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"content": "\u003cp>Unions representing 85,000 health care workers have reached a tentative agreement with industry giant Kaiser Permanente following a strike over wages and staffing levels, the parties announced Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal includes setting minimum hourly wages at $25 in California, where most of Kaiser’s facilities are located, and $23 in other states. Workers will also see a 21% wage increase over four years. The ratification process is scheduled to begin next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Yvonne Esquivel, Kaiser pediatric medical assistant in Gilroy\"]‘This deal is life-changing for frontline health care workers like me, and life-saving for our patients.’[/pullquote]Both sides said they prioritized patient health care during their talks. Steve Shields, Kaiser’s senior vice president of labor relations, said the deal will not affect rates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/kaiser-health-care-workers-strike-b8b40ce8c082c0b8c4f1c0fb7ec38741\">three-day strike\u003c/a> last week involving tens of thousands of workers in multiple states officially ended last Saturday and workers returned to their jobs in Kaiser’s hospitals and clinics that serve nearly 13 million Americans. Union members said understaffing is boosting the hospital system’s profits but hurting patients, and that executives had been bargaining in bad faith during negotiations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Millions of Americans are safer today because tens of thousands of dedicated healthcare workers fought for and won the critical resources they need and that patients need,” said Caroline Lucas, executive director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, in a statement Friday. “This historic agreement will set a higher standard for the healthcare industry nationwide.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tentative agreement also includes protective terms around subcontracting and outsourcing, as well as initiatives to invest in the current workforce and address the staffing crisis. The workers’ last contract was negotiated in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have an interest in helping build the health care workforce of the future,” Shields said during a news briefing Friday with both sides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The coalition of unions \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963708/kaiser-workers-could-reauthorize-strike-if-negotiations-break-down\">had given the company notice\u003c/a> that another strike, from Nov. 1 to Nov. 8, was possible if the latest round of negotiations fell through. It also said the Oct. 31 expiration of a contract covering the Seattle area would enable another 3,000 workers to join picket lines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What the parties have achieved here in Oakland demonstrates, once again, that collective bargaining works,” said acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su, who helped mediate negotiations this week. “When workers have a voice and a seat at the table, it can result in historic gains for workers, their employer and our country.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser Permanente, based in Oakland, confirmed the deal in a \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/aboutKP/status/1712889965095670195\">social media post\u003c/a> on Friday, noting that the strike notice for November “has been canceled.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/seiu_uhw/status/1712787147978321951\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>President Joe Biden applauded the tentative deal in a statement Friday, echoing his support for the health care unions. The president last month joined \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/president-joe-biden-strike-united-auto-workers-8ecc84eeca15c99673f31bdac6921f7b\">picketing United Auto Workers in Michigan\u003c/a> on the 12th day of their strike against major carmakers, becoming the first known sitting president in U.S. history to join an active picket line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We owe a tremendous debt to health care workers and the hard-working men and women who make their work possible,” Biden said in a statement. “Health care workers and support staff kept our hospitals — and our nation — going during the dark months of the pandemic. They had our backs during one of our nation’s toughest times. We must continue to have theirs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week’s three-day strike at facilities in California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington state was a last resort after Kaiser executives ignored the short-staffing crisis worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, union officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='More on Kaiser Permanente' tag='kaiser-permanente']“This deal is life-changing for frontline health care workers like me, and life-saving for our patients,” said Yvonne Esquivel, a pediatric medical assistant at Kaiser Permanente in Gilroy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their goal was to bring the problems to the public’s consciousness for support, according to the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The new [four-year] agreement will offer Coalition-represented employees competitive wages, excellent benefits, generous retirement income plans, and valuable job training opportunities that support their economic well-being, advance our shared mission, and keep Kaiser Permanente a best place to work and receive care,” read a joint-statement from Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strikers include licensed vocational nurses, home health aides and ultrasound sonographers, as well as technicians in the radiology, X-ray, surgical, pharmacy and emergency departments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No health care worker wants to go on strike,” Caroline Lucas, the coalition’s executive director, said Thursday. “I hope that the last few days have helped escalate this issue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company warned the work stoppage could cause delays in people getting appointments and scheduling non-urgent procedures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unions representing Kaiser workers in August asked for a $25 hourly minimum wage, as well as increases of 7% each year in the first two years and 6.25% each year in the two years afterward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser, which turned a $2.1 billion profit for the quarter, said in a statement last week that it proposed minimum hourly wages between $21 and $23 depending on the location. The company said it also completed hiring 10,000 more people, adding to the 51,000 workers the hospital system has brought on board since 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal comes a day after Kaiser \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2023/10/kaiser-permanente-california-behavioral-health-settlement/\">agreed to pay a $50 million fine\u003c/a> as part of a larger settlement with the state of California, which found major deficiencies in its delivery of behavioral health care services. The settlement requires the health care giant to provide its patients with more timely access to behavioral health care, among other improvements, and to invest an additional $150 million in those programs over the next five years.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tentative agreement also includes protective terms around subcontracting and outsourcing, as well as initiatives to invest in the current workforce and address the staffing crisis. The workers’ last contract was negotiated in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have an interest in helping build the health care workforce of the future,” Shields said during a news briefing Friday with both sides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The coalition of unions \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963708/kaiser-workers-could-reauthorize-strike-if-negotiations-break-down\">had given the company notice\u003c/a> that another strike, from Nov. 1 to Nov. 8, was possible if the latest round of negotiations fell through. It also said the Oct. 31 expiration of a contract covering the Seattle area would enable another 3,000 workers to join picket lines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What the parties have achieved here in Oakland demonstrates, once again, that collective bargaining works,” said acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su, who helped mediate negotiations this week. “When workers have a voice and a seat at the table, it can result in historic gains for workers, their employer and our country.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser Permanente, based in Oakland, confirmed the deal in a \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/aboutKP/status/1712889965095670195\">social media post\u003c/a> on Friday, noting that the strike notice for November “has been canceled.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>President Joe Biden applauded the tentative deal in a statement Friday, echoing his support for the health care unions. The president last month joined \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/president-joe-biden-strike-united-auto-workers-8ecc84eeca15c99673f31bdac6921f7b\">picketing United Auto Workers in Michigan\u003c/a> on the 12th day of their strike against major carmakers, becoming the first known sitting president in U.S. history to join an active picket line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We owe a tremendous debt to health care workers and the hard-working men and women who make their work possible,” Biden said in a statement. “Health care workers and support staff kept our hospitals — and our nation — going during the dark months of the pandemic. They had our backs during one of our nation’s toughest times. We must continue to have theirs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week’s three-day strike at facilities in California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington state was a last resort after Kaiser executives ignored the short-staffing crisis worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, union officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“This deal is life-changing for frontline health care workers like me, and life-saving for our patients,” said Yvonne Esquivel, a pediatric medical assistant at Kaiser Permanente in Gilroy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their goal was to bring the problems to the public’s consciousness for support, according to the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The new [four-year] agreement will offer Coalition-represented employees competitive wages, excellent benefits, generous retirement income plans, and valuable job training opportunities that support their economic well-being, advance our shared mission, and keep Kaiser Permanente a best place to work and receive care,” read a joint-statement from Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strikers include licensed vocational nurses, home health aides and ultrasound sonographers, as well as technicians in the radiology, X-ray, surgical, pharmacy and emergency departments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No health care worker wants to go on strike,” Caroline Lucas, the coalition’s executive director, said Thursday. “I hope that the last few days have helped escalate this issue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company warned the work stoppage could cause delays in people getting appointments and scheduling non-urgent procedures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unions representing Kaiser workers in August asked for a $25 hourly minimum wage, as well as increases of 7% each year in the first two years and 6.25% each year in the two years afterward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser, which turned a $2.1 billion profit for the quarter, said in a statement last week that it proposed minimum hourly wages between $21 and $23 depending on the location. The company said it also completed hiring 10,000 more people, adding to the 51,000 workers the hospital system has brought on board since 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal comes a day after Kaiser \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2023/10/kaiser-permanente-california-behavioral-health-settlement/\">agreed to pay a $50 million fine\u003c/a> as part of a larger settlement with the state of California, which found major deficiencies in its delivery of behavioral health care services. The settlement requires the health care giant to provide its patients with more timely access to behavioral health care, among other improvements, and to invest an additional $150 million in those programs over the next five years.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>A week after tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees across the country \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963306/kaiser-strike-furthers-delays-in-covid-19-vaccines-some-surgeries-in-the-bay-area\">staged a three-day walkout\u003c/a> demanding higher wages and more robust staffing, the unions representing them warned on Tuesday of a longer strike early next month if upcoming negotiations with the company prove unsuccessful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next bargaining sessions are scheduled for later this week, with Julie Su, the acting U.S. secretary of labor, expected to mediate, according to the union coalition representing Kaiser employees. Anything short of a fair deal will result in a subsequent strike starting on Nov. 1 and lasting until Nov. 8, coalition representatives told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we don’t stand up for our work, they’re going to continue treating us the way they are treating us,” said Drenda Sims, a receptionist in the OB-GYN department at Kaiser’s Oakland facility.[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"kaiser-strike\"]Sims participated in last week’s walkout, which marked the largest health care worker strike in U.S. history. And like many of her colleagues, she said she hopes another strike will be averted, but is prepared to join the picket line again if necessary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not a good feeling,” she said. “But it’s for the cause.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The labor coalition, comprised of chapters of the Service Employees International Union and the Office and Professional Employees International Union, represent a wide range of Kaiser frontline workers, including respiratory therapists, X-ray technicians, behavioral health workers and pharmacists, among many other positions. Doctors and nurses, however, are not involved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coalition officials say limiting how much Kaiser can outsource and subcontract workers remains a major sticking point in the ongoing negotiations with the massive health care provider.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The critical issues that are outstanding really are still a long-term comprehensive solution to the Kaiser short-staffing crisis,” Caroline Lucas, executive director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, told KQED on Tuesday, arguing that simply outsourcing the work, as she says Kaiser has considered, is not a remedy. “We need common sense limitations on subcontracting and outsourcing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week’s strike included nearly 75,000 Kaiser workers from facilities in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The majority of the strikers were located in California, with some 23,000 joining picket lines in the Bay Area alone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to significant staffing increases, workers are pushing for a 6.5% wage hike in the first two years of their next contract, and a 5.75% increase the following two years. They are also seeking to raise the minimum wage among workers in the union to $26 by 2026. Kaiser’s current minimum wage varies by region, but many places offer just under $20 per hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last round of negotiations, union officials rejected \u003ca href=\"https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/content/dam/kp/mykp/documents/infographics-pdf/new-offer-infographic_100123_5pm.pdf\">Kaiser’s offer (PDF)\u003c/a> of 4% across-the-board wage increases for all Northern California workers for the next two years, and 3% for the following two years, in addition to a minimum performance bonus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser also recently offered a $23-per-hour minimum wage for its employees in California starting in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Kaiser Permanente remains committed to reaching an agreement that is good for our employees, our members, and our organization, and we will continue to bargain in good faith,” the Oakland-based company said in an email to KQED on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of negotiations with the labor coalition, Kaiser has also vowed to accelerate the pace of hiring and add 10,000 new employees nationwide by the end of this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And although the company is on track to surpass that goal, union officials say it’s still not enough to make up for the burnout and turnover fueled by the pandemic, that has left many facilities severely understaffed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This week, Kaiser executives will have another opportunity to listen to frontline staff,” said Lucas, the union coalition leader, “and to begin investing in ways that will solve the Kaiser short-staffing crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "If this week's negotiations with the company are unsuccessful, some 75,000 Kaiser employees — including thousands in the Bay Area — plan to walk off the job again next month, from Nov. 1 until Nov. 8, according to the union coalition representing the workers.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A week after tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees across the country \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963306/kaiser-strike-furthers-delays-in-covid-19-vaccines-some-surgeries-in-the-bay-area\">staged a three-day walkout\u003c/a> demanding higher wages and more robust staffing, the unions representing them warned on Tuesday of a longer strike early next month if upcoming negotiations with the company prove unsuccessful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next bargaining sessions are scheduled for later this week, with Julie Su, the acting U.S. secretary of labor, expected to mediate, according to the union coalition representing Kaiser employees. Anything short of a fair deal will result in a subsequent strike starting on Nov. 1 and lasting until Nov. 8, coalition representatives told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we don’t stand up for our work, they’re going to continue treating us the way they are treating us,” said Drenda Sims, a receptionist in the OB-GYN department at Kaiser’s Oakland facility.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Sims participated in last week’s walkout, which marked the largest health care worker strike in U.S. history. And like many of her colleagues, she said she hopes another strike will be averted, but is prepared to join the picket line again if necessary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not a good feeling,” she said. “But it’s for the cause.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The labor coalition, comprised of chapters of the Service Employees International Union and the Office and Professional Employees International Union, represent a wide range of Kaiser frontline workers, including respiratory therapists, X-ray technicians, behavioral health workers and pharmacists, among many other positions. Doctors and nurses, however, are not involved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coalition officials say limiting how much Kaiser can outsource and subcontract workers remains a major sticking point in the ongoing negotiations with the massive health care provider.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The critical issues that are outstanding really are still a long-term comprehensive solution to the Kaiser short-staffing crisis,” Caroline Lucas, executive director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, told KQED on Tuesday, arguing that simply outsourcing the work, as she says Kaiser has considered, is not a remedy. “We need common sense limitations on subcontracting and outsourcing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week’s strike included nearly 75,000 Kaiser workers from facilities in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The majority of the strikers were located in California, with some 23,000 joining picket lines in the Bay Area alone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to significant staffing increases, workers are pushing for a 6.5% wage hike in the first two years of their next contract, and a 5.75% increase the following two years. They are also seeking to raise the minimum wage among workers in the union to $26 by 2026. Kaiser’s current minimum wage varies by region, but many places offer just under $20 per hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last round of negotiations, union officials rejected \u003ca href=\"https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/content/dam/kp/mykp/documents/infographics-pdf/new-offer-infographic_100123_5pm.pdf\">Kaiser’s offer (PDF)\u003c/a> of 4% across-the-board wage increases for all Northern California workers for the next two years, and 3% for the following two years, in addition to a minimum performance bonus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser also recently offered a $23-per-hour minimum wage for its employees in California starting in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Kaiser Permanente remains committed to reaching an agreement that is good for our employees, our members, and our organization, and we will continue to bargain in good faith,” the Oakland-based company said in an email to KQED on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of negotiations with the labor coalition, Kaiser has also vowed to accelerate the pace of hiring and add 10,000 new employees nationwide by the end of this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And although the company is on track to surpass that goal, union officials say it’s still not enough to make up for the burnout and turnover fueled by the pandemic, that has left many facilities severely understaffed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This week, Kaiser executives will have another opportunity to listen to frontline staff,” said Lucas, the union coalition leader, “and to begin investing in ways that will solve the Kaiser short-staffing crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "amid-kaiser-strike-a-look-at-the-biggest-union-walkouts-in-california-recently",
"title": "California’s Major Union Strikes: A Recent Overview",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/05/us/california-unions-kaiser-permanente.html\">The summer of strike\u003c/a> has entered its fall season, as nearly 75,000 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963308/kaiser-strike-if-youre-a-patient-what-medical-services-would-be-affected\">Kaiser Permanente health care workers across six states \u003c/a>are on the\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963568/kaiser-strike-to-end-saturday-but-negotiations-will-continue\"> last day of their three-day walkout\u003c/a>. This strike by Kaiser staff including X-ray operators, surgical technicians and nursing assistants is now one of the biggest health care work stoppages in U.S. history — involving over 20,000 workers in the Bay Area alone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser is one of California’s largest private insurers — and its workers have joined thousands of other strikers that brought California’s labor issues national attention, such as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13928545/hollywood-writers-begin-strike-late-night-shows-go-dark\">the writers guild\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955707/actors-now-on-strike-halting-entertainment-industry\">actors guild in Hollywood\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-09-29/strike-biltmore-hotel-workers-reach-tentative-agreement\">one that centered on the hotel industry in Los Angeles.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/wsp/factsheets/summary-of-work-stoppages-in-the-united-states.htm\">Labor action like this in the United States has gone down in recent decades.\u003c/a> These decreases — noticeable during the recession — are attributed to the growth of the service industry, technology, and declining union membership, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Average annual number of work stoppages by decade in the U.S.\" aria-label=\"Column Chart\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-Uvb3V\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Uvb3V/2/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"680\" height=\"453\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, when measured by the number of workers walking off the job, some of California’s biggest strikes have taken place in recent years — although these walkouts may also include workers from other states (such as the current Kaiser Permanente protests, which includes states like Colorado and Washington).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are a few of the biggest labor strikes in California since 1993, according to BLS data. This data includes work stoppages that involve 1,000 workers or more, and the number of workers at the beginning of the strike are rounded to the nearest hundred.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1. The current actors strike\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 160,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following its writers equivalent, the SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) went on strike this July, bringing Hollywood to a standstill. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956178/its-now-or-never-writers-and-actors-see-conflict-with-big-tech-as-existential\">The actors union is still out picketing\u003c/a> over declining pay, residuals in the age of streaming, and the threat of AI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The writers strike recently ended — and \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2023/film/news/sag-aftra-amptp-negotiations-day-3-1235745741/\">SAG-AFTRA is planning to meet with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers\u003c/a> Friday and next week for more negotiations.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>2. Actors, this time from the 2000s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 135,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A little over twenty years prior, \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/sag-aftra-strike-20-years-later-1234792060/\">SAG and AFTRA (then two different unions) went on strike\u003c/a> from May 2000 to the end of October 2000, with William Daniels — \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD44rDa1eLo\">Mr. Feeny from \u003cem>Boy Meets World \u003c/em>\u003c/a>— as the SAG president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was contentious among actors, as the strike’s purpose was to argue over how their members were compensated in commercials and led to some non-union actors breaking picket lines and shooting advertisements anyway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11963573\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11963573\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-02-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-02-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-02-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-02-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-02-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-02-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Jones and others strike at the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center in Oakland on Oct. 4, 2023. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>3. The 2003–2004 Southern California supermarket strikes\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 67,300.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From October 2003 to February 2004, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/14/us/california-supermarket-strike-deters-shoppers.html\">workers went on strike against Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons Markets\u003c/a> after losing some of their health care benefits — although the number of those striking decreased as time went on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ralphs-vons-albertsons-strike-vote-20190622-story.html\">The chains in question lost a combined $1.5 billion\u003c/a>, according to the \u003cem>Los Angeles Times\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>4. Los Angeles Unified School District strikes this year\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 65,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For three days in March,\u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-21/lausd-bus-drivers-teachers-strike\"> education workers — specifically bus drivers, custodians, and cafeteria workers — went on strike\u003c/a> for higher wages to live in an increasingly pricey Southern California, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/24/us/los-angeles-schools-strike-deal.html\">halting classes for over 400,000 students\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>5. University of California in 2018\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 53,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For three days in May, thousands of custodians, security guards, gardeners and other service workers at the University of California’s ten campuses went on strike to address pay inequalities. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11666919/university-of-california-workers-start-3-day-strike-over-pay\">Nurses, pharmacies, radiologists, and medical workers then joined the walkouts\u003c/a> in a “sympathy strike.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>6. University of California’s walkout last year\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 48,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The University of California’s ten campuses again saw a strike, this time in 2022 in what was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11932147/uc-has-left-us-no-choice-48000-academic-workers-walk-off-job-in-demand-for-better-pay-benefits\">the largest strike in the history of U.S. higher education\u003c/a>. Workers included researchers, postdoctoral scholars, tutors and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/only_tanz/status/1592271003211948033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1592271003211948033%7Ctwgr%5E35691c62a2b42bb8930753d8ed09baae7f241240%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kqed.org%2Fnews%2F11932147%2Fuc-has-left-us-no-choice-48000-academic-workers-walk-off-job-in-demand-for-better-pay-benefits\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>7. Los Angeles County government workers in 2000\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 47,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-30-mn-29280-story.html\">Los Angeles County — after struggling in the ’90s — had a booming economy in the 2000s\u003c/a> but workers said they didn’t see the rewards of that in their paychecks. Government workers like animal control officers, part-time librarians and ambulance drivers help \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/10/12/la-county-workers-strike-for-higher-pay/2027af80-e7ef-4bc2-bd44-bfc4e2b205f1/\">rolling strikes in hopes of higher wages.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>8. Kaiser Permanente strikes in 2021\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 40,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In November 2021, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11896680/thousands-of-kaiser-permanente-staff-join-picket-line-in-solidarity-with-striking-engineers\">engineers walked out over alleged unfair labor practices for two days\u003c/a> — with fellow unions consisting of mental health professionals and pharmacists joining in sympathy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The engineers are a vital part of the facility,” Ron Cook, a patient mobility coach, told KQED in 2021. “When the power goes out and anything happens with lifesaving equipment, it’s the engineers that fix it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>9. Los Angeles teachers strike in 2019\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 33,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For six days, \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-01-21/legacy-of-los-angeles-teachers-strike\">teachers in Los Angeles county walked out\u003c/a> — bringing national attention to the lack of resources public schools face in the United States. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11718384/3-reasons-to-pay-attention-to-the-l-a-teacher-strike#:~:text=The%20first%20mass%20teacher%20labor,the%20nation%20should%20pay%20attention.\">It was the first time the Los Angeles union had walked out in 30 years.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>10. United Food and Commercial Workers protesting retail grocery chains from the ’90s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 32,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers walked out of Safeway, Lucky Stores, and Save Mart from April 7–15, 1995, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/apr/07/california-safeway-workers-go-on-strike/\">teamsters and truckers refusing to cross the picket line.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The current strike by Kaiser Permanente health care workers is now one of the biggest health care work stoppages in US history. But some of California's biggest strikes ever have also taken place in recent years.",
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"title": "Recent Major Union Strikes in California | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/05/us/california-unions-kaiser-permanente.html\">The summer of strike\u003c/a> has entered its fall season, as nearly 75,000 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963308/kaiser-strike-if-youre-a-patient-what-medical-services-would-be-affected\">Kaiser Permanente health care workers across six states \u003c/a>are on the\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963568/kaiser-strike-to-end-saturday-but-negotiations-will-continue\"> last day of their three-day walkout\u003c/a>. This strike by Kaiser staff including X-ray operators, surgical technicians and nursing assistants is now one of the biggest health care work stoppages in U.S. history — involving over 20,000 workers in the Bay Area alone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser is one of California’s largest private insurers — and its workers have joined thousands of other strikers that brought California’s labor issues national attention, such as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13928545/hollywood-writers-begin-strike-late-night-shows-go-dark\">the writers guild\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955707/actors-now-on-strike-halting-entertainment-industry\">actors guild in Hollywood\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-09-29/strike-biltmore-hotel-workers-reach-tentative-agreement\">one that centered on the hotel industry in Los Angeles.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/wsp/factsheets/summary-of-work-stoppages-in-the-united-states.htm\">Labor action like this in the United States has gone down in recent decades.\u003c/a> These decreases — noticeable during the recession — are attributed to the growth of the service industry, technology, and declining union membership, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Average annual number of work stoppages by decade in the U.S.\" aria-label=\"Column Chart\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-Uvb3V\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Uvb3V/2/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"680\" height=\"453\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, when measured by the number of workers walking off the job, some of California’s biggest strikes have taken place in recent years — although these walkouts may also include workers from other states (such as the current Kaiser Permanente protests, which includes states like Colorado and Washington).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are a few of the biggest labor strikes in California since 1993, according to BLS data. This data includes work stoppages that involve 1,000 workers or more, and the number of workers at the beginning of the strike are rounded to the nearest hundred.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1. The current actors strike\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 160,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following its writers equivalent, the SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) went on strike this July, bringing Hollywood to a standstill. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956178/its-now-or-never-writers-and-actors-see-conflict-with-big-tech-as-existential\">The actors union is still out picketing\u003c/a> over declining pay, residuals in the age of streaming, and the threat of AI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The writers strike recently ended — and \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2023/film/news/sag-aftra-amptp-negotiations-day-3-1235745741/\">SAG-AFTRA is planning to meet with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers\u003c/a> Friday and next week for more negotiations.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>2. Actors, this time from the 2000s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 135,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A little over twenty years prior, \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/sag-aftra-strike-20-years-later-1234792060/\">SAG and AFTRA (then two different unions) went on strike\u003c/a> from May 2000 to the end of October 2000, with William Daniels — \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD44rDa1eLo\">Mr. Feeny from \u003cem>Boy Meets World \u003c/em>\u003c/a>— as the SAG president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was contentious among actors, as the strike’s purpose was to argue over how their members were compensated in commercials and led to some non-union actors breaking picket lines and shooting advertisements anyway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11963573\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11963573\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-02-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-02-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-02-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-02-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-02-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-02-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Jones and others strike at the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center in Oakland on Oct. 4, 2023. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>3. The 2003–2004 Southern California supermarket strikes\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 67,300.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From October 2003 to February 2004, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/14/us/california-supermarket-strike-deters-shoppers.html\">workers went on strike against Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons Markets\u003c/a> after losing some of their health care benefits — although the number of those striking decreased as time went on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ralphs-vons-albertsons-strike-vote-20190622-story.html\">The chains in question lost a combined $1.5 billion\u003c/a>, according to the \u003cem>Los Angeles Times\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>4. Los Angeles Unified School District strikes this year\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 65,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For three days in March,\u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-03-21/lausd-bus-drivers-teachers-strike\"> education workers — specifically bus drivers, custodians, and cafeteria workers — went on strike\u003c/a> for higher wages to live in an increasingly pricey Southern California, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/24/us/los-angeles-schools-strike-deal.html\">halting classes for over 400,000 students\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>5. University of California in 2018\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 53,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For three days in May, thousands of custodians, security guards, gardeners and other service workers at the University of California’s ten campuses went on strike to address pay inequalities. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11666919/university-of-california-workers-start-3-day-strike-over-pay\">Nurses, pharmacies, radiologists, and medical workers then joined the walkouts\u003c/a> in a “sympathy strike.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>6. University of California’s walkout last year\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 48,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The University of California’s ten campuses again saw a strike, this time in 2022 in what was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11932147/uc-has-left-us-no-choice-48000-academic-workers-walk-off-job-in-demand-for-better-pay-benefits\">the largest strike in the history of U.S. higher education\u003c/a>. Workers included researchers, postdoctoral scholars, tutors and more.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003ch2>7. Los Angeles County government workers in 2000\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 47,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-30-mn-29280-story.html\">Los Angeles County — after struggling in the ’90s — had a booming economy in the 2000s\u003c/a> but workers said they didn’t see the rewards of that in their paychecks. Government workers like animal control officers, part-time librarians and ambulance drivers help \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/10/12/la-county-workers-strike-for-higher-pay/2027af80-e7ef-4bc2-bd44-bfc4e2b205f1/\">rolling strikes in hopes of higher wages.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>8. Kaiser Permanente strikes in 2021\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 40,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In November 2021, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11896680/thousands-of-kaiser-permanente-staff-join-picket-line-in-solidarity-with-striking-engineers\">engineers walked out over alleged unfair labor practices for two days\u003c/a> — with fellow unions consisting of mental health professionals and pharmacists joining in sympathy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The engineers are a vital part of the facility,” Ron Cook, a patient mobility coach, told KQED in 2021. “When the power goes out and anything happens with lifesaving equipment, it’s the engineers that fix it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>9. Los Angeles teachers strike in 2019\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 33,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For six days, \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-01-21/legacy-of-los-angeles-teachers-strike\">teachers in Los Angeles county walked out\u003c/a> — bringing national attention to the lack of resources public schools face in the United States. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11718384/3-reasons-to-pay-attention-to-the-l-a-teacher-strike#:~:text=The%20first%20mass%20teacher%20labor,the%20nation%20should%20pay%20attention.\">It was the first time the Los Angeles union had walked out in 30 years.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>10. United Food and Commercial Workers protesting retail grocery chains from the ’90s\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How many workers on strike?\u003c/strong> Around 32,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers walked out of Safeway, Lucky Stores, and Save Mart from April 7–15, 1995, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/apr/07/california-safeway-workers-go-on-strike/\">teamsters and truckers refusing to cross the picket line.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Kaiser Strike to End Saturday, but Negotiations Will Continue",
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"content": "\u003cp>Day two of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963306/kaiser-strike-furthers-delays-in-covid-19-vaccines-some-surgeries-in-the-bay-area\">largest health care worker strike in U.S. history\u003c/a> is underway across the country and in the Bay Area, as tens of thousands of Kaiser workers are seeking higher wages and increased staffing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Frontline health care workers are awaiting a meaningful response from Kaiser executives regarding some of our key priorities including safe staffing, outsourcing protections for incumbent health care workers, and fair wages to reduce turnover,” said Caroline Lucas, a spokesperson for the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser Permanente leaders and union representatives met Monday and Tuesday for bargaining, but did not come to an agreement before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963306/kaiser-strike-furthers-delays-in-covid-19-vaccines-some-surgeries-in-the-bay-area\">workers began striking on Wednesday morning\u003c/a>. As of Wednesday evening, there were no new negotiation sessions scheduled, Lucas said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Drenda Sims, receptionist, Kaiser’s OB-GYN department in Oakland\"]‘We have employees sleeping in their cars because they can’t afford the cost of living. We need a raise. It’s bad.’[/pullquote]The strike is slated to end at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning, according to statements from both Kaiser Permanente and the coalition representing Kaiser workers unions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will coordinate with Coalition leaders to reconvene bargaining as soon as possible,” a spokesperson for Kaiser told KQED on Thursday. “We will work hard to reach an agreement so that together, we can all return to delivering on the mission of Kaiser Permanente for the benefit of our members, patients, employees, physicians, customers, and communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a press statement days before the strike began, Kaiser said it hired 29,000 people in 2022, and 22,000 so far in 2023. Of the new hires this year, the company said more than 9,800 are in jobs represented by the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In earlier bargaining talks this year, Kaiser said it agreed to accelerate bringing on new staff and set a goal of adding 10,000 new employees represented by the Coalition by the end of 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11963407\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11963407\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-06-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A large group of people hold signs in an outdoor setting.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kaiser workers strike in front of the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center in Oakland on Oct. 2, 2023 \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Kaiser Permanente’s efforts are paying off: We expect to reach the 10,000 new hire goal by the end of October, if not sooner, and we won’t stop there,” the \u003ca href=\"https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/who-we-are/labor-relations/we-remain-committed-to-reaching-an-agreement-with-the-coalition\">press statement reads\u003c/a>. “We are committed to addressing every area of staffing that is still challenging. We’ve also taken actions to streamline the screening, hiring, and onboarding process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roles impacted by the strike this week include respiratory therapists, optometrists, behavioral health workers, medical assistants and many others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email, a Kaiser spokesperson said they will hire “contingent workers” to fill in for workers on strike this week. Some elective surgeries have been rescheduled, and wait times for COVID-19 and flu vaccines are also impacted. (\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963308/kaiser-strike-if-youre-a-patient-what-medical-services-would-be-affected\">Read KQED’s guide for Kaiser patients during the strike and what you need to know\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers on the picket lines this week told KQED they feel overworked and underpaid, and that low staffing after the pandemic has come at the expense of the quality of patient care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have seen patients in the hallways, we have seen patients not attended to immediately when they go to the emergency rooms,” said Edward Lopez-Matus, a union leader and medical assistant with Kaiser Permanente who started picketing around 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday outside of the San Francisco Kaiser facility. “When we are covering for doctors at the clinic levels, this is where mistakes can happen and this is not right for our patients. We need to have the right staffing so we can have the right care for our patients.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Close to 75,000 Kaiser workers in California — as well as in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Virginia and Washington, D.C. — are seeking a significant increase in staffing and are pushing for a 6.5% wage increase in the first two years of this next contract, and a 5.75% increase the following two years.[aside tag=\"kaiser, health\" label=\"More Related Stories\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Employees are also seeking to raise the minimum wage across the board to $26 by 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a recent proposal, Kaiser offered California workers across-the-board wage increases of 4% for the next two years, and 3% for the following two years, as well as a minimum performance bonus aimed to prevent any employees from receiving no payout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser also recently offered a $23-per-hour minimum wage for its employees in California starting in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers on strike this week are pushing for more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have employees sleeping in their cars because they can’t afford the cost of living,” said Drenda Sims, a receptionist at Kaiser’s OB-GYN department in Oakland. “We need a raise. It’s bad.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero and Billy Cruz contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Day two of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963306/kaiser-strike-furthers-delays-in-covid-19-vaccines-some-surgeries-in-the-bay-area\">largest health care worker strike in U.S. history\u003c/a> is underway across the country and in the Bay Area, as tens of thousands of Kaiser workers are seeking higher wages and increased staffing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Frontline health care workers are awaiting a meaningful response from Kaiser executives regarding some of our key priorities including safe staffing, outsourcing protections for incumbent health care workers, and fair wages to reduce turnover,” said Caroline Lucas, a spokesperson for the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser Permanente leaders and union representatives met Monday and Tuesday for bargaining, but did not come to an agreement before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963306/kaiser-strike-furthers-delays-in-covid-19-vaccines-some-surgeries-in-the-bay-area\">workers began striking on Wednesday morning\u003c/a>. As of Wednesday evening, there were no new negotiation sessions scheduled, Lucas said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The strike is slated to end at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning, according to statements from both Kaiser Permanente and the coalition representing Kaiser workers unions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will coordinate with Coalition leaders to reconvene bargaining as soon as possible,” a spokesperson for Kaiser told KQED on Thursday. “We will work hard to reach an agreement so that together, we can all return to delivering on the mission of Kaiser Permanente for the benefit of our members, patients, employees, physicians, customers, and communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a press statement days before the strike began, Kaiser said it hired 29,000 people in 2022, and 22,000 so far in 2023. Of the new hires this year, the company said more than 9,800 are in jobs represented by the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In earlier bargaining talks this year, Kaiser said it agreed to accelerate bringing on new staff and set a goal of adding 10,000 new employees represented by the Coalition by the end of 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11963407\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11963407\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-06-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A large group of people hold signs in an outdoor setting.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231004-KAISER-STRIKE-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kaiser workers strike in front of the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center in Oakland on Oct. 2, 2023 \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Kaiser Permanente’s efforts are paying off: We expect to reach the 10,000 new hire goal by the end of October, if not sooner, and we won’t stop there,” the \u003ca href=\"https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/who-we-are/labor-relations/we-remain-committed-to-reaching-an-agreement-with-the-coalition\">press statement reads\u003c/a>. “We are committed to addressing every area of staffing that is still challenging. We’ve also taken actions to streamline the screening, hiring, and onboarding process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roles impacted by the strike this week include respiratory therapists, optometrists, behavioral health workers, medical assistants and many others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email, a Kaiser spokesperson said they will hire “contingent workers” to fill in for workers on strike this week. Some elective surgeries have been rescheduled, and wait times for COVID-19 and flu vaccines are also impacted. (\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963308/kaiser-strike-if-youre-a-patient-what-medical-services-would-be-affected\">Read KQED’s guide for Kaiser patients during the strike and what you need to know\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers on the picket lines this week told KQED they feel overworked and underpaid, and that low staffing after the pandemic has come at the expense of the quality of patient care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have seen patients in the hallways, we have seen patients not attended to immediately when they go to the emergency rooms,” said Edward Lopez-Matus, a union leader and medical assistant with Kaiser Permanente who started picketing around 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday outside of the San Francisco Kaiser facility. “When we are covering for doctors at the clinic levels, this is where mistakes can happen and this is not right for our patients. We need to have the right staffing so we can have the right care for our patients.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Close to 75,000 Kaiser workers in California — as well as in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Virginia and Washington, D.C. — are seeking a significant increase in staffing and are pushing for a 6.5% wage increase in the first two years of this next contract, and a 5.75% increase the following two years.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Employees are also seeking to raise the minimum wage across the board to $26 by 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a recent proposal, Kaiser offered California workers across-the-board wage increases of 4% for the next two years, and 3% for the following two years, as well as a minimum performance bonus aimed to prevent any employees from receiving no payout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser also recently offered a $23-per-hour minimum wage for its employees in California starting in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers on strike this week are pushing for more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have employees sleeping in their cars because they can’t afford the cost of living,” said Drenda Sims, a receptionist at Kaiser’s OB-GYN department in Oakland. “We need a raise. It’s bad.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero and Billy Cruz contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963152/looming-kaiser-strike-could-delay-covid-flu-shots\">Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente health care workers across six states went on strike\u003c/a> this morning — including in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2023/10/kaiser-strike-at-california-hospitals-october/\">Kaiser controls half of California’s private insurance market\u003c/a>, and has more than 9.4 million members across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if you’re a Kaiser patient, keep reading for what you need to know about the strike, who’s likely to be impacted and which medical services from Kaiser will be affected during this time.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How long would a Kaiser strike last?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Right now, the Kaiser strike in California is anticipated to last at least three days. It began at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4, and is expected to end at 6 a.m. on Saturday Oct. 7.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Who is on strike at Kaiser?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Nearly 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers across six states, including California, went on strike today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strike impacts nearly 68,000 Kaiser employees in California — 22,650 of which are in the Bay Area, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963152/looming-kaiser-strike-could-delay-covid-flu-shots\">according to the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union coalition says that jobs affected by the Kaiser strike will include: licensed vocational nurses, emergency department technicians, radiology technicians, ultrasound sonographers, teleservice representatives, respiratory therapists, x-ray technicians, certified nursing assistants, dietary services, behavioral health workers, surgical technicians, pharmacy technicians, transporters, home health aides, phlebotomists, medical assistants, and housekeepers, “among hundreds of other positions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What Kaiser services \u003cem>won’t\u003c/em> be affected by a strike?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Neither the nurses union nor Kaiser’s physicians will be on strike, according to a statement Kaiser emailed to KQED, which also confirms that hospitals and emergency departments will remain open during any strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hospital pharmacies for inpatient care and critical infusion services will remain in operation” as well, according to the statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our facilities will be staffed by our physicians, trained and experienced managers and staff, and in some cases, we will augment with licensed and qualified contract staff,” said the statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You should not let any potential strike delay you from seeking care for a health emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='Related Coverage' tag='kaiser-permanente']\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What Kaiser services will be affected by a strike?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If you already have an appointment with Kaiser …\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser said in its statement to KQED that during the strike, “in consultation with our physicians, we may need to reschedule certain non-urgent appointments and procedures, as long as that is appropriate and safe for the patient.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you have an existing appointment that’ll fall during the strike, Kaiser’s statement said the health system will “contact any patient affected by the strike in advance if necessary and work with them to reschedule their appointments.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s no need for you to call or email your doctor’s office yourself, according to Kaiser.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If you need a laboratory, radiology or optical service …\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some of our laboratory, radiology, and optical locations may be temporarily closed or operating with reduced hours during the strike,” said Kaiser. The company advises you to\u003ca href=\"https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/northern-california/front-door\"> schedule an appointment online\u003c/a> or via the KP mobile app.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What if you need lab work, radiology or optical services urgently? In this scenario, Kaiser advises that you call their Appointment and Advice Call Center at 1-866-454-8855 (TTY 711), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As a result of the strike, we may experience high call volumes resulting in longer than usual wait times,” notes Kaiser’s statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If you’re looking for a COVID or flu shot …\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some COVID-19 and flu vaccine services may be affected if a strike occurs,” Kaiser representatives told KQED in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re looking for either a COVID or flu shot ASAP during the strike, you can still find one at a pharmacy near you — but you’ll likely have to pay for it. Usually, if you have health insurance you should be able to give your insurer’s details at a pharmacy vaccination appointment to have the cost of your shot billed to them, but health systems like Kaiser are the exception to this, and so you almost certainly won’t be able to get your new COVID vaccine — or flu shot — at a pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11960630/free-new-covid-vaccine-near-me-2023#kaisernewcovidvaccine\">Read more about finding a new COVID vaccine near you.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11960630]\u003cstrong>If you need a prescription … \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser’s statement said that “some of our outpatient pharmacies” would be closed or operating on reduced hours in the event of a strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What if you have a new, urgent prescription need? Kaiser says that you should use your nearest open Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy for these, and that\u003ca href=\"https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/northern-california/front-door\"> a list of open Kaiser pharmacies will be posted on the health system’s website “Tuesday evening.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our physicians and our Pharmacy representatives at each of our sites and in the Pharmacy Call Center will work with patients to ensure they get the medications they need,” said Kaiser.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can also use Kaiser’s mail-order delivery “for most convenient services, which delivers medications in 3 to 5 business days with no shipping fee,” according to the health system’s statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser’s hospital inpatient pharmacies will remain open, according to the health system, but Kaiser will look at “expanding” their network of pharmacies “to include community pharmacies that can serve our members during a strike and mitigate any closure of our outpatient pharmacies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "If the Kaiser strike goes ahead starting Wednesday, what do patients need to know? Here's what could be affected regarding appointments and care.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963152/looming-kaiser-strike-could-delay-covid-flu-shots\">Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente health care workers across six states went on strike\u003c/a> this morning — including in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2023/10/kaiser-strike-at-california-hospitals-october/\">Kaiser controls half of California’s private insurance market\u003c/a>, and has more than 9.4 million members across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if you’re a Kaiser patient, keep reading for what you need to know about the strike, who’s likely to be impacted and which medical services from Kaiser will be affected during this time.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How long would a Kaiser strike last?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Right now, the Kaiser strike in California is anticipated to last at least three days. It began at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4, and is expected to end at 6 a.m. on Saturday Oct. 7.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Who is on strike at Kaiser?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Nearly 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers across six states, including California, went on strike today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strike impacts nearly 68,000 Kaiser employees in California — 22,650 of which are in the Bay Area, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963152/looming-kaiser-strike-could-delay-covid-flu-shots\">according to the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union coalition says that jobs affected by the Kaiser strike will include: licensed vocational nurses, emergency department technicians, radiology technicians, ultrasound sonographers, teleservice representatives, respiratory therapists, x-ray technicians, certified nursing assistants, dietary services, behavioral health workers, surgical technicians, pharmacy technicians, transporters, home health aides, phlebotomists, medical assistants, and housekeepers, “among hundreds of other positions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What Kaiser services \u003cem>won’t\u003c/em> be affected by a strike?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Neither the nurses union nor Kaiser’s physicians will be on strike, according to a statement Kaiser emailed to KQED, which also confirms that hospitals and emergency departments will remain open during any strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hospital pharmacies for inpatient care and critical infusion services will remain in operation” as well, according to the statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our facilities will be staffed by our physicians, trained and experienced managers and staff, and in some cases, we will augment with licensed and qualified contract staff,” said the statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You should not let any potential strike delay you from seeking care for a health emergency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What Kaiser services will be affected by a strike?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If you already have an appointment with Kaiser …\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser said in its statement to KQED that during the strike, “in consultation with our physicians, we may need to reschedule certain non-urgent appointments and procedures, as long as that is appropriate and safe for the patient.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you have an existing appointment that’ll fall during the strike, Kaiser’s statement said the health system will “contact any patient affected by the strike in advance if necessary and work with them to reschedule their appointments.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s no need for you to call or email your doctor’s office yourself, according to Kaiser.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If you need a laboratory, radiology or optical service …\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some of our laboratory, radiology, and optical locations may be temporarily closed or operating with reduced hours during the strike,” said Kaiser. The company advises you to\u003ca href=\"https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/northern-california/front-door\"> schedule an appointment online\u003c/a> or via the KP mobile app.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What if you need lab work, radiology or optical services urgently? In this scenario, Kaiser advises that you call their Appointment and Advice Call Center at 1-866-454-8855 (TTY 711), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As a result of the strike, we may experience high call volumes resulting in longer than usual wait times,” notes Kaiser’s statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If you’re looking for a COVID or flu shot …\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some COVID-19 and flu vaccine services may be affected if a strike occurs,” Kaiser representatives told KQED in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re looking for either a COVID or flu shot ASAP during the strike, you can still find one at a pharmacy near you — but you’ll likely have to pay for it. Usually, if you have health insurance you should be able to give your insurer’s details at a pharmacy vaccination appointment to have the cost of your shot billed to them, but health systems like Kaiser are the exception to this, and so you almost certainly won’t be able to get your new COVID vaccine — or flu shot — at a pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11960630/free-new-covid-vaccine-near-me-2023#kaisernewcovidvaccine\">Read more about finding a new COVID vaccine near you.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If you need a prescription … \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser’s statement said that “some of our outpatient pharmacies” would be closed or operating on reduced hours in the event of a strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What if you have a new, urgent prescription need? Kaiser says that you should use your nearest open Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy for these, and that\u003ca href=\"https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/northern-california/front-door\"> a list of open Kaiser pharmacies will be posted on the health system’s website “Tuesday evening.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our physicians and our Pharmacy representatives at each of our sites and in the Pharmacy Call Center will work with patients to ensure they get the medications they need,” said Kaiser.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can also use Kaiser’s mail-order delivery “for most convenient services, which delivers medications in 3 to 5 business days with no shipping fee,” according to the health system’s statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser’s hospital inpatient pharmacies will remain open, according to the health system, but Kaiser will look at “expanding” their network of pharmacies “to include community pharmacies that can serve our members during a strike and mitigate any closure of our outpatient pharmacies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>California won’t be giving unemployment checks to workers on strike, with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoing a bill Saturday that had been inspired by high-profile work stoppages in Hollywood and the hotel industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom, a Democrat, says he supports workers and often benefits from \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-f77c7772d349bed42b8140313a6999ca\">campaign contributions from labor unions\u003c/a>. But he said he vetoed this bill because the fund the state uses to \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-unemployment-workers-strike-231c27a95c7e19ed439530904af7e6c5\">pay unemployment benefits\u003c/a> will be nearly $20 billion in debt by the end of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now is not the time to increase costs or incur this sizable debt,” Newsom wrote in a veto message.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, executive secretary-treasurer, California Labor Federation\"]‘This veto tips the scales further in favor of corporations and CEOs and punishes workers who exercise their fundamental right to strike.’[/pullquote]The fund the state uses to pay unemployment benefits is already more than $18 billion in debt. That’s because the fund ran out of money and had to borrow from the federal government during the pandemic, when Newsom ordered most businesses to close and caused a massive spike in unemployment. The fund was also beset by \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/business-california-5ec16ebe5b5982a9531a7a3d5a45e93c\">massive amounts of fraud\u003c/a> that cost the state billions of dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill would have let workers who were on strike for at least two weeks receive unemployment checks from the state, which can be as much as $450 per week. Normally, only workers who lost their job through no fault of their own are eligible for those benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Labor unions had argued that the amount of workers on strike for more than two weeks is so small it would not have had a significant impact on the state’s unemployment trust fund. Of the 56 strikes in California over the past decade, only two lasted longer than two weeks, according to Democratic state Sen. Anthony Portantino, the author of the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11961243,news_11958216\" label=\"Related Stories\"]“This veto tips the scales further in favor of corporations and CEOs and punishes workers who exercise their fundamental right to strike,” said Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, executive secretary-treasurer of the California Labor Federation. “At a time when public support of unions and strikes are at an all-time high, this veto is out-of-step with American values.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The legislation was an attempt by Democratic state lawmakers to support Southern California hotel workers and Hollywood actors and writers who have been on strike for much of this year. The \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/writers-strike-deal-hollywood-vote-actors-d3119d670a4fd3449773bf8f4026fb2b#:~:text=LOS%20ANGELES%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Hollywood's,a%20historic%20halt%20in%20production.\">writers strike ended Sept. 26\u003c/a>, but the other two are ongoing — meaning many workers have gone months without pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond the debt, the Newsom administration has said the fund is not collecting enough money to pay all of the benefits owed. The money comes from a tax businesses must pay on each worker. But that tax only applies to the first $7,000 of workers’ wages, a figure that has not changed since 1984 and is the lowest amount allowed under federal law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, unemployment benefits have increased. The Newsom administration has predicted benefit payments will exceed tax collections by $1.1 billion this year. It’s the first time this has happened during a period of job growth, according to the nonpartisan \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/779\">Legislative Analyst’s Office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawmakers could attempt to pass the law anyway, but it’s been decades since a governor’s veto was overruled in California.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California won’t be giving unemployment checks to workers on strike, with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoing a bill Saturday that had been inspired by high-profile work stoppages in Hollywood and the hotel industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom, a Democrat, says he supports workers and often benefits from \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-f77c7772d349bed42b8140313a6999ca\">campaign contributions from labor unions\u003c/a>. But he said he vetoed this bill because the fund the state uses to \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-unemployment-workers-strike-231c27a95c7e19ed439530904af7e6c5\">pay unemployment benefits\u003c/a> will be nearly $20 billion in debt by the end of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now is not the time to increase costs or incur this sizable debt,” Newsom wrote in a veto message.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The fund the state uses to pay unemployment benefits is already more than $18 billion in debt. That’s because the fund ran out of money and had to borrow from the federal government during the pandemic, when Newsom ordered most businesses to close and caused a massive spike in unemployment. The fund was also beset by \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/business-california-5ec16ebe5b5982a9531a7a3d5a45e93c\">massive amounts of fraud\u003c/a> that cost the state billions of dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill would have let workers who were on strike for at least two weeks receive unemployment checks from the state, which can be as much as $450 per week. Normally, only workers who lost their job through no fault of their own are eligible for those benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Labor unions had argued that the amount of workers on strike for more than two weeks is so small it would not have had a significant impact on the state’s unemployment trust fund. Of the 56 strikes in California over the past decade, only two lasted longer than two weeks, according to Democratic state Sen. Anthony Portantino, the author of the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“This veto tips the scales further in favor of corporations and CEOs and punishes workers who exercise their fundamental right to strike,” said Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, executive secretary-treasurer of the California Labor Federation. “At a time when public support of unions and strikes are at an all-time high, this veto is out-of-step with American values.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The legislation was an attempt by Democratic state lawmakers to support Southern California hotel workers and Hollywood actors and writers who have been on strike for much of this year. The \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/writers-strike-deal-hollywood-vote-actors-d3119d670a4fd3449773bf8f4026fb2b#:~:text=LOS%20ANGELES%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Hollywood's,a%20historic%20halt%20in%20production.\">writers strike ended Sept. 26\u003c/a>, but the other two are ongoing — meaning many workers have gone months without pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond the debt, the Newsom administration has said the fund is not collecting enough money to pay all of the benefits owed. The money comes from a tax businesses must pay on each worker. But that tax only applies to the first $7,000 of workers’ wages, a figure that has not changed since 1984 and is the lowest amount allowed under federal law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, unemployment benefits have increased. The Newsom administration has predicted benefit payments will exceed tax collections by $1.1 billion this year. It’s the first time this has happened during a period of job growth, according to the nonpartisan \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/779\">Legislative Analyst’s Office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawmakers could attempt to pass the law anyway, but it’s been decades since a governor’s veto was overruled in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "California Kaiser Workers Authorize Strike as Contract Negotiations Continue",
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"content": "\u003cp>Nearly 60,000 Kaiser Permanente workers, mostly based in California, voted overwhelming in favor of going on strike if a fair contract agreement is not reached by the end of September, setting the stage for what could be the largest health care industry walkout in U.S. history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strike authorization was supported by 98% of Kaiser workers — ranging from lab technicians to respiratory therapists to cooking staff — who are represented by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, the union announced Thursday. It comes amid ongoing worker demands for significant pay raises and more robust staffing, as Kaiser and other large health care providers continue to struggle with severe understaffing and strained caseloads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Being understaffed and being not appropriately compensated for the amount of work that they put on our plate, we had no choice but to collectively agree to authorize a strike,” said Rashaad Pritchett, who works as housekeeping aide at a Kaiser facility in Richmond, where he cleans and sanitizes operating rooms and other sensitive health space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11957005,news_11947640 label='The Healthcare Staffing Crisis']Born and raised in Richmond, Pritchett says his wages have failed to keep pace with inflation and the rising cost of living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Over the next four years, we want to make sure that we will have livable wages. At the end of our career we want to make sure that we will be taken care of,” said Pritchett. “We are all fighting for what we believe is right. It’s not a vindictive approach, but it’s like, ‘OK, you have forced our collective bargaining hand.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers argue that staffing levels have sunk dangerously low as many practitioners have left the field because of burnout. Kaiser workers are calling on their employer to increase staffing levels in order to reduce workloads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The workers — some of whom are based in Oregon and Washington — are pushing for a 7% wage increase in the first two years of this next contract, and a 6.25% increase the following two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its proposal, Kaiser offered across-the-board wage increases of between 10–14% over four years, as well as a minimum performance bonus aimed to prevent any employees from receiving no payout. Kaiser also offered a blanket $21 per hour minimum wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But union leaders last week rejected the company’s most recent offer. They said the new minimum would limit performance bonuses for frontline workers, arguing that will only result in increased turnover, further straining the workforce and diminishing the quality of care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union is also seeking a $25 per hour minimum wage for employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That pay bump would align with \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB525\">a California bill\u003c/a> currently making its way through the Legislature that would increase all California health care workers’ minimum wage to $25 per hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Legislature also recently approved a bill that would provide unemployment insurance benefits to workers on strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Nahid Bokaee, a Kaiser pharmacist\"]‘Our patients expect more from a health care system that reported $3 billion in profits in the first half of this year alone, and so do we.’[/pullquote]“Every one of these proposals from Kaiser will make staffing problems worse and continue to delay care to patients,” Dave Regan, president of SEIU-UHW, said in a press release announcing the vote. “Kaiser has failed to bargain in good faith with the caregivers, who are doing everything they can to protect patient safety.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser insists that it has continued to bargain in good faith. In an email, Kaiser refuted many of the claims the union made about their proposal. The company also pointed to rising costs for drugs, supplies and labor due to inflation, which has been “driving up the cost of health care as well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the impasse, representatives for the Oakland-based health care giant said they are “confident” a deal can be reached by Sept. 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have two more bargaining sessions scheduled for next week. Our priority is to reach an agreement that ensures we can continue to provide market-competitive pay and outstanding benefits,” a spokesperson for Kaiser said in an email to KQED. “We are confident we’ll reach an agreement before the national agreement expires on Sept. 30 that strengthens our position as a best place to work and ensures that the high-quality care our members expect from us remains affordable and easy to access.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.unioncoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2022-04_Report_Staffing-Survey-10.1_DIGITAL.pdf?emci=11db37e0-b5df-ed11-8e8b-00224832eb73&emdi=ea000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&ceid=%7B%7BContactsEmailID%7D%7D\">union-led survey (PDF)\u003c/a> of about 33,000 Kaiser workers, more than 80% of respondents said they were in understaffed departments, and 65% said they had seen care delayed or denied to patients due to those staffing challenges. Nearly half said they regularly have to skip meals or breaks to keep up with their workloads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our patients expect more from a health care system that reported $3 billion in profits in the first half of this year alone, and so do we,” Nahid Bokaee, a Kaiser pharmacist in Sterling, Virginia, said in a recent press release about the looming strike vote. “Kaiser can afford to end this dangerous understaffing, but they choose not to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company claims it has filled 8,700 of the 10,000 positions it has committed to fill by the end of 2023.[aside postID=news_11960517 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/GettyImages-1668439446-1020x683.jpg']The union representing Kaiser employees in California is part of the broader Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, which represents about 88,000 employees in seven states, including Colorado, Oregon and Washington, \u003ca href=\"https://www.koin.com/news/union-announces-overwhelming-support-for-kaiser-permanente-strike-authorization/\">where local unions have also recently approved going on strike\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The latest strike authorization vote comes amid an uptick in labor actions across the country, particularly within the health care industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11929713/kaiser-mental-health-workers-appove-new-contract-ending-10-week-strike\">2,000 Kaiser mental health care workers in Northern California went on strike last year for 10 weeks\u003c/a> over many of the same staffing and pay issues that workers today are protesting. Earlier this month, \u003ca href=\"https://ktla.com/news/california/23-health-care-workers-arrested-after-protesting-outside-kaiser-permanente-in-hollywood/\">23 health care workers were arrested\u003c/a> while protesting outside a Kaiser hospital in Hollywood. Nurses in Minnesota \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minnesota-nurses-strike-vote-2nd-time-2022-minnesota-nurses-association/\">voted twice\u003c/a> but ultimately avoided a strike in 2022, citing low pay and rapid turnover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED reporter Farida Jhabvala Romero contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Nearly 60,000 Kaiser Permanente workers, mostly based in California, voted overwhelming in favor of going on strike if a fair contract agreement is not reached by the end of September, setting the stage for what could be the largest health care industry walkout in U.S. history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strike authorization was supported by 98% of Kaiser workers — ranging from lab technicians to respiratory therapists to cooking staff — who are represented by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, the union announced Thursday. It comes amid ongoing worker demands for significant pay raises and more robust staffing, as Kaiser and other large health care providers continue to struggle with severe understaffing and strained caseloads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Being understaffed and being not appropriately compensated for the amount of work that they put on our plate, we had no choice but to collectively agree to authorize a strike,” said Rashaad Pritchett, who works as housekeeping aide at a Kaiser facility in Richmond, where he cleans and sanitizes operating rooms and other sensitive health space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Born and raised in Richmond, Pritchett says his wages have failed to keep pace with inflation and the rising cost of living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Over the next four years, we want to make sure that we will have livable wages. At the end of our career we want to make sure that we will be taken care of,” said Pritchett. “We are all fighting for what we believe is right. It’s not a vindictive approach, but it’s like, ‘OK, you have forced our collective bargaining hand.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers argue that staffing levels have sunk dangerously low as many practitioners have left the field because of burnout. Kaiser workers are calling on their employer to increase staffing levels in order to reduce workloads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The workers — some of whom are based in Oregon and Washington — are pushing for a 7% wage increase in the first two years of this next contract, and a 6.25% increase the following two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its proposal, Kaiser offered across-the-board wage increases of between 10–14% over four years, as well as a minimum performance bonus aimed to prevent any employees from receiving no payout. Kaiser also offered a blanket $21 per hour minimum wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But union leaders last week rejected the company’s most recent offer. They said the new minimum would limit performance bonuses for frontline workers, arguing that will only result in increased turnover, further straining the workforce and diminishing the quality of care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union is also seeking a $25 per hour minimum wage for employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That pay bump would align with \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB525\">a California bill\u003c/a> currently making its way through the Legislature that would increase all California health care workers’ minimum wage to $25 per hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Legislature also recently approved a bill that would provide unemployment insurance benefits to workers on strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Every one of these proposals from Kaiser will make staffing problems worse and continue to delay care to patients,” Dave Regan, president of SEIU-UHW, said in a press release announcing the vote. “Kaiser has failed to bargain in good faith with the caregivers, who are doing everything they can to protect patient safety.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser insists that it has continued to bargain in good faith. In an email, Kaiser refuted many of the claims the union made about their proposal. The company also pointed to rising costs for drugs, supplies and labor due to inflation, which has been “driving up the cost of health care as well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the impasse, representatives for the Oakland-based health care giant said they are “confident” a deal can be reached by Sept. 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have two more bargaining sessions scheduled for next week. Our priority is to reach an agreement that ensures we can continue to provide market-competitive pay and outstanding benefits,” a spokesperson for Kaiser said in an email to KQED. “We are confident we’ll reach an agreement before the national agreement expires on Sept. 30 that strengthens our position as a best place to work and ensures that the high-quality care our members expect from us remains affordable and easy to access.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.unioncoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2022-04_Report_Staffing-Survey-10.1_DIGITAL.pdf?emci=11db37e0-b5df-ed11-8e8b-00224832eb73&emdi=ea000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&ceid=%7B%7BContactsEmailID%7D%7D\">union-led survey (PDF)\u003c/a> of about 33,000 Kaiser workers, more than 80% of respondents said they were in understaffed departments, and 65% said they had seen care delayed or denied to patients due to those staffing challenges. Nearly half said they regularly have to skip meals or breaks to keep up with their workloads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our patients expect more from a health care system that reported $3 billion in profits in the first half of this year alone, and so do we,” Nahid Bokaee, a Kaiser pharmacist in Sterling, Virginia, said in a recent press release about the looming strike vote. “Kaiser can afford to end this dangerous understaffing, but they choose not to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company claims it has filled 8,700 of the 10,000 positions it has committed to fill by the end of 2023.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The union representing Kaiser employees in California is part of the broader Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, which represents about 88,000 employees in seven states, including Colorado, Oregon and Washington, \u003ca href=\"https://www.koin.com/news/union-announces-overwhelming-support-for-kaiser-permanente-strike-authorization/\">where local unions have also recently approved going on strike\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The latest strike authorization vote comes amid an uptick in labor actions across the country, particularly within the health care industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11929713/kaiser-mental-health-workers-appove-new-contract-ending-10-week-strike\">2,000 Kaiser mental health care workers in Northern California went on strike last year for 10 weeks\u003c/a> over many of the same staffing and pay issues that workers today are protesting. Earlier this month, \u003ca href=\"https://ktla.com/news/california/23-health-care-workers-arrested-after-protesting-outside-kaiser-permanente-in-hollywood/\">23 health care workers were arrested\u003c/a> while protesting outside a Kaiser hospital in Hollywood. Nurses in Minnesota \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minnesota-nurses-strike-vote-2nd-time-2022-minnesota-nurses-association/\">voted twice\u003c/a> but ultimately avoided a strike in 2022, citing low pay and rapid turnover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED reporter Farida Jhabvala Romero contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "guide-unsafe-working-conditions-employer-retaliation-and-worker-protections",
"title": "California Farmworkers Guide to Unsafe Working Conditions and Worker Protections",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11960536/trabaja-en-los-campos-de-california-que-hacer-si-sufre-represalias\">\u003cem>Leer en español\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Twenty-one immigrant farmworkers will collectively receive $328,077 from their former employer, Mauritson Farms, a Sonoma County vineyard company, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956413/how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won\">after the grower reached a settlement with state labor regulators\u003c/a> earlier this summer. Officials with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) announced in July that their investigation determined Mauritson Farms retaliated against the workers — who were in the U.S. on H-2A visas — after they spoke up about unsafe conditions in the fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such incidents of employer retaliation against workers who speak up are unfortunately not rare. In the agriculture industry, many workers get punished by their boss — or the person that connected them to employment — after they request a better or safer workplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to specific advice: \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#unsafe\">What’s considered ‘unsafe working conditions’ for farmworkers?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#retaliation\">What is retaliation by an employer?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#undocumented\">Do these protections still apply for undocumented employees?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#enforce\">Which agencies enforce labor rules in California?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#speakingup\">I believe my employer retaliated against me for speaking up about conditions at work. What should I do?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#options\">I am nervous about my immigration situation if I report what happened at work. What are my options?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>In California, it is illegal for an employer to retaliate against their employee, regardless of their immigration or documentation status. But that still doesn’t prevent some growers from punishing workers that speak up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why we have created this guide to inform farmworkers about their rights and protections. When you work in the fields, even if you are in the United States without documentation, your employer needs to respect your rights — and this is how they can be held accountable if they don’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"unsafe\">\u003c/a>What’s considered unsafe working conditions for farmworkers?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California has \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publications/ag-field-operations.pdf\">a complex set of rules for what a safe working environment is in the agriculture industry (PDF)\u003c/a>, which cover things like worker safety during wildfires, handling farm machinery, and even in the case of dairies and grain facilities, how to prevent accidents in confined spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regardless of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886628/feeling-the-heat-how-workers-can-advocate-for-safer-working-conditions-under-the-sun\">how hot it is\u003c/a>, employers must always provide farmworkers with enough drinking water near their stations. Each employee should have access to at least one quart of water every hour. And even if folks bring their own water bottles, employers must still have enough water available on site.[aside postID=news_11886628]When temperatures rise above 80 degrees, employers must also provide an area with enough shade to accommodate every worker on-site. On days hotter than 95 degrees, supervisors must check in with laborers consistently throughout the day and ensure workers take breaks that are at least 10 minutes long every 2 hours to prevent overheating. Just “offering” these breaks is not sufficient.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These heat-safety rules apply to workers in all industries, not just the agricultural sector.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#tellus\">Tell us: What else do you need information about right now?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"retaliation\">\u003c/a>What is retaliation by an employer?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In California, retaliation means when an employer fires, punishes or cuts the wages or hours of a worker because that individual sought to improve their working conditions. This includes \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956413/how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won\">cases of growers refusing to rehire seasonal workers for the next harvest after they have spoken up\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asking your boss to improve working conditions doesn’t have to be something big like organizing a strike or a march. It can also include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Asking for more water and shade to be provided on very hot days.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Asking for equipment necessary to keep you safe when working in the fields.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Pointing out that some of your wages are missing.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>If there is a law concerning your safety, your labor rights or your wages that your employer is not following, you should be able to talk about it with your boss freely and safely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"undocumented\">\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>Do these protections still apply for undocumented employees?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yes. California’s safety rules benefit all workers, regardless of their immigration status. Your employer cannot use your immigration status as a reason to exclude you from safety protections.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Jessica Arciniega, regional director, ALRB\"]‘Immigration status, if that’s an issue, is not anything that our office asks folks about.’[/pullquote]Additionally, undocumented workers can still seek help from state agencies that enforce labor protections — that is, being undocumented doesn’t disqualify them from seeking (and getting) this help from the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Immigration status, if that’s an issue, is not anything that our office asks folks about,” confirmed Jessica Arciniega, regional director of the ALRB, which investigates possible workplace abuses in the agricultural industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"withoutcontract\">\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>Do these protections still apply for those working without a formal contract?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re working for an individual or a business without a formal job contract, labor rights experts say that these protections still apply to you — as long as it can be proven that you, as a worker, have provided labor in exchange for payment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some cases, that proof could include written communication between a worker and an employer — like an email, or a text message — that confirms that an exchange of services for payment took place.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"enforce\">\u003c/a>Which agencies enforce labor rules in California?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There are three state agencies that investigate labor violations and have the authority to penalize bad employers. All three agencies can investigate cases in the agricultural industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Agricultural Labor Relations Board\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ALRB was created in 1975 after then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act in 1975. This legislation also defines what an unfair labor practice is: actions taken by an employer that violate the rights of farmworkers, which includes retaliation — firing or cutting the wages of employees who ask for better working conditions. \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#speakingup\">Jump straight to what you can do if you believe your employer has retaliated against you.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would encourage anybody that’s considering whether or not their rights were violated to call our office,” said the ALRB’s Arciniega. “Not only is our staff bilingual, but they’re culturally competent. Many of them, their families or past generations have worked in agriculture or are farmworkers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can contact the ALRB directly by calling 1-800-449-3699 or \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">reach out to its regional offices located in Santa Rosa, Salinas, Visalia, Oxnard and Indio\u003c/a>. Bay Area workers should contact the Santa Rosa office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An ALRB official can talk to you more about workplace safety rules and your rights as a worker specific to your situation. Additionally, they can explain how you can file an unfair labor practice charge against your employer which could set off a formal investigation of your employer by the ALRB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>California Division of Occupational Safety and Health\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA creates and enforces the state’s rules on workplace safety, making sure that employees are not exposed to dangerous chemicals or placed in risky situations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your boss is making you or your colleagues do something you are not sure is safe, you can check in with the agency by calling (833) 579-0927.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Labor Commissioner’s Office\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Labor Commissioner’s Office — which is also known as the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) — is the part of California’s Department of Industrial Relations that looks into wage theft and retaliation by employers against workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you think your boss is not paying you correctly for the hours you work or refuses to pay you for overtime, this is the agency you should contact.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"speakingup\">\u003c/a>I believe my employer retaliated against me for speaking up about conditions at work. What should I do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pause while you document everything.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you just lost your job or wages, and you think it’s because of retaliation, first take some time to process the situation, and collect your thoughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’d recommend folks to write down everything they remember that led up to this, because with the strong feelings you have at the moment, it is easy to forget important details,” said Ana Salgado, former farmworker and board member of North Bay Jobs With Justice (NBJWJ), a labor rights group that assisted the former employees of Mauritson Farms in their case with the ALRB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Believe in yourself and in what you know happened to you,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Collect past evidence\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As you’re jotting down your experiences, also look for written messages between you and your employer where you describe conditions at work and your supervisor’s response. This could be letters, emails or even screenshots of a text message conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other important pieces of information to look for are your pay stubs that show a cut in wages or hours after you spoke, or photos of conditions in the fields, your workstation or housing, if it’s employer-provided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca id=\"laborrightsgroups\">\u003c/a>Seek help from the professionals\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Salgado also recommends looking for the help of a labor rights organization in your area. Advocates can help you create a timeline of what happened, help you contact your employer if you want to try resolving the situation directly, or even prepare you for talking to state officials if you choose to take that step.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Based on their resources, like staff numbers, some groups can provide more help than others. So if you think you may need extra guidance and support, consider reaching out to more than one organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are some organizations in the Bay Area that can connect farmworkers with help:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>California Rural Legal Assistance: (800) 337-0690\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Legal Aid at Work: (415) 864-8208\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>North Bay Organizing Project: (707) 843-7858\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Asian Americans Advancing Justice/Asian Law Caucus: (415) 896-1701\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Centro Legal de la Raza (Oakland): (510) 437-1554\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>La Raza Centro Legal (San Francisco): (415) 575-3500\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"fileclaim\">\u003c/a>I want to file a claim so officials can investigate my situation. What’s next?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you are ready to report what happened, the ALRB will be the agency you contact. You will need a \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/196/2018/05/alrb_form38_en.pdf\">Charge Against Employer form (PDF)\u003c/a>, which you need to print out, complete and either email or mail to your \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">nearest ALRB field office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Bay Area residents, that’s the Santa Rosa office:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Phone: (707) 527-3256\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Email: Contact regional director Jessica Arciniega at \u003ca href=\"Jessica.Arciniega@alrb.ca.gov\">Jessica.Arciniega@alrb.ca.gov\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Mail: 606 Healdsburg Avenue Santa Rosa, CA 95401\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>If you need to complete the form in another language that is not English, \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">reach out to your nearest field office directly\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind that the ALRB requires at least two workers to come together to file a charge. If you are nervous about this step, a workers’ rights group can file a charge on your behalf — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956413/how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won\">which is what happened in the Mauritson Farms case\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why you should file a charge as soon as possible (even if you’re anxious)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Labor advocates recommend employees report what happened to them as soon as they can. This gives state officials more time to talk to laborers and investigate what happened in the fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Timing becomes even more important when farmworkers are in the country on a temporary work permit, like the H-2A visa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is completely understandable if you are feeling very nervous about filing a report — especially if you are afraid your employer or the person that got you the job is threatening you with further retaliation. But keep in mind that there is a time limit to report an incident with the state. You only have six months from the moment you experienced retaliation (when your hours were cut, or you were fired or knew you would not be rehired) to file a charge with the ALRB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the six-month mark, officials cannot launch an investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What if your boss — or the individual that connected you with employment, like a job recruiter — continues to threaten you with further retaliation if you talk to the state?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this case, it could be a good idea to seek help from a labor rights group to protect yourself. \u003ca href=\"#laborrightsgroups\">See a list of labor rights groups you can contact.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Once I file a charge with the ALRB, what happens?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The agency assesses your case.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials will first decide if your situation meets the requirements to begin an investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some examples of when the ALRB wouldn’t be able to take your case: if you were fired — two years ago — and you think your boss did that to retaliate against you, that exceeds the ALRB’s six-month time limit and the agency cannot launch an investigation. Or if the incident took place in a farm in another state, that is also out of the ALRB’s jurisdiction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>An investigation begins, and your employer is notified.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the agency is able to take the case, ALRB officials will confirm that with you. They will then notify your employer about the charge, and that an investigation will begin, says ALRB General Counsel Julia Montgomery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A team of lawyers and investigators will take on the investigation, which can include the workers involved in the investigation, other employees, supervisors and anyone else that could have relevant information,” said Montgomery. Investigators can also request documents and other written records from both employers and workers, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This step can take months, or even years. If you are no longer in the U.S. during the investigation because of your immigration situation, the ALRB will still look to contact you. In past cases, agency officials have sought out farmworkers even when they have traveled back to remote rural communities in their countries of origin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A decision is made about the charge.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the investigation, officials will determine if there is enough evidence to confirm if retaliation or another unfair labor practice took place. If there is not enough evidence, the charge is dismissed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the evidence is sufficient, however, the ALRB regional director will present a formal complaint against the employer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, hold on, that doesn’t mean you have won your case yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How the ALRB brings a case against an employer\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A date for a hearing will be set and an administrative judge will decide whether the employer did in fact break the law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both sides will have an opportunity to defend their case: your employer and their legal representatives, and the ALRB which will argue that you experienced retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the judge decides in favor of the ALRB and the employees involved, workers can receive compensation to make up for lost wages and potentially even be re-employed if they lost their jobs. ALRB officials will travel to the farm and inform other employees of the case. Additionally, employers could face heavy fines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At any step of the process, the ALRB can strike a settlement agreement with the employer. A settlement can also include compensation for the affected workers or even employment offers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"options\">\u003c/a>I am nervous about my immigration situation if I report what happened at work. What are my options?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On July 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956315/some-migrant-farmworkers-to-get-free-legal-help-with-immigration\">$4.5 million pilot program to provide free immigration legal services to farmworkers who are involved in state labor investigations\u003c/a>. This would include case-review services, legal advice and representation by an attorney to laborers in California who have a pending case with either the ALRB, the Labor Commissioner’s Office or Cal/OSHA.[aside postID=news_11956315]The goal of this program, officials say, is to address one of the fears that prevents employees from speaking up — the fear of losing their visa or not being rehired — by connecting them to immigration experts who could help them find ways to stay in this country. And earlier this year, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11940316/fear-of-deportation-keeps-some-workers-from-reporting-labor-abuses-a-new-biden-program-aims-to-change-that\">Biden administration unveiled a new, streamlined “deferred action” initiative\u003c/a> that allows workers to apply for a work permit and two years of protection from deportation, if they are cooperating with a labor rights investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To learn more about the pilot program and whether your case could qualify for free legal services from the state, \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">talk to your ALRB field office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"tellus\">\u003c/a>Tell us: What else do you need information about?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At KQED News, we know that it can sometimes be hard to track down the answers to navigate life in the Bay Area in 2023. We’ve published \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/coronavirus-resources-and-explainers\">clear, practical explainers and guides about COVID\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11936674/how-to-prepare-for-this-weeks-atmospheric-river-storm-sandbags-emergency-kits-and-more\">how to cope with intense winter weather\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11821950/how-to-safely-attend-a-protest-in-the-bay-area\">how to exercise your right to protest safely\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So tell us: What do you need to know more about? Tell us, and you could see your question answered online or on social media. What you submit will make our reporting stronger, and help us decide what to cover here on our site, and on KQED Public Radio, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[hearken id=\"10483\" src=\"https://modules.wearehearken.com/kqed/embed/10483.js\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "In California, it's illegal for an employer to retaliate against workers, regardless of immigration or documentation status. Still, some employers punish workers for speaking up. Here's what you can do.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11960536/trabaja-en-los-campos-de-california-que-hacer-si-sufre-represalias\">\u003cem>Leer en español\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Twenty-one immigrant farmworkers will collectively receive $328,077 from their former employer, Mauritson Farms, a Sonoma County vineyard company, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956413/how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won\">after the grower reached a settlement with state labor regulators\u003c/a> earlier this summer. Officials with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) announced in July that their investigation determined Mauritson Farms retaliated against the workers — who were in the U.S. on H-2A visas — after they spoke up about unsafe conditions in the fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such incidents of employer retaliation against workers who speak up are unfortunately not rare. In the agriculture industry, many workers get punished by their boss — or the person that connected them to employment — after they request a better or safer workplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to specific advice: \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#unsafe\">What’s considered ‘unsafe working conditions’ for farmworkers?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#retaliation\">What is retaliation by an employer?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#undocumented\">Do these protections still apply for undocumented employees?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#enforce\">Which agencies enforce labor rules in California?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#speakingup\">I believe my employer retaliated against me for speaking up about conditions at work. What should I do?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#options\">I am nervous about my immigration situation if I report what happened at work. What are my options?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>In California, it is illegal for an employer to retaliate against their employee, regardless of their immigration or documentation status. But that still doesn’t prevent some growers from punishing workers that speak up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why we have created this guide to inform farmworkers about their rights and protections. When you work in the fields, even if you are in the United States without documentation, your employer needs to respect your rights — and this is how they can be held accountable if they don’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"unsafe\">\u003c/a>What’s considered unsafe working conditions for farmworkers?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California has \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publications/ag-field-operations.pdf\">a complex set of rules for what a safe working environment is in the agriculture industry (PDF)\u003c/a>, which cover things like worker safety during wildfires, handling farm machinery, and even in the case of dairies and grain facilities, how to prevent accidents in confined spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regardless of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886628/feeling-the-heat-how-workers-can-advocate-for-safer-working-conditions-under-the-sun\">how hot it is\u003c/a>, employers must always provide farmworkers with enough drinking water near their stations. Each employee should have access to at least one quart of water every hour. And even if folks bring their own water bottles, employers must still have enough water available on site.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>When temperatures rise above 80 degrees, employers must also provide an area with enough shade to accommodate every worker on-site. On days hotter than 95 degrees, supervisors must check in with laborers consistently throughout the day and ensure workers take breaks that are at least 10 minutes long every 2 hours to prevent overheating. Just “offering” these breaks is not sufficient.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These heat-safety rules apply to workers in all industries, not just the agricultural sector.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#tellus\">Tell us: What else do you need information about right now?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"retaliation\">\u003c/a>What is retaliation by an employer?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In California, retaliation means when an employer fires, punishes or cuts the wages or hours of a worker because that individual sought to improve their working conditions. This includes \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956413/how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won\">cases of growers refusing to rehire seasonal workers for the next harvest after they have spoken up\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asking your boss to improve working conditions doesn’t have to be something big like organizing a strike or a march. It can also include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Asking for more water and shade to be provided on very hot days.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Asking for equipment necessary to keep you safe when working in the fields.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Pointing out that some of your wages are missing.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>If there is a law concerning your safety, your labor rights or your wages that your employer is not following, you should be able to talk about it with your boss freely and safely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"undocumented\">\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>Do these protections still apply for undocumented employees?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yes. California’s safety rules benefit all workers, regardless of their immigration status. Your employer cannot use your immigration status as a reason to exclude you from safety protections.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Immigration status, if that’s an issue, is not anything that our office asks folks about.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Additionally, undocumented workers can still seek help from state agencies that enforce labor protections — that is, being undocumented doesn’t disqualify them from seeking (and getting) this help from the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Immigration status, if that’s an issue, is not anything that our office asks folks about,” confirmed Jessica Arciniega, regional director of the ALRB, which investigates possible workplace abuses in the agricultural industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"withoutcontract\">\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>Do these protections still apply for those working without a formal contract?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re working for an individual or a business without a formal job contract, labor rights experts say that these protections still apply to you — as long as it can be proven that you, as a worker, have provided labor in exchange for payment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some cases, that proof could include written communication between a worker and an employer — like an email, or a text message — that confirms that an exchange of services for payment took place.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"enforce\">\u003c/a>Which agencies enforce labor rules in California?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There are three state agencies that investigate labor violations and have the authority to penalize bad employers. All three agencies can investigate cases in the agricultural industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Agricultural Labor Relations Board\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ALRB was created in 1975 after then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act in 1975. This legislation also defines what an unfair labor practice is: actions taken by an employer that violate the rights of farmworkers, which includes retaliation — firing or cutting the wages of employees who ask for better working conditions. \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#speakingup\">Jump straight to what you can do if you believe your employer has retaliated against you.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would encourage anybody that’s considering whether or not their rights were violated to call our office,” said the ALRB’s Arciniega. “Not only is our staff bilingual, but they’re culturally competent. Many of them, their families or past generations have worked in agriculture or are farmworkers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can contact the ALRB directly by calling 1-800-449-3699 or \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">reach out to its regional offices located in Santa Rosa, Salinas, Visalia, Oxnard and Indio\u003c/a>. Bay Area workers should contact the Santa Rosa office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An ALRB official can talk to you more about workplace safety rules and your rights as a worker specific to your situation. Additionally, they can explain how you can file an unfair labor practice charge against your employer which could set off a formal investigation of your employer by the ALRB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>California Division of Occupational Safety and Health\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA creates and enforces the state’s rules on workplace safety, making sure that employees are not exposed to dangerous chemicals or placed in risky situations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your boss is making you or your colleagues do something you are not sure is safe, you can check in with the agency by calling (833) 579-0927.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Labor Commissioner’s Office\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Labor Commissioner’s Office — which is also known as the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) — is the part of California’s Department of Industrial Relations that looks into wage theft and retaliation by employers against workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you think your boss is not paying you correctly for the hours you work or refuses to pay you for overtime, this is the agency you should contact.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"speakingup\">\u003c/a>I believe my employer retaliated against me for speaking up about conditions at work. What should I do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pause while you document everything.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you just lost your job or wages, and you think it’s because of retaliation, first take some time to process the situation, and collect your thoughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’d recommend folks to write down everything they remember that led up to this, because with the strong feelings you have at the moment, it is easy to forget important details,” said Ana Salgado, former farmworker and board member of North Bay Jobs With Justice (NBJWJ), a labor rights group that assisted the former employees of Mauritson Farms in their case with the ALRB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Believe in yourself and in what you know happened to you,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Collect past evidence\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As you’re jotting down your experiences, also look for written messages between you and your employer where you describe conditions at work and your supervisor’s response. This could be letters, emails or even screenshots of a text message conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other important pieces of information to look for are your pay stubs that show a cut in wages or hours after you spoke, or photos of conditions in the fields, your workstation or housing, if it’s employer-provided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca id=\"laborrightsgroups\">\u003c/a>Seek help from the professionals\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Salgado also recommends looking for the help of a labor rights organization in your area. Advocates can help you create a timeline of what happened, help you contact your employer if you want to try resolving the situation directly, or even prepare you for talking to state officials if you choose to take that step.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Based on their resources, like staff numbers, some groups can provide more help than others. So if you think you may need extra guidance and support, consider reaching out to more than one organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are some organizations in the Bay Area that can connect farmworkers with help:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>California Rural Legal Assistance: (800) 337-0690\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Legal Aid at Work: (415) 864-8208\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>North Bay Organizing Project: (707) 843-7858\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Asian Americans Advancing Justice/Asian Law Caucus: (415) 896-1701\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Centro Legal de la Raza (Oakland): (510) 437-1554\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>La Raza Centro Legal (San Francisco): (415) 575-3500\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"fileclaim\">\u003c/a>I want to file a claim so officials can investigate my situation. What’s next?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you are ready to report what happened, the ALRB will be the agency you contact. You will need a \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/196/2018/05/alrb_form38_en.pdf\">Charge Against Employer form (PDF)\u003c/a>, which you need to print out, complete and either email or mail to your \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">nearest ALRB field office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Bay Area residents, that’s the Santa Rosa office:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Phone: (707) 527-3256\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Email: Contact regional director Jessica Arciniega at \u003ca href=\"Jessica.Arciniega@alrb.ca.gov\">Jessica.Arciniega@alrb.ca.gov\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Mail: 606 Healdsburg Avenue Santa Rosa, CA 95401\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>If you need to complete the form in another language that is not English, \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">reach out to your nearest field office directly\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind that the ALRB requires at least two workers to come together to file a charge. If you are nervous about this step, a workers’ rights group can file a charge on your behalf — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956413/how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won\">which is what happened in the Mauritson Farms case\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why you should file a charge as soon as possible (even if you’re anxious)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Labor advocates recommend employees report what happened to them as soon as they can. This gives state officials more time to talk to laborers and investigate what happened in the fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Timing becomes even more important when farmworkers are in the country on a temporary work permit, like the H-2A visa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is completely understandable if you are feeling very nervous about filing a report — especially if you are afraid your employer or the person that got you the job is threatening you with further retaliation. But keep in mind that there is a time limit to report an incident with the state. You only have six months from the moment you experienced retaliation (when your hours were cut, or you were fired or knew you would not be rehired) to file a charge with the ALRB.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the six-month mark, officials cannot launch an investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What if your boss — or the individual that connected you with employment, like a job recruiter — continues to threaten you with further retaliation if you talk to the state?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this case, it could be a good idea to seek help from a labor rights group to protect yourself. \u003ca href=\"#laborrightsgroups\">See a list of labor rights groups you can contact.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Once I file a charge with the ALRB, what happens?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The agency assesses your case.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials will first decide if your situation meets the requirements to begin an investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some examples of when the ALRB wouldn’t be able to take your case: if you were fired — two years ago — and you think your boss did that to retaliate against you, that exceeds the ALRB’s six-month time limit and the agency cannot launch an investigation. Or if the incident took place in a farm in another state, that is also out of the ALRB’s jurisdiction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>An investigation begins, and your employer is notified.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the agency is able to take the case, ALRB officials will confirm that with you. They will then notify your employer about the charge, and that an investigation will begin, says ALRB General Counsel Julia Montgomery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A team of lawyers and investigators will take on the investigation, which can include the workers involved in the investigation, other employees, supervisors and anyone else that could have relevant information,” said Montgomery. Investigators can also request documents and other written records from both employers and workers, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This step can take months, or even years. If you are no longer in the U.S. during the investigation because of your immigration situation, the ALRB will still look to contact you. In past cases, agency officials have sought out farmworkers even when they have traveled back to remote rural communities in their countries of origin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A decision is made about the charge.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the investigation, officials will determine if there is enough evidence to confirm if retaliation or another unfair labor practice took place. If there is not enough evidence, the charge is dismissed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the evidence is sufficient, however, the ALRB regional director will present a formal complaint against the employer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, hold on, that doesn’t mean you have won your case yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How the ALRB brings a case against an employer\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A date for a hearing will be set and an administrative judge will decide whether the employer did in fact break the law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both sides will have an opportunity to defend their case: your employer and their legal representatives, and the ALRB which will argue that you experienced retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the judge decides in favor of the ALRB and the employees involved, workers can receive compensation to make up for lost wages and potentially even be re-employed if they lost their jobs. ALRB officials will travel to the farm and inform other employees of the case. Additionally, employers could face heavy fines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At any step of the process, the ALRB can strike a settlement agreement with the employer. A settlement can also include compensation for the affected workers or even employment offers.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"options\">\u003c/a>I am nervous about my immigration situation if I report what happened at work. What are my options?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On July 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956315/some-migrant-farmworkers-to-get-free-legal-help-with-immigration\">$4.5 million pilot program to provide free immigration legal services to farmworkers who are involved in state labor investigations\u003c/a>. This would include case-review services, legal advice and representation by an attorney to laborers in California who have a pending case with either the ALRB, the Labor Commissioner’s Office or Cal/OSHA.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The goal of this program, officials say, is to address one of the fears that prevents employees from speaking up — the fear of losing their visa or not being rehired — by connecting them to immigration experts who could help them find ways to stay in this country. And earlier this year, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11940316/fear-of-deportation-keeps-some-workers-from-reporting-labor-abuses-a-new-biden-program-aims-to-change-that\">Biden administration unveiled a new, streamlined “deferred action” initiative\u003c/a> that allows workers to apply for a work permit and two years of protection from deportation, if they are cooperating with a labor rights investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To learn more about the pilot program and whether your case could qualify for free legal services from the state, \u003ca href=\"https://www.alrb.ca.gov/contact-us/\">talk to your ALRB field office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"tellus\">\u003c/a>Tell us: What else do you need information about?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At KQED News, we know that it can sometimes be hard to track down the answers to navigate life in the Bay Area in 2023. We’ve published \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/coronavirus-resources-and-explainers\">clear, practical explainers and guides about COVID\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11936674/how-to-prepare-for-this-weeks-atmospheric-river-storm-sandbags-emergency-kits-and-more\">how to cope with intense winter weather\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11821950/how-to-safely-attend-a-protest-in-the-bay-area\">how to exercise your right to protest safely\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So tell us: What do you need to know more about? Tell us, and you could see your question answered online or on social media. What you submit will make our reporting stronger, and help us decide what to cover here on our site, and on KQED Public Radio, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The San José City Council on Tuesday approved agreements with two unions representing nearly 4,500 city workers, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957602/san-joses-looming-city-worker-strike-would-be-largest-in-42-years\">averting a historic strike that threatened to disrupt\u003c/a> basic city services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote follows the announcement of a deal reached late Monday, hours before a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957679/4500-san-jose-city-workers-are-about-to-go-on-strike\">scheduled work stoppage\u003c/a> that would have been the city’s largest in more than 40 years — potentially shuttering libraries and community centers and also delaying permitting and inspections. The council’s approval came despite objections from Mayor Matt Mahan, who blasted the pact as irresponsible and predicted it would lead to painful budget cuts.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Michael Jun, housing development officer, San José\"]‘Workers have power, our labor has power. I’m really glad we came to an agreement and the city came back to the table and listened to our needs.’[/pullquote]Union leaders cheered the deal, which will give employees an immediate 6% raise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Workers have power, our labor has power,” said Michael Jun, a development officer with the city’s Housing Department. “I’m really glad we came to an agreement and the city came back to the table and listened to our needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three-year contract also includes a 5% wage hike in the fiscal year beginning July 2024 and a pay increase of at least 3.5% in July 2025. The final year raise will increase to 4% if city budget analysts project a surplus of at least $10 million in 2025, according to a bulletin sent to union members and shared with KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City workers represented by MEF-AFSCME Local 101 and IFPTE Local 21 will also receive eight weeks of paid family leave, up from one week, along with eight hours of new personal leave and a lump sum payment. Union leaders said they did not secure their desired outcome on callback pay — a bonus for extra work performed on short notice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the key sticking point throughout months of negotiations was wages. Workers represented by the unions maintained that wages in San José are not keeping pace with other municipalities, leading to employee turnover. Mahan argued that an overly generous wage offer would result in layoffs or service cuts down the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our unions did their job,” Mahan said. “But our council did not do its job. Our leaders were elected to represent the people, and the needs of the people took a back seat. The reality is, we are gambling with the services people rely on.”[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"San José Mayor Matt Mahon\"]‘Our unions did their job. But our council did not do its job. Our leaders were elected to represent the people, and the needs of the people took a back seat.’[/pullquote]Mahan supported a 5% raise in the current fiscal year and said the council must now amend \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957368/san-jose-budget-deep-dive-setting-dollars-aside\">the spending plan it passed in June\u003c/a> to account for the new raises.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The council will have to reopen the balanced budget that we just passed and find a few million dollars to cut,” said Mahan, who implied the raises could lead the city back into the kind of fiscal problems it experienced last decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have seen this movie before, so I am frustrated with where we are,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Councilmember Pam Foley said she voted for the contract along with eight other council members in order to aid workers and avert a work stoppage, even if it means cuts down the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just really important that we have labor peace right now,” Foley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We really depend on Public Works, Department of Transportation, Parks and Rec — all of those staff to help make life easier for residents,” Foley added. “If they’re not happy, it makes it very difficult for them to do their job and my staff to do their job to take care of our residents.”[aside label='More Around San José' tag='san-jose']It was Foley and Councilmember David Cohen who pushed for the council to return from summer recess on Aug. 1, a week earlier than scheduled, in an attempt to break the gridlock in negotiations. Last week, the unions announced that 99% of members had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">supported a strike vote\u003c/a>, and the two sides returned to the bargaining table repeatedly in recent days as a potential strike drew near.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal falls roughly in between the two sides’ last public offer: The union previously asked for an 18% wage hike over three years, while the city had offered 12%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesman for MEF-AFSCME Local 101 said union members would vote on the contract beginning on Aug. 22. The council is expected to debate how to rebalance the current fiscal year budget in September.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The San José City Council on Tuesday approved agreements with two unions representing nearly 4,500 city workers, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957602/san-joses-looming-city-worker-strike-would-be-largest-in-42-years\">averting a historic strike that threatened to disrupt\u003c/a> basic city services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote follows the announcement of a deal reached late Monday, hours before a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957679/4500-san-jose-city-workers-are-about-to-go-on-strike\">scheduled work stoppage\u003c/a> that would have been the city’s largest in more than 40 years — potentially shuttering libraries and community centers and also delaying permitting and inspections. The council’s approval came despite objections from Mayor Matt Mahan, who blasted the pact as irresponsible and predicted it would lead to painful budget cuts.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Union leaders cheered the deal, which will give employees an immediate 6% raise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Workers have power, our labor has power,” said Michael Jun, a development officer with the city’s Housing Department. “I’m really glad we came to an agreement and the city came back to the table and listened to our needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three-year contract also includes a 5% wage hike in the fiscal year beginning July 2024 and a pay increase of at least 3.5% in July 2025. The final year raise will increase to 4% if city budget analysts project a surplus of at least $10 million in 2025, according to a bulletin sent to union members and shared with KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City workers represented by MEF-AFSCME Local 101 and IFPTE Local 21 will also receive eight weeks of paid family leave, up from one week, along with eight hours of new personal leave and a lump sum payment. Union leaders said they did not secure their desired outcome on callback pay — a bonus for extra work performed on short notice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the key sticking point throughout months of negotiations was wages. Workers represented by the unions maintained that wages in San José are not keeping pace with other municipalities, leading to employee turnover. Mahan argued that an overly generous wage offer would result in layoffs or service cuts down the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our unions did their job,” Mahan said. “But our council did not do its job. Our leaders were elected to represent the people, and the needs of the people took a back seat. The reality is, we are gambling with the services people rely on.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Mahan supported a 5% raise in the current fiscal year and said the council must now amend \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957368/san-jose-budget-deep-dive-setting-dollars-aside\">the spending plan it passed in June\u003c/a> to account for the new raises.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The council will have to reopen the balanced budget that we just passed and find a few million dollars to cut,” said Mahan, who implied the raises could lead the city back into the kind of fiscal problems it experienced last decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have seen this movie before, so I am frustrated with where we are,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Councilmember Pam Foley said she voted for the contract along with eight other council members in order to aid workers and avert a work stoppage, even if it means cuts down the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just really important that we have labor peace right now,” Foley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We really depend on Public Works, Department of Transportation, Parks and Rec — all of those staff to help make life easier for residents,” Foley added. “If they’re not happy, it makes it very difficult for them to do their job and my staff to do their job to take care of our residents.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>It was Foley and Councilmember David Cohen who pushed for the council to return from summer recess on Aug. 1, a week earlier than scheduled, in an attempt to break the gridlock in negotiations. Last week, the unions announced that 99% of members had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">supported a strike vote\u003c/a>, and the two sides returned to the bargaining table repeatedly in recent days as a potential strike drew near.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal falls roughly in between the two sides’ last public offer: The union previously asked for an 18% wage hike over three years, while the city had offered 12%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesman for MEF-AFSCME Local 101 said union members would vote on the contract beginning on Aug. 22. The council is expected to debate how to rebalance the current fiscal year budget in September.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "santa-clara-county-pushes-food-businesses-to-pay-worker-wages-or-lose-permits",
"title": "Santa Clara County Pushes Food Businesses to Pay Worker Wages — or Lose Permits",
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"headTitle": "Santa Clara County Pushes Food Businesses to Pay Worker Wages — or Lose Permits | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>The most populous county in the Bay Area is helping state authorities address a perennial problem in labor law enforcement: businesses that were found to have cheated workers out of wages, but then fail to settle that debt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Statewide, thousands of people with lower-income who have won wage claims in front of state regulators over the last decade may never recover their money, even after courts have ordered their employers to pay up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unscrupulous debtors often skirt those obligations by hiding assets or closing operations and reorganizing as a new business — leaving vulnerable families without restitution — while facing little to no consequences, said workers’ rights advocates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a unique Santa Clara County approach targeting food retailers is leading to money back in workers’ pockets, in an industry regulators rate as one of the top for workplace violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county leverages the food permits it issues to push local restaurants and other food-serving businesses with unpaid \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Judgment-Enforcement-Unit.html#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20Judgment%3F,the%20worker%20recover%20the%20wages.\">labor violation judgments\u003c/a> to comply — or risk losing authorization to operate in Santa Clara. The permits of about 1,800 local employers are contingent on following all applicable workplace laws, such as minimum wage and overtime pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has enormous potential,” said Ruth Silver Taube, an attorney who coordinates the Santa Clara County \u003ca href=\"https://wagetheftcoalition.org/\">Wage Theft Coalition\u003c/a>. “It disincentivizes wage theft because business owners want to keep their restaurants open.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Just a piece of paper’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In California, workers lose \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/publication/employers-steal-billions-from-workers-paychecks-each-year/\">roughly $2 billion\u003c/a> annually from employers who aren’t paying minimum wage, and that’s just one form of wage theft, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Many of those victimized, often lower-income immigrants and women, will never file an official complaint with the state agency tasked with investigating wage theft because they fear retaliation.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Ruth Silver Taube, attorney and coordinator, Santa Clara County Wage Theft Coalition\"]‘It has enormous potential. It disincentivizes wage theft because business owners want to keep their restaurants open.’[/pullquote]Workers already struggling to make ends meet report they have to rely more on tax-supported social programs to survive the lost wages. The state also \u003ca href=\"https://www.labor.ucla.edu/publication/hollow-victories-the-crisis-in-collecting-unpaid-wages-for-californias-workers/\">loses revenue\u003c/a> in payroll taxes, and businesses that do follow the law are at a competitive disadvantage because of the higher costs, according to the UCLA Labor Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mirna Arana, a Guatemalan immigrant who now lives in San Leandro, in Alameda County, with her two young children, said she hasn’t received any of the $183,000 the California Labor Commissioner’s Office awarded her, including for unpaid regular wages and overtime. She often worked 12-hour shifts cleaning homes and office buildings, she said, but her former employer, Rene Herrera at Maid No. 1 Services, only paid her about $5 an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958150\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958150\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A woman plays with two children indoors beside a window.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mirna Arana hasn’t received any of the $183,000 the California Labor Commissioner’s Office awarded her for unpaid wages and overtime. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her case was referred about two years ago to a small unit at the state agency that focuses on helping workers \u003ca href=\"https://wagetheftisacrime.com/Legal-Tools.html#sheriff\">collect\u003c/a> unpaid wages. But, by then, her employer had already filed for bankruptcy, she said. Efforts to enforce the judgment in her favor through bank levies were also unsuccessful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has been such a stressful, difficult time,” said Arana in Spanish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The experience of feeling exploited at her job inspired the 36-year-old to start her own house cleaning business, and she vowed to treat any employees she might hire fairly. But while she enlists a number of clients, Arana must still rely on government subsidized food assistance to get by, and she worries frequently about how to pay for her apartment’s rent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Five years after she first filed her wage claim, she said the judgment she won is “just a piece of paper.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It feels like I didn’t achieve anything. That all my effort with this claim, to try to make sure that other workers didn’t go through what I did, wasn’t worth it,” Arana said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Secretary of State records show Maid No. 1 Services was terminated in May 2018. Herrera did not respond to multiple requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Santa Clara County’s solution\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In Santa Clara County, the \u003ca href=\"https://desj.sccgov.org/food-permit-enforcement-program\">Food Permit Enforcement Program\u003c/a> has helped collect more than $110,000 for workers since 2019, according to county officials. The program, which began as a pilot in a few cities, was halted during the pandemic before it was relaunched countywide last summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED contacted three workers who recovered lost wages through the program, but they declined to comment, as they did not want to be publicly associated with a wage dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county’s Office of Labor Standards Enforcement regularly combs state records to identify food permit holders with unpaid judgments. If a business owner does not respond to a series of letters within 45 days, their permit could be revoked, though nobody has lost one yet, said Jessie Yu, who directs the office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958148\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958148\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt='A hand holds a flier with the words \"wage theft\" written in bold on the top.' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daniella Balvidiva with the Fair Workplace Collaborative holds a flier on wage theft on April 28, 2023 in Gilroy. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The county focuses on food permits because we see a nexus between vulnerable worker populations and a large number of labor violations in the food retail industry,” said Yu. “We want to make sure that our citizens are taken care of and that if they are working for eight hours, they get paid for eight hours.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first-of-its kind program works across jurisdictions to help ensure retail food vendors in the county comply not only with local laws, but state and federal ones as well, said Jenn Round, a labor standards enforcement expert at the Workplace Justice Lab at Rutgers University in New Jersey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Santa Clara food permitting program is unique and innovative nationwide,” said Round, who works with local, state and federal agencies across the U.S. to more effectively protect the rights of low-wage workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I haven’t heard of any other county in the country that is doing anything like that … to take on the challenge of enforcing a judgment that’s been issued by a different (state) agency,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This comes as the Labor Commissioner’s Office struggles with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955920/california-wage-theft-investigators-staffing-crisis\">staffing crisis\u003c/a> that dozens of employees at the agency say cripples its mission of ensuring a fair day’s pay in every workplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the approximately 30,000 \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/howtofilewageclaim.htm\">wage claims\u003c/a> workers file annually are settled with employers or dismissed. But those that aren’t, end up in court judgments, often after a years-long process due to major \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11906889/california-workers-face-years-long-waits-for-justice-in-wage-theft-cases-state-data-shows\">delays\u003c/a> at the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even after they win, many workers are then left to their own devices to \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/PubsTemp/DLSE%20Brochures/Collect%20Your%20Award%20from%20the%20Caifornia%20Labor/Brochure-JE_WEB-EN.pdf\">try to collect (PDF)\u003c/a> on those judgments. A fraction of those orders — involving people who labor in low-wage industries such as agriculture, construction and restaurants — are referred to the Labor Commissioner’s Judgment Enforcement Unit for help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These specific employers sometimes that come through our office will do everything they can to avoid these payments,” said James Yang, a senior deputy who works at the unit. “They start moving property, they start trying to sell or transfer the business, getting rid of real estate… It’s not easy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yang says the unit is “very effective” at clawing back money in cases they can focus on, using collections tools that range from liens and bank levies to complex investigations to try to chase and seize assets to collect lost wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But because the unit has fewer than two dozen staff positions statewide, and only 13 of those are filled, it lacks the capacity to intensively investigate the thousands of cases it handles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958146\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958146\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Two people talk inside of a restaurant. One person is holding a clipboard.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Armando Ricardez, with the nonprofit Prosperity Lab, asks Lorena Gaeta, owner of Gaeta’s Taqueria, to sign a list acknowledging that she has received a certificate of completion for a training on workplace laws. The outreach effort informs small business owners about the county’s food permit enforcement program. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Working Partnerships USA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even though Santa Clara’s food permit enforcement initiative only targets a small subset of unpaid judgments, it still sends a powerful message to employers, said Yang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s one county, one specific industry, we are talking about here. But it’s been very helpful,” he said. “And it’s garnered very positive attention.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other counties in California have expressed interest in setting up programs like Santa Clara’s to hold more wage thieves accountable, he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several \u003ca href=\"https://www.labor.ucla.edu/publication/hollow-victories-the-crisis-in-collecting-unpaid-wages-for-californias-workers/\">studies\u003c/a> point to a high proportion of wage theft victims who are unable to collect on the judgments in their favor. The California Legislative Analyst’s Office \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4165\">found\u003c/a> that fewer than half of workers who received an award for unpaid wages recovered them from their employers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last decade, more than 6,500 unpaid judgments, totaling nearly $85 million, remained open after being referred to the enforcement unit, according to a spokeswoman with the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees the Labor Commissioner’s Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The total amount owed to workers is likely much higher, as those figures do not include cases that were not referred to the unit and whose outcome is not known to the agency. Also omitted are judgments stemming from investigations by the agency’s Bureau of Field Enforcement, which often issues citations totaling millions of dollars for widespread violations impacting dozens of workers at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Wage theft ‘not acceptable’ in Santa Clara County\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The numerous unpaid judgments show it’s “absolutely critical” for city and county governments to do more to disincentivize wage theft, said Silver Taube, the attorney working with Santa Clara County’s Wage Theft Coalition, and a supervising attorney at Alexander Community Law Center at Santa Clara University Law School.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I believe it’s a business model. I think they know there’s no consequences, and they just don’t pay,” said Silver Taube, who has pushed for greater consequences for businesses with labor violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958147\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958147\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Two people talk inside of a restaurant. One person is holding a clipboard.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Melissa Sanchez speaks with Tempo Kitchen & Bar’s general manager Ricardo Rivas on April 28, 2023 in Gilroy. Sanchez is part of an outreach team that informs businesses about the county’s food permit enforcement program and workplace laws. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Wage Theft Coalition advocated for Santa Clara County to establish the food permit enforcement program, and they helped convince cities, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.milpitas.gov/FAQ.aspx?QID=365\">Milpitas\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://law.scu.edu/kgaclc/newsletter-summer-2016-eliminating-wage-theft/\">San José\u003c/a>, that it’s to their benefit, too, to deny business permits or contracts to employers with unpaid judgments at the Labor Commissioner’s Office.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Jessie Yu, Director of Santa Clara County Office of Labor Standards Enforcement\"]‘The county focuses on food permits because we see a nexus between vulnerable worker populations and a large number of labor violations in the food retail industry.’[/pullquote]“Wage theft is on everyone’s radar now. And I do believe that there’s a consensus that it’s not acceptable in this county,” said Silver Taube. “It’s just that we have a lot of work to do, still.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to partner with community groups that inform workers of their rights and businesses of their responsibilities, said Yu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a sunny afternoon in downtown Gilroy, a group with green buttons that read “Community Outreach” visited food businesses, distributing brochures on the permit enforcement program and inviting them to a free training.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958145\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958145\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Three people walk across a street as one of them pulls a wagon.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daniella Baldivia pulls a cart full of flyers as other members of the Fair Workplace Collaborative follow in downtown Gilroy. The group informed business owners at restaurants, grocery stores and cafes about the county’s food permit enforcement program. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Working Partnerships USA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We want to make sure you’re up to speed on all the laws,” Melissa Sanchez, with the Fair Workplace Collaborative, told general manager Ricardo Rivas at Tempo Kitchen & Bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rivas said he appreciated the outreach effort, and would sign up for the training session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are so many different things involved between state and county and federal laws, especially as far as labor goes,” Rivas said. “So being able to stay compliant with it, ensure that we are treating our workers here fairly, and in accordance with the law, is definitely a major importance for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The most populous county in the Bay Area is helping state authorities address a perennial problem in labor law enforcement: businesses that were found to have cheated workers out of wages, but then fail to settle that debt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Statewide, thousands of people with lower-income who have won wage claims in front of state regulators over the last decade may never recover their money, even after courts have ordered their employers to pay up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unscrupulous debtors often skirt those obligations by hiding assets or closing operations and reorganizing as a new business — leaving vulnerable families without restitution — while facing little to no consequences, said workers’ rights advocates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a unique Santa Clara County approach targeting food retailers is leading to money back in workers’ pockets, in an industry regulators rate as one of the top for workplace violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county leverages the food permits it issues to push local restaurants and other food-serving businesses with unpaid \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Judgment-Enforcement-Unit.html#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20Judgment%3F,the%20worker%20recover%20the%20wages.\">labor violation judgments\u003c/a> to comply — or risk losing authorization to operate in Santa Clara. The permits of about 1,800 local employers are contingent on following all applicable workplace laws, such as minimum wage and overtime pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has enormous potential,” said Ruth Silver Taube, an attorney who coordinates the Santa Clara County \u003ca href=\"https://wagetheftcoalition.org/\">Wage Theft Coalition\u003c/a>. “It disincentivizes wage theft because business owners want to keep their restaurants open.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Just a piece of paper’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In California, workers lose \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/publication/employers-steal-billions-from-workers-paychecks-each-year/\">roughly $2 billion\u003c/a> annually from employers who aren’t paying minimum wage, and that’s just one form of wage theft, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Many of those victimized, often lower-income immigrants and women, will never file an official complaint with the state agency tasked with investigating wage theft because they fear retaliation.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘It has enormous potential. It disincentivizes wage theft because business owners want to keep their restaurants open.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Workers already struggling to make ends meet report they have to rely more on tax-supported social programs to survive the lost wages. The state also \u003ca href=\"https://www.labor.ucla.edu/publication/hollow-victories-the-crisis-in-collecting-unpaid-wages-for-californias-workers/\">loses revenue\u003c/a> in payroll taxes, and businesses that do follow the law are at a competitive disadvantage because of the higher costs, according to the UCLA Labor Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mirna Arana, a Guatemalan immigrant who now lives in San Leandro, in Alameda County, with her two young children, said she hasn’t received any of the $183,000 the California Labor Commissioner’s Office awarded her, including for unpaid regular wages and overtime. She often worked 12-hour shifts cleaning homes and office buildings, she said, but her former employer, Rene Herrera at Maid No. 1 Services, only paid her about $5 an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958150\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958150\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A woman plays with two children indoors beside a window.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-06-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mirna Arana hasn’t received any of the $183,000 the California Labor Commissioner’s Office awarded her for unpaid wages and overtime. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her case was referred about two years ago to a small unit at the state agency that focuses on helping workers \u003ca href=\"https://wagetheftisacrime.com/Legal-Tools.html#sheriff\">collect\u003c/a> unpaid wages. But, by then, her employer had already filed for bankruptcy, she said. Efforts to enforce the judgment in her favor through bank levies were also unsuccessful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has been such a stressful, difficult time,” said Arana in Spanish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The experience of feeling exploited at her job inspired the 36-year-old to start her own house cleaning business, and she vowed to treat any employees she might hire fairly. But while she enlists a number of clients, Arana must still rely on government subsidized food assistance to get by, and she worries frequently about how to pay for her apartment’s rent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Five years after she first filed her wage claim, she said the judgment she won is “just a piece of paper.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It feels like I didn’t achieve anything. That all my effort with this claim, to try to make sure that other workers didn’t go through what I did, wasn’t worth it,” Arana said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Secretary of State records show Maid No. 1 Services was terminated in May 2018. Herrera did not respond to multiple requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Santa Clara County’s solution\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In Santa Clara County, the \u003ca href=\"https://desj.sccgov.org/food-permit-enforcement-program\">Food Permit Enforcement Program\u003c/a> has helped collect more than $110,000 for workers since 2019, according to county officials. The program, which began as a pilot in a few cities, was halted during the pandemic before it was relaunched countywide last summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED contacted three workers who recovered lost wages through the program, but they declined to comment, as they did not want to be publicly associated with a wage dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county’s Office of Labor Standards Enforcement regularly combs state records to identify food permit holders with unpaid judgments. If a business owner does not respond to a series of letters within 45 days, their permit could be revoked, though nobody has lost one yet, said Jessie Yu, who directs the office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958148\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958148\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt='A hand holds a flier with the words \"wage theft\" written in bold on the top.' width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-04-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daniella Balvidiva with the Fair Workplace Collaborative holds a flier on wage theft on April 28, 2023 in Gilroy. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The county focuses on food permits because we see a nexus between vulnerable worker populations and a large number of labor violations in the food retail industry,” said Yu. “We want to make sure that our citizens are taken care of and that if they are working for eight hours, they get paid for eight hours.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first-of-its kind program works across jurisdictions to help ensure retail food vendors in the county comply not only with local laws, but state and federal ones as well, said Jenn Round, a labor standards enforcement expert at the Workplace Justice Lab at Rutgers University in New Jersey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Santa Clara food permitting program is unique and innovative nationwide,” said Round, who works with local, state and federal agencies across the U.S. to more effectively protect the rights of low-wage workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I haven’t heard of any other county in the country that is doing anything like that … to take on the challenge of enforcing a judgment that’s been issued by a different (state) agency,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This comes as the Labor Commissioner’s Office struggles with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955920/california-wage-theft-investigators-staffing-crisis\">staffing crisis\u003c/a> that dozens of employees at the agency say cripples its mission of ensuring a fair day’s pay in every workplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the approximately 30,000 \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/howtofilewageclaim.htm\">wage claims\u003c/a> workers file annually are settled with employers or dismissed. But those that aren’t, end up in court judgments, often after a years-long process due to major \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11906889/california-workers-face-years-long-waits-for-justice-in-wage-theft-cases-state-data-shows\">delays\u003c/a> at the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even after they win, many workers are then left to their own devices to \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/PubsTemp/DLSE%20Brochures/Collect%20Your%20Award%20from%20the%20Caifornia%20Labor/Brochure-JE_WEB-EN.pdf\">try to collect (PDF)\u003c/a> on those judgments. A fraction of those orders — involving people who labor in low-wage industries such as agriculture, construction and restaurants — are referred to the Labor Commissioner’s Judgment Enforcement Unit for help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These specific employers sometimes that come through our office will do everything they can to avoid these payments,” said James Yang, a senior deputy who works at the unit. “They start moving property, they start trying to sell or transfer the business, getting rid of real estate… It’s not easy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yang says the unit is “very effective” at clawing back money in cases they can focus on, using collections tools that range from liens and bank levies to complex investigations to try to chase and seize assets to collect lost wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But because the unit has fewer than two dozen staff positions statewide, and only 13 of those are filled, it lacks the capacity to intensively investigate the thousands of cases it handles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958146\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958146\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Two people talk inside of a restaurant. One person is holding a clipboard.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-02-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Armando Ricardez, with the nonprofit Prosperity Lab, asks Lorena Gaeta, owner of Gaeta’s Taqueria, to sign a list acknowledging that she has received a certificate of completion for a training on workplace laws. The outreach effort informs small business owners about the county’s food permit enforcement program. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Working Partnerships USA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even though Santa Clara’s food permit enforcement initiative only targets a small subset of unpaid judgments, it still sends a powerful message to employers, said Yang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s one county, one specific industry, we are talking about here. But it’s been very helpful,” he said. “And it’s garnered very positive attention.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other counties in California have expressed interest in setting up programs like Santa Clara’s to hold more wage thieves accountable, he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several \u003ca href=\"https://www.labor.ucla.edu/publication/hollow-victories-the-crisis-in-collecting-unpaid-wages-for-californias-workers/\">studies\u003c/a> point to a high proportion of wage theft victims who are unable to collect on the judgments in their favor. The California Legislative Analyst’s Office \u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4165\">found\u003c/a> that fewer than half of workers who received an award for unpaid wages recovered them from their employers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last decade, more than 6,500 unpaid judgments, totaling nearly $85 million, remained open after being referred to the enforcement unit, according to a spokeswoman with the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees the Labor Commissioner’s Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The total amount owed to workers is likely much higher, as those figures do not include cases that were not referred to the unit and whose outcome is not known to the agency. Also omitted are judgments stemming from investigations by the agency’s Bureau of Field Enforcement, which often issues citations totaling millions of dollars for widespread violations impacting dozens of workers at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Wage theft ‘not acceptable’ in Santa Clara County\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The numerous unpaid judgments show it’s “absolutely critical” for city and county governments to do more to disincentivize wage theft, said Silver Taube, the attorney working with Santa Clara County’s Wage Theft Coalition, and a supervising attorney at Alexander Community Law Center at Santa Clara University Law School.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I believe it’s a business model. I think they know there’s no consequences, and they just don’t pay,” said Silver Taube, who has pushed for greater consequences for businesses with labor violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958147\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958147\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Two people talk inside of a restaurant. One person is holding a clipboard.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-03-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Melissa Sanchez speaks with Tempo Kitchen & Bar’s general manager Ricardo Rivas on April 28, 2023 in Gilroy. Sanchez is part of an outreach team that informs businesses about the county’s food permit enforcement program and workplace laws. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Wage Theft Coalition advocated for Santa Clara County to establish the food permit enforcement program, and they helped convince cities, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.milpitas.gov/FAQ.aspx?QID=365\">Milpitas\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://law.scu.edu/kgaclc/newsletter-summer-2016-eliminating-wage-theft/\">San José\u003c/a>, that it’s to their benefit, too, to deny business permits or contracts to employers with unpaid judgments at the Labor Commissioner’s Office.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Wage theft is on everyone’s radar now. And I do believe that there’s a consensus that it’s not acceptable in this county,” said Silver Taube. “It’s just that we have a lot of work to do, still.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to partner with community groups that inform workers of their rights and businesses of their responsibilities, said Yu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a sunny afternoon in downtown Gilroy, a group with green buttons that read “Community Outreach” visited food businesses, distributing brochures on the permit enforcement program and inviting them to a free training.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958145\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11958145\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Three people walk across a street as one of them pulls a wagon.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230814-WAGE-THEFT-FJR-01-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daniella Baldivia pulls a cart full of flyers as other members of the Fair Workplace Collaborative follow in downtown Gilroy. The group informed business owners at restaurants, grocery stores and cafes about the county’s food permit enforcement program. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Working Partnerships USA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We want to make sure you’re up to speed on all the laws,” Melissa Sanchez, with the Fair Workplace Collaborative, told general manager Ricardo Rivas at Tempo Kitchen & Bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rivas said he appreciated the outreach effort, and would sign up for the training session.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are so many different things involved between state and county and federal laws, especially as far as labor goes,” Rivas said. “So being able to stay compliant with it, ensure that we are treating our workers here fairly, and in accordance with the law, is definitely a major importance for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "thousands-of-san-jose-city-workers-to-vote-next-week-on-strike-authorization",
"title": "Thousands of San José City Workers to Vote Next Week on Strike Authorization",
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"headTitle": "Thousands of San José City Workers to Vote Next Week on Strike Authorization | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>More than 4,000 San José city employees plan to vote next week on whether to authorize a three-day strike for as soon as mid-August, labor organizers announced Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strike would be the largest the city has seen in decades, potentially hobbling numerous daily operations, with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/office-of-the-city-manager/employee-relations/labor-relations-information/bargaining-units-labor-contract-info/mef\">broad swath of crucial workers\u003c/a> walking off the job, including some airport operations personnel, librarians and park managers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Certain union-represented employees, including public safety radio dispatchers and wastewater treatment workers, would likely be deemed “essential, and prohibited from striking. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote comes some four months after the unions representing the workers began negotiating with the city over a new three-year contract, demanding significant pay hikes — including a 7% wage increase next year — along with more family leave and other expanded benefits. But negotiations reached an impasse in June, when the city’s latest offer fell short of the unions’ demands.[aside label=\"More on San José labor issues\" postID=\"news_11955897,news_11955267\"]More than 2,500 full-time employees have already signed a petition indicating they plan to vote next week in favor of the walkout, an organizer with \u003ca href=\"https://www.staffupsanjose.org/\">Staff Up San Jose\u003c/a>, a coalition of four unions involved in negotiations, told KQED. Voting concludes next Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Tucker, of the Municipal Employees’ Federation (MEF-AFSCME) Local 101, the largest union at the table, said that if workers vote to strike, they wouldn’t walk off the job until after the City Council returns from its summer recess, on Aug. 8, to give the city “every possibility to come to an agreement.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The unions adjusted their demands significantly during mediation this month, he said, but the city has yet to make any meaningful change to its existing proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they come to the middle, I think that they’ll find that we will be pragmatic and willing to reach an agreement that’s going to achieve our goals of getting back to service delivery,” Tucker said. “But so far, the city hasn’t shown signs of meeting us in the middle. They’re dug in their position. That’s the point of the strike vote: to get them to meet us in the middle and get a deal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Failing that, Tucker added, a three-day walkout will hopefully be enough to move the needle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Should we have to talk about a further strike afterwards, we’re willing to do so,” he said. “But we believe that that’s enough to show them that we’re serious about getting the city staffed up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a written request, obtained by KQED, two members of the City Council on Tuesday asked the City Attorney’s Office to schedule a “special” Council meeting for next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We believe that the council has a lot of questions and being able to start the discussion next week will help us better prepare for the next step in negotiations and also would exhibit a level of urgency that our employees believe the process deserves,” Councilmembers David Cohen and Pam Foley wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the special meeting is called next week, the Council could begin the process of drafting an updated offer for unions organizers to consider before directing workers to walk off the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan, however, told KQED earlier this month that the 7% wage increase the unions are asking for is simply “unrealistic,” pointing to a poor economic forecast in Silicon Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The context in which we’re operating is one in which large employers in Silicon Valley are laying people off,” Mahan said. “We’re not seeing signs of economic, and therefore tax base, growth when we look out over the next couple of years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But leaders of Staff Up San Jose argue that city workers have long been undervalued, making markedly less than their counterparts in neighboring jurisdictions, and that significant wage and benefit increases are needed to address the city’s staffing and retention crisis. As of May, the city reported 860 municipal job openings, marking more than a 13% vacancy rate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City employees told KQED that their departments are chronically understaffed, leading to burnout and high turnover. Many referred to the city as a “training ground” where workers acquire skills, then leave for other employers who offer better pay and benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several other Council members, including Peter Ortiz and Omar Torres, are voicing their strong support for the workers, and urging the city to offer them a more generous contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am a strong ally of our bargaining units, and I do hope we, as a city, end the impasse and offer them a fair contract,” Torres said in a statement. “Too many of them are leaving our city. Now is not the time to have an understaffed and underpaid workforce, as too much is at stake.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Guy Marzorati contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Several council members called for a special meeting next week to avert the looming 3-day walkout, which could begin as soon as mid-August. City workers are demanding significant increases in pay, family leave and other benefits. ",
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"title": "Thousands of San José City Workers to Vote Next Week on Strike Authorization | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>More than 4,000 San José city employees plan to vote next week on whether to authorize a three-day strike for as soon as mid-August, labor organizers announced Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strike would be the largest the city has seen in decades, potentially hobbling numerous daily operations, with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/office-of-the-city-manager/employee-relations/labor-relations-information/bargaining-units-labor-contract-info/mef\">broad swath of crucial workers\u003c/a> walking off the job, including some airport operations personnel, librarians and park managers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Certain union-represented employees, including public safety radio dispatchers and wastewater treatment workers, would likely be deemed “essential, and prohibited from striking. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote comes some four months after the unions representing the workers began negotiating with the city over a new three-year contract, demanding significant pay hikes — including a 7% wage increase next year — along with more family leave and other expanded benefits. But negotiations reached an impasse in June, when the city’s latest offer fell short of the unions’ demands.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>More than 2,500 full-time employees have already signed a petition indicating they plan to vote next week in favor of the walkout, an organizer with \u003ca href=\"https://www.staffupsanjose.org/\">Staff Up San Jose\u003c/a>, a coalition of four unions involved in negotiations, told KQED. Voting concludes next Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Tucker, of the Municipal Employees’ Federation (MEF-AFSCME) Local 101, the largest union at the table, said that if workers vote to strike, they wouldn’t walk off the job until after the City Council returns from its summer recess, on Aug. 8, to give the city “every possibility to come to an agreement.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The unions adjusted their demands significantly during mediation this month, he said, but the city has yet to make any meaningful change to its existing proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they come to the middle, I think that they’ll find that we will be pragmatic and willing to reach an agreement that’s going to achieve our goals of getting back to service delivery,” Tucker said. “But so far, the city hasn’t shown signs of meeting us in the middle. They’re dug in their position. That’s the point of the strike vote: to get them to meet us in the middle and get a deal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Failing that, Tucker added, a three-day walkout will hopefully be enough to move the needle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Should we have to talk about a further strike afterwards, we’re willing to do so,” he said. “But we believe that that’s enough to show them that we’re serious about getting the city staffed up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a written request, obtained by KQED, two members of the City Council on Tuesday asked the City Attorney’s Office to schedule a “special” Council meeting for next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We believe that the council has a lot of questions and being able to start the discussion next week will help us better prepare for the next step in negotiations and also would exhibit a level of urgency that our employees believe the process deserves,” Councilmembers David Cohen and Pam Foley wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the special meeting is called next week, the Council could begin the process of drafting an updated offer for unions organizers to consider before directing workers to walk off the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan, however, told KQED earlier this month that the 7% wage increase the unions are asking for is simply “unrealistic,” pointing to a poor economic forecast in Silicon Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The context in which we’re operating is one in which large employers in Silicon Valley are laying people off,” Mahan said. “We’re not seeing signs of economic, and therefore tax base, growth when we look out over the next couple of years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But leaders of Staff Up San Jose argue that city workers have long been undervalued, making markedly less than their counterparts in neighboring jurisdictions, and that significant wage and benefit increases are needed to address the city’s staffing and retention crisis. As of May, the city reported 860 municipal job openings, marking more than a 13% vacancy rate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City employees told KQED that their departments are chronically understaffed, leading to burnout and high turnover. Many referred to the city as a “training ground” where workers acquire skills, then leave for other employers who offer better pay and benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several other Council members, including Peter Ortiz and Omar Torres, are voicing their strong support for the workers, and urging the city to offer them a more generous contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am a strong ally of our bargaining units, and I do hope we, as a city, end the impasse and offer them a fair contract,” Torres said in a statement. “Too many of them are leaving our city. Now is not the time to have an understaffed and underpaid workforce, as too much is at stake.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Guy Marzorati contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Stanford Graduate Workers Vote to Unionize to Improve Working Conditions",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 4 p.m. Thursday: \u003c/strong>Stanford University graduate students have voted to unionize after an election conducted through the National Labor Relations Board came back with over 90% support Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Katherine Whatley, a Ph.D. student at Stanford, said the labor of grad students often goes unnoticed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whether it be working in the lab or in the classroom or doing research, giving presentations — all of that is labor,” Whatley told KQED. “So, we use the [term] Stanford Graduate Workers because we want to highlight the fact that we are workers, not only students, and that the work that we do, the labor that we do, is vital to Stanford as an institution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the election results finalized, the union can now bargain with the university for a contract. In a statement, Stanford said it looks forward to working in good faith with the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original story, June 1:\u003c/strong> Graduate workers at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/stanford-university\">Stanford University\u003c/a> voted this week on whether to form a union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the campaign succeeds, thousands of graduate students who provide teaching and research duties could represent one of the nation’s largest bargaining units among graduate workers at a private university.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote comes months after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101891301/48000-academic-workers-strike-across-university-of-california-campuse\">academic workers at the University of California walked off the job\u003c/a> in the largest higher education strike in U.S. history, and is part of a wave of union drives among graduate workers nationwide. Graduate workers at \u003ca href=\"https://news.yale.edu/2023/01/09/yale-graduate-students-vote-form-labor-union\">Yale University\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-17/usc-graduate-student-workers-vote-yes-to-unionization\">University of Southern California\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2023/3/17/23645593/graduate-students-unionize-university-chicago-teaching-research\">University of Chicago\u003c/a> all voted to unionize this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The outcome of the election at Stanford is \u003ca href=\"https://news.stanford.edu/report/2023/05/18/graduate-student-union-election-scheduled/\">expected this summer\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amid soaring housing costs and a tumultuous academic job market, graduate workers at Stanford and elsewhere are pushing to increase wages and improve benefits. They say academic hierarchies and low pay can leave graduate workers vulnerable to harassment, bullying and discrimination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Graduate workers see collective bargaining as a way to change that, and to create more fair, effective grievance processes when graduate employees do file complaints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/23/491090762/nlrb-rules-graduate-students-are-employees-with-the-right-to-unionize#:~:text=The%20National%20Labor%20Relations%20Board%20ruled%203%2D1%20Tuesday%20that,the%20right%20to%20collective%20bargaining.\">National Labor Relations Board ruled in 2016\u003c/a> that graduate students working as teaching or research assistants at private universities are employees. But graduate workers say the process for filing harassment complaints through the Title IX office — officially known as the SHARE (Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Education) Title IX Office — is not equipped to support graduate student employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A complaint process designed for students, not graduate workers\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Chloé Brault, a Ph.D. candidate in comparative literature at Stanford, said graduate workers need a process that treats reports of abuse or predatory behavior like workplace safety issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11951864\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11951864\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65954_002_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A shot of the back of a woman's black T-shirt that reads, "Stanford works because we do."\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65954_002_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65954_002_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65954_002_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65954_002_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65954_002_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chloé Brault, a Stanford Ph.D. candidate, shows the back of her T-shirt, which says, ‘Stanford Works Because We Do,’ near Wallenberg Hall on the Stanford campus on May 30, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The idea of power abuse — if you define harassment as power abuse — is very familiar to any graduate worker at Stanford,” Brault said. “This might look like bullying, it might look like retaining pay, it may look like undermining in a meeting in a professional setting, it might look like stalking. Frankly, I’ve heard it all.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brault said over the past six years, she’s been involved in three cases filed with the Title IX office as a witness, and she’s seen how traumatizing the process can be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Chloé Brault, Stanford Ph.D. candidate\"]‘The idea of power abuse — if you define harassment as power abuse — is very familiar to any graduate worker at Stanford.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regulations adopted during the Trump administration narrowed the definition of sexual harassment to conduct that is “so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive” it denies a person’s access to their education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.equalrights.org/issue/the-title-ix-process/\">Title IX process can take several months or longer\u003c/a>, and focus on determining whether allegations meet that federal definition of sexual harassment rather than providing support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We get told, ‘This meets the threshold, this does not, the grievance process will proceed whether you like it or not, we’ll give you options to opt in or opt out, but otherwise the investigation is happening with or without you,’” Brault said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brault added that international student workers face additional barriers to reporting, and for them taking a leave of absence can mean losing campus housing, income and visas.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A push for a fairer, more transparent, more effective complaint process\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Through unionizing, Stanford graduate workers could bargain for an official grievance process that takes those concerns into account, and be provided with union representation in disciplinary proceedings. They’re also advocating for contingency plans for graduate workers when supervisors are accused of abuse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11951859\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11951859\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65956_005_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A shot of a college campus from inside an arched tunnel.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65956_005_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65956_005_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65956_005_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65956_005_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65956_005_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Stanford campus, on May 30, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Gabriela Basel, a third-year Ph.D. student studying chemical engineering, said she knows too many people at Stanford who have gone through the Title IX process only to see no changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And it’s just gut-wrenching to hear these stories of power abuse and sexual abuse from supervisors and knowing that there’s nothing that graduate employees can do, there’s nowhere we can go,” Basel said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But with a union, she said, Stanford will have no choice but to listen and sit down with workers at the bargaining table.[aside postID=news_11950873 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/GettyImages-1490480975-1020x680.jpg']Stett Holbrook, senior director of media relations and issues management at Stanford, said in a statement that the university values the many contributions graduate students make to Stanford’s mission of teaching and research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Holbrook also noted that the university is encouraging every eligible graduate student to educate themselves about what it means to become a member of a union and then to exercise their right to vote in the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Holbrook said the university is committed to providing a campus that is free of sex-based discrimination, sexual harassment and all forms of sexual misconduct. He said the school’s Title IX office has been working with the Graduate Life Office to increase its visibility within the graduate student community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford graduate workers are not alone in organizing to improve protections for those who experience abuse on the job. Student workers at \u003ca href=\"http://harvardgradunion.org/times-up-committee/nocarveout/\">Harvard\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/01/07/columbia-university-strike-ends/\">Columbia\u003c/a> both have pushed for the option of third-party arbitration for discrimination and harassment complaints.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Labor movement meets the fight against gender-based violence\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Labor movements must think about sexual harassment and discrimination as a labor issue, said Erin O’Callaghan, an incoming assistant professor at Colorado State University who participated in two strikes while she was a graduate student worker at the University of Illinois at Chicago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>O’Callaghan co-authored a paper, ‘‘\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34661481/#full-view-affiliation-1\">Sexual Harassment in the Academy: Harnessing the Growing Labor Movement in Higher Education to Address Sexual Harassment Against Graduate Workers\u003c/a>,” that calls for structural changes in academia to address gender-based violence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a study cited in that paper, \u003ca href=\"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0361684316644838\">nearly 60% of female graduate students reported experiencing sexual harassment\u003c/a> from other students, and 38% of female graduate students reported sexual harassment by faculty or staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11951861\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11951861\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65958_002_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6426-qut.jpg\" alt=\"On a college campus hundreds of students are gathered in a quad-like area surrounded by chunky buildings and green trees. It's a sea of students.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65958_002_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6426-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65958_002_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6426-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65958_002_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6426-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65958_002_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6426-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65958_002_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6426-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students gather for a union rally at Stanford on April 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Fletcher Chapin)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The bottom line is that because [graduate workers] are such a cheap form of labor, and there’s another one to take your place, there’s no incentive to protect people that are in that type of working environment,” O’Callaghan said. “You could have four graduate students working under you as a faculty member and their collective salary would not come close to what you are paid.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union organizers are aiming to address some of that power imbalance by campaigning for a living wage, affordable housing and better benefits like full dental and vision coverage and subsidized child care.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Erin O’Callaghan, assistant professor, Colorado State University\"]‘The bottom line is that because [graduate workers] are such a cheap form of labor, and there’s another one to take your place, there’s no incentive to protect people that are in that type of working environment.’[/pullquote]Working conditions can be particularly precarious for \u003ca href=\"https://facts.stanford.edu/academics/graduate/\">international students, who make up about 35% of all graduate students at Stanford\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miikka Jaarte, a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate from Finland who is studying philosophy, said an estimated 45% of his annual take-home pay goes toward rent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every year I was in Stanford housing, I would get a little pay bump and I would get a larger rent bump,” Jaarte said. “We would just like our wages to keep up with the cost of housing and with inflation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union organizers are also pushing for better protections for international student workers, like improving legal resources and creating a grievance procedure for graduate workers who have been unjustly terminated and fear deportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Workers organizing amid a bleak academic job market\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For Allen Nie, a fourth-year computer science Ph.D. student, unionizing is a way to acknowledge the value graduate student workers bring to the university, and their identities as workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11951860\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11951860\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65957_001_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6418-qut.jpg\" alt=\"College students in hoodies with backpacks chat on campus on a sunny day. Many students are on a quad area with trees and big tan buildings.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65957_001_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6418-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65957_001_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6418-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65957_001_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6418-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65957_001_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6418-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65957_001_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6418-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Allen Nie, a fourth-year Stanford Ph.D. student, attends a rally on campus on April 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Fletcher Chapin)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Even though there is some enrichment of our knowledge, we’re not just purely passively receiving that from the university,” he said. “To those of my fellow workers, I would say, ‘Take a hard look at how much you’re getting from the university and take a look at how much you’re contributing to the scientific community.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wave of graduate workers organizing appears poised to continue. According to Bloomberg Law, \u003ca href=\"https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/college-university-strike-wave-continues-its-swell-into-2023\">professors, graduate teaching and research assistants and other academic workers went on strike 15 times in 2022\u003c/a>, and the \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/unionelections/status/1599824581325336576\">largest union election petitions last year were filed by graduate workers\u003c/a>, according to Daily Union Elections.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Sarah Mason, graduate student researcher, UC Santa Cruz Center for Labor and Community\"]‘We need to be fighting now for what we need. And more than that, those fights can be the basis for truly transforming the university on our terms.’[/pullquote]Workers in higher education are responding to structural changes in academia over the last few decades, said Sarah Mason, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology and a graduate student researcher at the UC Santa Cruz Center for Labor and Community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Departments and divisions have been financially gutted, workloads have exploded and tenured faculty positions have been replaced by a precarious workforce, Mason said. She added that students are crushed by private debt and described the prospects for future employment as incredibly bleak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think there’s an increasing sense that these problems are not going to be solved by the people who created them,” Mason said. “We need to be fighting now for what we need. And more than that, those fights can be the basis for truly transforming the university on our terms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Thousands of Stanford University graduate student workers will represent one of the largest bargaining units in the US.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 4 p.m. Thursday: \u003c/strong>Stanford University graduate students have voted to unionize after an election conducted through the National Labor Relations Board came back with over 90% support Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Katherine Whatley, a Ph.D. student at Stanford, said the labor of grad students often goes unnoticed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whether it be working in the lab or in the classroom or doing research, giving presentations — all of that is labor,” Whatley told KQED. “So, we use the [term] Stanford Graduate Workers because we want to highlight the fact that we are workers, not only students, and that the work that we do, the labor that we do, is vital to Stanford as an institution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the election results finalized, the union can now bargain with the university for a contract. In a statement, Stanford said it looks forward to working in good faith with the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original story, June 1:\u003c/strong> Graduate workers at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/stanford-university\">Stanford University\u003c/a> voted this week on whether to form a union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the campaign succeeds, thousands of graduate students who provide teaching and research duties could represent one of the nation’s largest bargaining units among graduate workers at a private university.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote comes months after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101891301/48000-academic-workers-strike-across-university-of-california-campuse\">academic workers at the University of California walked off the job\u003c/a> in the largest higher education strike in U.S. history, and is part of a wave of union drives among graduate workers nationwide. Graduate workers at \u003ca href=\"https://news.yale.edu/2023/01/09/yale-graduate-students-vote-form-labor-union\">Yale University\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-17/usc-graduate-student-workers-vote-yes-to-unionization\">University of Southern California\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2023/3/17/23645593/graduate-students-unionize-university-chicago-teaching-research\">University of Chicago\u003c/a> all voted to unionize this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The outcome of the election at Stanford is \u003ca href=\"https://news.stanford.edu/report/2023/05/18/graduate-student-union-election-scheduled/\">expected this summer\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amid soaring housing costs and a tumultuous academic job market, graduate workers at Stanford and elsewhere are pushing to increase wages and improve benefits. They say academic hierarchies and low pay can leave graduate workers vulnerable to harassment, bullying and discrimination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Graduate workers see collective bargaining as a way to change that, and to create more fair, effective grievance processes when graduate employees do file complaints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/23/491090762/nlrb-rules-graduate-students-are-employees-with-the-right-to-unionize#:~:text=The%20National%20Labor%20Relations%20Board%20ruled%203%2D1%20Tuesday%20that,the%20right%20to%20collective%20bargaining.\">National Labor Relations Board ruled in 2016\u003c/a> that graduate students working as teaching or research assistants at private universities are employees. But graduate workers say the process for filing harassment complaints through the Title IX office — officially known as the SHARE (Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Education) Title IX Office — is not equipped to support graduate student employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A complaint process designed for students, not graduate workers\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Chloé Brault, a Ph.D. candidate in comparative literature at Stanford, said graduate workers need a process that treats reports of abuse or predatory behavior like workplace safety issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11951864\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11951864\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65954_002_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A shot of the back of a woman's black T-shirt that reads, "Stanford works because we do."\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65954_002_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65954_002_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65954_002_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65954_002_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65954_002_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chloé Brault, a Stanford Ph.D. candidate, shows the back of her T-shirt, which says, ‘Stanford Works Because We Do,’ near Wallenberg Hall on the Stanford campus on May 30, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The idea of power abuse — if you define harassment as power abuse — is very familiar to any graduate worker at Stanford,” Brault said. “This might look like bullying, it might look like retaining pay, it may look like undermining in a meeting in a professional setting, it might look like stalking. Frankly, I’ve heard it all.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brault said over the past six years, she’s been involved in three cases filed with the Title IX office as a witness, and she’s seen how traumatizing the process can be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regulations adopted during the Trump administration narrowed the definition of sexual harassment to conduct that is “so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive” it denies a person’s access to their education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.equalrights.org/issue/the-title-ix-process/\">Title IX process can take several months or longer\u003c/a>, and focus on determining whether allegations meet that federal definition of sexual harassment rather than providing support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We get told, ‘This meets the threshold, this does not, the grievance process will proceed whether you like it or not, we’ll give you options to opt in or opt out, but otherwise the investigation is happening with or without you,’” Brault said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brault added that international student workers face additional barriers to reporting, and for them taking a leave of absence can mean losing campus housing, income and visas.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A push for a fairer, more transparent, more effective complaint process\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Through unionizing, Stanford graduate workers could bargain for an official grievance process that takes those concerns into account, and be provided with union representation in disciplinary proceedings. They’re also advocating for contingency plans for graduate workers when supervisors are accused of abuse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11951859\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11951859\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65956_005_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A shot of a college campus from inside an arched tunnel.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65956_005_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65956_005_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65956_005_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65956_005_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65956_005_KQED_StanfordGradUnion_05302023-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Stanford campus, on May 30, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Gabriela Basel, a third-year Ph.D. student studying chemical engineering, said she knows too many people at Stanford who have gone through the Title IX process only to see no changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And it’s just gut-wrenching to hear these stories of power abuse and sexual abuse from supervisors and knowing that there’s nothing that graduate employees can do, there’s nowhere we can go,” Basel said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But with a union, she said, Stanford will have no choice but to listen and sit down with workers at the bargaining table.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Stett Holbrook, senior director of media relations and issues management at Stanford, said in a statement that the university values the many contributions graduate students make to Stanford’s mission of teaching and research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Holbrook also noted that the university is encouraging every eligible graduate student to educate themselves about what it means to become a member of a union and then to exercise their right to vote in the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Holbrook said the university is committed to providing a campus that is free of sex-based discrimination, sexual harassment and all forms of sexual misconduct. He said the school’s Title IX office has been working with the Graduate Life Office to increase its visibility within the graduate student community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford graduate workers are not alone in organizing to improve protections for those who experience abuse on the job. Student workers at \u003ca href=\"http://harvardgradunion.org/times-up-committee/nocarveout/\">Harvard\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/01/07/columbia-university-strike-ends/\">Columbia\u003c/a> both have pushed for the option of third-party arbitration for discrimination and harassment complaints.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Labor movement meets the fight against gender-based violence\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Labor movements must think about sexual harassment and discrimination as a labor issue, said Erin O’Callaghan, an incoming assistant professor at Colorado State University who participated in two strikes while she was a graduate student worker at the University of Illinois at Chicago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>O’Callaghan co-authored a paper, ‘‘\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34661481/#full-view-affiliation-1\">Sexual Harassment in the Academy: Harnessing the Growing Labor Movement in Higher Education to Address Sexual Harassment Against Graduate Workers\u003c/a>,” that calls for structural changes in academia to address gender-based violence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a study cited in that paper, \u003ca href=\"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0361684316644838\">nearly 60% of female graduate students reported experiencing sexual harassment\u003c/a> from other students, and 38% of female graduate students reported sexual harassment by faculty or staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11951861\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11951861\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65958_002_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6426-qut.jpg\" alt=\"On a college campus hundreds of students are gathered in a quad-like area surrounded by chunky buildings and green trees. It's a sea of students.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65958_002_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6426-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65958_002_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6426-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65958_002_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6426-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65958_002_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6426-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65958_002_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6426-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students gather for a union rally at Stanford on April 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Fletcher Chapin)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The bottom line is that because [graduate workers] are such a cheap form of labor, and there’s another one to take your place, there’s no incentive to protect people that are in that type of working environment,” O’Callaghan said. “You could have four graduate students working under you as a faculty member and their collective salary would not come close to what you are paid.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union organizers are aiming to address some of that power imbalance by campaigning for a living wage, affordable housing and better benefits like full dental and vision coverage and subsidized child care.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Working conditions can be particularly precarious for \u003ca href=\"https://facts.stanford.edu/academics/graduate/\">international students, who make up about 35% of all graduate students at Stanford\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Miikka Jaarte, a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate from Finland who is studying philosophy, said an estimated 45% of his annual take-home pay goes toward rent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every year I was in Stanford housing, I would get a little pay bump and I would get a larger rent bump,” Jaarte said. “We would just like our wages to keep up with the cost of housing and with inflation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union organizers are also pushing for better protections for international student workers, like improving legal resources and creating a grievance procedure for graduate workers who have been unjustly terminated and fear deportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Workers organizing amid a bleak academic job market\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For Allen Nie, a fourth-year computer science Ph.D. student, unionizing is a way to acknowledge the value graduate student workers bring to the university, and their identities as workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11951860\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11951860\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65957_001_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6418-qut.jpg\" alt=\"College students in hoodies with backpacks chat on campus on a sunny day. Many students are on a quad area with trees and big tan buildings.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65957_001_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6418-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65957_001_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6418-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65957_001_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6418-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65957_001_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6418-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS65957_001_StanfordUnionRally_DSC_6418-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Allen Nie, a fourth-year Stanford Ph.D. student, attends a rally on campus on April 3, 2023. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Fletcher Chapin)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Even though there is some enrichment of our knowledge, we’re not just purely passively receiving that from the university,” he said. “To those of my fellow workers, I would say, ‘Take a hard look at how much you’re getting from the university and take a look at how much you’re contributing to the scientific community.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wave of graduate workers organizing appears poised to continue. According to Bloomberg Law, \u003ca href=\"https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/college-university-strike-wave-continues-its-swell-into-2023\">professors, graduate teaching and research assistants and other academic workers went on strike 15 times in 2022\u003c/a>, and the \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/unionelections/status/1599824581325336576\">largest union election petitions last year were filed by graduate workers\u003c/a>, according to Daily Union Elections.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Workers in higher education are responding to structural changes in academia over the last few decades, said Sarah Mason, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology and a graduate student researcher at the UC Santa Cruz Center for Labor and Community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Departments and divisions have been financially gutted, workloads have exploded and tenured faculty positions have been replaced by a precarious workforce, Mason said. She added that students are crushed by private debt and described the prospects for future employment as incredibly bleak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think there’s an increasing sense that these problems are not going to be solved by the people who created them,” Mason said. “We need to be fighting now for what we need. And more than that, those fights can be the basis for truly transforming the university on our terms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
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"possible": {
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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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"radiolab": {
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},
"rightnowish": {
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"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
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"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
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