, including on jobs, consumer prices, and the county’s own finances. Supervisors Elisa Márquez and Nikki Fortunato Bas said they shared their colleagues’ concerns, but voted to approve placing the coalition’s petition on this year’s ballot — noting that they did not want to interfere with the will of voters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The coalition followed our democratic processes, which is why the registrar is bringing this item forward to us,” Fortunato Bas said. “We should honor the will of those voters and place this on the ballot in November.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the lengthy and at times contentious meeting, Board President Haubert sparred with worker advocates in pink “Alameda County $30 living wage for all” T-shirts. He threatened to clear the room and at one point, called for a brief recess. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Micole Edwards, a single parent of three, was one in a long line of people telling supervisors that workers urgently need higher wages to continue living in the county.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Poverty simply says we don’t have enough,” Edwards said. “I have one child. Her father is dead due to poverty. I have another child. Her dad is incarcerated, facing 10 to life because of poverty.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“I really beg you, please push this forward now,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Living Wage for All also submitted signatures for a similar measure in Oakland that has yet to be certified. The nationwide alliance pointed to a study by Movement Economics that suggested more than 182,000 workers in Alameda County — about one in five — would get a raise, while the number of jobs would grow, although the findings were questioned by small business owners at the meeting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Workers do not need another study to tell them that their wages are too low to afford groceries and rent,” the Alameda County Living Wage for All Steering Committee said in a statement. “Yesterday’s procedural vote will not prevent a living wage for all from reaching the ballot in Alameda County. It simply means voters will pass these critical reforms in the next election.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In recent years, California has tried to boost pay for struggling working people. Lawmakers mandated a wage hike for most \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11985277/impact-of-california-fast-food-worker-wage-increase-still-too-early-to-gauge\">fast food restaurant employees\u003c/a> to at least $20 an hour in 2024, as well as additional raises for the lowest-paid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12009797/california-health-care-employers-required-raise-minimum-pay\">healthcare workers\u003c/a>. But that same year, voters turned down a ballot initiative that would have pushed the statewide minimum wage to $18 an hour, amid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010912/california-minimum-wage-voter-support-falters-as-inflation-worries-linger\">inflation concerns\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fast food and healthcare industries have since seemingly absorbed the higher payroll costs, but economists debate the extent of the move’s impact on jobs, working hours and consumer prices.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>An initiative to establish the nation’s highest minimum wage in parts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/alameda-county\">Alameda County\u003c/a> will not make it onto the November ballot, after the county’s Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to further study its economic impact.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure, which would gradually raise the minimum wage in unincorporated areas and county buildings to $30 an hour, will now miss a deadline to go before voters on Nov. 3, even though proponents collected more than the 49,000 required voter signatures. Voters could still decide the proposal in March 2028 or sooner, if a special election is called. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Under the initiative by the Living Wage for All coalition, large employers with 100 or more employees and annual revenues exceeding $1 billion and janitorial firms would have until July 2030 to make the full jump. Smaller employers would have additional years to adjust.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Supervisor Nate Miley, whose district includes parts of Oakland and the unincorporated communities of Ashland and Castro Valley, called the board’s decision “the prudent thing to do.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I don’t want to do anything that’s going to impact the quality of life in unincorporated areas without a study … so we can get all questions answered,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A full-time worker without dependents must make at least $32.31 to support themselves in Alameda County, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator. The highest minimum wage countywide is the city of Emeryville’s $20.34 per hour.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Low-income workers said they increasingly struggled to afford the basics in one of the country’s most expensive regions. But many local restaurant owners, retailers and other small business representatives urged supervisors to better understand the potential impacts of the proposed measure before sending it to voters. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Low-income workers said they increasingly struggled to afford the basics in one of the country’s most expensive regions. But many local restaurant owners, retailers and other small business representatives urged supervisors to better understand the potential impacts of the proposed measure before sending it to voters. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I would respectfully ask that this board do its fiduciary responsibility to the voters, the workers, and the business owners of Alameda in seeking a full and well-regarded economic study as to the repercussions,” Scott Rodrick, a second-generation business owner, said during the 90-minute public comment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Supervisors Miley, David Haubert and Lena Tam directed county staff to bring back a report within a month examining the measure’s effects, including on jobs, consumer prices, and the county’s own finances. Supervisors Elisa Márquez and Nikki Fortunato Bas said they shared their colleagues’ concerns, but voted to approve placing the coalition’s petition on this year’s ballot — noting that they did not want to interfere with the will of voters.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The coalition followed our democratic processes, which is why the registrar is bringing this item forward to us,” Fortunato Bas said. “We should honor the will of those voters and place this on the ballot in November.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the lengthy and at times contentious meeting, Board President Haubert sparred with worker advocates in pink “Alameda County $30 living wage for all” T-shirts. He threatened to clear the room and at one point, called for a brief recess. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Micole Edwards, a single parent of three, was one in a long line of people telling supervisors that workers urgently need higher wages to continue living in the county.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Poverty simply says we don’t have enough,” Edwards said. “I have one child. Her father is dead due to poverty. I have another child. Her dad is incarcerated, facing 10 to life because of poverty.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“I really beg you, please push this forward now,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Living Wage for All also submitted signatures for a similar measure in Oakland that has yet to be certified. The nationwide alliance pointed to a study by Movement Economics that suggested more than 182,000 workers in Alameda County — about one in five — would get a raise, while the number of jobs would grow, although the findings were questioned by small business owners at the meeting. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Workers do not need another study to tell them that their wages are too low to afford groceries and rent,” the Alameda County Living Wage for All Steering Committee said in a statement. “Yesterday’s procedural vote will not prevent a living wage for all from reaching the ballot in Alameda County. It simply means voters will pass these critical reforms in the next election.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In recent years, California has tried to boost pay for struggling working people. Lawmakers mandated a wage hike for most \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11985277/impact-of-california-fast-food-worker-wage-increase-still-too-early-to-gauge\">fast food restaurant employees\u003c/a> to at least $20 an hour in 2024, as well as additional raises for the lowest-paid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12009797/california-health-care-employers-required-raise-minimum-pay\">healthcare workers\u003c/a>. But that same year, voters turned down a ballot initiative that would have pushed the statewide minimum wage to $18 an hour, amid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010912/california-minimum-wage-voter-support-falters-as-inflation-worries-linger\">inflation concerns\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In recent years, California has tried to boost pay for struggling working people. Lawmakers mandated a wage hike for most \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11985277/impact-of-california-fast-food-worker-wage-increase-still-too-early-to-gauge\">fast food restaurant employees\u003c/a> to at least $20 an hour in 2024, as well as additional raises for the lowest-paid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12009797/california-health-care-employers-required-raise-minimum-pay\">healthcare workers\u003c/a>. But that same year, voters turned down a ballot initiative that would have pushed the statewide minimum wage to $18 an hour, amid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010912/california-minimum-wage-voter-support-falters-as-inflation-worries-linger\">inflation concerns\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The fast food and healthcare industries have since seemingly absorbed the higher payroll costs, but economists debate the extent of the move’s impact on jobs, working hours and consumer prices.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Supervisors voted 3-2 to study the economic impacts of the initiative, which would raise the minimum wage to $30 an hour in unincorporated areas and on county property, before sending it to voters.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>An initiative to establish the nation’s highest minimum wage in parts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/alameda-county\">Alameda County\u003c/a> will not make it onto the November ballot, after the county’s Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to further study its economic impact.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure, which would gradually raise the minimum wage in unincorporated areas and county buildings to $30 an hour, will now miss a deadline to go before voters on Nov. 3, even though proponents collected more than the 49,000 required voter signatures. Voters could still decide the proposal in March 2028 or sooner, if a special election is called. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the initiative by the Living Wage for All coalition, large employers with 100 or more employees and annual revenues exceeding $1 billion and janitorial firms would have until July 2030 to make the full jump. Smaller employers would have additional years to adjust.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Supervisor Nate Miley, whose district includes parts of Oakland and the unincorporated communities of Ashland and Castro Valley, called the board’s decision “the prudent thing to do.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I don’t want to do anything that’s going to impact the quality of life in unincorporated areas without a study … so we can get all questions answered,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"680\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/018_KQED_OaklandReparationsListeningSession_05282022_qut-1020x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11989385\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/018_KQED_OaklandReparationsListeningSession_05282022_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/018_KQED_OaklandReparationsListeningSession_05282022_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/018_KQED_OaklandReparationsListeningSession_05282022_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/018_KQED_OaklandReparationsListeningSession_05282022_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/018_KQED_OaklandReparationsListeningSession_05282022_qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nate Miley of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors speaks during a California Reparations Listening Session at the California Ballroom in Oakland on May 28, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A full-time worker without dependents must make at least $32.31 to support themselves in Alameda County, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator. The highest minimum wage countywide is the city of Emeryville’s $20.34 per hour.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Low-income workers said they increasingly struggled to afford the basics in one of the country’s most expensive regions. But many local restaurant owners, retailers and other small business representatives urged supervisors to better understand the potential impacts of the proposed measure before sending it to voters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I would respectfully ask that this board do its fiduciary responsibility to the voters, the workers, and the business owners of Alameda in seeking a full and well-regarded economic study as to the repercussions,” Scott Rodrick, a second-generation business owner, said during the 90-minute public comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supervisors Miley, David Haubert and Lena Tam directed county staff to bring back a report within a month examining the measure’s effects, including on jobs, consumer prices, and the county’s own finances. Supervisors Elisa Márquez and Nikki Fortunato Bas said they shared their colleagues’ concerns, but voted to approve placing the coalition’s petition on this year’s ballot — noting that they did not want to interfere with the will of voters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The coalition followed our democratic processes, which is why the registrar is bringing this item forward to us,” Fortunato Bas said. “We should honor the will of those voters and place this on the ballot in November.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the lengthy and at times contentious meeting, Board President Haubert sparred with worker advocates in pink “Alameda County $30 living wage for all” T-shirts. He threatened to clear the room and at one point, called for a brief recess. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Micole Edwards, a single parent of three, was one in a long line of people telling supervisors that workers urgently need higher wages to continue living in the county.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Poverty simply says we don’t have enough,” Edwards said. “I have one child. Her father is dead due to poverty. I have another child. Her dad is incarcerated, facing 10 to life because of poverty.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“I really beg you, please push this forward now,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Living Wage for All also submitted signatures for a similar measure in Oakland that has yet to be certified. The nationwide alliance pointed to a study by Movement Economics that suggested more than 182,000 workers in Alameda County — about one in five — would get a raise, while the number of jobs would grow, although the findings were questioned by small business owners at the meeting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Workers do not need another study to tell them that their wages are too low to afford groceries and rent,” the Alameda County Living Wage for All Steering Committee said in a statement. “Yesterday’s procedural vote will not prevent a living wage for all from reaching the ballot in Alameda County. It simply means voters will pass these critical reforms in the next election.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In recent years, California has tried to boost pay for struggling working people. Lawmakers mandated a wage hike for most \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11985277/impact-of-california-fast-food-worker-wage-increase-still-too-early-to-gauge\">fast food restaurant employees\u003c/a> to at least $20 an hour in 2024, as well as additional raises for the lowest-paid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12009797/california-health-care-employers-required-raise-minimum-pay\">healthcare workers\u003c/a>. But that same year, voters turned down a ballot initiative that would have pushed the statewide minimum wage to $18 an hour, amid \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010912/california-minimum-wage-voter-support-falters-as-inflation-worries-linger\">inflation concerns\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fast food and healthcare industries have since seemingly absorbed the higher payroll costs, but economists debate the extent of the move’s impact on jobs, working hours and consumer prices.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Dozens of chocolatiers, cashiers and other employees at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company’s flagship store in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> entered the second day of a strike on Friday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The walkout, expected to end Saturday night, aims to pressure the company to agree to concessions after more than a year of contract negotiations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Picketers at Ghirardelli Square urged consumers to boycott the brand’s popular business at one of the city’s most iconic tourist destinations. The strike at the Original Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop is the first in more than 40 years, and comes as unionized employees oppose a company proposal they said would gut their health care benefits, making them more expensive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093346\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers picket outside Ghirardelli’s flagship store in San Francisco on July 30, 2026. (Courtesy of Unite Here)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fredrick Jones, a greeter at the shop for 17 years, told KQED he fears not being able to afford medication that keeps his body from rejecting a heart transplant he underwent last October.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This benefit that we have right now is very important to us. It helped me out big time with my heart transplant,” Jones, a 47-year-old San Francisco resident, said. “That’s why we’re doing this strike, to let people know that the company is not respecting employees like they should.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the Lindt & Sprüngli Group, which owns Ghirardelli, said in a statement that the company values and respects its employees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ghirardelli, one of the nation’s oldest chocolate companies, was founded in San Francisco during the Gold Rush by Italian chocolatier Domenico “Domingo” Ghirardelli.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are currently in active contract negotiations with the union and are committed to bargaining in good faith,” the spokesperson wrote in an e-mail. “Our main focus right now is on reaching an agreement that supports our employees and ensures the long-term success of our business.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lindt & Sprüngli, headquartered in Switzerland, posted nearly 6 billion Swiss francs in sales \u003ca href=\"https://www.lindt-spruengli.com/investors/financial-reporting/annual-report-2025\">last year\u003c/a>, or more than $7.3 billion. Its operating profits totaled 970 million francs, or about $1.2 billion, after expenses and the costs of goods.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union representing the 45 strikers accused the company of bargaining in bad faith by refusing to share relevant information, such as how much it profits from a 6% “healthcare fee” charged to customers at Ghirardelli Plaza locations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Management aims to switch employees’ health plan to one that would impose unaffordable co-payments for emergency room visits or critical services, said Sonya Karabel, campaign researcher at Unite Here Local 2.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091961\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Josh Sokolski (left) and Brenda Hinaga (right), both occupational therapists from Kaiser Walnut Creek, march while on strike at the picket line outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Feb. 19, 2026. Kaiser workers on the picket lines have gone without their paychecks for four weeks, and many are facing financial and other difficulties. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Customers expect, ‘Oh, okay, this [fee] is gonna cover workers’ health insurance.’ And yet, Ghirardelli is trying to cut their health insurance,” Karabel said. “They need to be transparent about what kind of resources they’re getting from customers that are supposed to be dedicated to paying for health care coverage.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last year, disputes over health benefits became a flash point driving work stoppages nationwide, as medical coverage costs continued to rise, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/faculty-and-research/labor-action-tracker-2025\">a report\u003c/a> by researchers at Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent months, Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083589/uc-reaches-contract-deal-with-service-hospital-workers-averting-strike\">service workers\u003c/a> at the University of California, warehouse staff at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092155/arrests-injuries-at-ch-sugar-protest-as-strike-at-crockett-refinery-enters-sixth-week\">C&H Sugar refinery\u003c/a> in Crockett and patient care \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074265/widespread-kaiser-strike-to-end-after-4-weeks-with-no-deal-yet\">employees at Kaiser Permanente\u003c/a> have said that protecting or improving their health insurance was a main reason for striking.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Picketers at Ghirardelli Square urged consumers to boycott the brand’s popular business at one of the city’s most iconic tourist destinations. The strike at the Original Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop is the first in more than 40 years, and comes as unionized employees oppose a company proposal they said would gut their health care benefits, making them more expensive.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093346\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers picket outside Ghirardelli’s flagship store in San Francisco on July 30, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Fredrick Jones, a greeter at the shop for 17 years, told KQED he fears not being able to afford medication that keeps his body from rejecting a heart transplant he underwent last October.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This benefit that we have right now is very important to us. It helped me out big time with my heart transplant,” Jones, a 47-year-old San Francisco resident, said. “That’s why we’re doing this strike, to let people know that the company is not respecting employees like they should.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the Lindt & Sprüngli Group, which owns Ghirardelli, said in a statement that the company values and respects its employees. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ghirardelli, one of the nation’s oldest chocolate companies, was founded in San Francisco during the Gold Rush by Italian chocolatier Domenico “Domingo” Ghirardelli.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are currently in active contract negotiations with the union and are committed to bargaining in good faith,” the spokesperson wrote in an e-mail. “Our main focus right now is on reaching an agreement that supports our employees and ensures the long-term success of our business.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lindt & Sprüngli, headquartered in Switzerland, posted nearly 6 billion Swiss francs in sales \u003ca href=\"https://www.lindt-spruengli.com/investors/financial-reporting/annual-report-2025\">last year\u003c/a>, or more than $7.3 billion. Its operating profits totaled 970 million francs, or about $1.2 billion, after expenses and the costs of goods.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The union representing the 45 strikers accused the company of bargaining in bad faith by refusing to share relevant information, such as how much it profits from a 6% “healthcare fee” charged to customers at Ghirardelli Plaza locations. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Management aims to switch employees’ health plan to one that would impose unaffordable co-payments for emergency room visits or critical services, said Sonya Karabel, campaign researcher at Unite Here Local 2.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091961\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Josh Sokolski (left) and Brenda Hinaga (right), both occupational therapists from Kaiser Walnut Creek, march while on strike at the picket line outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Feb. 19, 2026. Kaiser workers on the picket lines have gone without their paychecks for four weeks, and many are facing financial and other difficulties.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091961\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Josh Sokolski (left) and Brenda Hinaga (right), both occupational therapists from Kaiser Walnut Creek, march while on strike at the picket line outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Feb. 19, 2026. Kaiser workers on the picket lines have gone without their paychecks for four weeks, and many are facing financial and other difficulties.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Customers expect, ‘Oh, okay, this [fee] is gonna cover workers’ health insurance.’ And yet, Ghirardelli is trying to cut their health insurance,” Karabel said. “They need to be transparent about what kind of resources they’re getting from customers that are supposed to be dedicated to paying for health care coverage.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Customers expect, ‘Oh, okay, this [fee] is gonna cover workers’ health insurance.’ And yet, Ghirardelli is trying to cut their health insurance,” Karabel said. “They need to be transparent about what kind of resources they’re getting from customers that are supposed to be dedicated to paying for health care coverage.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last year, disputes over health benefits became a flash point driving work stoppages nationwide, as medical coverage costs continued to rise, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/faculty-and-research/labor-action-tracker-2025\">a report\u003c/a> by researchers at Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Last year, disputes over health benefits became a flash point driving work stoppages nationwide, as medical coverage costs continued to rise, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/faculty-and-research/labor-action-tracker-2025\">a report\u003c/a> by researchers at Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In recent months, Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083589/uc-reaches-contract-deal-with-service-hospital-workers-averting-strike\">service workers\u003c/a> at the University of California, warehouse staff at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092155/arrests-injuries-at-ch-sugar-protest-as-strike-at-crockett-refinery-enters-sixth-week\">C&H Sugar refinery\u003c/a> in Crockett and patient care \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074265/widespread-kaiser-strike-to-end-after-4-weeks-with-no-deal-yet\">employees at Kaiser Permanente\u003c/a> have said that protecting or improving their health insurance was a main reason for striking.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In recent months, Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083589/uc-reaches-contract-deal-with-service-hospital-workers-averting-strike\">service workers\u003c/a> at the University of California, warehouse staff at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092155/arrests-injuries-at-ch-sugar-protest-as-strike-at-crockett-refinery-enters-sixth-week\">C&H Sugar refinery\u003c/a> in Crockett and patient care \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074265/widespread-kaiser-strike-to-end-after-4-weeks-with-no-deal-yet\">employees at Kaiser Permanente\u003c/a> have said that protecting or improving their health insurance was a main reason for striking.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Striking workers say the Bay Area chocolate maker is proposing to raise employee healthcare costs.\n",
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"title": "San Francisco Ghirardelli Workers Strike at Iconic Flagship Store | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Dozens of chocolatiers, cashiers and other employees at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company’s flagship store in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> entered the second day of a strike on Friday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The walkout, expected to end Saturday night, aims to pressure the company to agree to concessions after more than a year of contract negotiations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Picketers at Ghirardelli Square urged consumers to boycott the brand’s popular business at one of the city’s most iconic tourist destinations. The strike at the Original Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop is the first in more than 40 years, and comes as unionized employees oppose a company proposal they said would gut their health care benefits, making them more expensive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093346\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers picket outside Ghirardelli’s flagship store in San Francisco on July 30, 2026. (Courtesy of Unite Here)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fredrick Jones, a greeter at the shop for 17 years, told KQED he fears not being able to afford medication that keeps his body from rejecting a heart transplant he underwent last October.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This benefit that we have right now is very important to us. It helped me out big time with my heart transplant,” Jones, a 47-year-old San Francisco resident, said. “That’s why we’re doing this strike, to let people know that the company is not respecting employees like they should.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the Lindt & Sprüngli Group, which owns Ghirardelli, said in a statement that the company values and respects its employees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ghirardelli, one of the nation’s oldest chocolate companies, was founded in San Francisco during the Gold Rush by Italian chocolatier Domenico “Domingo” Ghirardelli.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are currently in active contract negotiations with the union and are committed to bargaining in good faith,” the spokesperson wrote in an e-mail. “Our main focus right now is on reaching an agreement that supports our employees and ensures the long-term success of our business.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lindt & Sprüngli, headquartered in Switzerland, posted nearly 6 billion Swiss francs in sales \u003ca href=\"https://www.lindt-spruengli.com/investors/financial-reporting/annual-report-2025\">last year\u003c/a>, or more than $7.3 billion. Its operating profits totaled 970 million francs, or about $1.2 billion, after expenses and the costs of goods.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union representing the 45 strikers accused the company of bargaining in bad faith by refusing to share relevant information, such as how much it profits from a 6% “healthcare fee” charged to customers at Ghirardelli Plaza locations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Management aims to switch employees’ health plan to one that would impose unaffordable co-payments for emergency room visits or critical services, said Sonya Karabel, campaign researcher at Unite Here Local 2.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091961\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Josh Sokolski (left) and Brenda Hinaga (right), both occupational therapists from Kaiser Walnut Creek, march while on strike at the picket line outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Feb. 19, 2026. Kaiser workers on the picket lines have gone without their paychecks for four weeks, and many are facing financial and other difficulties. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Customers expect, ‘Oh, okay, this [fee] is gonna cover workers’ health insurance.’ And yet, Ghirardelli is trying to cut their health insurance,” Karabel said. “They need to be transparent about what kind of resources they’re getting from customers that are supposed to be dedicated to paying for health care coverage.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last year, disputes over health benefits became a flash point driving work stoppages nationwide, as medical coverage costs continued to rise, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/faculty-and-research/labor-action-tracker-2025\">a report\u003c/a> by researchers at Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent months, Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083589/uc-reaches-contract-deal-with-service-hospital-workers-averting-strike\">service workers\u003c/a> at the University of California, warehouse staff at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092155/arrests-injuries-at-ch-sugar-protest-as-strike-at-crockett-refinery-enters-sixth-week\">C&H Sugar refinery\u003c/a> in Crockett and patient care \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074265/widespread-kaiser-strike-to-end-after-4-weeks-with-no-deal-yet\">employees at Kaiser Permanente\u003c/a> have said that protecting or improving their health insurance was a main reason for striking.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "these-peers-provided-alternative-911-responders-san-francisco-is-removing-them",
"title": "These Peers Provided Alternative 911 Responders. San Francisco Is Removing Them",
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"headTitle": "These Peers Provided Alternative 911 Responders. San Francisco Is Removing Them | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>After losing her job because of substance abuse, Chantel Hernandez-Wood was living \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994288/you-mean-something-to-someone-overcoming-homelessness-and-addiction-this-san-francisco-woman-now-helps-others-heal\">on the streets of San Francisco\u003c/a> when she saw a red van parked nearby one day in 2022. It was the city’s former Street Overdose Response Team, and she flagged them down for help. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Equipped with a peer counselor trained to connect with people in crisis, the crew drove her to a recovery center, where she received medication to assist with alcohol withdrawal and entered a 90-day recovery program. While there, she decided she wanted to do the same kind of work as the people who came to her rescue. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It felt like I meant something to someone. They went above and beyond to help get me off the streets,” Hernandez-Wood told KQED. “I thought, ‘I’d love to do that, I want to give back.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After successfully finishing the recovery program, Hernandez-Wood completed training to become a certified peer support specialist, learning techniques to engage with vulnerable populations and navigate social services. She started working at the nonprofit Glide, helping people who struggle with drug use, went on to work on the city’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994288/you-mean-something-to-someone-overcoming-homelessness-and-addiction-this-san-francisco-woman-now-helps-others-heal\">Street Overdose Response Team\u003c/a>, and later stepped into her current role as a peer responder on the Street Crisis Response Team. Peer responders currently pair with fire department paramedics to respond to some calls together. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"A middle-aged woman stands in front of a red van labeled 'Street Overdose Response Team'\" class=\"wp-image-12014173\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Counselor Chantel Hernandez-Wood, member of the Street Overdose Response Team, gets supplies from her van after speaking with two people sitting on the street in the South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2024. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was so surreal, because I was working on the same type of team that helped me when I needed help the most,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, San Francisco is quietly shifting its emergency response networks and the roles that peers with lived experience have within them. The fire department is planning to remove peer specialists from its 911 response this summer, setting off alarms for peer advocates who say the decision is a regressive step in the city’s approach to mental and behavioral health emergencies.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s just an incredible disservice to the community,” Hernandez-Wood said. “I feel blindsided.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fire department officials said the move to pull peers off of the Street Crisis Response Team came after “careful consideration,” and cited challenges with scheduling that made picking up the peer responders before calls difficult. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This decision was not made lightly and reflects the evolving needs and direction of crisis response within the larger 911 system,” a spokesperson for the fire department said in an email. “We believe that by working together within the Street Response framework, SFFD can ensure those we serve continue to receive the appropriate response.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Widespread protests against police brutality in 2020 sparked national discussions around how first responders can better serve people experiencing a mental health crisis, overdose or other behavioral health issues. In the wake of those conversations, the city did not decrease its police budget, but instead created new teams to respond to people in crisis, including the Street Crisis Response Team.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The peer responders are not fire department employees, but are contracted through the nonprofit RAMS, which the Department of Public Health administers. Others are specialists with the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team. The Department of Public Health declined to comment on the staffing changes, saying the Street Crisis Response Team is under the fire department’s purview. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Peer responders with the Street Crisis Response Team help address issues ranging from a street-level overdose to a domestic dispute in a penthouse, offering support for de-escalation, navigating social services and sometimes bringing lived experiences to a crew of medical and safety professionals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Over the years, I’ve noticed that a lot of people will look to their peers for guidance or answers because we’re not in uniform,” Hernandez-Wood said. “A lot of unhoused folks that have substance use disorders, they don’t want to talk to anybody in uniform, they just feel more comfortable and less intimidated.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco has served as a model for other cities and jurisdictions looking to improve the way that they address complicated 911 emergency calls. A 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a33e881b631bc60d4f8b31/t/668d922525a2bc711295fe86/1720554079016/San+Francisco%27s+Public+Safety+System\">report\u003c/a> by the Policing Project at New York University found that the city’s programs “saved law enforcement resources, freeing up the police for other more pressing work.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092840\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San Francisco fire engine on March 25, 2026. (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the novel approach presented challenges. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the report, “911 dispatchers are stretched thin and struggle with the scripted protocols they must use to assess call eligibility, in particular because those protocols may not always resolve the calls they receive. There still is some confusion among frontline workers about responsibilities of each at the scene of an incident. And many community members and some call takers are disappointed that alternative responses are not solving complex social problems.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Fire Department has meanwhile been developing its Community Paramedicine team, whose members have training in trauma-informed care and resource navigation, to more appropriately respond to people struggling with substance use, mental health crises, homelessness and other behavioral health challenges. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The community paramedics have more training in emergency medicine, and they arrive in uniform and steel-toed boots, unlike the peer specialists, who work in regular street clothes, a small but important detail that can signal a more relatable helper for some 911 callers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The last day on the Street Crisis Response rigs for peer responders, who say their lived experience is central to their expertise, is Aug. 14.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Amelia Harmon, who works with peer responders on the Street Crisis Response Team, has been advocating to keep the positions within the fire department at public health and law enforcement commission meetings, as well as urging city supervisors to step in to reverse the decision. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said it’s especially urgent after behavioral health clinicians were removed from the Street Crisis Response Team in 2023. Pulling peer responders off of 911 responses is further “chipping away” at the work that she and others have spent the last five years building, she said. \u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Removing peers doesn’t cut costs, it moves costs to the most expensive part of the system,” said Harmon, a peer supervisor with RAMS. “Why would we forfeit high-quality care that has mechanisms for federal and state reimbursement in this budget climate?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The decision to remove peer specialists from 911 responses is also drawing wider criticism from other workers in the city’s homelessness response system and public safety. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I have personal experience with crisis, and I would rather speak to a non-uniformed peer,” said Joshua Cantero, a case manager at a San Francisco homeless shelter, in a letter to the Board of Supervisors. A peer counselor, Cantero wrote, “makes the clients feel more comfortable and assists with getting them into shelters and making them feel safe.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s not yet clear what will happen next to the peer responders. They have not received layoff notices and could be reassigned to different street teams. Fire department officials said they will continue to refer people to experts with lived experience when it’s appropriate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Harmon is desperate to keep the peer responders on 911 calls, saying she’s seen firsthand how their approach can be both life-saving and ease the burden for other first responders. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why would you cut out the heart and soul of the program,” she said, “and risk burning out your own people?”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After losing her job because of substance abuse, Chantel Hernandez-Wood was living \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994288/you-mean-something-to-someone-overcoming-homelessness-and-addiction-this-san-francisco-woman-now-helps-others-heal\">on the streets of San Francisco\u003c/a> when she saw a red van parked nearby one day in 2022. It was the city’s former Street Overdose Response Team, and she flagged them down for help. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After losing her job because of substance abuse, Chantel Hernandez-Wood was living \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994288/you-mean-something-to-someone-overcoming-homelessness-and-addiction-this-san-francisco-woman-now-helps-others-heal\">on the streets of San Francisco\u003c/a> when she saw a red van parked nearby one day in 2022. It was the city’s former Street Overdose Response Team, and she flagged them down for help. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Equipped with a peer counselor trained to connect with people in crisis, the crew drove her to a recovery center, where she received medication to assist with alcohol withdrawal and entered a 90-day recovery program. While there, she decided she wanted to do the same kind of work as the people who came to her rescue. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Equipped with a peer counselor trained to connect with people in crisis, the crew drove her to a recovery center, where she received medication to assist with alcohol withdrawal and entered a 90-day recovery program. While there, she decided she wanted to do the same kind of work as the people who came to her rescue. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It felt like I meant something to someone. They went above and beyond to help get me off the streets,” Hernandez-Wood told KQED. “I thought, ‘I’d love to do that, I want to give back.’”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It felt like I meant something to someone. They went above and beyond to help get me off the streets,” Hernandez-Wood told KQED. “I thought, ‘I’d love to do that, I want to give back.’”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After successfully finishing the recovery program, Hernandez-Wood completed training to become a certified peer support specialist, learning techniques to engage with vulnerable populations and navigate social services. She started working at the nonprofit Glide, helping people who struggle with drug use, went on to work on the city’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994288/you-mean-something-to-someone-overcoming-homelessness-and-addiction-this-san-francisco-woman-now-helps-others-heal\">Street Overdose Response Team\u003c/a>, and later stepped into her current role as a peer responder on the Street Crisis Response Team. Peer responders currently pair with fire department paramedics to respond to some calls together. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>After successfully finishing the recovery program, Hernandez-Wood completed training to become a certified peer support specialist, learning techniques to engage with vulnerable populations and navigate social services. She started working at the nonprofit Glide, helping people who struggle with drug use, went on to work on the city’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994288/you-mean-something-to-someone-overcoming-homelessness-and-addiction-this-san-francisco-woman-now-helps-others-heal\">Street Overdose Response Team\u003c/a>, and later stepped into her current role as a peer responder on the Street Crisis Response Team. Peer responders currently pair with fire department paramedics to respond to some calls together. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"A middle-aged woman stands in front of a red van labeled 'Street Overdose Response Team'\" class=\"wp-image-12014173\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Counselor Chantel Hernandez-Wood, member of the Street Overdose Response Team, gets supplies from her van after speaking with two people sitting on the street in the South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"A middle-aged woman stands in front of a red van labeled 'Street Overdose Response Team'\" class=\"wp-image-12014173\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Counselor Chantel Hernandez-Wood, member of the Street Overdose Response Team, gets supplies from her van after speaking with two people sitting on the street in the South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It was so surreal, because I was working on the same type of team that helped me when I needed help the most,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It was so surreal, because I was working on the same type of team that helped me when I needed help the most,” she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But now, San Francisco is quietly shifting its emergency response networks and the roles that peers with lived experience have within them. The fire department is planning to remove peer specialists from its 911 response this summer, setting off alarms for peer advocates who say the decision is a regressive step in the city’s approach to mental and behavioral health emergencies.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But now, San Francisco is quietly shifting its emergency response networks and the roles that peers with lived experience have within them. The fire department is planning to remove peer specialists from its 911 response this summer, setting off alarms for peer advocates who say the decision is a regressive step in the city’s approach to mental and behavioral health emergencies.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s just an incredible disservice to the community,” Hernandez-Wood said. “I feel blindsided.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s just an incredible disservice to the community,” Hernandez-Wood said. “I feel blindsided.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Fire department officials said the move to pull peers off of the Street Crisis Response Team came after “careful consideration,” and cited challenges with scheduling that made picking up the peer responders before calls difficult. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Fire department officials said the move to pull peers off of the Street Crisis Response Team came after “careful consideration,” and cited challenges with scheduling that made picking up the peer responders before calls difficult. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This decision was not made lightly and reflects the evolving needs and direction of crisis response within the larger 911 system,” a spokesperson for the fire department said in an email. “We believe that by working together within the Street Response framework, SFFD can ensure those we serve continue to receive the appropriate response.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This decision was not made lightly and reflects the evolving needs and direction of crisis response within the larger 911 system,” a spokesperson for the fire department said in an email. “We believe that by working together within the Street Response framework, SFFD can ensure those we serve continue to receive the appropriate response.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Widespread protests against police brutality in 2020 sparked national discussions around how first responders can better serve people experiencing a mental health crisis, overdose or other behavioral health issues. In the wake of those conversations, the city did not decrease its police budget, but instead created new teams to respond to people in crisis, including the Street Crisis Response Team.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Widespread protests against police brutality in 2020 sparked national discussions around how first responders can better serve people experiencing a mental health crisis, overdose or other behavioral health issues. In the wake of those conversations, the city did not decrease its police budget, but instead created new teams to respond to people in crisis, including the Street Crisis Response Team.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The peer responders are not fire department employees, but are contracted through the nonprofit RAMS, which the Department of Public Health administers. Others are specialists with the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team. The Department of Public Health declined to comment on the staffing changes, saying the Street Crisis Response Team is under the fire department’s purview. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The peer responders are not fire department employees, but are contracted through the nonprofit RAMS, which the Department of Public Health administers. Others are specialists with the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team. The Department of Public Health declined to comment on the staffing changes, saying the Street Crisis Response Team is under the fire department’s purview. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Peer responders with the Street Crisis Response Team help address issues ranging from a street-level overdose to a domestic dispute in a penthouse, offering support for de-escalation, navigating social services and sometimes bringing lived experiences to a crew of medical and safety professionals. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Peer responders with the Street Crisis Response Team help address issues ranging from a street-level overdose to a domestic dispute in a penthouse, offering support for de-escalation, navigating social services and sometimes bringing lived experiences to a crew of medical and safety professionals. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Over the years, I’ve noticed that a lot of people will look to their peers for guidance or answers because we’re not in uniform,” Hernandez-Wood said. “A lot of unhoused folks that have substance use disorders, they don’t want to talk to anybody in uniform, they just feel more comfortable and less intimidated.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Over the years, I’ve noticed that a lot of people will look to their peers for guidance or answers because we’re not in uniform,” Hernandez-Wood said. “A lot of unhoused folks that have substance use disorders, they don’t want to talk to anybody in uniform, they just feel more comfortable and less intimidated.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco has served as a model for other cities and jurisdictions looking to improve the way that they address complicated 911 emergency calls. A 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a33e881b631bc60d4f8b31/t/668d922525a2bc711295fe86/1720554079016/San+Francisco%27s+Public+Safety+System\">report\u003c/a> by the Policing Project at New York University found that the city’s programs “saved law enforcement resources, freeing up the police for other more pressing work.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>San Francisco has served as a model for other cities and jurisdictions looking to improve the way that they address complicated 911 emergency calls. A 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a33e881b631bc60d4f8b31/t/668d922525a2bc711295fe86/1720554079016/San+Francisco%27s+Public+Safety+System\">report\u003c/a> by the Policing Project at New York University found that the city’s programs “saved law enforcement resources, freeing up the police for other more pressing work.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092840\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San Francisco fire engine on March 25, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092840\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San Francisco fire engine on March 25, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the novel approach presented challenges. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But the novel approach presented challenges. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to the report, “911 dispatchers are stretched thin and struggle with the scripted protocols they must use to assess call eligibility, in particular because those protocols may not always resolve the calls they receive. There still is some confusion among frontline workers about responsibilities of each at the scene of an incident. And many community members and some call takers are disappointed that alternative responses are not solving complex social problems.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>According to the report, “911 dispatchers are stretched thin and struggle with the scripted protocols they must use to assess call eligibility, in particular because those protocols may not always resolve the calls they receive. There still is some confusion among frontline workers about responsibilities of each at the scene of an incident. And many community members and some call takers are disappointed that alternative responses are not solving complex social problems.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Fire Department has meanwhile been developing its Community Paramedicine team, whose members have training in trauma-informed care and resource navigation, to more appropriately respond to people struggling with substance use, mental health crises, homelessness and other behavioral health challenges. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Fire Department has meanwhile been developing its Community Paramedicine team, whose members have training in trauma-informed care and resource navigation, to more appropriately respond to people struggling with substance use, mental health crises, homelessness and other behavioral health challenges. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The community paramedics have more training in emergency medicine, and they arrive in uniform and steel-toed boots, unlike the peer specialists, who work in regular street clothes, a small but important detail that can signal a more relatable helper for some 911 callers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The community paramedics have more training in emergency medicine, and they arrive in uniform and steel-toed boots, unlike the peer specialists, who work in regular street clothes, a small but important detail that can signal a more relatable helper for some 911 callers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The last day on the Street Crisis Response rigs for peer responders, who say their lived experience is central to their expertise, is Aug. 14.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The last day on the Street Crisis Response rigs for peer responders, who say their lived experience is central to their expertise, is Aug. 14.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Amelia Harmon, who works with peer responders on the Street Crisis Response Team, has been advocating to keep the positions within the fire department at public health and law enforcement commission meetings, as well as urging city supervisors to step in to reverse the decision. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Amelia Harmon, who works with peer responders on the Street Crisis Response Team, has been advocating to keep the positions within the fire department at public health and law enforcement commission meetings, as well as urging city supervisors to step in to reverse the decision. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She said it’s especially urgent after behavioral health clinicians were removed from the Street Crisis Response Team in 2023. Pulling peer responders off of 911 responses is further “chipping away” at the work that she and others have spent the last five years building, she said. \u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Removing peers doesn’t cut costs, it moves costs to the most expensive part of the system,” said Harmon, a peer supervisor with RAMS. “Why would we forfeit high-quality care that has mechanisms for federal and state reimbursement in this budget climate?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She said it’s especially urgent after behavioral health clinicians were removed from the Street Crisis Response Team in 2023. Pulling peer responders off of 911 responses is further “chipping away” at the work that she and others have spent the last five years building, she said. \u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Removing peers doesn’t cut costs, it moves costs to the most expensive part of the system,” said Harmon, a peer supervisor with RAMS. “Why would we forfeit high-quality care that has mechanisms for federal and state reimbursement in this budget climate?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The decision to remove peer specialists from 911 responses is also drawing wider criticism from other workers in the city’s homelessness response system and public safety. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The decision to remove peer specialists from 911 responses is also drawing wider criticism from other workers in the city’s homelessness response system and public safety. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I have personal experience with crisis, and I would rather speak to a non-uniformed peer,” said Joshua Cantero, a case manager at a San Francisco homeless shelter, in a letter to the Board of Supervisors. A peer counselor, Cantero wrote, “makes the clients feel more comfortable and assists with getting them into shelters and making them feel safe.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I have personal experience with crisis, and I would rather speak to a non-uniformed peer,” said Joshua Cantero, a case manager at a San Francisco homeless shelter, in a letter to the Board of Supervisors. A peer counselor, Cantero wrote, “makes the clients feel more comfortable and assists with getting them into shelters and making them feel safe.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s not yet clear what will happen next to the peer responders. They have not received layoff notices and could be reassigned to different street teams. Fire department officials said they will continue to refer people to experts with lived experience when it’s appropriate. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It’s not yet clear what will happen next to the peer responders. They have not received layoff notices and could be reassigned to different street teams. Fire department officials said they will continue to refer people to experts with lived experience when it’s appropriate. \u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Advocates say the decision is a regressive step in the city’s approach to mental and behavioral health crises.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>After losing her job because of substance abuse, Chantel Hernandez-Wood was living \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994288/you-mean-something-to-someone-overcoming-homelessness-and-addiction-this-san-francisco-woman-now-helps-others-heal\">on the streets of San Francisco\u003c/a> when she saw a red van parked nearby one day in 2022. It was the city’s former Street Overdose Response Team, and she flagged them down for help. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Equipped with a peer counselor trained to connect with people in crisis, the crew drove her to a recovery center, where she received medication to assist with alcohol withdrawal and entered a 90-day recovery program. While there, she decided she wanted to do the same kind of work as the people who came to her rescue. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It felt like I meant something to someone. They went above and beyond to help get me off the streets,” Hernandez-Wood told KQED. “I thought, ‘I’d love to do that, I want to give back.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After successfully finishing the recovery program, Hernandez-Wood completed training to become a certified peer support specialist, learning techniques to engage with vulnerable populations and navigate social services. She started working at the nonprofit Glide, helping people who struggle with drug use, went on to work on the city’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994288/you-mean-something-to-someone-overcoming-homelessness-and-addiction-this-san-francisco-woman-now-helps-others-heal\">Street Overdose Response Team\u003c/a>, and later stepped into her current role as a peer responder on the Street Crisis Response Team. Peer responders currently pair with fire department paramedics to respond to some calls together. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"A middle-aged woman stands in front of a red van labeled 'Street Overdose Response Team'\" class=\"wp-image-12014173\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Counselor Chantel Hernandez-Wood, member of the Street Overdose Response Team, gets supplies from her van after speaking with two people sitting on the street in the South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2024. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was so surreal, because I was working on the same type of team that helped me when I needed help the most,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, San Francisco is quietly shifting its emergency response networks and the roles that peers with lived experience have within them. The fire department is planning to remove peer specialists from its 911 response this summer, setting off alarms for peer advocates who say the decision is a regressive step in the city’s approach to mental and behavioral health emergencies.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s just an incredible disservice to the community,” Hernandez-Wood said. “I feel blindsided.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fire department officials said the move to pull peers off of the Street Crisis Response Team came after “careful consideration,” and cited challenges with scheduling that made picking up the peer responders before calls difficult. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This decision was not made lightly and reflects the evolving needs and direction of crisis response within the larger 911 system,” a spokesperson for the fire department said in an email. “We believe that by working together within the Street Response framework, SFFD can ensure those we serve continue to receive the appropriate response.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Widespread protests against police brutality in 2020 sparked national discussions around how first responders can better serve people experiencing a mental health crisis, overdose or other behavioral health issues. In the wake of those conversations, the city did not decrease its police budget, but instead created new teams to respond to people in crisis, including the Street Crisis Response Team.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The peer responders are not fire department employees, but are contracted through the nonprofit RAMS, which the Department of Public Health administers. Others are specialists with the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team. The Department of Public Health declined to comment on the staffing changes, saying the Street Crisis Response Team is under the fire department’s purview. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Peer responders with the Street Crisis Response Team help address issues ranging from a street-level overdose to a domestic dispute in a penthouse, offering support for de-escalation, navigating social services and sometimes bringing lived experiences to a crew of medical and safety professionals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Over the years, I’ve noticed that a lot of people will look to their peers for guidance or answers because we’re not in uniform,” Hernandez-Wood said. “A lot of unhoused folks that have substance use disorders, they don’t want to talk to anybody in uniform, they just feel more comfortable and less intimidated.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco has served as a model for other cities and jurisdictions looking to improve the way that they address complicated 911 emergency calls. A 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a33e881b631bc60d4f8b31/t/668d922525a2bc711295fe86/1720554079016/San+Francisco%27s+Public+Safety+System\">report\u003c/a> by the Policing Project at New York University found that the city’s programs “saved law enforcement resources, freeing up the police for other more pressing work.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092840\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San Francisco fire engine on March 25, 2026. (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the novel approach presented challenges. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the report, “911 dispatchers are stretched thin and struggle with the scripted protocols they must use to assess call eligibility, in particular because those protocols may not always resolve the calls they receive. There still is some confusion among frontline workers about responsibilities of each at the scene of an incident. And many community members and some call takers are disappointed that alternative responses are not solving complex social problems.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Fire Department has meanwhile been developing its Community Paramedicine team, whose members have training in trauma-informed care and resource navigation, to more appropriately respond to people struggling with substance use, mental health crises, homelessness and other behavioral health challenges. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The community paramedics have more training in emergency medicine, and they arrive in uniform and steel-toed boots, unlike the peer specialists, who work in regular street clothes, a small but important detail that can signal a more relatable helper for some 911 callers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The last day on the Street Crisis Response rigs for peer responders, who say their lived experience is central to their expertise, is Aug. 14.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Amelia Harmon, who works with peer responders on the Street Crisis Response Team, has been advocating to keep the positions within the fire department at public health and law enforcement commission meetings, as well as urging city supervisors to step in to reverse the decision. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said it’s especially urgent after behavioral health clinicians were removed from the Street Crisis Response Team in 2023. Pulling peer responders off of 911 responses is further “chipping away” at the work that she and others have spent the last five years building, she said. \u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Removing peers doesn’t cut costs, it moves costs to the most expensive part of the system,” said Harmon, a peer supervisor with RAMS. “Why would we forfeit high-quality care that has mechanisms for federal and state reimbursement in this budget climate?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The decision to remove peer specialists from 911 responses is also drawing wider criticism from other workers in the city’s homelessness response system and public safety. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I have personal experience with crisis, and I would rather speak to a non-uniformed peer,” said Joshua Cantero, a case manager at a San Francisco homeless shelter, in a letter to the Board of Supervisors. A peer counselor, Cantero wrote, “makes the clients feel more comfortable and assists with getting them into shelters and making them feel safe.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s not yet clear what will happen next to the peer responders. They have not received layoff notices and could be reassigned to different street teams. Fire department officials said they will continue to refer people to experts with lived experience when it’s appropriate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Harmon is desperate to keep the peer responders on 911 calls, saying she’s seen firsthand how their approach can be both life-saving and ease the burden for other first responders. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why would you cut out the heart and soul of the program,” she said, “and risk burning out your own people?”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "uc-doctors-seek-to-unionize-10000-colleagues-in-massive-campaign",
"title": "UC Doctors Seek to Unionize 10,000 Colleagues in Massive Campaign",
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"headTitle": "UC Doctors Seek to Unionize 10,000 Colleagues in Massive Campaign | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/university-of-california\">University of California\u003c/a> is confronting a large unionization effort among employees who have historically stayed outside of unions: doctors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on Thursday, physicians announced their plans to form a union with SEIU Doctors United — a partnership between Doctors Council, Service Employees International Union and Committee of Interns and Residents that represents more than 45,000 doctors nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The move points to a marked shift in the healthcare industry, where in the past, it has been somewhat rare for generally highly paid doctors to join unions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But interest in collective bargaining within the medical profession has accelerated, particularly post-pandemic, as more physicians report deteriorating working conditions and a loss of clinical autonomy amidst an increasingly consolidated and profit-driven industry.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092511\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doctors attend a press conference held by UCSF attending doctors to announce the UC unionization effort with SEIU Doctors United at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on July 23, 2026, in San Francisco, California. (Thos Robinson/Getty Images for SEIU Doctors United)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Attending physicians at UC, who make clinical decisions and often supervise residents and medical students, said they are stretched thin with unsustainable patient loads, understaffing and less decision-making power — concerns often echoed by nurses and other patient care workers with higher union participation rates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes I do feel, especially as a primary care physician, overwhelmed,” Dr. Radhika Rajan, a UCSF pediatrician at SF General, told KQED. “The work that we have to do does not stop when we are leaving [the] clinic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So many of us are excited to unionize because the goal is to be able to have the resources to provide better care for our patients,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, UC said it takes concerns about physicians’ workload, staffing and professional support seriously, adding that burnout is a nationwide challenge driven by workforce shortages and other factors. UC Health leaders regularly work with staff physicians to improve the job environment and evaluate hiring and retention needs, the university said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We remain committed to listening to physicians and clinical faculty, addressing concerns and continuously improving the experience of the people who make UC Health’s clinical, educational and research missions possible,” UC’s statement said. “UC Health locations continually assess staffing, recruitment, security practices and workplace needs, recognizing that conditions vary across specialties, departments and care settings.”\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>About $24 billion, \u003ca href=\"https://health.universityofcalifornia.edu/sites/default/files/2025-02/uc-health-fact-sheet-web.pdf\">nearly 40%\u003c/a> of the university’s total revenue last year, came from its six academic health centers, serving 2.5 million Californians. UC is the state’s second largest employer and the nation’s largest public healthcare system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Labor experts said it’s unlikely that university executives would welcome a new large doctors’ union. If the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucdoctorsunited.org/\">UC Doctors United\u003c/a> organizing campaign is successful, it could inspire doctors elsewhere to seek a collective voice on the job, according to John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A second union, University Professional & Technical Employees, is also \u003ca href=\"https://uc-physicians.org/\">organizing\u003c/a> attending physicians at UC. According to Logan, over half of these doctors systemwide would have to show union support in order for the university to be required to recognize them as a unit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People who run the university undoubtedly will not want 10,000 doctors at the UC system to unionize and to have to bargain collectively over things that they can unilaterally decide at the moment,” Logan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The university this month reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-and-cir-seiu-reach-tentative-contract-agreement\">tentative agreement\u003c/a> with the Committee of Interns and Residents, which represents 6,400 resident physicians and fellows who generally earn lower incomes than attending doctors. The deal includes an 18% salary increase and improvements to address emergency room capacity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In California, attending physicians earn more than $200,000 per year on average, depending on location, experience and specialty, according to Salary.com.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nationwide, \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11221793/\">less than 10%\u003c/a> of practicing physicians are union members.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was updated to include a comment from the University of California, which did not respond before original publication.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Sometimes I do feel, especially as a primary care physician, overwhelmed,” Dr. Radhika Rajan, a UCSF pediatrician at SF General, told KQED. “The work that we have to do does not stop when we are leaving [the] clinic.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“So many of us are excited to unionize because the goal is to be able to have the resources to provide better care for our patients,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a statement, UC said it takes concerns about physicians’ workload, staffing and professional support seriously, adding that burnout is a nationwide challenge driven by workforce shortages and other factors. UC Health leaders regularly work with staff physicians to improve the job environment and evaluate hiring and retention needs, the university said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We remain committed to listening to physicians and clinical faculty, addressing concerns and continuously improving the experience of the people who make UC Health’s clinical, educational and research missions possible,” UC’s statement said. “UC Health locations continually assess staffing, recruitment, security practices and workplace needs, recognizing that conditions vary across specialties, departments and care settings.”\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>About $24 billion, \u003ca href=\"https://health.universityofcalifornia.edu/sites/default/files/2025-02/uc-health-fact-sheet-web.pdf\">nearly 40%\u003c/a> of the university’s total revenue last year, came from its six academic health centers, serving 2.5 million Californians. UC is the state’s second largest employer and the nation’s largest public healthcare system.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Labor experts said it’s unlikely that university executives would welcome a new large doctors’ union. If the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucdoctorsunited.org/\">UC Doctors United\u003c/a> organizing campaign is successful, it could inspire doctors elsewhere to seek a collective voice on the job, according to John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A second union, University Professional & Technical Employees, is also \u003ca href=\"https://uc-physicians.org/\">organizing\u003c/a> attending physicians at UC. According to Logan, over half of these doctors systemwide would have to show union support in order for the university to be required to recognize them as a unit.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A second union, University Professional & Technical Employees, is also \u003ca href=\"https://uc-physicians.org/\">organizing\u003c/a> attending physicians at UC. According to Logan, over half of these doctors systemwide would have to show union support in order for the university to be required to recognize them as a unit.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“People who run the university undoubtedly will not want 10,000 doctors at the UC system to unionize and to have to bargain collectively over things that they can unilaterally decide at the moment,” Logan said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The university this month reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-and-cir-seiu-reach-tentative-contract-agreement\">tentative agreement\u003c/a> with the Committee of Interns and Residents, which represents 6,400 resident physicians and fellows who generally earn lower incomes than attending doctors. The deal includes an 18% salary increase and improvements to address emergency room capacity.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In California, attending physicians earn more than $200,000 per year on average, depending on location, experience and specialty, according to Salary.com.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nationwide, \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11221793/\">less than 10%\u003c/a> of practicing physicians are union members.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was updated to include a comment from the University of California, which did not respond before original publication.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The University of California is the state’s second largest employer and its health centers serve 2.5 million Californians across the state each year. ",
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"title": "UC Doctors Seek to Unionize 10,000 Colleagues in Massive Campaign | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/university-of-california\">University of California\u003c/a> is confronting a large unionization effort among employees who have historically stayed outside of unions: doctors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on Thursday, physicians announced their plans to form a union with SEIU Doctors United — a partnership between Doctors Council, Service Employees International Union and Committee of Interns and Residents that represents more than 45,000 doctors nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The move points to a marked shift in the healthcare industry, where in the past, it has been somewhat rare for generally highly paid doctors to join unions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But interest in collective bargaining within the medical profession has accelerated, particularly post-pandemic, as more physicians report deteriorating working conditions and a loss of clinical autonomy amidst an increasingly consolidated and profit-driven industry.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092511\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doctors attend a press conference held by UCSF attending doctors to announce the UC unionization effort with SEIU Doctors United at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on July 23, 2026, in San Francisco, California. (Thos Robinson/Getty Images for SEIU Doctors United)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Attending physicians at UC, who make clinical decisions and often supervise residents and medical students, said they are stretched thin with unsustainable patient loads, understaffing and less decision-making power — concerns often echoed by nurses and other patient care workers with higher union participation rates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes I do feel, especially as a primary care physician, overwhelmed,” Dr. Radhika Rajan, a UCSF pediatrician at SF General, told KQED. “The work that we have to do does not stop when we are leaving [the] clinic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So many of us are excited to unionize because the goal is to be able to have the resources to provide better care for our patients,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, UC said it takes concerns about physicians’ workload, staffing and professional support seriously, adding that burnout is a nationwide challenge driven by workforce shortages and other factors. UC Health leaders regularly work with staff physicians to improve the job environment and evaluate hiring and retention needs, the university said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We remain committed to listening to physicians and clinical faculty, addressing concerns and continuously improving the experience of the people who make UC Health’s clinical, educational and research missions possible,” UC’s statement said. “UC Health locations continually assess staffing, recruitment, security practices and workplace needs, recognizing that conditions vary across specialties, departments and care settings.”\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>About $24 billion, \u003ca href=\"https://health.universityofcalifornia.edu/sites/default/files/2025-02/uc-health-fact-sheet-web.pdf\">nearly 40%\u003c/a> of the university’s total revenue last year, came from its six academic health centers, serving 2.5 million Californians. UC is the state’s second largest employer and the nation’s largest public healthcare system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Labor experts said it’s unlikely that university executives would welcome a new large doctors’ union. If the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucdoctorsunited.org/\">UC Doctors United\u003c/a> organizing campaign is successful, it could inspire doctors elsewhere to seek a collective voice on the job, according to John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A second union, University Professional & Technical Employees, is also \u003ca href=\"https://uc-physicians.org/\">organizing\u003c/a> attending physicians at UC. According to Logan, over half of these doctors systemwide would have to show union support in order for the university to be required to recognize them as a unit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People who run the university undoubtedly will not want 10,000 doctors at the UC system to unionize and to have to bargain collectively over things that they can unilaterally decide at the moment,” Logan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The university this month reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-and-cir-seiu-reach-tentative-contract-agreement\">tentative agreement\u003c/a> with the Committee of Interns and Residents, which represents 6,400 resident physicians and fellows who generally earn lower incomes than attending doctors. The deal includes an 18% salary increase and improvements to address emergency room capacity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In California, attending physicians earn more than $200,000 per year on average, depending on location, experience and specialty, according to Salary.com.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nationwide, \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11221793/\">less than 10%\u003c/a> of practicing physicians are union members.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was updated to include a comment from the University of California, which did not respond before original publication.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Staff at the San Francisco-Based Foundation Behind Wikipedia Demand Union Recognition",
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"content": "\u003cp>Workers at the Wikimedia Foundation — the San Francisco-based foundation that hosts \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/wikipedia\">Wikipedia\u003c/a> — demanded voluntary recognition of their union, Wiki Workers United U.S., on Monday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The staff who run the platform say they want a stronger voice in their workplace, better job protections and an end to common practices that make life “precarious for everyday workers,” according to Jeremy Bernick, one of the union organizers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They gave the foundation until Friday to respond to their request for recognition. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wikipedia, the world’s largest encyclopedia, hosts roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00074-1\">65 million entries\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wikipedias\">364 languages\u003c/a>. It is considered a backbone of the internet — boasting an average of 508 million views per day for the past decade, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/01/13/wikipedia-at-25-what-the-data-tells-us/#how-many-people-visit-wikipedia\">Pew Research Center\u003c/a>. While Wikipedia is the nonprofit’s largest and most well-known project, the Wikimedia Foundation, which did not respond to requests for comment, supports over a dozen related “sister” projects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092438\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Wikipedia homepage on March 11, 2011. (SD619/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bernick said that this campaign is the workers’ third attempt at unionizing and the farthest they’ve gotten in the process.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think there is a lot of fear right now,” Bernick said — highlighting the Trump administration’s attacks on public media, the cost of living crisis and concerns about artificial intelligence as some of the factors driving more staff toward unionization. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As employers make decisions about how and when to integrate AI, Bernick wants to see “workers in the loop.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Without our say, these systems are not really effective,” Bernick said. “A lot of the time they can make our work less impactful or more strenuous.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A press release from the Communications Workers of America — Wiki Workers United’s parent union — also said that “recent events at the Wikimedia Foundation have drastically escalated worker concerns regarding transparency, trust, the organization’s future, and leadership’s commitment to the free knowledge movement.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In May, the foundation disbanded the Community Tech team, the bridge between the foundation and the volunteers who update the articles. The decision sparked major backlash, in part, because the team was largely composed of union members, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wiki_Workers_United_solidarity\">petition\u003c/a> written by Wikipedia editors with 1,190 signatures.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wikipedia editors are a group of nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00074-1\">280,000 volunteers\u003c/a> who write and edit the articles. The petition states that the undersigned editors, who have cumulatively made over 17,582,148 edits, according to the page, will strike in support of the union if called. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This demand for recognition comes after the U.K. chapter of Wiki Workers United made a similar request of the foundation last month, according to the press release. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union hopes to be a sign that it’s OK for tech workers to ask for protections, Bernick said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t have to accept the status quo,” Bernick said. “We see having a union as sort of a basic right.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wikipedia, the world’s largest encyclopedia, hosts roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00074-1\">65 million entries\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wikipedias\">364 languages\u003c/a>. It is considered a backbone of the internet — boasting an average of 508 million views per day for the past decade, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/01/13/wikipedia-at-25-what-the-data-tells-us/#how-many-people-visit-wikipedia\">Pew Research Center\u003c/a>. While Wikipedia is the nonprofit’s largest and most well-known project, the Wikimedia Foundation, which did not respond to requests for comment, supports over a dozen related “sister” projects. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think there is a lot of fear right now,” Bernick said — highlighting the Trump administration’s attacks on public media, the cost of living crisis and concerns about artificial intelligence as some of the factors driving more staff toward unionization. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Without our say, these systems are not really effective,” Bernick said. “A lot of the time they can make our work less impactful or more strenuous.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A press release from the Communications Workers of America — Wiki Workers United’s parent union — also said that “recent events at the Wikimedia Foundation have drastically escalated worker concerns regarding transparency, trust, the organization’s future, and leadership’s commitment to the free knowledge movement.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In May, the foundation disbanded the Community Tech team, the bridge between the foundation and the volunteers who update the articles. The decision sparked major backlash, in part, because the team was largely composed of union members, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wiki_Workers_United_solidarity\">petition\u003c/a> written by Wikipedia editors with 1,190 signatures.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This demand for recognition comes after the U.K. chapter of Wiki Workers United made a similar request of the foundation last month, according to the press release. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The union hopes to be a sign that it’s OK for tech workers to ask for protections, Bernick said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You don’t have to accept the status quo,” Bernick said. “We see having a union as sort of a basic right.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Workers at the Wikimedia Foundation — the San Francisco-based foundation that hosts \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/wikipedia\">Wikipedia\u003c/a> — demanded voluntary recognition of their union, Wiki Workers United U.S., on Monday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The staff who run the platform say they want a stronger voice in their workplace, better job protections and an end to common practices that make life “precarious for everyday workers,” according to Jeremy Bernick, one of the union organizers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They gave the foundation until Friday to respond to their request for recognition. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wikipedia, the world’s largest encyclopedia, hosts roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00074-1\">65 million entries\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wikipedias\">364 languages\u003c/a>. It is considered a backbone of the internet — boasting an average of 508 million views per day for the past decade, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/01/13/wikipedia-at-25-what-the-data-tells-us/#how-many-people-visit-wikipedia\">Pew Research Center\u003c/a>. While Wikipedia is the nonprofit’s largest and most well-known project, the Wikimedia Foundation, which did not respond to requests for comment, supports over a dozen related “sister” projects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092438\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Wikipedia homepage on March 11, 2011. (SD619/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bernick said that this campaign is the workers’ third attempt at unionizing and the farthest they’ve gotten in the process.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think there is a lot of fear right now,” Bernick said — highlighting the Trump administration’s attacks on public media, the cost of living crisis and concerns about artificial intelligence as some of the factors driving more staff toward unionization. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As employers make decisions about how and when to integrate AI, Bernick wants to see “workers in the loop.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Without our say, these systems are not really effective,” Bernick said. “A lot of the time they can make our work less impactful or more strenuous.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A press release from the Communications Workers of America — Wiki Workers United’s parent union — also said that “recent events at the Wikimedia Foundation have drastically escalated worker concerns regarding transparency, trust, the organization’s future, and leadership’s commitment to the free knowledge movement.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In May, the foundation disbanded the Community Tech team, the bridge between the foundation and the volunteers who update the articles. The decision sparked major backlash, in part, because the team was largely composed of union members, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wiki_Workers_United_solidarity\">petition\u003c/a> written by Wikipedia editors with 1,190 signatures.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wikipedia editors are a group of nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00074-1\">280,000 volunteers\u003c/a> who write and edit the articles. The petition states that the undersigned editors, who have cumulatively made over 17,582,148 edits, according to the page, will strike in support of the union if called. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This demand for recognition comes after the U.K. chapter of Wiki Workers United made a similar request of the foundation last month, according to the press release. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union hopes to be a sign that it’s OK for tech workers to ask for protections, Bernick said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t have to accept the status quo,” Bernick said. “We see having a union as sort of a basic right.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "unacceptable-san-francisco-officials-question-kaisers-approach-to-ai-in-mental-health",
"title": "‘Unacceptable’: San Francisco Officials Question Kaiser’s Approach to AI in Mental Health",
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"content": "\u003cp>Unlicensed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073839/kaiser-therapists-take-key-step-toward-1-day-strike\">phone operators and algorithms\u003c/a> directing patients to inadequate telehealth services. Controversial \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999553/will-ai-replace-your-therapist-kaiser-wont-say-no\">artificial intelligence technologies\u003c/a> are increasingly deployed at clinics. Distraught patients who can’t get an appointment with a human for weeks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those were some of the alarms raised by Kaiser Permanente clinicians who told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors the healthcare giant has failed to significantly improve its mental-health services, even after recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073484/kaiser-workers-say-patients-deserve-better-mental-health-care-after-31m-settlement\">sanctions by state and federal regulators\u003c/a> for denying or delaying care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The hearing Tuesday examined Kaiser’s \u003ca href=\"https://nuhw.org/wp-content/uploads/Kaiser_IBHS_fact_sheet_SFBOS_hearing_20260701.pdf\">contract \u003c/a>proposals during labor negotiations, which the union said would allow the employer to expand its use of AI tools in mental-health care and lay off more therapists who currently provide it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Experts said these changes could degrade care by giving the company a free pass to outsource patients to companies that use chatbots and squeeze overworked professionals — claims Kaiser denies. The clinicians pleaded with supervisors to pressure their employer to strengthen patient care and support its staff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The things that we discussed today are infuriating, concerning and unacceptable,” said Supervisor Chyanne Chen, who called the hearing after multiple constituents, including Kaiser employees, complained about the healthcare company’s approach.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chen said she’ll introduce a resolution next week calling on the state’s largest health plan to agree to contract language stating it will use AI to help therapists — not replace them — and back off a proposal that would allow it to refer more patients to third-party contractors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kaiser executives declined to attend the hearing, a move several supervisors decried as disappointing or even “disrespectful.” The city of San Francisco, San Francisco Unified School District and other public employers paid Kaiser $508 million in health premiums last year to cover more than 39,000 employees and retirees, according to the San Francisco Health Service System. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12076763\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Kaiser Permanente building at 1800 Harrison (center-top) in Oakland on March 16, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Their nonpresence suggests to me that the picture that’s being painted by the workers is pretty accurate,” Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said. “We do not want to be subjecting our employees and our retirees to a situation where they can’t actually get the care that they need.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, Kaiser said it does not use AI to diagnose patients or make clinical decisions, and that it remains focused on providing timely, high-quality mental-health care while reaching a fair agreement with the therapists’ union. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since 2023, Kaiser has agreed to pay more than $231 million in settlements after investigations into the company’s behavioral treatment access by the U.S. Department of Labor and the California Department of Managed Health Care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The nonprofit health organization said it has invested more than $2 billion since 2020 to expand its mental-health facilities and provider networks, and now consistently meets California law requiring health plans to provide timely access to care. Kaiser, headquartered in Oakland, made a net income of $9.3 billion last year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the yearlong contract talks, Kaiser has resisted language stating that the company won’t use AI to replace therapists and proposed making it easier to lay them off, according to the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents 2,400 psychologists, licensed clinical social workers and other behavioral health professionals at Kaiser in Northern California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union, which staged a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076753/northern-california-kaiser-therapists-hold-1-day-strike-over-ai-patient-care-concerns\">one-day strike\u003c/a> earlier this year and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11929713/kaiser-mental-health-workers-appove-new-contract-ending-10-week-strike\">10-week strike\u003c/a> in 2022, said the parties are set to start mediation next month.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Monday, the union filed its latest complaint with the California Department of Managed Health Care alleging that a Kaiser triage system that initially screens patients seeking mental-health care violates California law because it relies on automated algorithms and unlicensed clerical staff — instead of licensed clinicians — to recommend care. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s violating patient care standards and putting patients at risk. Artificial intelligence and algorithms don’t capture what trained humans can,” Ilana Marcucci-Morris, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at Kaiser in Oakland, told supervisors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Marcucci-Morris said she has seen AI making patient care errors at work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This isn’t about genuine innovation. It’s about saving a buck at the expense of patient care and public health. If we don’t stop them now, we won’t stand a chance down the road,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kaiser argued that clerical staff who make appointments for patients are trained to escalate an emergency to clinical staff, and its behavioral health e-visit tool helps connect members to care more quickly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is an additional path to getting care — not the only path,” the company’s statement said. “On every screen throughout the e-visit process, the patient is provided a phone number that they can call at any time to talk to a live person.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Those were some of the alarms raised by Kaiser Permanente clinicians who told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors the healthcare giant has failed to significantly improve its mental-health services, even after recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073484/kaiser-workers-say-patients-deserve-better-mental-health-care-after-31m-settlement\">sanctions by state and federal regulators\u003c/a> for denying or delaying care.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The hearing Tuesday examined Kaiser’s \u003ca href=\"https://nuhw.org/wp-content/uploads/Kaiser_IBHS_fact_sheet_SFBOS_hearing_20260701.pdf\">contract \u003c/a>proposals during labor negotiations, which the union said would allow the employer to expand its use of AI tools in mental-health care and lay off more therapists who currently provide it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Experts said these changes could degrade care by giving the company a free pass to outsource patients to companies that use chatbots and squeeze overworked professionals — claims Kaiser denies. The clinicians pleaded with supervisors to pressure their employer to strengthen patient care and support its staff.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Experts said these changes could degrade care by giving the company a free pass to outsource patients to companies that use chatbots and squeeze overworked professionals — claims Kaiser denies. The clinicians pleaded with supervisors to pressure their employer to strengthen patient care and support its staff.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The things that we discussed today are infuriating, concerning and unacceptable,” said Supervisor Chyanne Chen, who called the hearing after multiple constituents, including Kaiser employees, complained about the healthcare company’s approach.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chen said she’ll introduce a resolution next week calling on the state’s largest health plan to agree to contract language stating it will use AI to help therapists — not replace them — and back off a proposal that would allow it to refer more patients to third-party contractors. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kaiser executives declined to attend the hearing, a move several supervisors decried as disappointing or even “disrespectful.” The city of San Francisco, San Francisco Unified School District and other public employers paid Kaiser $508 million in health premiums last year to cover more than 39,000 employees and retirees, according to the San Francisco Health Service System. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Their nonpresence suggests to me that the picture that’s being painted by the workers is pretty accurate,” Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said. “We do not want to be subjecting our employees and our retirees to a situation where they can’t actually get the care that they need.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a statement, Kaiser said it does not use AI to diagnose patients or make clinical decisions, and that it remains focused on providing timely, high-quality mental-health care while reaching a fair agreement with the therapists’ union. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a statement, Kaiser said it does not use AI to diagnose patients or make clinical decisions, and that it remains focused on providing timely, high-quality mental-health care while reaching a fair agreement with the therapists’ union. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since 2023, Kaiser has agreed to pay more than $231 million in settlements after investigations into the company’s behavioral treatment access by the U.S. Department of Labor and the California Department of Managed Health Care.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The nonprofit health organization said it has invested more than $2 billion since 2020 to expand its mental-health facilities and provider networks, and now consistently meets California law requiring health plans to provide timely access to care. Kaiser, headquartered in Oakland, made a net income of $9.3 billion last year. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the yearlong contract talks, Kaiser has resisted language stating that the company won’t use AI to replace therapists and proposed making it easier to lay them off, according to the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents 2,400 psychologists, licensed clinical social workers and other behavioral health professionals at Kaiser in Northern California. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The union, which staged a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076753/northern-california-kaiser-therapists-hold-1-day-strike-over-ai-patient-care-concerns\">one-day strike\u003c/a> earlier this year and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11929713/kaiser-mental-health-workers-appove-new-contract-ending-10-week-strike\">10-week strike\u003c/a> in 2022, said the parties are set to start mediation next month.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Monday, the union filed its latest complaint with the California Department of Managed Health Care alleging that a Kaiser triage system that initially screens patients seeking mental-health care violates California law because it relies on automated algorithms and unlicensed clerical staff — instead of licensed clinicians — to recommend care. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s violating patient care standards and putting patients at risk. Artificial intelligence and algorithms don’t capture what trained humans can,” Ilana Marcucci-Morris, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at Kaiser in Oakland, told supervisors. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Marcucci-Morris said she has seen AI making patient care errors at work.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This isn’t about genuine innovation. It’s about saving a buck at the expense of patient care and public health. If we don’t stop them now, we won’t stand a chance down the road,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kaiser argued that clerical staff who make appointments for patients are trained to escalate an emergency to clinical staff, and its behavioral health e-visit tool helps connect members to care more quickly.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It is an additional path to getting care — not the only path,” the company’s statement said. “On every screen throughout the e-visit process, the patient is provided a phone number that they can call at any time to talk to a live person.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "In a hearing, therapists decried Kaiser’s proposed contract terms during labor negotiations, which they argued would undermine mental health services. The largest health insurer for city employees said it remains focused on providing timely, high-quality mental health services.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Unlicensed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073839/kaiser-therapists-take-key-step-toward-1-day-strike\">phone operators and algorithms\u003c/a> directing patients to inadequate telehealth services. Controversial \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999553/will-ai-replace-your-therapist-kaiser-wont-say-no\">artificial intelligence technologies\u003c/a> are increasingly deployed at clinics. Distraught patients who can’t get an appointment with a human for weeks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those were some of the alarms raised by Kaiser Permanente clinicians who told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors the healthcare giant has failed to significantly improve its mental-health services, even after recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073484/kaiser-workers-say-patients-deserve-better-mental-health-care-after-31m-settlement\">sanctions by state and federal regulators\u003c/a> for denying or delaying care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The hearing Tuesday examined Kaiser’s \u003ca href=\"https://nuhw.org/wp-content/uploads/Kaiser_IBHS_fact_sheet_SFBOS_hearing_20260701.pdf\">contract \u003c/a>proposals during labor negotiations, which the union said would allow the employer to expand its use of AI tools in mental-health care and lay off more therapists who currently provide it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Experts said these changes could degrade care by giving the company a free pass to outsource patients to companies that use chatbots and squeeze overworked professionals — claims Kaiser denies. The clinicians pleaded with supervisors to pressure their employer to strengthen patient care and support its staff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The things that we discussed today are infuriating, concerning and unacceptable,” said Supervisor Chyanne Chen, who called the hearing after multiple constituents, including Kaiser employees, complained about the healthcare company’s approach.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chen said she’ll introduce a resolution next week calling on the state’s largest health plan to agree to contract language stating it will use AI to help therapists — not replace them — and back off a proposal that would allow it to refer more patients to third-party contractors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kaiser executives declined to attend the hearing, a move several supervisors decried as disappointing or even “disrespectful.” The city of San Francisco, San Francisco Unified School District and other public employers paid Kaiser $508 million in health premiums last year to cover more than 39,000 employees and retirees, according to the San Francisco Health Service System. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12076763\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Kaiser Permanente building at 1800 Harrison (center-top) in Oakland on March 16, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Their nonpresence suggests to me that the picture that’s being painted by the workers is pretty accurate,” Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said. “We do not want to be subjecting our employees and our retirees to a situation where they can’t actually get the care that they need.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, Kaiser said it does not use AI to diagnose patients or make clinical decisions, and that it remains focused on providing timely, high-quality mental-health care while reaching a fair agreement with the therapists’ union. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since 2023, Kaiser has agreed to pay more than $231 million in settlements after investigations into the company’s behavioral treatment access by the U.S. Department of Labor and the California Department of Managed Health Care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The nonprofit health organization said it has invested more than $2 billion since 2020 to expand its mental-health facilities and provider networks, and now consistently meets California law requiring health plans to provide timely access to care. Kaiser, headquartered in Oakland, made a net income of $9.3 billion last year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the yearlong contract talks, Kaiser has resisted language stating that the company won’t use AI to replace therapists and proposed making it easier to lay them off, according to the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents 2,400 psychologists, licensed clinical social workers and other behavioral health professionals at Kaiser in Northern California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union, which staged a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076753/northern-california-kaiser-therapists-hold-1-day-strike-over-ai-patient-care-concerns\">one-day strike\u003c/a> earlier this year and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11929713/kaiser-mental-health-workers-appove-new-contract-ending-10-week-strike\">10-week strike\u003c/a> in 2022, said the parties are set to start mediation next month.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Monday, the union filed its latest complaint with the California Department of Managed Health Care alleging that a Kaiser triage system that initially screens patients seeking mental-health care violates California law because it relies on automated algorithms and unlicensed clerical staff — instead of licensed clinicians — to recommend care. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s violating patient care standards and putting patients at risk. Artificial intelligence and algorithms don’t capture what trained humans can,” Ilana Marcucci-Morris, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at Kaiser in Oakland, told supervisors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Marcucci-Morris said she has seen AI making patient care errors at work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This isn’t about genuine innovation. It’s about saving a buck at the expense of patient care and public health. If we don’t stop them now, we won’t stand a chance down the road,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kaiser argued that clerical staff who make appointments for patients are trained to escalate an emergency to clinical staff, and its behavioral health e-visit tool helps connect members to care more quickly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is an additional path to getting care — not the only path,” the company’s statement said. “On every screen throughout the e-visit process, the patient is provided a phone number that they can call at any time to talk to a live person.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "arrests-injuries-at-ch-sugar-protest-as-strike-at-crockett-refinery-enters-sixth-week",
"title": "Arrests, Injuries at C&H Sugar Protest as Strike at Crockett Refinery Enters Sixth Week",
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"headTitle": "Arrests, Injuries at C&H Sugar Protest as Strike at Crockett Refinery Enters Sixth Week | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Contra Costa County Sheriff’s deputies arrested nine people after a protest outside the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090638/ch-sugar-striking-workers-to-meet-for-first-time-in-month-long-strike\">C&H Sugar refinery in Crockett\u003c/a> on Tuesday, where warehouse and dockworkers have been striking for six weeks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sheriff’s office spokesperson Jimmy Lee said the gathering was declared an unlawful assembly after “repeated efforts to gain compliance” and multiple attempts to disperse a crowd protesting outside the facility. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Warehouse workers represented by International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6 walked off the job last month amid stalled contract negotiations. C&H dockworkers, represented by ILWU Local 10, have refused to cross picket lines in solidarity throughout the strike.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sheriff’s officials said they responded to the refinery on Loring Avenue on Tuesday morning after receiving multiple reports of rocks being thrown at trucks attempting to enter the facility, and protesters blocking the roadway, preventing workers’ movement in and out. ILWU Local 10 officials denied that members threw rocks at vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Crockett refinery usually processes six million pounds of raw cane sugar per day, but operations have been disrupted since the 90 warehouse employees went on strike June 15 amid bargaining over wages, sick time and retirement benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/803A0691-scaled-e1784753898575.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092193\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kendra Sparks is a lifelong Crockett resident and 30-year employee of C&H Sugar. Her father, Greg Soria, retired from C&H after 40 years and would lose healthcare benefits he earned with the company under terms proposed by C&H, she said. (Courtesy of Roy San Fillipo, ILWU)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>ILWU Local 6 negotiators previously told KQED that C&H has offered their members a 20% raise over five years, while halving sick days and getting rid of benefits for retired employees. Union members said at the time that the salary increase wasn’t worth the trade-off.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Retirees cannot afford not to have benefits at all; we cannot afford as a worker to pay another 30% for our health care; we can’t afford to take a cut in our sick leave,” said Michael Villeggiante, the president of ILWU Local 10, which is not in negotiations, but striking in solidarity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for C&H told KQED that while the company “has worked tirelessly to resolve the labor dispute and responsibly operate our business, the ILWU has opted instead to engage in unlawful and dangerous activity that has threatened the health and safety of our employees, independent drivers, contractors, Crockett residents and law enforcement.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have respected the union’s right to strike, but we do not accept this dangerous and illegal behavior,” the spokesperson said via email. “We are grateful to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol who responded yesterday.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because dockworkers have refused to cross the picket line, C&H began diverting some operations to the Levin Richmond Terminal, where goods like coal and oil are unloaded, in recent weeks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But days ago, the company redirected a ship, known as the Tai Herald, from Richmond to Crockett, where it sat docked until Monday. Then, C&H hired nonunionized workers to unload it, Villeggiante said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In response, ILWU Local 10 workers left their jobs at other Northern California ports, including Oakland, Eureka, Sacramento and Benicia, to join the picket at Crockett at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning. Villeggiante said at least 400 people joined for a “peaceful rally” featuring music and entertainment as picketers marched back and forth across every entrance at the property.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That’s our jurisdiction,” he said. “Going all the way back to 1934, we were awarded to unload and load these ships. And we have a practice of doing those ships at C&H Sugar since 1938.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the county sheriff’s office, personnel arrived around 11 a.m., and stayed on scene for five hours trying to maintain order and facilitate traffic movement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villeggiante said that the crowd dwindled to about 150 throughout the day as more police presence appeared. The tense confrontation occurred in the afternoon, after sheriff’s officials said they broadcast multiple announcements to the crowd to disperse and asked the picketers to clear a driveway to let workers out of the facility. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villeggiante said he instructed ILWU members to move, but some protesters remained in front of the driveway. The nine arrested were booked at the Martinez Detention Facility after Villeggiante said law enforcement “manhandled” multiple union members. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The majority were cited and released, while three remained in custody overnight. The individuals were arrested on various charges, including remaining present at an unlawful assembly after being lawfully ordered to disperse, battery, obstruction and resisting a police officer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Four ILWU Local 10 members were arrested, including the three who stayed in custody overnight and were bailed out this morning. He said the fourth member spent the night in the hospital after he was thrown into glass and cut his face during an altercation with officers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villeggiante said the others arrested were “spectators or community people or students.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said that he believes ILWU Local 6 and C&H were back at the bargaining table, but that ILWU Local 10 would continue to strike alongside warehouse workers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The last two mediations that they went back to, there wasn’t much given; it was all takeaways,” he said. “There’s no bargaining in good faith when you are concessionary bargaining.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Contra Costa County Sheriff’s deputies arrested nine people after a protest outside the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090638/ch-sugar-striking-workers-to-meet-for-first-time-in-month-long-strike\">C&H Sugar refinery in Crockett\u003c/a> on Tuesday, where warehouse and dockworkers have been striking for six weeks. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sheriff’s office spokesperson Jimmy Lee said the gathering was declared an unlawful assembly after “repeated efforts to gain compliance” and multiple attempts to disperse a crowd protesting outside the facility. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Warehouse workers represented by International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6 walked off the job last month amid stalled contract negotiations. C&H dockworkers, represented by ILWU Local 10, have refused to cross picket lines in solidarity throughout the strike.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sheriff’s officials said they responded to the refinery on Loring Avenue on Tuesday morning after receiving multiple reports of rocks being thrown at trucks attempting to enter the facility, and protesters blocking the roadway, preventing workers’ movement in and out. ILWU Local 10 officials denied that members threw rocks at vehicles.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Crockett refinery usually processes six million pounds of raw cane sugar per day, but operations have been disrupted since the 90 warehouse employees went on strike June 15 amid bargaining over wages, sick time and retirement benefits. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>ILWU Local 6 negotiators previously told KQED that C&H has offered their members a 20% raise over five years, while halving sick days and getting rid of benefits for retired employees. Union members said at the time that the salary increase wasn’t worth the trade-off.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Retirees cannot afford not to have benefits at all; we cannot afford as a worker to pay another 30% for our health care; we can’t afford to take a cut in our sick leave,” said Michael Villeggiante, the president of ILWU Local 10, which is not in negotiations, but striking in solidarity.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Retirees cannot afford not to have benefits at all; we cannot afford as a worker to pay another 30% for our health care; we can’t afford to take a cut in our sick leave,” said Michael Villeggiante, the president of ILWU Local 10, which is not in negotiations, but striking in solidarity.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for C&H told KQED that while the company “has worked tirelessly to resolve the labor dispute and responsibly operate our business, the ILWU has opted instead to engage in unlawful and dangerous activity that has threatened the health and safety of our employees, independent drivers, contractors, Crockett residents and law enforcement.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We have respected the union’s right to strike, but we do not accept this dangerous and illegal behavior,” the spokesperson said via email. “We are grateful to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol who responded yesterday.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Because dockworkers have refused to cross the picket line, C&H began diverting some operations to the Levin Richmond Terminal, where goods like coal and oil are unloaded, in recent weeks. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But days ago, the company redirected a ship, known as the Tai Herald, from Richmond to Crockett, where it sat docked until Monday. Then, C&H hired nonunionized workers to unload it, Villeggiante said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In response, ILWU Local 10 workers left their jobs at other Northern California ports, including Oakland, Eureka, Sacramento and Benicia, to join the picket at Crockett at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning. Villeggiante said at least 400 people joined for a “peaceful rally” featuring music and entertainment as picketers marched back and forth across every entrance at the property.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That’s our jurisdiction,” he said. “Going all the way back to 1934, we were awarded to unload and load these ships. And we have a practice of doing those ships at C&H Sugar since 1938.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Villeggiante said that the crowd dwindled to about 150 throughout the day as more police presence appeared. The tense confrontation occurred in the afternoon, after sheriff’s officials said they broadcast multiple announcements to the crowd to disperse and asked the picketers to clear a driveway to let workers out of the facility. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Villeggiante said that the crowd dwindled to about 150 throughout the day as more police presence appeared. The tense confrontation occurred in the afternoon, after sheriff’s officials said they broadcast multiple announcements to the crowd to disperse and asked the picketers to clear a driveway to let workers out of the facility. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Villeggiante said he instructed ILWU members to move, but some protesters remained in front of the driveway. The nine arrested were booked at the Martinez Detention Facility after Villeggiante said law enforcement “manhandled” multiple union members. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The majority were cited and released, while three remained in custody overnight. The individuals were arrested on various charges, including remaining present at an unlawful assembly after being lawfully ordered to disperse, battery, obstruction and resisting a police officer.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The majority were cited and released, while three remained in custody overnight. The individuals were arrested on various charges, including remaining present at an unlawful assembly after being lawfully ordered to disperse, battery, obstruction and resisting a police officer.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Four ILWU Local 10 members were arrested, including the three who stayed in custody overnight and were bailed out this morning. He said the fourth member spent the night in the hospital after he was thrown into glass and cut his face during an altercation with officers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Four ILWU Local 10 members were arrested, including the three who stayed in custody overnight and were bailed out this morning. He said the fourth member spent the night in the hospital after he was thrown into glass and cut his face during an altercation with officers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He said that he believes ILWU Local 6 and C&H were back at the bargaining table, but that ILWU Local 10 would continue to strike alongside warehouse workers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The last two mediations that they went back to, there wasn’t much given; it was all takeaways,” he said. “There’s no bargaining in good faith when you are concessionary bargaining.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Contra Costa County Sheriff’s deputies declared an unlawful assembly and arrested nine protesters on Tuesday. Representatives from ILWU Local 6 and C&H have since returned to the bargaining table. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Contra Costa County Sheriff’s deputies arrested nine people after a protest outside the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090638/ch-sugar-striking-workers-to-meet-for-first-time-in-month-long-strike\">C&H Sugar refinery in Crockett\u003c/a> on Tuesday, where warehouse and dockworkers have been striking for six weeks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sheriff’s office spokesperson Jimmy Lee said the gathering was declared an unlawful assembly after “repeated efforts to gain compliance” and multiple attempts to disperse a crowd protesting outside the facility. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Warehouse workers represented by International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6 walked off the job last month amid stalled contract negotiations. C&H dockworkers, represented by ILWU Local 10, have refused to cross picket lines in solidarity throughout the strike.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sheriff’s officials said they responded to the refinery on Loring Avenue on Tuesday morning after receiving multiple reports of rocks being thrown at trucks attempting to enter the facility, and protesters blocking the roadway, preventing workers’ movement in and out. ILWU Local 10 officials denied that members threw rocks at vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Crockett refinery usually processes six million pounds of raw cane sugar per day, but operations have been disrupted since the 90 warehouse employees went on strike June 15 amid bargaining over wages, sick time and retirement benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/803A0691-scaled-e1784753898575.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092193\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kendra Sparks is a lifelong Crockett resident and 30-year employee of C&H Sugar. Her father, Greg Soria, retired from C&H after 40 years and would lose healthcare benefits he earned with the company under terms proposed by C&H, she said. (Courtesy of Roy San Fillipo, ILWU)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>ILWU Local 6 negotiators previously told KQED that C&H has offered their members a 20% raise over five years, while halving sick days and getting rid of benefits for retired employees. Union members said at the time that the salary increase wasn’t worth the trade-off.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Retirees cannot afford not to have benefits at all; we cannot afford as a worker to pay another 30% for our health care; we can’t afford to take a cut in our sick leave,” said Michael Villeggiante, the president of ILWU Local 10, which is not in negotiations, but striking in solidarity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for C&H told KQED that while the company “has worked tirelessly to resolve the labor dispute and responsibly operate our business, the ILWU has opted instead to engage in unlawful and dangerous activity that has threatened the health and safety of our employees, independent drivers, contractors, Crockett residents and law enforcement.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have respected the union’s right to strike, but we do not accept this dangerous and illegal behavior,” the spokesperson said via email. “We are grateful to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol who responded yesterday.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because dockworkers have refused to cross the picket line, C&H began diverting some operations to the Levin Richmond Terminal, where goods like coal and oil are unloaded, in recent weeks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But days ago, the company redirected a ship, known as the Tai Herald, from Richmond to Crockett, where it sat docked until Monday. Then, C&H hired nonunionized workers to unload it, Villeggiante said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In response, ILWU Local 10 workers left their jobs at other Northern California ports, including Oakland, Eureka, Sacramento and Benicia, to join the picket at Crockett at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning. Villeggiante said at least 400 people joined for a “peaceful rally” featuring music and entertainment as picketers marched back and forth across every entrance at the property.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That’s our jurisdiction,” he said. “Going all the way back to 1934, we were awarded to unload and load these ships. And we have a practice of doing those ships at C&H Sugar since 1938.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the county sheriff’s office, personnel arrived around 11 a.m., and stayed on scene for five hours trying to maintain order and facilitate traffic movement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villeggiante said that the crowd dwindled to about 150 throughout the day as more police presence appeared. The tense confrontation occurred in the afternoon, after sheriff’s officials said they broadcast multiple announcements to the crowd to disperse and asked the picketers to clear a driveway to let workers out of the facility. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villeggiante said he instructed ILWU members to move, but some protesters remained in front of the driveway. The nine arrested were booked at the Martinez Detention Facility after Villeggiante said law enforcement “manhandled” multiple union members. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The majority were cited and released, while three remained in custody overnight. The individuals were arrested on various charges, including remaining present at an unlawful assembly after being lawfully ordered to disperse, battery, obstruction and resisting a police officer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Four ILWU Local 10 members were arrested, including the three who stayed in custody overnight and were bailed out this morning. He said the fourth member spent the night in the hospital after he was thrown into glass and cut his face during an altercation with officers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villeggiante said the others arrested were “spectators or community people or students.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said that he believes ILWU Local 6 and C&H were back at the bargaining table, but that ILWU Local 10 would continue to strike alongside warehouse workers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The last two mediations that they went back to, there wasn’t much given; it was all takeaways,” he said. “There’s no bargaining in good faith when you are concessionary bargaining.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "an-oakland-judge-will-soon-rule-on-one-of-the-largest-media-mergers-in-hollywood-history",
"title": "An Oakland Judge Will Soon Rule on 1 of the Largest Media Mergers in Hollywood History",
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"headTitle": "An Oakland Judge Will Soon Rule on 1 of the Largest Media Mergers in Hollywood History | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Film industry workers and antitrust activists gathered outside of a federal court in Oakland on Friday to support a new lawsuit aimed at stopping the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914425/why-california-wants-to-block-the-paramount-warner-bros-merger\">merger between Paramount Skydance\u003c/a> and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The showdown, presided over by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, came after California and 11 other states filed an \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/%E2%80%99s-not-all-folks-attorney-general-bonta-files-emergency-motion-immediately-block\">“emergency motion”\u003c/a> on Monday to temporarily block Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., alleging the deal violated the Clayton Antitrust Act. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Martínez-Olguín decided not to rule from the bench, but said she would provide a ruling by July 22.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/statement-department-justice-antitrust-division-closing-its-investigation-merger-paramount\">approved\u003c/a> the merger in June, meaning the deal could have gone through as soon as it cleared overseas regulators, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/15/media/paramount-wbd-merger-lawsuit-tro-bonta\">\u003cem>CNN\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2026/biz/global/paramount-warner-bros-merger-overseas-will-eu-uk-approve-1236790282/\">\u003cem>Variety\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091616\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters calling for immediate action to stop the proposed $110 billion Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger rally in front of the federal courthouse in Oakland on July 17, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he would “not let Warner Bros. and Paramount merge without a fight” in a \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/%E2%80%99s-not-all-folks-attorney-general-bonta-files-emergency-motion-immediately-block\">statement\u003c/a> on Monday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The unlawful merger of Warner Bros. and Paramount would harm movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S.,” Bonta said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Paramount’s lawyers \u003ca href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.474157/gov.uscourts.cand.474157.114.0.pdf\">called\u003c/a> the challenge weak, arguing that the merger would provide more high-quality content to consumers and create a “more formidable competitor to the largest streaming services,” including Netflix, Amazon and Disney. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Speakers at the news conference outside the courthouse, organized by a group called #BlockTheMerger, cited concerns that the “transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries — and the audiences we serve — can least afford it,” according to an \u003ca href=\"https://blockthemerger.com/openletter\">open letter\u003c/a> signed by over 5,000 people, including Glenn Close, Pedro Pascal and Tiffany Haddish and other well-known artists.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>W. Kamau Bell, an Oakland resident, comedian and executive producer and host of the CNN docuseries \u003cem>United Shades of America, \u003c/em>highlighted this point during the event. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The more media consolidation we have, the less choice we have,” Bell said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California’s formal \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Redacted%20Paramount%20Warner%20complaint%20%20-%20file%20stamped.pdf\">complaint\u003c/a> called this the largest media merger in history and noted that it would combine “two of the country’s five major film distributors” and “two of the five major owners of basic cable channels.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rachel Antell, a documentary film producer and co-founder of the Archival Producers Alliance, drew attention to the risks associated with allowing Paramount to control all of the archival footage for both CNN and CBS. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Television news is often the first draft of history, and documentary storytelling relies on these drafts to synthesize deeper narratives and bring new perspectives to old stories,” Antell said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Antell said she worried that the merger could limit access to these materials given that the corporate owner has “sole discretion” in the approval process. She called the merger an “unprecedented concentration of American broadcast history under one single ownership structure.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Protesters also raised concerns about this merger’s impact on content and journalism. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Without a free and independent and uncensored media, we are all at risk. Our democracy is at risk,” said Annie Leonard, longtime activist and co-founder of the Committee for the First Amendment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091617\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Annie Leonard speaks at a rally calling for immediate action to stop the proposed $110 billion Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger, in front of the federal courthouse in Oakland on July 17, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It is also horrific for all of us who have any stake in truth, any stake in understanding our past, any stake in being able to make sense of our present and any stake in being able to take the reins and reclaim our freedoms,” said Anat Shenker-Osorio, a communications consultant. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Writers Guild of America also filed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/news_and_events/public_policy/wga-v-paramount-warner-bros-complaint.pdf\">lawsuit\u003c/a> focused on the harms that the merger would cause to film industry employees, and a group of Paramount subscribers filed a class action suit, which Martínez-Olguín denied on Thursday, according to \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2026/film/news/paramount-subscribers-fail-injunction-merger-1236813567/\">\u003cem>Variety\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This potential acquisition has also been scrutinized due to the relationship between President Donald Trump and Larry Ellison, father of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, leading some critics to speculate whether the relationship influenced the DOJ’s clearance of the merger. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, \u003cem>Politico\u003c/em> journalist Daniel Miller told KQED that since Ellison took over Paramount, there have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076712/san-francisco-cbs-workers-hold-24-hour-walk-out-for-higher-pay-more-respect\">major changes at CBS News\u003c/a>, creating some concerns about what would happen if CNN and CBS were “under the same roof.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/kmonahan\">\u003cem>Katherine Monahan\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Film industry workers and antitrust activists gathered outside of a federal court in Oakland on Friday to support a new lawsuit aimed at stopping the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914425/why-california-wants-to-block-the-paramount-warner-bros-merger\">merger between Paramount Skydance\u003c/a> and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The showdown, presided over by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, came after California and 11 other states filed an \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/%E2%80%99s-not-all-folks-attorney-general-bonta-files-emergency-motion-immediately-block\">“emergency motion”\u003c/a> on Monday to temporarily block Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., alleging the deal violated the Clayton Antitrust Act. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Martínez-Olguín decided not to rule from the bench, but said she would provide a ruling by July 22.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/statement-department-justice-antitrust-division-closing-its-investigation-merger-paramount\">approved\u003c/a> the merger in June, meaning the deal could have gone through as soon as it cleared overseas regulators, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/15/media/paramount-wbd-merger-lawsuit-tro-bonta\">\u003cem>CNN\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2026/biz/global/paramount-warner-bros-merger-overseas-will-eu-uk-approve-1236790282/\">\u003cem>Variety\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/statement-department-justice-antitrust-division-closing-its-investigation-merger-paramount\">approved\u003c/a> the merger in June, meaning the deal could have gone through as soon as it cleared overseas regulators, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/15/media/paramount-wbd-merger-lawsuit-tro-bonta\">\u003cem>CNN\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2026/biz/global/paramount-warner-bros-merger-overseas-will-eu-uk-approve-1236790282/\">\u003cem>Variety\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091616\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters calling for immediate action to stop the proposed $110 billion Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger rally in front of the federal courthouse in Oakland on July 17, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The unlawful merger of Warner Bros. and Paramount would harm movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S.,” Bonta said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Paramount’s lawyers \u003ca href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.474157/gov.uscourts.cand.474157.114.0.pdf\">called\u003c/a> the challenge weak, arguing that the merger would provide more high-quality content to consumers and create a “more formidable competitor to the largest streaming services,” including Netflix, Amazon and Disney. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Speakers at the news conference outside the courthouse, organized by a group called #BlockTheMerger, cited concerns that the “transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries — and the audiences we serve — can least afford it,” according to an \u003ca href=\"https://blockthemerger.com/openletter\">open letter\u003c/a> signed by over 5,000 people, including Glenn Close, Pedro Pascal and Tiffany Haddish and other well-known artists.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>W. Kamau Bell, an Oakland resident, comedian and executive producer and host of the CNN docuseries \u003cem>United Shades of America, \u003c/em>highlighted this point during the event. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The more media consolidation we have, the less choice we have,” Bell said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California’s formal \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Redacted%20Paramount%20Warner%20complaint%20%20-%20file%20stamped.pdf\">complaint\u003c/a> called this the largest media merger in history and noted that it would combine “two of the country’s five major film distributors” and “two of the five major owners of basic cable channels.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rachel Antell, a documentary film producer and co-founder of the Archival Producers Alliance, drew attention to the risks associated with allowing Paramount to control all of the archival footage for both CNN and CBS. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Television news is often the first draft of history, and documentary storytelling relies on these drafts to synthesize deeper narratives and bring new perspectives to old stories,” Antell said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Antell said she worried that the merger could limit access to these materials given that the corporate owner has “sole discretion” in the approval process. She called the merger an “unprecedented concentration of American broadcast history under one single ownership structure.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Protesters also raised concerns about this merger’s impact on content and journalism. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Without a free and independent and uncensored media, we are all at risk. Our democracy is at risk,” said Annie Leonard, longtime activist and co-founder of the Committee for the First Amendment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It is also horrific for all of us who have any stake in truth, any stake in understanding our past, any stake in being able to make sense of our present and any stake in being able to take the reins and reclaim our freedoms,” said Anat Shenker-Osorio, a communications consultant. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Writers Guild of America also filed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/news_and_events/public_policy/wga-v-paramount-warner-bros-complaint.pdf\">lawsuit\u003c/a> focused on the harms that the merger would cause to film industry employees, and a group of Paramount subscribers filed a class action suit, which Martínez-Olguín denied on Thursday, according to \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2026/film/news/paramount-subscribers-fail-injunction-merger-1236813567/\">\u003cem>Variety\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Writers Guild of America also filed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/news_and_events/public_policy/wga-v-paramount-warner-bros-complaint.pdf\">lawsuit\u003c/a> focused on the harms that the merger would cause to film industry employees, and a group of Paramount subscribers filed a class action suit, which Martínez-Olguín denied on Thursday, according to \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2026/film/news/paramount-subscribers-fail-injunction-merger-1236813567/\">\u003cem>Variety\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This potential acquisition has also been scrutinized due to the relationship between President Donald Trump and Larry Ellison, father of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, leading some critics to speculate whether the relationship influenced the DOJ’s clearance of the merger. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, \u003cem>Politico\u003c/em> journalist Daniel Miller told KQED that since Ellison took over Paramount, there have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076712/san-francisco-cbs-workers-hold-24-hour-walk-out-for-higher-pay-more-respect\">major changes at CBS News\u003c/a>, creating some concerns about what would happen if CNN and CBS were “under the same roof.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/kmonahan\">\u003cem>Katherine Monahan\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Antitrust advocates and artists said the deal threatens to “further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape.” Paramount Skydance said a merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. would provide more high-quality content to consumers. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Film industry workers and antitrust activists gathered outside of a federal court in Oakland on Friday to support a new lawsuit aimed at stopping the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914425/why-california-wants-to-block-the-paramount-warner-bros-merger\">merger between Paramount Skydance\u003c/a> and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The showdown, presided over by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, came after California and 11 other states filed an \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/%E2%80%99s-not-all-folks-attorney-general-bonta-files-emergency-motion-immediately-block\">“emergency motion”\u003c/a> on Monday to temporarily block Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., alleging the deal violated the Clayton Antitrust Act. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Martínez-Olguín decided not to rule from the bench, but said she would provide a ruling by July 22.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/statement-department-justice-antitrust-division-closing-its-investigation-merger-paramount\">approved\u003c/a> the merger in June, meaning the deal could have gone through as soon as it cleared overseas regulators, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/15/media/paramount-wbd-merger-lawsuit-tro-bonta\">\u003cem>CNN\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2026/biz/global/paramount-warner-bros-merger-overseas-will-eu-uk-approve-1236790282/\">\u003cem>Variety\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091616\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters calling for immediate action to stop the proposed $110 billion Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger rally in front of the federal courthouse in Oakland on July 17, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he would “not let Warner Bros. and Paramount merge without a fight” in a \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/%E2%80%99s-not-all-folks-attorney-general-bonta-files-emergency-motion-immediately-block\">statement\u003c/a> on Monday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The unlawful merger of Warner Bros. and Paramount would harm movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S.,” Bonta said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Paramount’s lawyers \u003ca href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.474157/gov.uscourts.cand.474157.114.0.pdf\">called\u003c/a> the challenge weak, arguing that the merger would provide more high-quality content to consumers and create a “more formidable competitor to the largest streaming services,” including Netflix, Amazon and Disney. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Speakers at the news conference outside the courthouse, organized by a group called #BlockTheMerger, cited concerns that the “transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries — and the audiences we serve — can least afford it,” according to an \u003ca href=\"https://blockthemerger.com/openletter\">open letter\u003c/a> signed by over 5,000 people, including Glenn Close, Pedro Pascal and Tiffany Haddish and other well-known artists.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>W. Kamau Bell, an Oakland resident, comedian and executive producer and host of the CNN docuseries \u003cem>United Shades of America, \u003c/em>highlighted this point during the event. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The more media consolidation we have, the less choice we have,” Bell said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California’s formal \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Redacted%20Paramount%20Warner%20complaint%20%20-%20file%20stamped.pdf\">complaint\u003c/a> called this the largest media merger in history and noted that it would combine “two of the country’s five major film distributors” and “two of the five major owners of basic cable channels.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rachel Antell, a documentary film producer and co-founder of the Archival Producers Alliance, drew attention to the risks associated with allowing Paramount to control all of the archival footage for both CNN and CBS. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Television news is often the first draft of history, and documentary storytelling relies on these drafts to synthesize deeper narratives and bring new perspectives to old stories,” Antell said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Antell said she worried that the merger could limit access to these materials given that the corporate owner has “sole discretion” in the approval process. She called the merger an “unprecedented concentration of American broadcast history under one single ownership structure.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Protesters also raised concerns about this merger’s impact on content and journalism. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Without a free and independent and uncensored media, we are all at risk. Our democracy is at risk,” said Annie Leonard, longtime activist and co-founder of the Committee for the First Amendment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091617\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Annie Leonard speaks at a rally calling for immediate action to stop the proposed $110 billion Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger, in front of the federal courthouse in Oakland on July 17, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It is also horrific for all of us who have any stake in truth, any stake in understanding our past, any stake in being able to make sense of our present and any stake in being able to take the reins and reclaim our freedoms,” said Anat Shenker-Osorio, a communications consultant. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Writers Guild of America also filed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/news_and_events/public_policy/wga-v-paramount-warner-bros-complaint.pdf\">lawsuit\u003c/a> focused on the harms that the merger would cause to film industry employees, and a group of Paramount subscribers filed a class action suit, which Martínez-Olguín denied on Thursday, according to \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2026/film/news/paramount-subscribers-fail-injunction-merger-1236813567/\">\u003cem>Variety\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This potential acquisition has also been scrutinized due to the relationship between President Donald Trump and Larry Ellison, father of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, leading some critics to speculate whether the relationship influenced the DOJ’s clearance of the merger. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, \u003cem>Politico\u003c/em> journalist Daniel Miller told KQED that since Ellison took over Paramount, there have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076712/san-francisco-cbs-workers-hold-24-hour-walk-out-for-higher-pay-more-respect\">major changes at CBS News\u003c/a>, creating some concerns about what would happen if CNN and CBS were “under the same roof.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/kmonahan\">\u003cem>Katherine Monahan\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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"soldout": {
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