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"slug": "senior-fired-from-oakland-job-after-union-tried-to-collect-thousands-of-dollars",
"title": "Senior Fired From Oakland Job After Union Tried to Collect Thousands of Dollars",
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"headTitle": "Senior Fired From Oakland Job After Union Tried to Collect Thousands of Dollars | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>An elderly man has returned to a part-time job at an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> market after the union representing workers at the store got him temporarily fired for refusing to pay a sudden $3,700 membership bill. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The incident, which labor experts said is rare, points to a decadeslong debate about individual workers’ rights and the power of labor unions in a place like California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California is one of 24 states where unions can get private-sector employees terminated under common “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-rights/employer-union-rights-and-obligations\">union-security\u003c/a>” contract agreements with employers, which require all members of a bargaining unit to pay dues as a condition of employment.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Objecting employees can opt out of full union membership, paying instead generally lower fees for direct representation that don’t cover other union activities, such as political lobbying. Nationwide, 26 states have different “right-to-work” laws making union dues payment voluntary. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Philip Holland was let go by the \u003ca href=\"https://villagemkt.com/about-us/\">Village Market\u003c/a> in the Upper Rockridge area last month at the urging of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5, which represents most of the 30 employees at the family-run grocery store.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261013-UNIONTERMINATION-02-BL-KQED-68cc9706.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104167\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261013-UNIONTERMINATION-02-BL-KQED-68cc9706.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261013-UNIONTERMINATION-02-BL-KQED-68cc9706-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261013-UNIONTERMINATION-02-BL-KQED-68cc9706-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Village Market, a family-owned grocery store, in Oakland on Oct. 13, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union first contacted Holland, an 86-year-old Navy veteran, four years after he began working six-hour, bi-weekly shifts, subsequently demanding $3,676 in back dues and a $400 initiation fee, according to the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which filed charges before federal regulators on behalf of Holland on Sept. 23. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The nonprofit organization, which labor advocates and progressive groups consider anti-union, alleges UFCW representatives waited too long to ask Holland for retroactive pay and failed to notify him that he could choose a reduced amount — charges the union denies.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Holland declined to speak with KQED through representatives at the foundation. But the organization’s vice president, Patrick Semmens, said Holland, an Oakland resident who worked decades in law enforcement before retiring, was surprised, disappointed and angry when he called to inquire about his plight. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He suddenly found himself facing a big threat over, ‘Hey, you better pay us thousands of dollars in back dues or we’re going to have you fired.’ And that’s kind of the exact type of situation that we provide free legal assistance to employees in,” said Semmens, adding that the foundation handles about 250 cases per year of workers who allege unions violated their rights.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By the end of September, UFCW officials had backtracked and asked Keith Trimble, the Village Market’s owner and operator, to reinstate Holland. He returned to work last Wednesday, according to Trimble.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The independent grocery store, owned by Trimble’s family since 1974, has terminated a handful of other employees because of nonpayment of union dues, as stated in the market’s labor contract with UFCW, Trimble said. But Holland was the first worker that the union requested be rehired.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I had a good employee, and through the contract I was required to let them go,” he said. “All I know officially is that for whatever reason they figured they didn’t follow whatever procedures and asked me if I could take him back, and I said yes.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>UFCW Local 5 represents about 25,000 retail and agricultural employees from Salinas to Eureka, including in the Bay Area. David Rosenfeld, an attorney for the union, stressed that it almost never asks employers to terminate someone.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union sent Holland a letter with all his rights and benefits of union representation in May or June, shortly after it became aware that Holland was working at the market, Rosenfeld said. It’s unclear why the union didn’t reach out to Holland earlier, though Rosenfeld partly blamed Holland and the employer for not coming forward. The union has since acknowledged that waiting more than three years to collect back fees for membership was too long. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We should have perhaps been more diligent about this. So that’s why we said, ‘Put him back to work. Start over again,’” Rosenfeld said, adding that the union is now asking Holland to pay fees going forward. “We corrected it, realizing that asking him to pay three years back was unfair under these circumstances.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>About one in 10 wage and salaried workers were unionized in 2025 compared to one in five four decades ago, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm\">U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics\u003c/a>. Full-time union employees have higher earnings and \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/press/new-report-details-the-benefits-of-unions-to-workers-communities-and-democracy/\">access to benefits\u003c/a> than employees of nonunion workplaces.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Most U.S. private-sector workers have the right to bargain collectively through chosen representatives without employer coercion or retaliation. Yet, workers are far more likely to lose their jobs for trying to join unions than for not paying union fees, several labor experts told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1123\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/OaklandGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12015107\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/OaklandGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/OaklandGetty-800x449.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/OaklandGetty-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/OaklandGetty-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/OaklandGetty-1536x862.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/OaklandGetty-1920x1078.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Charges before federal regulators allege UFCW Local 5 got an 86-year-old unlawfully fired for refusing to pay a sudden $3,700 membership bill, which the union denies. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s not even in the same universe,” said Cathy Creighton, a former attorney at the National Labor Relations Board in New York. The federal agency investigates charges of unfair labor practices.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s so much more likely for an employer to fire an employee for their union activities than it is for a union to ask the employer to terminate an employee for not paying fee dues,” said Creighton, who directs a research initiative at Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations School. “There’s really no comparison.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Unions must notify employees that they can choose limited membership, meaning a labor contract will cover them, but they will pay a share of dues for only direct representation costs like bargaining and grievance handling. These so-called ‘Beck rights’ are named after a lawsuit that led the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in 1988 that workers could reject compulsory fees if they objected to a union’s political or ideological activities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bill Gould, who chaired the National Labor Relations Board in 1995 when it began requiring unions to inform new members of their Beck rights, said he disagrees in principle with the SCOTUS distinction between full and limited union membership as unions advocate for workers in different ways.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There never should have been a demarcation between expenditures that go toward collective bargaining and those that don’t,” Gould said. “Because unions have a wide-ranging role to provide all kinds of services for the people that they represent, which they think are important, including politics.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said it’s unclear how often unions fail to notify new members of their Beck rights. But Gould, an emeritus professor at Stanford Law School, suspects many employees at unionized workplaces are not aware of this option.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s not in the interest of unions to publicize this kind of thing,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Philip Holland was let go by the \u003ca href=\"https://villagemkt.com/about-us/\">Village Market\u003c/a> in the Upper Rockridge area last month at the urging of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5, which represents most of the 30 employees at the family-run grocery store.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The union first contacted Holland, an 86-year-old Navy veteran, four years after he began working six-hour, bi-weekly shifts, subsequently demanding $3,676 in back dues and a $400 initiation fee, according to the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which filed charges before federal regulators on behalf of Holland on Sept. 23. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The nonprofit organization, which labor advocates and progressive groups consider anti-union, alleges UFCW representatives waited too long to ask Holland for retroactive pay and failed to notify him that he could choose a reduced amount — charges the union denies.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Holland declined to speak with KQED through representatives at the foundation. But the organization’s vice president, Patrick Semmens, said Holland, an Oakland resident who worked decades in law enforcement before retiring, was surprised, disappointed and angry when he called to inquire about his plight. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Holland declined to speak with KQED through representatives at the foundation. But the organization’s vice president, Patrick Semmens, said Holland, an Oakland resident who worked decades in law enforcement before retiring, was surprised, disappointed and angry when he called to inquire about his plight. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“He suddenly found himself facing a big threat over, ‘Hey, you better pay us thousands of dollars in back dues or we’re going to have you fired.’ And that’s kind of the exact type of situation that we provide free legal assistance to employees in,” said Semmens, adding that the foundation handles about 250 cases per year of workers who allege unions violated their rights.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>By the end of September, UFCW officials had backtracked and asked Keith Trimble, the Village Market’s owner and operator, to reinstate Holland. He returned to work last Wednesday, according to Trimble.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The independent grocery store, owned by Trimble’s family since 1974, has terminated a handful of other employees because of nonpayment of union dues, as stated in the market’s labor contract with UFCW, Trimble said. But Holland was the first worker that the union requested be rehired.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I had a good employee, and through the contract I was required to let them go,” he said. “All I know officially is that for whatever reason they figured they didn’t follow whatever procedures and asked me if I could take him back, and I said yes.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I had a good employee, and through the contract I was required to let them go,” he said. “All I know officially is that for whatever reason they figured they didn’t follow whatever procedures and asked me if I could take him back, and I said yes.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>UFCW Local 5 represents about 25,000 retail and agricultural employees from Salinas to Eureka, including in the Bay Area. David Rosenfeld, an attorney for the union, stressed that it almost never asks employers to terminate someone.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>UFCW Local 5 represents about 25,000 retail and agricultural employees from Salinas to Eureka, including in the Bay Area. David Rosenfeld, an attorney for the union, stressed that it almost never asks employers to terminate someone.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The union sent Holland a letter with all his rights and benefits of union representation in May or June, shortly after it became aware that Holland was working at the market, Rosenfeld said. It’s unclear why the union didn’t reach out to Holland earlier, though Rosenfeld partly blamed Holland and the employer for not coming forward. The union has since acknowledged that waiting more than three years to collect back fees for membership was too long. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The union sent Holland a letter with all his rights and benefits of union representation in May or June, shortly after it became aware that Holland was working at the market, Rosenfeld said. It’s unclear why the union didn’t reach out to Holland earlier, though Rosenfeld partly blamed Holland and the employer for not coming forward. The union has since acknowledged that waiting more than three years to collect back fees for membership was too long. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We should have perhaps been more diligent about this. So that’s why we said, ‘Put him back to work. Start over again,’” Rosenfeld said, adding that the union is now asking Holland to pay fees going forward. “We corrected it, realizing that asking him to pay three years back was unfair under these circumstances.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We should have perhaps been more diligent about this. So that’s why we said, ‘Put him back to work. Start over again,’” Rosenfeld said, adding that the union is now asking Holland to pay fees going forward. “We corrected it, realizing that asking him to pay three years back was unfair under these circumstances.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>About one in 10 wage and salaried workers were unionized in 2025 compared to one in five four decades ago, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm\">U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics\u003c/a>. Full-time union employees have higher earnings and \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/press/new-report-details-the-benefits-of-unions-to-workers-communities-and-democracy/\">access to benefits\u003c/a> than employees of nonunion workplaces.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>About one in 10 wage and salaried workers were unionized in 2025 compared to one in five four decades ago, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm\">U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics\u003c/a>. Full-time union employees have higher earnings and \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/press/new-report-details-the-benefits-of-unions-to-workers-communities-and-democracy/\">access to benefits\u003c/a> than employees of nonunion workplaces.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Most U.S. private-sector workers have the right to bargain collectively through chosen representatives without employer coercion or retaliation. Yet, workers are far more likely to lose their jobs for trying to join unions than for not paying union fees, several labor experts told KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Most U.S. private-sector workers have the right to bargain collectively through chosen representatives without employer coercion or retaliation. Yet, workers are far more likely to lose their jobs for trying to join unions than for not paying union fees, several labor experts told KQED.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s not even in the same universe,” said Cathy Creighton, a former attorney at the National Labor Relations Board in New York. The federal agency investigates charges of unfair labor practices.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s so much more likely for an employer to fire an employee for their union activities than it is for a union to ask the employer to terminate an employee for not paying fee dues,” said Creighton, who directs a research initiative at Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations School. “There’s really no comparison.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Unions must notify employees that they can choose limited membership, meaning a labor contract will cover them, but they will pay a share of dues for only direct representation costs like bargaining and grievance handling. These so-called ‘Beck rights’ are named after a lawsuit that led the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in 1988 that workers could reject compulsory fees if they objected to a union’s political or ideological activities.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bill Gould, who chaired the National Labor Relations Board in 1995 when it began requiring unions to inform new members of their Beck rights, said he disagrees in principle with the SCOTUS distinction between full and limited union membership as unions advocate for workers in different ways.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Bill Gould, who chaired the National Labor Relations Board in 1995 when it began requiring unions to inform new members of their Beck rights, said he disagrees in principle with the SCOTUS distinction between full and limited union membership as unions advocate for workers in different ways.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There never should have been a demarcation between expenditures that go toward collective bargaining and those that don’t,” Gould said. “Because unions have a wide-ranging role to provide all kinds of services for the people that they represent, which they think are important, including politics.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He said it’s unclear how often unions fail to notify new members of their Beck rights. But Gould, an emeritus professor at Stanford Law School, suspects many employees at unionized workplaces are not aware of this option.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He said it’s unclear how often unions fail to notify new members of their Beck rights. But Gould, an emeritus professor at Stanford Law School, suspects many employees at unionized workplaces are not aware of this option.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Charges before federal regulators allege that UFCW Local 5 got an 86-year-old unlawfully fired for refusing to pay a sudden $3,700 membership bill, which the union denies.",
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"title": "Senior Fired From Oakland Job After Union Tried to Collect Thousands of Dollars | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>An elderly man has returned to a part-time job at an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> market after the union representing workers at the store got him temporarily fired for refusing to pay a sudden $3,700 membership bill. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The incident, which labor experts said is rare, points to a decadeslong debate about individual workers’ rights and the power of labor unions in a place like California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California is one of 24 states where unions can get private-sector employees terminated under common “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-rights/employer-union-rights-and-obligations\">union-security\u003c/a>” contract agreements with employers, which require all members of a bargaining unit to pay dues as a condition of employment.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Objecting employees can opt out of full union membership, paying instead generally lower fees for direct representation that don’t cover other union activities, such as political lobbying. Nationwide, 26 states have different “right-to-work” laws making union dues payment voluntary. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Philip Holland was let go by the \u003ca href=\"https://villagemkt.com/about-us/\">Village Market\u003c/a> in the Upper Rockridge area last month at the urging of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5, which represents most of the 30 employees at the family-run grocery store.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261013-UNIONTERMINATION-02-BL-KQED-68cc9706.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12104167\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261013-UNIONTERMINATION-02-BL-KQED-68cc9706.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261013-UNIONTERMINATION-02-BL-KQED-68cc9706-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261013-UNIONTERMINATION-02-BL-KQED-68cc9706-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Village Market, a family-owned grocery store, in Oakland on Oct. 13, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union first contacted Holland, an 86-year-old Navy veteran, four years after he began working six-hour, bi-weekly shifts, subsequently demanding $3,676 in back dues and a $400 initiation fee, according to the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which filed charges before federal regulators on behalf of Holland on Sept. 23. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The nonprofit organization, which labor advocates and progressive groups consider anti-union, alleges UFCW representatives waited too long to ask Holland for retroactive pay and failed to notify him that he could choose a reduced amount — charges the union denies.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Holland declined to speak with KQED through representatives at the foundation. But the organization’s vice president, Patrick Semmens, said Holland, an Oakland resident who worked decades in law enforcement before retiring, was surprised, disappointed and angry when he called to inquire about his plight. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He suddenly found himself facing a big threat over, ‘Hey, you better pay us thousands of dollars in back dues or we’re going to have you fired.’ And that’s kind of the exact type of situation that we provide free legal assistance to employees in,” said Semmens, adding that the foundation handles about 250 cases per year of workers who allege unions violated their rights.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By the end of September, UFCW officials had backtracked and asked Keith Trimble, the Village Market’s owner and operator, to reinstate Holland. He returned to work last Wednesday, according to Trimble.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The independent grocery store, owned by Trimble’s family since 1974, has terminated a handful of other employees because of nonpayment of union dues, as stated in the market’s labor contract with UFCW, Trimble said. But Holland was the first worker that the union requested be rehired.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I had a good employee, and through the contract I was required to let them go,” he said. “All I know officially is that for whatever reason they figured they didn’t follow whatever procedures and asked me if I could take him back, and I said yes.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>UFCW Local 5 represents about 25,000 retail and agricultural employees from Salinas to Eureka, including in the Bay Area. David Rosenfeld, an attorney for the union, stressed that it almost never asks employers to terminate someone.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union sent Holland a letter with all his rights and benefits of union representation in May or June, shortly after it became aware that Holland was working at the market, Rosenfeld said. It’s unclear why the union didn’t reach out to Holland earlier, though Rosenfeld partly blamed Holland and the employer for not coming forward. The union has since acknowledged that waiting more than three years to collect back fees for membership was too long. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We should have perhaps been more diligent about this. So that’s why we said, ‘Put him back to work. Start over again,’” Rosenfeld said, adding that the union is now asking Holland to pay fees going forward. “We corrected it, realizing that asking him to pay three years back was unfair under these circumstances.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>About one in 10 wage and salaried workers were unionized in 2025 compared to one in five four decades ago, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm\">U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics\u003c/a>. Full-time union employees have higher earnings and \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/press/new-report-details-the-benefits-of-unions-to-workers-communities-and-democracy/\">access to benefits\u003c/a> than employees of nonunion workplaces.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Most U.S. private-sector workers have the right to bargain collectively through chosen representatives without employer coercion or retaliation. Yet, workers are far more likely to lose their jobs for trying to join unions than for not paying union fees, several labor experts told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1123\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/OaklandGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12015107\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/OaklandGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/OaklandGetty-800x449.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/OaklandGetty-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/OaklandGetty-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/OaklandGetty-1536x862.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/OaklandGetty-1920x1078.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Charges before federal regulators allege UFCW Local 5 got an 86-year-old unlawfully fired for refusing to pay a sudden $3,700 membership bill, which the union denies. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s not even in the same universe,” said Cathy Creighton, a former attorney at the National Labor Relations Board in New York. The federal agency investigates charges of unfair labor practices.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s so much more likely for an employer to fire an employee for their union activities than it is for a union to ask the employer to terminate an employee for not paying fee dues,” said Creighton, who directs a research initiative at Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations School. “There’s really no comparison.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Unions must notify employees that they can choose limited membership, meaning a labor contract will cover them, but they will pay a share of dues for only direct representation costs like bargaining and grievance handling. These so-called ‘Beck rights’ are named after a lawsuit that led the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in 1988 that workers could reject compulsory fees if they objected to a union’s political or ideological activities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bill Gould, who chaired the National Labor Relations Board in 1995 when it began requiring unions to inform new members of their Beck rights, said he disagrees in principle with the SCOTUS distinction between full and limited union membership as unions advocate for workers in different ways.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There never should have been a demarcation between expenditures that go toward collective bargaining and those that don’t,” Gould said. “Because unions have a wide-ranging role to provide all kinds of services for the people that they represent, which they think are important, including politics.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said it’s unclear how often unions fail to notify new members of their Beck rights. But Gould, an emeritus professor at Stanford Law School, suspects many employees at unionized workplaces are not aware of this option.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s not in the interest of unions to publicize this kind of thing,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "san-jose-averts-strike-with-tentative-labor-deal",
"title": "San José Averts Strike With Tentative Labor Deal",
"publishDate": 1791847908,
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"headTitle": "San José Averts Strike With Tentative Labor Deal | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-jose\">San José\u003c/a> will avert a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094427/san-jose-strike-vote-this-week-could-set-up-a-major-work-stoppage\">major workers strike\u003c/a> that threatened to affect a broad range of city services, as leaders are set to ink a deal with the city’s two largest employee unions after months of stalled negotiations, officials said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Municipal Employees’ Federation, AFSCME Local 101, and the City Association of Management Personnel, IFPTE Local 21, which together represent as many as 4,500 workers, have agreed to a tentative deal with the city, and the city council is expected to finalize the approval before the end of the month, officials said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mayor Matt Mahan called it a “great milestone” for the city and its workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We got to a place where I believe and I certainly hope our workforce feels respected and valued and knows that we stretch to get them every dollar we can, while also giving assurance to our residents that their service levels will be maintained and over time increased as we hire more people and adopt technology and see the economy continue to grow,” Mahan said in an interview. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/092526-VioletDaySJ-14-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101443\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/092526-VioletDaySJ-14-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/092526-VioletDaySJ-14-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/092526-VioletDaySJ-14-MC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José Mayor, Matt Mahan, speaks at a press conference ahead of The Golden State Valkyries’ second playoff run on Violet Day outside of San José City Hall in San José on Sept. 25, 2026. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We want to pay our workforce fairly and make sure people can afford to live in the community that they serve without sacrificing essential services from emergency response to library hours. And I think we struck that balance in this deal,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The three-year labor contract includes wage increases of 3% in each year, with the possibility of an additional 1% in the third year if the city’s general fund meets a surplus threshold, according to the city. The deal also includes an immediate one-time bonus payment of 1% to help offset recent price increases and lays out safeguards on artificial intelligence use. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, IFPTE Local 21 said the agreement “represents significant progress toward addressing workers’ priorities, such as AI guardrails and employee retention, and securing a contract that recognizes and respects the workers who keep the city running.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In a time of rising costs and economic uncertainty, our members showed up and made their voices heard, and stayed committed to making real progress that supports a stable workforce for our city,” Carlos Murillo, an airport engineer and a member of the IFPTE Local 21 bargaining team, said in the statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The two unions represent workers from a bevy of city departments, including librarians, city planners, wastewater facility supervisors, animal services officers, veterinarians and park rangers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wages were the biggest issue during eight months of negotiations, including periods of outright gridlock, union leaders said previously. In August, members of the two unions overwhelmingly voted in favor of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095657/thousands-of-san-jose-city-workers-are-ready-to-strike-for-up-to-3-days\">strike authorization\u003c/a> for up to three days of work stoppage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since the strike vote, the unions and the city had been engaged in a process known as fact-finding, with a panel from the California Public Employment Relations Board reviewing the offers made by each side and making non-binding recommendations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Previous public proposals showed the unions were asking for a 14% wage increase over three years, while the city had offered 9% in the same time frame. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12075969\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pedestrians walk past City Hall in San José, California, on Aug. 1, 2023. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The additional pay based on the city’s budget and the bonus pay appeared to be the primary wage differences between the current tentative deal and the city’s past offers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re being open and honest about our financial constraints. Our workforce is being very clear about what they need to be able to live and thrive here,” Mahan said. “It doesn’t work in the long run if we make unsustainable commitments that force us to lay workers off or cut services for vulnerable residents and undermine faith in government.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If both unions went on strike, it would have been the city’s largest since 1981. The same two unions and the city also fought out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">wage disputes\u003c/a> in 2023, nearly leading to a strike before reaching the most recent contracts, which expired in June. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/shossaini\">Sara Hossaini \u003c/a>and Correspondent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/gmarzorati\">Guy Marzorati \u003c/a>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-jose\">San José\u003c/a> will avert a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094427/san-jose-strike-vote-this-week-could-set-up-a-major-work-stoppage\">major workers strike\u003c/a> that threatened to affect a broad range of city services, as leaders are set to ink a deal with the city’s two largest employee unions after months of stalled negotiations, officials said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Municipal Employees’ Federation, AFSCME Local 101, and the City Association of Management Personnel, IFPTE Local 21, which together represent as many as 4,500 workers, have agreed to a tentative deal with the city, and the city council is expected to finalize the approval before the end of the month, officials said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The three-year labor contract includes wage increases of 3% in each year, with the possibility of an additional 1% in the third year if the city’s general fund meets a surplus threshold, according to the city. The deal also includes an immediate one-time bonus payment of 1% to help offset recent price increases and lays out safeguards on artificial intelligence use. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In a time of rising costs and economic uncertainty, our members showed up and made their voices heard, and stayed committed to making real progress that supports a stable workforce for our city,” Carlos Murillo, an airport engineer and a member of the IFPTE Local 21 bargaining team, said in the statement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The two unions represent workers from a bevy of city departments, including librarians, city planners, wastewater facility supervisors, animal services officers, veterinarians and park rangers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wages were the biggest issue during eight months of negotiations, including periods of outright gridlock, union leaders said previously. In August, members of the two unions overwhelmingly voted in favor of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095657/thousands-of-san-jose-city-workers-are-ready-to-strike-for-up-to-3-days\">strike authorization\u003c/a> for up to three days of work stoppage. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since the strike vote, the unions and the city had been engaged in a process known as fact-finding, with a panel from the California Public Employment Relations Board reviewing the offers made by each side and making non-binding recommendations.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re being open and honest about our financial constraints. Our workforce is being very clear about what they need to be able to live and thrive here,” Mahan said. “It doesn’t work in the long run if we make unsustainable commitments that force us to lay workers off or cut services for vulnerable residents and undermine faith in government.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If both unions went on strike, it would have been the city’s largest since 1981. The same two unions and the city also fought out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">wage disputes\u003c/a> in 2023, nearly leading to a strike before reaching the most recent contracts, which expired in June. \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-jose\">San José\u003c/a> will avert a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094427/san-jose-strike-vote-this-week-could-set-up-a-major-work-stoppage\">major workers strike\u003c/a> that threatened to affect a broad range of city services, as leaders are set to ink a deal with the city’s two largest employee unions after months of stalled negotiations, officials said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Municipal Employees’ Federation, AFSCME Local 101, and the City Association of Management Personnel, IFPTE Local 21, which together represent as many as 4,500 workers, have agreed to a tentative deal with the city, and the city council is expected to finalize the approval before the end of the month, officials said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mayor Matt Mahan called it a “great milestone” for the city and its workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We got to a place where I believe and I certainly hope our workforce feels respected and valued and knows that we stretch to get them every dollar we can, while also giving assurance to our residents that their service levels will be maintained and over time increased as we hire more people and adopt technology and see the economy continue to grow,” Mahan said in an interview. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/092526-VioletDaySJ-14-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101443\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/092526-VioletDaySJ-14-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/092526-VioletDaySJ-14-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/092526-VioletDaySJ-14-MC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José Mayor, Matt Mahan, speaks at a press conference ahead of The Golden State Valkyries’ second playoff run on Violet Day outside of San José City Hall in San José on Sept. 25, 2026. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We want to pay our workforce fairly and make sure people can afford to live in the community that they serve without sacrificing essential services from emergency response to library hours. And I think we struck that balance in this deal,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The three-year labor contract includes wage increases of 3% in each year, with the possibility of an additional 1% in the third year if the city’s general fund meets a surplus threshold, according to the city. The deal also includes an immediate one-time bonus payment of 1% to help offset recent price increases and lays out safeguards on artificial intelligence use. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, IFPTE Local 21 said the agreement “represents significant progress toward addressing workers’ priorities, such as AI guardrails and employee retention, and securing a contract that recognizes and respects the workers who keep the city running.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In a time of rising costs and economic uncertainty, our members showed up and made their voices heard, and stayed committed to making real progress that supports a stable workforce for our city,” Carlos Murillo, an airport engineer and a member of the IFPTE Local 21 bargaining team, said in the statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The two unions represent workers from a bevy of city departments, including librarians, city planners, wastewater facility supervisors, animal services officers, veterinarians and park rangers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wages were the biggest issue during eight months of negotiations, including periods of outright gridlock, union leaders said previously. In August, members of the two unions overwhelmingly voted in favor of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095657/thousands-of-san-jose-city-workers-are-ready-to-strike-for-up-to-3-days\">strike authorization\u003c/a> for up to three days of work stoppage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since the strike vote, the unions and the city had been engaged in a process known as fact-finding, with a panel from the California Public Employment Relations Board reviewing the offers made by each side and making non-binding recommendations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Previous public proposals showed the unions were asking for a 14% wage increase over three years, while the city had offered 9% in the same time frame. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12075969\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pedestrians walk past City Hall in San José, California, on Aug. 1, 2023. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The additional pay based on the city’s budget and the bonus pay appeared to be the primary wage differences between the current tentative deal and the city’s past offers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re being open and honest about our financial constraints. Our workforce is being very clear about what they need to be able to live and thrive here,” Mahan said. “It doesn’t work in the long run if we make unsustainable commitments that force us to lay workers off or cut services for vulnerable residents and undermine faith in government.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If both unions went on strike, it would have been the city’s largest since 1981. The same two unions and the city also fought out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">wage disputes\u003c/a> in 2023, nearly leading to a strike before reaching the most recent contracts, which expired in June. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/shossaini\">Sara Hossaini \u003c/a>and Correspondent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/gmarzorati\">Guy Marzorati \u003c/a>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "tech-workers-have-long-resisted-unions-will-ai-and-politics-change-the-equation",
"title": "Tech Workers Have Long Resisted Unions. Will AI and Politics Change the Equation?",
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"headTitle": "Tech Workers Have Long Resisted Unions. Will AI and Politics Change the Equation? | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Joshua Carroll entered the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/technology\">tech world\u003c/a> as a “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed” product manager at Microsoft. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was really excited about the mission of the company,” Carroll said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now in his late 30s and working as a product manager at Google, the self-identified cat dad said that he kept politics out of the office until 2023 — when Israel launched a full-scale military campaign in Gaza, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11971467/protesting-project-nimbus-what-rights-do-silicon-valley-employees-have\">using Google technology\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There were “things in the industry I wasn’t totally stoked about, but I hadn’t really been super engaged around them as a worker,” Carroll said. After seeing “what Google and Amazon were doing to support the genocide in Gaza,” Carroll said he started trying “to improve the industry and how my work was being used.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1374\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2259952730.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12079890\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2259952730.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2259952730-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2259952730-1536x1066.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign is posted at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, on Feb. 4, 2026. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He decided to join the Tech Workers Coalition, a group fighting for “better working conditions and a real say in how the technology [they] build impacts our communities and the world,” according to their \u003ca href=\"https://techworkerscoalition.org/bay-area/\">website\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since joining, Carroll said the Bay Area chapter has focused on building “worker consciousness” among tech workers and connecting them to advocacy campaigns around issues that the industry has an impact on — from Flock cameras to artificial intelligence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For decades, high compensation, strong upward mobility and a culture of individual achievement have helped keep Silicon Valley’s white-collar workers largely detached from organized labor. But as artificial intelligence rapidly changes the nature of technical work, organizers say more tech employees are reconsidering their position in the industry, and following in the footsteps of labor organizers past.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI anxieties \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While some tech workers are wondering how they’ll spend their IPO windfalls, others are experiencing all too familiar AI anxieties: Will AI change our jobs? Will it eliminate them? Will it eliminate us all?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last month, employees at frontier AI labs Anthropic and Google drew widespread attention to AI safety issues by \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/two-ai-researchers-leave-anthropic-google-safety-concerns-rcna597086\">quitting\u003c/a> over concerns that their companies cannot control the technology. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Carroll said he does not discount AI’s existential risk, but he remains more concerned by its “immediate and material harms in terms of labor displacement and social impacts and environmental impacts and surveillance and weaponization — all the things that are happening now.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/GavinNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102341\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/GavinNewsomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/GavinNewsomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/GavinNewsomGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at Google’s San Francisco office about “Creating an AI-Ready Workforce,” a new joint effort with some of the world’s leading tech companies to help better prepare California’s students and workers for the next generation of technology, in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 2025. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jeremy Bernick, an Arizona-based attorney and member of the Communications Workers of America, a national union that represents workers at Alphabet and Wikimedia, said they are worried about senior management pushing AI onto junior employees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“A lot of us are thinking, no, it actually degrades or slows down our work processes,” Bernick said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bernick said there’s some fear that companies will use “token tracking,” a method to see how often each employee uses AI, and other forms of surveillance as part of performance reviews.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As these concerns grew, Bernick said that CWA formed an AI advisory committee and has released an AI bargaining toolkit for workers. In September, white-collar workers at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092335/staff-of-san-francisco-based-wikipedia-demand-union-recognition-raise-concerns-over-ai\">Wikimedia\u003c/a> voted to form a union, and \u003ca href=\"https://cwa-union.org/news/releases/blizzard-entertainment-workers-ratify-historic-video-game-contracts-cwa\">Blizzard Entertainment\u003c/a> ratified their union contract — both drives have mentioned AI usage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While many engineers have adopted AI into their workflow, others said that AI makes their previously creative and intellectually stimulating job more rote and less impactful. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1390\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261004_SILICONVALLEYUNION_GC-3-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102878\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261004_SILICONVALLEYUNION_GC-3-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261004_SILICONVALLEYUNION_GC-3-KQED-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261004_SILICONVALLEYUNION_GC-3-KQED-1536x1068.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Joshua Carroll, a tech worker at Google and core organizer of Tech Workers Coalition, poses for a portrait at his home in Oakland on Oct. 4, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We can see how our control and influence over actual product decisions — and the impact on society — is likely to degrade and is degrading,” Carroll said. He described a shift from making decisions to “shoveling data” — where workers are asked to put information into AI systems and let the machines do the rest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This change in the nature of their work and the rapid advancement of AI models has coincided with massive \u003ca href=\"https://siepr.stanford.edu/publications/policy-brief/what-really-happening-jobs-separating-ai-hype-reality\">restructuring\u003c/a> in the industry. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Already, software companies have laid off tens of thousands of employees, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084655/after-meta-layoffs-newsom-signs-ai-order-to-protect-workers-and-jobs\">citing\u003c/a> a desire to shift spending towards “AI-focused employees and data center construction.” While more employees were laid off in 2023 than 2026, this year saw a rise in layoffs directly attributed to AI, according to \u003ca href=\"https://layoffs.fyi/\">layoffs.fyi\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A 2026 AI Index report from \u003ca href=\"https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/2026-ai-index-report\">Stanford University\u003c/a> found that one-third of organizations surveyed anticipate there will be more job reductions in the near future and that employment for entry-level software developers fell 20% from 2024. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think this is the first era in recent memory outside of maybe the ‘70s and ‘80s where there’s been a real, legitimate fear of actual labor displacement,” Bernick said. “Unions are a really good way to combat that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Political problems\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While some tech workers are organizing to protect their jobs, others are turning to collective bargaining as a way to challenge their company’s political decisions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alex Samburov, a member of the Alphabet Workers Union, has been organizing the \u003ca href=\"https://www.googlers-against-ice.com/\">Googlers Against ICE Campaign,\u003c/a> which opposes their employer’s partnerships with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The campaign specifically calls out the use of AI by federal agencies for “workforce enablement” and “improving operational efficiency,” among other tools, according to the petition. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Samburov, a Russian immigrant, said he joined Google in 2019 right after the tech giant canceled a contract with the Department of Defense for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11668872/google-employees-quit-in-protest-over-military-artificial-intelligence-program\">Project Maven\u003c/a> — a U.S. program that uses AI to help drones distinguish between people and objects — following pressure from employees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SILICONVALLEYUNION-05-BL-KQED-42cdf772.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103634\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SILICONVALLEYUNION-05-BL-KQED-42cdf772.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SILICONVALLEYUNION-05-BL-KQED-42cdf772-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SILICONVALLEYUNION-05-BL-KQED-42cdf772-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alex Samburov, a software engineer at Google, stands at the Google offices in San Francisco on Oct. 8, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That’s the company culture that attracted me to Google,” Samburov said. “Every day I meet more people who care about these issues, meet people who are willing to risk their employment. Some of them are willing to take a risk despite being immigrants like myself.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Samburov said that workers within Google have the most leverage to change the company. He said that creates an obligation to check how the company uses his labor. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have seen Google demonstrate that the organization doesn’t care about much else. Users don’t really have leverage in this relationship and American voters don’t seem to have much leverage either,” Samburov said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The campaign reached 1,700 signatures last month and has since been formally endorsed by the union. Google declined to make anyone available to comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But organizing around these political and ethical questions has become more difficult as layoffs make workers feel more vulnerable, Carroll said. Unions can be helpful here, he said, because they can provide the structure, protections and democratic processes to help workers advocate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The workers are the ones building and maintaining the internet, AI, social media and everything in-between, Carroll said, but a lot of decisions are being put on them from the top down. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If we can come together to see a different direction … there’s a lot of power there,” Carroll said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Silicon Valley’s long history of resistance to unions \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The idea of tech workers organizing collectively is still unusual in Silicon Valley. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Alphabet Workers Union, one of the most prominent tech unions, represents \u003ca href=\"https://www.alphabetworkersunion.org/faqs\">“over a thousand”\u003c/a> employees out of roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091358/4500-google-employees-demand-job-security-amid-big-tech-layoffs\">190,000\u003c/a> employees and is not yet registered with the National Labor Relations Board. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nationally, just 3.7% of workers in “computer and mathematical occupations” are unionized, compared to 10% of workers across other industries according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat42.htm\">Bureau of Labor Statistics\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10638229\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Google employees walk around campus on Aug. 10, 2015. (David Paul Morris/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Margaret O’Mara, a historian and author of \u003cem>The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America\u003c/em>, said that disparity has deep roots. Silicon Valley companies gave their white-collar workers incentives to negotiate with management directly, rather than at the bargaining table. And at the same time, Silicon Valley companies developed aggressive strategies for keeping their workplaces union-free. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While U.S. union membership \u003ca href=\"https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/labor-unions-and-the-us-economy\">peaked\u003c/a> around 1950 — with over 30% of the American workforce carrying a union card at the time — O’Mara said that the management in the Valley was “pretty strongly anti-union.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“From Hewlett-Packard forward, there was an idea that if you had a union in your company, that was a sign that management was doing it wrong,” O’Mara said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Founded in 1939, Hewlett-Packard pioneered some of the systems that keep tech employees aligned with their management even today, O’Mara said, such as stock options. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While stock options, the ability to buy shares of the company at a reduced price, had long been an option for management, HP opened them up and turned them into “a way to deliver employee benefits that was kind of different from the way a standardized, unionized shop would work,” O’Mara said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The relationship between employers and workers was different on the factory floor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>David Bacon, a former engineering technician and union organizer at National Semiconductor, said that the companies were “laboratories for keeping themselves union-free.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They did this by a number of means,” Bacon said, “for instance, ensuring that the production workforce in the semiconductor plants [was] made up of immigrants and a huge majority of women,” who managers could intimidate because they were more “vulnerable.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bacon also said he and other union organizers were fired and blacklisted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The result was a workplace culture in which unionization could seem unnecessary, or even antithetical to the work, for some and dangerous for others. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Carroll said that talking to his coworkers about unionizing today often involves a lot of education. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He often has to explain to them, he said, that “it would be illegal for the companies to retaliate or discriminate against us for [organizing around working conditions].”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The future of AI workers?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As organizers like Carroll, Bernick and Samburov push for unionization, some experts question whether the current wave of AI and political anxiety will translate into meaningful union drives.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lenny Siegel, former mayor of Mountain View and a longtime activist, said that he does not believe AI alone will push tech workers to unionize. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Unless the AI bubble pops, Siegel said he is “not expecting people [in Silicon Valley] to have trouble negotiating individually for bread and butter issues.” Without the need to collectively bargain, unionization is unlikely — especially given the \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/trump-says-skilled-foreign-workers-take-jobs-away-from-americans-its-not-that-simple-experts-say\">high concentration\u003c/a> of tech employees on H1B visas who risk losing everything if their company decides to retaliate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1379\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/DonaldTrumpGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066914\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/DonaldTrumpGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/DonaldTrumpGetty1-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/DonaldTrumpGetty1-1536x1059.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. President Donald Trump displays a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The executive order curbs states’ ability to regulate artificial intelligence, something for which the tech industry has been lobbying. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While Siegel does not believe he’ll see software engineers on the picket line anytime soon, he agrees that organizing around political issues will continue.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There have always been progressive tech workers in the Valley,” Siegel said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the ’90s, Siegel belonged to a group called Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, which he described as a “collection of tech professionals who got together and effectively, because of their expertise, had an impact on policy.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The group formed in \u003ca href=\"http://cpsr.org/about/history/\">1981\u003c/a> and opposed the use of computing technology for military applications, including the \u003ca href=\"http://cpsr.org/prevsite/publications/newsletters/old/1980s/Fall1986.txt/\">Strategic Computing Initiative,\u003c/a> an early artificial intelligence project funded by the Department of Defense. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While political engagement among techies may not be new, Carroll said building power within the workplace helps give workers the security they need to speak out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We need to feel like our jobs are safe in order to feel comfortable working on and talking about some of these other issues,” Carroll said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Carroll, the effort to build solidarity with his coworkers and colleagues across the industry has been worth it, even if it moves slowly. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Labor organizing and trying to directly create power against the people at the top that are making a lot of the decisions is one of the most impactful things that we can be doing,” Carroll said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Now in his late 30s and working as a product manager at Google, the self-identified cat dad said that he kept politics out of the office until 2023 — when Israel launched a full-scale military campaign in Gaza, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11971467/protesting-project-nimbus-what-rights-do-silicon-valley-employees-have\">using Google technology\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Now in his late 30s and working as a product manager at Google, the self-identified cat dad said that he kept politics out of the office until 2023 — when Israel launched a full-scale military campaign in Gaza, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11971467/protesting-project-nimbus-what-rights-do-silicon-valley-employees-have\">using Google technology\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There were “things in the industry I wasn’t totally stoked about, but I hadn’t really been super engaged around them as a worker,” Carroll said. After seeing “what Google and Amazon were doing to support the genocide in Gaza,” Carroll said he started trying “to improve the industry and how my work was being used.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2259952730.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12079890\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign is posted at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, on Feb. 4, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He decided to join the Tech Workers Coalition, a group fighting for “better working conditions and a real say in how the technology [they] build impacts our communities and the world,” according to their \u003ca href=\"https://techworkerscoalition.org/bay-area/\">website\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since joining, Carroll said the Bay Area chapter has focused on building “worker consciousness” among tech workers and connecting them to advocacy campaigns around issues that the industry has an impact on — from Flock cameras to artificial intelligence. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Since joining, Carroll said the Bay Area chapter has focused on building “worker consciousness” among tech workers and connecting them to advocacy campaigns around issues that the industry has an impact on — from Flock cameras to artificial intelligence. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For decades, high compensation, strong upward mobility and a culture of individual achievement have helped keep Silicon Valley’s white-collar workers largely detached from organized labor. But as artificial intelligence rapidly changes the nature of technical work, organizers say more tech employees are reconsidering their position in the industry, and following in the footsteps of labor organizers past.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For decades, high compensation, strong upward mobility and a culture of individual achievement have helped keep Silicon Valley’s white-collar workers largely detached from organized labor. But as artificial intelligence rapidly changes the nature of technical work, organizers say more tech employees are reconsidering their position in the industry, and following in the footsteps of labor organizers past.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While some tech workers are wondering how they’ll spend their IPO windfalls, others are experiencing all too familiar AI anxieties: Will AI change our jobs? Will it eliminate them? Will it eliminate us all?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While some tech workers are wondering how they’ll spend their IPO windfalls, others are experiencing all too familiar AI anxieties: Will AI change our jobs? Will it eliminate them? Will it eliminate us all?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last month, employees at frontier AI labs Anthropic and Google drew widespread attention to AI safety issues by \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/two-ai-researchers-leave-anthropic-google-safety-concerns-rcna597086\">quitting\u003c/a> over concerns that their companies cannot control the technology. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Last month, employees at frontier AI labs Anthropic and Google drew widespread attention to AI safety issues by \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/two-ai-researchers-leave-anthropic-google-safety-concerns-rcna597086\">quitting\u003c/a> over concerns that their companies cannot control the technology. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Carroll said he does not discount AI’s existential risk, but he remains more concerned by its “immediate and material harms in terms of labor displacement and social impacts and environmental impacts and surveillance and weaponization — all the things that are happening now.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Carroll said he does not discount AI’s existential risk, but he remains more concerned by its “immediate and material harms in terms of labor displacement and social impacts and environmental impacts and surveillance and weaponization — all the things that are happening now.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/GavinNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102341\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/GavinNewsomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/GavinNewsomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/GavinNewsomGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at Google’s San Francisco office about “Creating an AI-Ready Workforce,” a new joint effort with some of the world’s leading tech companies to help better prepare California’s students and workers for the next generation of technology, in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/GavinNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102341\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at Google’s San Francisco office about “Creating an AI-Ready Workforce,” a new joint effort with some of the world’s leading tech companies to help better prepare California’s students and workers for the next generation of technology, in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jeremy Bernick, an Arizona-based attorney and member of the Communications Workers of America, a national union that represents workers at Alphabet and Wikimedia, said they are worried about senior management pushing AI onto junior employees. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Jeremy Bernick, an Arizona-based attorney and member of the Communications Workers of America, a national union that represents workers at Alphabet and Wikimedia, said they are worried about senior management pushing AI onto junior employees. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“A lot of us are thinking, no, it actually degrades or slows down our work processes,” Bernick said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bernick said there’s some fear that companies will use “token tracking,” a method to see how often each employee uses AI, and other forms of surveillance as part of performance reviews.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Bernick said there’s some fear that companies will use “token tracking,” a method to see how often each employee uses AI, and other forms of surveillance as part of performance reviews.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As these concerns grew, Bernick said that CWA formed an AI advisory committee and has released an AI bargaining toolkit for workers. In September, white-collar workers at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092335/staff-of-san-francisco-based-wikipedia-demand-union-recognition-raise-concerns-over-ai\">Wikimedia\u003c/a> voted to form a union, and \u003ca href=\"https://cwa-union.org/news/releases/blizzard-entertainment-workers-ratify-historic-video-game-contracts-cwa\">Blizzard Entertainment\u003c/a> ratified their union contract — both drives have mentioned AI usage. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As these concerns grew, Bernick said that CWA formed an AI advisory committee and has released an AI bargaining toolkit for workers. In September, white-collar workers at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092335/staff-of-san-francisco-based-wikipedia-demand-union-recognition-raise-concerns-over-ai\">Wikimedia\u003c/a> voted to form a union, and \u003ca href=\"https://cwa-union.org/news/releases/blizzard-entertainment-workers-ratify-historic-video-game-contracts-cwa\">Blizzard Entertainment\u003c/a> ratified their union contract — both drives have mentioned AI usage. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While many engineers have adopted AI into their workflow, others said that AI makes their previously creative and intellectually stimulating job more rote and less impactful. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While many engineers have adopted AI into their workflow, others said that AI makes their previously creative and intellectually stimulating job more rote and less impactful. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261004_SILICONVALLEYUNION_GC-3-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102878\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261004_SILICONVALLEYUNION_GC-3-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261004_SILICONVALLEYUNION_GC-3-KQED-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261004_SILICONVALLEYUNION_GC-3-KQED-1536x1068.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Joshua Carroll, a tech worker at Google and core organizer of Tech Workers Coalition, poses for a portrait at his home in Oakland on Oct. 4, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261004_SILICONVALLEYUNION_GC-3-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102878\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Joshua Carroll, a tech worker at Google and core organizer of Tech Workers Coalition, poses for a portrait at his home in Oakland on Oct. 4, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We can see how our control and influence over actual product decisions — and the impact on society — is likely to degrade and is degrading,” Carroll said. He described a shift from making decisions to “shoveling data” — where workers are asked to put information into AI systems and let the machines do the rest. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This change in the nature of their work and the rapid advancement of AI models has coincided with massive \u003ca href=\"https://siepr.stanford.edu/publications/policy-brief/what-really-happening-jobs-separating-ai-hype-reality\">restructuring\u003c/a> in the industry. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Already, software companies have laid off tens of thousands of employees, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084655/after-meta-layoffs-newsom-signs-ai-order-to-protect-workers-and-jobs\">citing\u003c/a> a desire to shift spending towards “AI-focused employees and data center construction.” While more employees were laid off in 2023 than 2026, this year saw a rise in layoffs directly attributed to AI, according to \u003ca href=\"https://layoffs.fyi/\">layoffs.fyi\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Already, software companies have laid off tens of thousands of employees, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084655/after-meta-layoffs-newsom-signs-ai-order-to-protect-workers-and-jobs\">citing\u003c/a> a desire to shift spending towards “AI-focused employees and data center construction.” While more employees were laid off in 2023 than 2026, this year saw a rise in layoffs directly attributed to AI, according to \u003ca href=\"https://layoffs.fyi/\">layoffs.fyi\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A 2026 AI Index report from \u003ca href=\"https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/2026-ai-index-report\">Stanford University\u003c/a> found that one-third of organizations surveyed anticipate there will be more job reductions in the near future and that employment for entry-level software developers fell 20% from 2024. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think this is the first era in recent memory outside of maybe the ‘70s and ‘80s where there’s been a real, legitimate fear of actual labor displacement,” Bernick said. “Unions are a really good way to combat that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While some tech workers are organizing to protect their jobs, others are turning to collective bargaining as a way to challenge their company’s political decisions. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Alex Samburov, a member of the Alphabet Workers Union, has been organizing the \u003ca href=\"https://www.googlers-against-ice.com/\">Googlers Against ICE Campaign,\u003c/a> which opposes their employer’s partnerships with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The campaign specifically calls out the use of AI by federal agencies for “workforce enablement” and “improving operational efficiency,” among other tools, according to the petition. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Alex Samburov, a member of the Alphabet Workers Union, has been organizing the \u003ca href=\"https://www.googlers-against-ice.com/\">Googlers Against ICE Campaign,\u003c/a> which opposes their employer’s partnerships with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The campaign specifically calls out the use of AI by federal agencies for “workforce enablement” and “improving operational efficiency,” among other tools, according to the petition. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Samburov, a Russian immigrant, said he joined Google in 2019 right after the tech giant canceled a contract with the Department of Defense for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11668872/google-employees-quit-in-protest-over-military-artificial-intelligence-program\">Project Maven\u003c/a> — a U.S. program that uses AI to help drones distinguish between people and objects — following pressure from employees. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SILICONVALLEYUNION-05-BL-KQED-42cdf772.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103634\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SILICONVALLEYUNION-05-BL-KQED-42cdf772.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SILICONVALLEYUNION-05-BL-KQED-42cdf772-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SILICONVALLEYUNION-05-BL-KQED-42cdf772-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alex Samburov, a software engineer at Google, stands at the Google offices in San Francisco on Oct. 8, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SILICONVALLEYUNION-05-BL-KQED-42cdf772.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103634\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alex Samburov, a software engineer at Google, stands at the Google offices in San Francisco on Oct. 8, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That’s the company culture that attracted me to Google,” Samburov said. “Every day I meet more people who care about these issues, meet people who are willing to risk their employment. Some of them are willing to take a risk despite being immigrants like myself.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Samburov said that workers within Google have the most leverage to change the company. He said that creates an obligation to check how the company uses his labor. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We have seen Google demonstrate that the organization doesn’t care about much else. Users don’t really have leverage in this relationship and American voters don’t seem to have much leverage either,” Samburov said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We have seen Google demonstrate that the organization doesn’t care about much else. Users don’t really have leverage in this relationship and American voters don’t seem to have much leverage either,” Samburov said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The campaign reached 1,700 signatures last month and has since been formally endorsed by the union. Google declined to make anyone available to comment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But organizing around these political and ethical questions has become more difficult as layoffs make workers feel more vulnerable, Carroll said. Unions can be helpful here, he said, because they can provide the structure, protections and democratic processes to help workers advocate. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But organizing around these political and ethical questions has become more difficult as layoffs make workers feel more vulnerable, Carroll said. Unions can be helpful here, he said, because they can provide the structure, protections and democratic processes to help workers advocate. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The workers are the ones building and maintaining the internet, AI, social media and everything in-between, Carroll said, but a lot of decisions are being put on them from the top down. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If we can come together to see a different direction … there’s a lot of power there,” Carroll said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"text": "Silicon Valley’s long history of resistance to unions ",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The idea of tech workers organizing collectively is still unusual in Silicon Valley. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Alphabet Workers Union, one of the most prominent tech unions, represents \u003ca href=\"https://www.alphabetworkersunion.org/faqs\">“over a thousand”\u003c/a> employees out of roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091358/4500-google-employees-demand-job-security-amid-big-tech-layoffs\">190,000\u003c/a> employees and is not yet registered with the National Labor Relations Board. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Alphabet Workers Union, one of the most prominent tech unions, represents \u003ca href=\"https://www.alphabetworkersunion.org/faqs\">“over a thousand”\u003c/a> employees out of roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091358/4500-google-employees-demand-job-security-amid-big-tech-layoffs\">190,000\u003c/a> employees and is not yet registered with the National Labor Relations Board. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nationally, just 3.7% of workers in “computer and mathematical occupations” are unionized, compared to 10% of workers across other industries according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat42.htm\">Bureau of Labor Statistics\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Nationally, just 3.7% of workers in “computer and mathematical occupations” are unionized, compared to 10% of workers across other industries according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat42.htm\">Bureau of Labor Statistics\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10638229\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Google employees walk around campus on Aug. 10, 2015.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (David Paul Morris/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Margaret O’Mara, a historian and author of \u003cem>The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America\u003c/em>, said that disparity has deep roots. Silicon Valley companies gave their white-collar workers incentives to negotiate with management directly, rather than at the bargaining table. And at the same time, Silicon Valley companies developed aggressive strategies for keeping their workplaces union-free. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While U.S. union membership \u003ca href=\"https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/labor-unions-and-the-us-economy\">peaked\u003c/a> around 1950 — with over 30% of the American workforce carrying a union card at the time — O’Mara said that the management in the Valley was “pretty strongly anti-union.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“From Hewlett-Packard forward, there was an idea that if you had a union in your company, that was a sign that management was doing it wrong,” O’Mara said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Founded in 1939, Hewlett-Packard pioneered some of the systems that keep tech employees aligned with their management even today, O’Mara said, such as stock options. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While stock options, the ability to buy shares of the company at a reduced price, had long been an option for management, HP opened them up and turned them into “a way to deliver employee benefits that was kind of different from the way a standardized, unionized shop would work,” O’Mara said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The relationship between employers and workers was different on the factory floor.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>David Bacon, a former engineering technician and union organizer at National Semiconductor, said that the companies were “laboratories for keeping themselves union-free.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They did this by a number of means,” Bacon said, “for instance, ensuring that the production workforce in the semiconductor plants [was] made up of immigrants and a huge majority of women,” who managers could intimidate because they were more “vulnerable.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bacon also said he and other union organizers were fired and blacklisted.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The result was a workplace culture in which unionization could seem unnecessary, or even antithetical to the work, for some and dangerous for others. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Carroll said that talking to his coworkers about unionizing today often involves a lot of education. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He often has to explain to them, he said, that “it would be illegal for the companies to retaliate or discriminate against us for [organizing around working conditions].”\u003c/p>\n",
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"text": "The future of AI workers?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The future of AI workers?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As organizers like Carroll, Bernick and Samburov push for unionization, some experts question whether the current wave of AI and political anxiety will translate into meaningful union drives.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lenny Siegel, former mayor of Mountain View and a longtime activist, said that he does not believe AI alone will push tech workers to unionize. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Unless the AI bubble pops, Siegel said he is “not expecting people [in Silicon Valley] to have trouble negotiating individually for bread and butter issues.” Without the need to collectively bargain, unionization is unlikely — especially given the \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/trump-says-skilled-foreign-workers-take-jobs-away-from-americans-its-not-that-simple-experts-say\">high concentration\u003c/a> of tech employees on H1B visas who risk losing everything if their company decides to retaliate. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While Siegel does not believe he’ll see software engineers on the picket line anytime soon, he agrees that organizing around political issues will continue.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There have always been progressive tech workers in the Valley,” Siegel said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the ’90s, Siegel belonged to a group called Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, which he described as a “collection of tech professionals who got together and effectively, because of their expertise, had an impact on policy.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The group formed in \u003ca href=\"http://cpsr.org/about/history/\">1981\u003c/a> and opposed the use of computing technology for military applications, including the \u003ca href=\"http://cpsr.org/prevsite/publications/newsletters/old/1980s/Fall1986.txt/\">Strategic Computing Initiative,\u003c/a> an early artificial intelligence project funded by the Department of Defense. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The group formed in \u003ca href=\"http://cpsr.org/about/history/\">1981\u003c/a> and opposed the use of computing technology for military applications, including the \u003ca href=\"http://cpsr.org/prevsite/publications/newsletters/old/1980s/Fall1986.txt/\">Strategic Computing Initiative,\u003c/a> an early artificial intelligence project funded by the Department of Defense. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While political engagement among techies may not be new, Carroll said building power within the workplace helps give workers the security they need to speak out. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We need to feel like our jobs are safe in order to feel comfortable working on and talking about some of these other issues,” Carroll said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Joshua Carroll entered the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/technology\">tech world\u003c/a> as a “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed” product manager at Microsoft. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was really excited about the mission of the company,” Carroll said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now in his late 30s and working as a product manager at Google, the self-identified cat dad said that he kept politics out of the office until 2023 — when Israel launched a full-scale military campaign in Gaza, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11971467/protesting-project-nimbus-what-rights-do-silicon-valley-employees-have\">using Google technology\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There were “things in the industry I wasn’t totally stoked about, but I hadn’t really been super engaged around them as a worker,” Carroll said. After seeing “what Google and Amazon were doing to support the genocide in Gaza,” Carroll said he started trying “to improve the industry and how my work was being used.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1374\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2259952730.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12079890\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2259952730.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2259952730-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2259952730-1536x1066.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign is posted at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, on Feb. 4, 2026. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He decided to join the Tech Workers Coalition, a group fighting for “better working conditions and a real say in how the technology [they] build impacts our communities and the world,” according to their \u003ca href=\"https://techworkerscoalition.org/bay-area/\">website\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since joining, Carroll said the Bay Area chapter has focused on building “worker consciousness” among tech workers and connecting them to advocacy campaigns around issues that the industry has an impact on — from Flock cameras to artificial intelligence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For decades, high compensation, strong upward mobility and a culture of individual achievement have helped keep Silicon Valley’s white-collar workers largely detached from organized labor. But as artificial intelligence rapidly changes the nature of technical work, organizers say more tech employees are reconsidering their position in the industry, and following in the footsteps of labor organizers past.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI anxieties \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While some tech workers are wondering how they’ll spend their IPO windfalls, others are experiencing all too familiar AI anxieties: Will AI change our jobs? Will it eliminate them? Will it eliminate us all?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last month, employees at frontier AI labs Anthropic and Google drew widespread attention to AI safety issues by \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/two-ai-researchers-leave-anthropic-google-safety-concerns-rcna597086\">quitting\u003c/a> over concerns that their companies cannot control the technology. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Carroll said he does not discount AI’s existential risk, but he remains more concerned by its “immediate and material harms in terms of labor displacement and social impacts and environmental impacts and surveillance and weaponization — all the things that are happening now.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/GavinNewsomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102341\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/GavinNewsomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/GavinNewsomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/GavinNewsomGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at Google’s San Francisco office about “Creating an AI-Ready Workforce,” a new joint effort with some of the world’s leading tech companies to help better prepare California’s students and workers for the next generation of technology, in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 2025. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jeremy Bernick, an Arizona-based attorney and member of the Communications Workers of America, a national union that represents workers at Alphabet and Wikimedia, said they are worried about senior management pushing AI onto junior employees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“A lot of us are thinking, no, it actually degrades or slows down our work processes,” Bernick said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bernick said there’s some fear that companies will use “token tracking,” a method to see how often each employee uses AI, and other forms of surveillance as part of performance reviews.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As these concerns grew, Bernick said that CWA formed an AI advisory committee and has released an AI bargaining toolkit for workers. In September, white-collar workers at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092335/staff-of-san-francisco-based-wikipedia-demand-union-recognition-raise-concerns-over-ai\">Wikimedia\u003c/a> voted to form a union, and \u003ca href=\"https://cwa-union.org/news/releases/blizzard-entertainment-workers-ratify-historic-video-game-contracts-cwa\">Blizzard Entertainment\u003c/a> ratified their union contract — both drives have mentioned AI usage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While many engineers have adopted AI into their workflow, others said that AI makes their previously creative and intellectually stimulating job more rote and less impactful. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1390\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261004_SILICONVALLEYUNION_GC-3-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102878\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261004_SILICONVALLEYUNION_GC-3-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261004_SILICONVALLEYUNION_GC-3-KQED-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261004_SILICONVALLEYUNION_GC-3-KQED-1536x1068.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Joshua Carroll, a tech worker at Google and core organizer of Tech Workers Coalition, poses for a portrait at his home in Oakland on Oct. 4, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We can see how our control and influence over actual product decisions — and the impact on society — is likely to degrade and is degrading,” Carroll said. He described a shift from making decisions to “shoveling data” — where workers are asked to put information into AI systems and let the machines do the rest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This change in the nature of their work and the rapid advancement of AI models has coincided with massive \u003ca href=\"https://siepr.stanford.edu/publications/policy-brief/what-really-happening-jobs-separating-ai-hype-reality\">restructuring\u003c/a> in the industry. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Already, software companies have laid off tens of thousands of employees, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084655/after-meta-layoffs-newsom-signs-ai-order-to-protect-workers-and-jobs\">citing\u003c/a> a desire to shift spending towards “AI-focused employees and data center construction.” While more employees were laid off in 2023 than 2026, this year saw a rise in layoffs directly attributed to AI, according to \u003ca href=\"https://layoffs.fyi/\">layoffs.fyi\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A 2026 AI Index report from \u003ca href=\"https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/2026-ai-index-report\">Stanford University\u003c/a> found that one-third of organizations surveyed anticipate there will be more job reductions in the near future and that employment for entry-level software developers fell 20% from 2024. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think this is the first era in recent memory outside of maybe the ‘70s and ‘80s where there’s been a real, legitimate fear of actual labor displacement,” Bernick said. “Unions are a really good way to combat that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Political problems\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While some tech workers are organizing to protect their jobs, others are turning to collective bargaining as a way to challenge their company’s political decisions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alex Samburov, a member of the Alphabet Workers Union, has been organizing the \u003ca href=\"https://www.googlers-against-ice.com/\">Googlers Against ICE Campaign,\u003c/a> which opposes their employer’s partnerships with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The campaign specifically calls out the use of AI by federal agencies for “workforce enablement” and “improving operational efficiency,” among other tools, according to the petition. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Samburov, a Russian immigrant, said he joined Google in 2019 right after the tech giant canceled a contract with the Department of Defense for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11668872/google-employees-quit-in-protest-over-military-artificial-intelligence-program\">Project Maven\u003c/a> — a U.S. program that uses AI to help drones distinguish between people and objects — following pressure from employees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SILICONVALLEYUNION-05-BL-KQED-42cdf772.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103634\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SILICONVALLEYUNION-05-BL-KQED-42cdf772.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SILICONVALLEYUNION-05-BL-KQED-42cdf772-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261008-SILICONVALLEYUNION-05-BL-KQED-42cdf772-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alex Samburov, a software engineer at Google, stands at the Google offices in San Francisco on Oct. 8, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That’s the company culture that attracted me to Google,” Samburov said. “Every day I meet more people who care about these issues, meet people who are willing to risk their employment. Some of them are willing to take a risk despite being immigrants like myself.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Samburov said that workers within Google have the most leverage to change the company. He said that creates an obligation to check how the company uses his labor. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have seen Google demonstrate that the organization doesn’t care about much else. Users don’t really have leverage in this relationship and American voters don’t seem to have much leverage either,” Samburov said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The campaign reached 1,700 signatures last month and has since been formally endorsed by the union. Google declined to make anyone available to comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But organizing around these political and ethical questions has become more difficult as layoffs make workers feel more vulnerable, Carroll said. Unions can be helpful here, he said, because they can provide the structure, protections and democratic processes to help workers advocate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The workers are the ones building and maintaining the internet, AI, social media and everything in-between, Carroll said, but a lot of decisions are being put on them from the top down. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If we can come together to see a different direction … there’s a lot of power there,” Carroll said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Silicon Valley’s long history of resistance to unions \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The idea of tech workers organizing collectively is still unusual in Silicon Valley. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Alphabet Workers Union, one of the most prominent tech unions, represents \u003ca href=\"https://www.alphabetworkersunion.org/faqs\">“over a thousand”\u003c/a> employees out of roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091358/4500-google-employees-demand-job-security-amid-big-tech-layoffs\">190,000\u003c/a> employees and is not yet registered with the National Labor Relations Board. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nationally, just 3.7% of workers in “computer and mathematical occupations” are unionized, compared to 10% of workers across other industries according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat42.htm\">Bureau of Labor Statistics\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10638229\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/GoogleWorkers201207121920-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Google employees walk around campus on Aug. 10, 2015. (David Paul Morris/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Margaret O’Mara, a historian and author of \u003cem>The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America\u003c/em>, said that disparity has deep roots. Silicon Valley companies gave their white-collar workers incentives to negotiate with management directly, rather than at the bargaining table. And at the same time, Silicon Valley companies developed aggressive strategies for keeping their workplaces union-free. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While U.S. union membership \u003ca href=\"https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/labor-unions-and-the-us-economy\">peaked\u003c/a> around 1950 — with over 30% of the American workforce carrying a union card at the time — O’Mara said that the management in the Valley was “pretty strongly anti-union.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“From Hewlett-Packard forward, there was an idea that if you had a union in your company, that was a sign that management was doing it wrong,” O’Mara said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Founded in 1939, Hewlett-Packard pioneered some of the systems that keep tech employees aligned with their management even today, O’Mara said, such as stock options. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While stock options, the ability to buy shares of the company at a reduced price, had long been an option for management, HP opened them up and turned them into “a way to deliver employee benefits that was kind of different from the way a standardized, unionized shop would work,” O’Mara said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The relationship between employers and workers was different on the factory floor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>David Bacon, a former engineering technician and union organizer at National Semiconductor, said that the companies were “laboratories for keeping themselves union-free.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They did this by a number of means,” Bacon said, “for instance, ensuring that the production workforce in the semiconductor plants [was] made up of immigrants and a huge majority of women,” who managers could intimidate because they were more “vulnerable.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bacon also said he and other union organizers were fired and blacklisted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The result was a workplace culture in which unionization could seem unnecessary, or even antithetical to the work, for some and dangerous for others. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Carroll said that talking to his coworkers about unionizing today often involves a lot of education. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He often has to explain to them, he said, that “it would be illegal for the companies to retaliate or discriminate against us for [organizing around working conditions].”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The future of AI workers?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As organizers like Carroll, Bernick and Samburov push for unionization, some experts question whether the current wave of AI and political anxiety will translate into meaningful union drives.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lenny Siegel, former mayor of Mountain View and a longtime activist, said that he does not believe AI alone will push tech workers to unionize. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Unless the AI bubble pops, Siegel said he is “not expecting people [in Silicon Valley] to have trouble negotiating individually for bread and butter issues.” Without the need to collectively bargain, unionization is unlikely — especially given the \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/trump-says-skilled-foreign-workers-take-jobs-away-from-americans-its-not-that-simple-experts-say\">high concentration\u003c/a> of tech employees on H1B visas who risk losing everything if their company decides to retaliate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1379\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/DonaldTrumpGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066914\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/DonaldTrumpGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/DonaldTrumpGetty1-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/DonaldTrumpGetty1-1536x1059.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. President Donald Trump displays a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The executive order curbs states’ ability to regulate artificial intelligence, something for which the tech industry has been lobbying. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While Siegel does not believe he’ll see software engineers on the picket line anytime soon, he agrees that organizing around political issues will continue.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There have always been progressive tech workers in the Valley,” Siegel said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the ’90s, Siegel belonged to a group called Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, which he described as a “collection of tech professionals who got together and effectively, because of their expertise, had an impact on policy.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The group formed in \u003ca href=\"http://cpsr.org/about/history/\">1981\u003c/a> and opposed the use of computing technology for military applications, including the \u003ca href=\"http://cpsr.org/prevsite/publications/newsletters/old/1980s/Fall1986.txt/\">Strategic Computing Initiative,\u003c/a> an early artificial intelligence project funded by the Department of Defense. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While political engagement among techies may not be new, Carroll said building power within the workplace helps give workers the security they need to speak out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We need to feel like our jobs are safe in order to feel comfortable working on and talking about some of these other issues,” Carroll said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Carroll, the effort to build solidarity with his coworkers and colleagues across the industry has been worth it, even if it moves slowly. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Labor organizing and trying to directly create power against the people at the top that are making a lot of the decisions is one of the most impactful things that we can be doing,” Carroll said.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "California’s Largest State-Workers Union Set to Strike Later This Month",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>’s largest state-workers union is set to strike later this month, in a conflict escalation aiming to pressure the Newsom administration to reach a contract deal soon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The announcement comes after a vote, open to the roughly 100,000 state employees the union represents, resulted Wednesday in overwhelming support for a walkout if negotiations keep stalling, according to Service Employees International Union Local 1000 representatives. Office workers, cooks, custodians, nurses and others statewide plan to go on strike on Oct. 21.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“State workers are prepared to hold the line and, if necessary, go on strike to say, there is no California without state workers keeping it running,” union President Anica Walls said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are demanding a fair contract that recognizes the work that we do, and that makes it possible for us to live in the communities that we work in,” said Walls, a disability evaluation analyst with the Department of Social Services since 2006.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041826-I80Closure-JY-11-scaled-e1791490590125.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12080557\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Caltrans worker adjusts construction cones as traffic comes to a slow on I-80 eastbound in San Francisco on April 18, 2026. (Juliana Yamada for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Union-represented employees at libraries, hospitals and agencies such as Caltrans, CalFire and the Department of Motor Vehicles have never walked out of their jobs before, though SEIU Local 1000 members first authorized a strike that was averted by a last-minute deal a decade ago.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This time, Walls argued that a work stoppage may be necessary because the administration has failed to bargain in good faith since earlier this year on worker priorities. The union has proposed a 20% across-the-board wage increase over three years, lower-cost healthcare benefits and more flexible telework requirements, bids that were summarily rejected.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There wasn’t a real negotiation,” she said, adding that the two parties remain far apart with no future bargaining dates on the calendar yet. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The strike authorization vote comes as the California Public Employment Relations Board has appointed a mediator to help the administration and SEIU Local 1000 resolve their dispute. Last week, the agency determined the existence of an impasse after the union filed unfair labor practice charges against the administration in July.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, a spokesperson with the California Department of Human Resources said the state remains open to negotiation and is prepared to move into mediation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our focus is on reaching a fair and responsible agreement, and we continue to be available at the bargaining table,” said Angela Musallam, a spokesperson for CalHR.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the biggest sticking points has been Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order requiring most employees to return to the office at least four days a week, which went into effect in July after a one-year delay. The mandate upended previous in-person work expectations adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SEIU Local 1000 and other unions pushed back, including by sponsoring \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1729\">a bill\u003c/a> that would have required state agencies to develop their own remote-work policies and provide detailed justification to employees when in-office work was required. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A state auditor’s report found that savings from broader telework could reach $225 million. The California legislature approved AB 1729, but Newsom vetoed the proposed legislation last month.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A previous version of this story incorrectly characterized SEIU Local 1000. It is the largest state-workers union, not the largest public-sector union.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>’s largest state-workers union is set to strike later this month, in a conflict escalation aiming to pressure the Newsom administration to reach a contract deal soon.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The announcement comes after a vote, open to the roughly 100,000 state employees the union represents, resulted Wednesday in overwhelming support for a walkout if negotiations keep stalling, according to Service Employees International Union Local 1000 representatives. Office workers, cooks, custodians, nurses and others statewide plan to go on strike on Oct. 21.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“State workers are prepared to hold the line and, if necessary, go on strike to say, there is no California without state workers keeping it running,” union President Anica Walls said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are demanding a fair contract that recognizes the work that we do, and that makes it possible for us to live in the communities that we work in,” said Walls, a disability evaluation analyst with the Department of Social Services since 2006.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041826-I80Closure-JY-11-scaled-e1791490590125.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12080557\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Caltrans worker adjusts construction cones as traffic comes to a slow on I-80 eastbound in San Francisco on April 18, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Juliana Yamada for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Union-represented employees at libraries, hospitals and agencies such as Caltrans, CalFire and the Department of Motor Vehicles have never walked out of their jobs before, though SEIU Local 1000 members first authorized a strike that was averted by a last-minute deal a decade ago.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The strike authorization vote comes as the California Public Employment Relations Board has appointed a mediator to help the administration and SEIU Local 1000 resolve their dispute. Last week, the agency determined the existence of an impasse after the union filed unfair labor practice charges against the administration in July.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of the biggest sticking points has been Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order requiring most employees to return to the office at least four days a week, which went into effect in July after a one-year delay. The mandate upended previous in-person work expectations adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>SEIU Local 1000 and other unions pushed back, including by sponsoring \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1729\">a bill\u003c/a> that would have required state agencies to develop their own remote-work policies and provide detailed justification to employees when in-office work was required. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A state auditor’s report found that savings from broader telework could reach $225 million. The California legislature approved AB 1729, but Newsom vetoed the proposed legislation last month.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A previous version of this story incorrectly characterized SEIU Local 1000. It is the largest state-workers union, not the largest public-sector union.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The union representing about 100,000 state employees says it remains far apart in contract talks with the Newsom administration on wage raises and telework requirements.",
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"title": "California’s Largest State-Workers Union Set to Strike Later This Month | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>’s largest state-workers union is set to strike later this month, in a conflict escalation aiming to pressure the Newsom administration to reach a contract deal soon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The announcement comes after a vote, open to the roughly 100,000 state employees the union represents, resulted Wednesday in overwhelming support for a walkout if negotiations keep stalling, according to Service Employees International Union Local 1000 representatives. Office workers, cooks, custodians, nurses and others statewide plan to go on strike on Oct. 21.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“State workers are prepared to hold the line and, if necessary, go on strike to say, there is no California without state workers keeping it running,” union President Anica Walls said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are demanding a fair contract that recognizes the work that we do, and that makes it possible for us to live in the communities that we work in,” said Walls, a disability evaluation analyst with the Department of Social Services since 2006.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041826-I80Closure-JY-11-scaled-e1791490590125.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12080557\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Caltrans worker adjusts construction cones as traffic comes to a slow on I-80 eastbound in San Francisco on April 18, 2026. (Juliana Yamada for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Union-represented employees at libraries, hospitals and agencies such as Caltrans, CalFire and the Department of Motor Vehicles have never walked out of their jobs before, though SEIU Local 1000 members first authorized a strike that was averted by a last-minute deal a decade ago.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This time, Walls argued that a work stoppage may be necessary because the administration has failed to bargain in good faith since earlier this year on worker priorities. The union has proposed a 20% across-the-board wage increase over three years, lower-cost healthcare benefits and more flexible telework requirements, bids that were summarily rejected.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There wasn’t a real negotiation,” she said, adding that the two parties remain far apart with no future bargaining dates on the calendar yet. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The strike authorization vote comes as the California Public Employment Relations Board has appointed a mediator to help the administration and SEIU Local 1000 resolve their dispute. Last week, the agency determined the existence of an impasse after the union filed unfair labor practice charges against the administration in July.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, a spokesperson with the California Department of Human Resources said the state remains open to negotiation and is prepared to move into mediation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our focus is on reaching a fair and responsible agreement, and we continue to be available at the bargaining table,” said Angela Musallam, a spokesperson for CalHR.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the biggest sticking points has been Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order requiring most employees to return to the office at least four days a week, which went into effect in July after a one-year delay. The mandate upended previous in-person work expectations adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SEIU Local 1000 and other unions pushed back, including by sponsoring \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1729\">a bill\u003c/a> that would have required state agencies to develop their own remote-work policies and provide detailed justification to employees when in-office work was required. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A state auditor’s report found that savings from broader telework could reach $225 million. The California legislature approved AB 1729, but Newsom vetoed the proposed legislation last month.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A previous version of this story incorrectly characterized SEIU Local 1000. It is the largest state-workers union, not the largest public-sector union.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Kaiser Permanente to Pay 1,100 Nurses Millions in Owed Wages After Years-Long Dispute",
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"headTitle": "Kaiser Permanente to Pay 1,100 Nurses Millions in Owed Wages After Years-Long Dispute | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/kaiser-permanente\">Kaiser Permanente\u003c/a> must pay more than 1,100 registered nurses owed wages that could total tens of millions of dollars after a systemic payroll error, according to the union that represents the nurses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Nurses Association \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nurses-celebrate-massive-historic-victory-against-disgusting-kaiser-wage-theft\">celebrated\u003c/a> Monday an arbitrator’s resolution of the years-long dispute as a “historic victory against wage theft.” Union President Michelle Gutierrez Vo, an adult family nurse at Kaiser Fremont Medical Center, said it took years of advocacy and research to understand the scope of the problem and get the company on track to fully remedy it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The issue really is that we gave Kaiser all of the information that we gathered that was accurate and even then Kaiser refused to correct it,” an incensed Gutierrez Vo, a registered nurse for more than 25 years, told KQED. “It’s taking an arbitrator to really force Kaiser to do right by our nurses.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“All of these years, they’d rather pay expensive lawyers to not pay the nurses that work super hard. That’s just unethical and immoral and it’s very disappointing,” she added. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union, which represents about 23,000 nurses at 22 Kaiser facilities, said members first alerted the company to an underpayment issue, dating back to at least 2021, after Kaiser changed its human resources software. It’s unclear how much retroactive pay each impacted nurse is now set to receive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097883\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dozens of nurses staged what they called an “informational picket” outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Tuesday to demand better staffing levels and limits on AI. (Courtesy of California Nurses Association)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, Kaiser said it disagrees with the union’s characterization but will honor its obligations under the arbitrator’s decision, reached in a grievance process outlined in their labor contract. California’s \u003ca href=\"https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/expertise-and-impact/public-policy/our-impact/news-perspectives-on-public-policy-california\">largest private employer\u003c/a>, with a workforce of 183,000 in the state, declined to disclose more information about the payroll problem that shorted its nurses, or whether additional, non-nurse employees were also impacted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our nurses are among the most skilled and dedicated in the country, and we are committed to ensuring every one of them is paid accurately and in full accordance with their contract,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “We will reach out directly to every affected nurse promptly.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As early as June 2022, union representatives notified Kaiser that it failed to advance several staff nurses to higher pay rates agreed to by years of experience and other factors. The issue appeared to be ongoing and widespread, the union warned in following years, with about 600 nurses eventually reporting paycheck errors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By December 2024, a Kaiser payroll audit identified 1,142 nurses who were paid less than they should have been, while 1,813 were paid more than warranted by the contract. The company, which did not attempt to recoup money from employees paid an incorrect higher salary, took steps to place all the impacted employees in the appropriate salary bracket. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Previously, when individuals complained of a paycheck problem, Kaiser would investigate and correct it, providing them with retroactive owed pay dating to when the error began. But in this case, Kaiser sought to dismiss the union’s grievance and offered only up to a year of owed wages to the group of 1,142 nurses, even if they were underpaid for longer, according to arbitrator David A. Weinberg’s decision document, which was reviewed by KQED. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The proper remedy for a contractual violation…is to make the nurses whole for any loss in wages and benefits going back to the date of their incorrect placement on the wage step,” he wrote, rejecting Kaiser’s arguments. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Weinberg also found that the company should not pay additional damages of 10%, as the union sought, including for lost 401K retirement account investments and attorneys fees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wage theft, when an employer withholds pay an employee is entitled to, is more likely to disadvantage non-union workers in low-wage jobs in construction, hospitality, agriculture and other industries. Labor experts were surprised that union-represented nurses, who earn a higher median wage than other full-time workers, experienced problems of the magnitude described in Kaiser’s case. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you didn’t have a union that was so prepared to stick at this and had the ability to force Kaiser to go through all of these steps, then we’d probably never have gotten to this stage,” said John Logan, who directs San Francisco State University’s labor and employment studies program.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097892\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dozens of nurses staged what they called an “informational picket” outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Sept. 1 to demand better staffing levels and limits on AI. (Courtesy of California Nurses Association)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Logan noted that the fact that it took such a lengthy, laborious process for Kaiser to agree to compensate its employees with owed wages points to more contentious labor-management relations at the company, which was once known for its collaborative approach to unions. The industry has become increasingly consolidated, and driven by profit-seeking corporations in recent decades.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Kaiser should be the easiest company to remedy this kind of problem, if it was just an honest mistake,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kaiser said its nurses are among the industry’s best-compensated. One of the employee groups impacted, Staff Nurses II in Northern California, often earn more than $100 per hour before overtime and premium pay. That’s roughly 7% above market for comparable roles at other health systems, according to the company, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health plans and providers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The news that Kaiser nurses are set to collectively recover millions of dollars comes as the employer negotiates a new contract with the California Nurses Association. Top union demands focus on staffing levels, wages and more say over the use of artificial intelligence in patient care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed into law a union-sponsored bill that \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nurses-celebrate-historic-victory-as-gov-newsom-signs-landmark-ai-protection-into-law\">limits the use of A.I.\u003c/a> in clinical decisions. \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1979\">AB 1979\u003c/a> by Oakland Assemblymember Mia Bonta requires a health facility or physicians’ office to take reasonable steps to ensure that nurses, doctors and other licensed healthcare professionals decide a patient’s care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In contrast to for-profit health care systems, Kaiser does not have shareholders and invests most of its earnings into patient care, its operations and facility upgrades. The Oakland-headquartered company, which has expanded in recent years to eight states and the District of Columbia, earned \u003ca href=\"https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/news/press-release-archive/kaiser-permanente-risant-health-report-2025-financial-results\">$127.7 billion last year,\u003c/a> spending most of that revenue in operating expenses. Kaiser reported a net profit of $1.4 billion, more than double what it generated in 2024.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The union, which represents about 23,000 nurses at 22 Kaiser facilities, said members first alerted the company to an underpayment issue, dating back to at least 2021, after Kaiser changed its human resources software. It’s unclear how much retroactive pay each impacted nurse is now set to receive.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097883\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dozens of nurses staged what they called an “informational picket” outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Tuesday to demand better staffing levels and limits on AI.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of California Nurses Association)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097883\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dozens of nurses staged what they called an “informational picket” outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Tuesday to demand better staffing levels and limits on AI.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of California Nurses Association)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a statement, Kaiser said it disagrees with the union’s characterization but will honor its obligations under the arbitrator’s decision, reached in a grievance process outlined in their labor contract. California’s \u003ca href=\"https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/expertise-and-impact/public-policy/our-impact/news-perspectives-on-public-policy-california\">largest private employer\u003c/a>, with a workforce of 183,000 in the state, declined to disclose more information about the payroll problem that shorted its nurses, or whether additional, non-nurse employees were also impacted.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a statement, Kaiser said it disagrees with the union’s characterization but will honor its obligations under the arbitrator’s decision, reached in a grievance process outlined in their labor contract. California’s \u003ca href=\"https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/expertise-and-impact/public-policy/our-impact/news-perspectives-on-public-policy-california\">largest private employer\u003c/a>, with a workforce of 183,000 in the state, declined to disclose more information about the payroll problem that shorted its nurses, or whether additional, non-nurse employees were also impacted.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Our nurses are among the most skilled and dedicated in the country, and we are committed to ensuring every one of them is paid accurately and in full accordance with their contract,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “We will reach out directly to every affected nurse promptly.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Our nurses are among the most skilled and dedicated in the country, and we are committed to ensuring every one of them is paid accurately and in full accordance with their contract,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “We will reach out directly to every affected nurse promptly.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As early as June 2022, union representatives notified Kaiser that it failed to advance several staff nurses to higher pay rates agreed to by years of experience and other factors. The issue appeared to be ongoing and widespread, the union warned in following years, with about 600 nurses eventually reporting paycheck errors. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As early as June 2022, union representatives notified Kaiser that it failed to advance several staff nurses to higher pay rates agreed to by years of experience and other factors. The issue appeared to be ongoing and widespread, the union warned in following years, with about 600 nurses eventually reporting paycheck errors. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>By December 2024, a Kaiser payroll audit identified 1,142 nurses who were paid less than they should have been, while 1,813 were paid more than warranted by the contract. The company, which did not attempt to recoup money from employees paid an incorrect higher salary, took steps to place all the impacted employees in the appropriate salary bracket. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>By December 2024, a Kaiser payroll audit identified 1,142 nurses who were paid less than they should have been, while 1,813 were paid more than warranted by the contract. The company, which did not attempt to recoup money from employees paid an incorrect higher salary, took steps to place all the impacted employees in the appropriate salary bracket. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Previously, when individuals complained of a paycheck problem, Kaiser would investigate and correct it, providing them with retroactive owed pay dating to when the error began. But in this case, Kaiser sought to dismiss the union’s grievance and offered only up to a year of owed wages to the group of 1,142 nurses, even if they were underpaid for longer, according to arbitrator David A. Weinberg’s decision document, which was reviewed by KQED. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Previously, when individuals complained of a paycheck problem, Kaiser would investigate and correct it, providing them with retroactive owed pay dating to when the error began. But in this case, Kaiser sought to dismiss the union’s grievance and offered only up to a year of owed wages to the group of 1,142 nurses, even if they were underpaid for longer, according to arbitrator David A. Weinberg’s decision document, which was reviewed by KQED. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The proper remedy for a contractual violation…is to make the nurses whole for any loss in wages and benefits going back to the date of their incorrect placement on the wage step,” he wrote, rejecting Kaiser’s arguments. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The proper remedy for a contractual violation…is to make the nurses whole for any loss in wages and benefits going back to the date of their incorrect placement on the wage step,” he wrote, rejecting Kaiser’s arguments. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Weinberg also found that the company should not pay additional damages of 10%, as the union sought, including for lost 401K retirement account investments and attorneys fees. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Weinberg also found that the company should not pay additional damages of 10%, as the union sought, including for lost 401K retirement account investments and attorneys fees. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wage theft, when an employer withholds pay an employee is entitled to, is more likely to disadvantage non-union workers in low-wage jobs in construction, hospitality, agriculture and other industries. Labor experts were surprised that union-represented nurses, who earn a higher median wage than other full-time workers, experienced problems of the magnitude described in Kaiser’s case. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Wage theft, when an employer withholds pay an employee is entitled to, is more likely to disadvantage non-union workers in low-wage jobs in construction, hospitality, agriculture and other industries. Labor experts were surprised that union-represented nurses, who earn a higher median wage than other full-time workers, experienced problems of the magnitude described in Kaiser’s case. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If you didn’t have a union that was so prepared to stick at this and had the ability to force Kaiser to go through all of these steps, then we’d probably never have gotten to this stage,” said John Logan, who directs San Francisco State University’s labor and employment studies program.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If you didn’t have a union that was so prepared to stick at this and had the ability to force Kaiser to go through all of these steps, then we’d probably never have gotten to this stage,” said John Logan, who directs San Francisco State University’s labor and employment studies program.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097892\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dozens of nurses staged what they called an “informational picket” outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Sept. 1 to demand better staffing levels and limits on AI.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of California Nurses Association)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Logan noted that the fact that it took such a lengthy, laborious process for Kaiser to agree to compensate its employees with owed wages points to more contentious labor-management relations at the company, which was once known for its collaborative approach to unions. The industry has become increasingly consolidated, and driven by profit-seeking corporations in recent decades.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Logan noted that the fact that it took such a lengthy, laborious process for Kaiser to agree to compensate its employees with owed wages points to more contentious labor-management relations at the company, which was once known for its collaborative approach to unions. The industry has become increasingly consolidated, and driven by profit-seeking corporations in recent decades.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Kaiser should be the easiest company to remedy this kind of problem, if it was just an honest mistake,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kaiser said its nurses are among the industry’s best-compensated. One of the employee groups impacted, Staff Nurses II in Northern California, often earn more than $100 per hour before overtime and premium pay. That’s roughly 7% above market for comparable roles at other health systems, according to the company, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health plans and providers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Kaiser said its nurses are among the industry’s best-compensated. One of the employee groups impacted, Staff Nurses II in Northern California, often earn more than $100 per hour before overtime and premium pay. That’s roughly 7% above market for comparable roles at other health systems, according to the company, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health plans and providers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The news that Kaiser nurses are set to collectively recover millions of dollars comes as the employer negotiates a new contract with the California Nurses Association. Top union demands focus on staffing levels, wages and more say over the use of artificial intelligence in patient care.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The news that Kaiser nurses are set to collectively recover millions of dollars comes as the employer negotiates a new contract with the California Nurses Association. Top union demands focus on staffing levels, wages and more say over the use of artificial intelligence in patient care.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed into law a union-sponsored bill that \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nurses-celebrate-historic-victory-as-gov-newsom-signs-landmark-ai-protection-into-law\">limits the use of A.I.\u003c/a> in clinical decisions. \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1979\">AB 1979\u003c/a> by Oakland Assemblymember Mia Bonta requires a health facility or physicians’ office to take reasonable steps to ensure that nurses, doctors and other licensed healthcare professionals decide a patient’s care.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed into law a union-sponsored bill that \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nurses-celebrate-historic-victory-as-gov-newsom-signs-landmark-ai-protection-into-law\">limits the use of A.I.\u003c/a> in clinical decisions. \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1979\">AB 1979\u003c/a> by Oakland Assemblymember Mia Bonta requires a health facility or physicians’ office to take reasonable steps to ensure that nurses, doctors and other licensed healthcare professionals decide a patient’s care.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In contrast to for-profit health care systems, Kaiser does not have shareholders and invests most of its earnings into patient care, its operations and facility upgrades. The Oakland-headquartered company, which has expanded in recent years to eight states and the District of Columbia, earned \u003ca href=\"https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/news/press-release-archive/kaiser-permanente-risant-health-report-2025-financial-results\">$127.7 billion last year,\u003c/a> spending most of that revenue in operating expenses. Kaiser reported a net profit of $1.4 billion, more than double what it generated in 2024.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In contrast to for-profit health care systems, Kaiser does not have shareholders and invests most of its earnings into patient care, its operations and facility upgrades. The Oakland-headquartered company, which has expanded in recent years to eight states and the District of Columbia, earned \u003ca href=\"https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/news/press-release-archive/kaiser-permanente-risant-health-report-2025-financial-results\">$127.7 billion last year,\u003c/a> spending most of that revenue in operating expenses. Kaiser reported a net profit of $1.4 billion, more than double what it generated in 2024.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "The California Nurses Association estimates total missed pay in the tens of millions of dollars.",
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"title": "Kaiser Permanente to Pay 1,100 Nurses Millions in Owed Wages After Years-Long Dispute | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/kaiser-permanente\">Kaiser Permanente\u003c/a> must pay more than 1,100 registered nurses owed wages that could total tens of millions of dollars after a systemic payroll error, according to the union that represents the nurses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Nurses Association \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nurses-celebrate-massive-historic-victory-against-disgusting-kaiser-wage-theft\">celebrated\u003c/a> Monday an arbitrator’s resolution of the years-long dispute as a “historic victory against wage theft.” Union President Michelle Gutierrez Vo, an adult family nurse at Kaiser Fremont Medical Center, said it took years of advocacy and research to understand the scope of the problem and get the company on track to fully remedy it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The issue really is that we gave Kaiser all of the information that we gathered that was accurate and even then Kaiser refused to correct it,” an incensed Gutierrez Vo, a registered nurse for more than 25 years, told KQED. “It’s taking an arbitrator to really force Kaiser to do right by our nurses.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“All of these years, they’d rather pay expensive lawyers to not pay the nurses that work super hard. That’s just unethical and immoral and it’s very disappointing,” she added. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union, which represents about 23,000 nurses at 22 Kaiser facilities, said members first alerted the company to an underpayment issue, dating back to at least 2021, after Kaiser changed its human resources software. It’s unclear how much retroactive pay each impacted nurse is now set to receive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097883\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-2-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dozens of nurses staged what they called an “informational picket” outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Tuesday to demand better staffing levels and limits on AI. (Courtesy of California Nurses Association)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, Kaiser said it disagrees with the union’s characterization but will honor its obligations under the arbitrator’s decision, reached in a grievance process outlined in their labor contract. California’s \u003ca href=\"https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/expertise-and-impact/public-policy/our-impact/news-perspectives-on-public-policy-california\">largest private employer\u003c/a>, with a workforce of 183,000 in the state, declined to disclose more information about the payroll problem that shorted its nurses, or whether additional, non-nurse employees were also impacted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our nurses are among the most skilled and dedicated in the country, and we are committed to ensuring every one of them is paid accurately and in full accordance with their contract,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “We will reach out directly to every affected nurse promptly.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As early as June 2022, union representatives notified Kaiser that it failed to advance several staff nurses to higher pay rates agreed to by years of experience and other factors. The issue appeared to be ongoing and widespread, the union warned in following years, with about 600 nurses eventually reporting paycheck errors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By December 2024, a Kaiser payroll audit identified 1,142 nurses who were paid less than they should have been, while 1,813 were paid more than warranted by the contract. The company, which did not attempt to recoup money from employees paid an incorrect higher salary, took steps to place all the impacted employees in the appropriate salary bracket. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Previously, when individuals complained of a paycheck problem, Kaiser would investigate and correct it, providing them with retroactive owed pay dating to when the error began. But in this case, Kaiser sought to dismiss the union’s grievance and offered only up to a year of owed wages to the group of 1,142 nurses, even if they were underpaid for longer, according to arbitrator David A. Weinberg’s decision document, which was reviewed by KQED. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The proper remedy for a contractual violation…is to make the nurses whole for any loss in wages and benefits going back to the date of their incorrect placement on the wage step,” he wrote, rejecting Kaiser’s arguments. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Weinberg also found that the company should not pay additional damages of 10%, as the union sought, including for lost 401K retirement account investments and attorneys fees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wage theft, when an employer withholds pay an employee is entitled to, is more likely to disadvantage non-union workers in low-wage jobs in construction, hospitality, agriculture and other industries. Labor experts were surprised that union-represented nurses, who earn a higher median wage than other full-time workers, experienced problems of the magnitude described in Kaiser’s case. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you didn’t have a union that was so prepared to stick at this and had the ability to force Kaiser to go through all of these steps, then we’d probably never have gotten to this stage,” said John Logan, who directs San Francisco State University’s labor and employment studies program.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097892\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/Kaiser-Labor-1-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dozens of nurses staged what they called an “informational picket” outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Sept. 1 to demand better staffing levels and limits on AI. (Courtesy of California Nurses Association)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Logan noted that the fact that it took such a lengthy, laborious process for Kaiser to agree to compensate its employees with owed wages points to more contentious labor-management relations at the company, which was once known for its collaborative approach to unions. The industry has become increasingly consolidated, and driven by profit-seeking corporations in recent decades.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Kaiser should be the easiest company to remedy this kind of problem, if it was just an honest mistake,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kaiser said its nurses are among the industry’s best-compensated. One of the employee groups impacted, Staff Nurses II in Northern California, often earn more than $100 per hour before overtime and premium pay. That’s roughly 7% above market for comparable roles at other health systems, according to the company, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health plans and providers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The news that Kaiser nurses are set to collectively recover millions of dollars comes as the employer negotiates a new contract with the California Nurses Association. Top union demands focus on staffing levels, wages and more say over the use of artificial intelligence in patient care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed into law a union-sponsored bill that \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nurses-celebrate-historic-victory-as-gov-newsom-signs-landmark-ai-protection-into-law\">limits the use of A.I.\u003c/a> in clinical decisions. \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1979\">AB 1979\u003c/a> by Oakland Assemblymember Mia Bonta requires a health facility or physicians’ office to take reasonable steps to ensure that nurses, doctors and other licensed healthcare professionals decide a patient’s care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In contrast to for-profit health care systems, Kaiser does not have shareholders and invests most of its earnings into patient care, its operations and facility upgrades. The Oakland-headquartered company, which has expanded in recent years to eight states and the District of Columbia, earned \u003ca href=\"https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/news/press-release-archive/kaiser-permanente-risant-health-report-2025-financial-results\">$127.7 billion last year,\u003c/a> spending most of that revenue in operating expenses. Kaiser reported a net profit of $1.4 billion, more than double what it generated in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "lyft-agrees-to-272-million-wage-theft-lawsuit-as-uber-fights-on",
"title": "Lyft Agrees to $272 Million Wage Theft Lawsuit as Uber Fights On",
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"headTitle": "Lyft Agrees to $272 Million Wage Theft Lawsuit as Uber Fights On | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/lyft\">Lyft\u003c/a> has agreed to pay more than $272 million to settle a state lawsuit alleging it committed wage theft by misclassifying California drivers as independent contractors, rather than employees, from 2016 to 2020. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Attorney General Rob Bonta \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-city-attorneys-san-francisco-san-diego-and-los-angeles\">announced\u003c/a> the deal on Thursday alongside city attorneys for San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. He said Lyft, which has argued its drivers were always properly classified, spent years trying to push the case into private arbitration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“All the while Lyft grew into a multibillion-dollar company, and a household name. Its success depended on its drivers, many of whom came from immigrant communities and communities of color, and still, Lyft failed to protect those drivers and failed to pay them fairly,” Bonta said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He called it the largest worker misclassification settlement in California history. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The bottom line is that eligible drivers are going to get paid. That’s money in the pockets of the workers who drove this company’s success,” the attorney general said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1255\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/M6A2496_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102488\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/M6A2496_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/M6A2496_qed-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/M6A2496_qed-1536x964.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Taking care of his mother and family, Uber and Lyft driver Malik Ali calls on Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to help drivers keep a living wage. “You see one driver, but you don’t see the family behind. At least give us our share. I have to work every day because of the strict rules for the driver, which is ripping us off. I can’t afford to miss days to pay my rent. They don’t see the family behind us.” (Sruti Mamidanna/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Most of the money, at least $237 million, is set to go to drivers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This was rent that didn’t get paid, food that wasn’t there for hungry kids. We’ve waited six years for this,” said Alvaro Bolainez, vice president of Rideshare Drivers United, a union representing over 20,000 drivers, in a statement. “It’s a big settlement — but it’s not big enough to cover the real harm that’s happened to drivers over the years.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The settlement still needs a judge’s approval. In a statement, Lyft said the deal “closes a chapter from a very different time, before Prop 22,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/prop-22\">the 2020 ballot measure\u003c/a> that let app-based companies keep treating drivers as contractors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The debate over driver classification has raged in California for more than a decade. As independent contractors, Lyft and Uber drivers don’t get overtime, paid sick leave or unemployment insurance, and the state’s minimum wage doesn’t apply to them. Proposition 22 instead guarantees an earnings floor for time spent on trips, plus some health and accident coverage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California’s lawsuit against Lyft, joined by the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, was first brought in 2020. The case was later merged with the Labor Commissioner’s separate suit and with private suits by drivers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With litigation underway, Lyft joined Uber and other gig companies in putting forward the state ballot measure to exempt ride-share and delivery drivers from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11774025/which-jobs-will-be-impacted-by-ab-5-californias-landmark-employment-measure\">AB 5\u003c/a>, a state law that would have made many of them employees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a win for the companies, voters approved the measure in November 2020, and it took effect the following month. That’s why the new settlement only covers work done through Dec. 15, 2020.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The companies fought the case at nearly every turn. A state appeals court upheld a 2020 order requiring them to reclassify drivers as employees, though Proposition 22 passed weeks later. In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12008292/uber-and-lyfts-appeal-in-california-labor-case-wont-be-heard-by-supreme-court\">declined to hear their bid\u003c/a> to move the state’s claims into private arbitration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Uber, the other defendant in the case, is still fighting. “The job is not done when it comes to protecting drivers here in California who have been misclassified, and Uber is a major violator,” Bonta said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED reached out to Uber but did not hear back in time for publication.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Silicon Valley’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11898302/how-the-gig-economy-changes-work-one-janitors-story\">gigification\u003c/a> of labor is not limited to ride-share driving. A host of other companies in everything from home services to food delivery treat workers as independent contractors instead of employees with all the benefits that classification would entail. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In September, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a $131.5 million enforcement action \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/09/mayor-mamdani-wins-record--131-5-million-from-doordash-for-deliv\">against DoorDash\u003c/a> for violations of New York City’s Delivery Worker Laws regarding minimum-pay rules for workers who are contractors by law.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/lyft\">Lyft\u003c/a> has agreed to pay more than $272 million to settle a state lawsuit alleging it committed wage theft by misclassifying California drivers as independent contractors, rather than employees, from 2016 to 2020. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Attorney General Rob Bonta \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-city-attorneys-san-francisco-san-diego-and-los-angeles\">announced\u003c/a> the deal on Thursday alongside city attorneys for San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. He said Lyft, which has argued its drivers were always properly classified, spent years trying to push the case into private arbitration.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Attorney General Rob Bonta \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-city-attorneys-san-francisco-san-diego-and-los-angeles\">announced\u003c/a> the deal on Thursday alongside city attorneys for San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. He said Lyft, which has argued its drivers were always properly classified, spent years trying to push the case into private arbitration.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“All the while Lyft grew into a multibillion-dollar company, and a household name. Its success depended on its drivers, many of whom came from immigrant communities and communities of color, and still, Lyft failed to protect those drivers and failed to pay them fairly,” Bonta said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The bottom line is that eligible drivers are going to get paid. That’s money in the pockets of the workers who drove this company’s success,” the attorney general said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/M6A2496_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102488\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/M6A2496_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/M6A2496_qed-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/M6A2496_qed-1536x964.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Taking care of his mother and family, Uber and Lyft driver Malik Ali calls on Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to help drivers keep a living wage. “You see one driver, but you don’t see the family behind. At least give us our share. I have to work every day because of the strict rules for the driver, which is ripping us off. I can’t afford to miss days to pay my rent. They don’t see the family behind us.”\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Sruti Mamidanna/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/M6A2496_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102488\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Taking care of his mother and family, Uber and Lyft driver Malik Ali calls on Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to help drivers keep a living wage. “You see one driver, but you don’t see the family behind. At least give us our share. I have to work every day because of the strict rules for the driver, which is ripping us off. I can’t afford to miss days to pay my rent. They don’t see the family behind us.”\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Sruti Mamidanna/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This was rent that didn’t get paid, food that wasn’t there for hungry kids. We’ve waited six years for this,” said Alvaro Bolainez, vice president of Rideshare Drivers United, a union representing over 20,000 drivers, in a statement. “It’s a big settlement — but it’s not big enough to cover the real harm that’s happened to drivers over the years.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The settlement still needs a judge’s approval. In a statement, Lyft said the deal “closes a chapter from a very different time, before Prop 22,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/prop-22\">the 2020 ballot measure\u003c/a> that let app-based companies keep treating drivers as contractors. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The debate over driver classification has raged in California for more than a decade. As independent contractors, Lyft and Uber drivers don’t get overtime, paid sick leave or unemployment insurance, and the state’s minimum wage doesn’t apply to them. Proposition 22 instead guarantees an earnings floor for time spent on trips, plus some health and accident coverage.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California’s lawsuit against Lyft, joined by the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, was first brought in 2020. The case was later merged with the Labor Commissioner’s separate suit and with private suits by drivers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>With litigation underway, Lyft joined Uber and other gig companies in putting forward the state ballot measure to exempt ride-share and delivery drivers from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11774025/which-jobs-will-be-impacted-by-ab-5-californias-landmark-employment-measure\">AB 5\u003c/a>, a state law that would have made many of them employees. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>With litigation underway, Lyft joined Uber and other gig companies in putting forward the state ballot measure to exempt ride-share and delivery drivers from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11774025/which-jobs-will-be-impacted-by-ab-5-californias-landmark-employment-measure\">AB 5\u003c/a>, a state law that would have made many of them employees. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a win for the companies, voters approved the measure in November 2020, and it took effect the following month. That’s why the new settlement only covers work done through Dec. 15, 2020.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a win for the companies, voters approved the measure in November 2020, and it took effect the following month. That’s why the new settlement only covers work done through Dec. 15, 2020.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The companies fought the case at nearly every turn. A state appeals court upheld a 2020 order requiring them to reclassify drivers as employees, though Proposition 22 passed weeks later. In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12008292/uber-and-lyfts-appeal-in-california-labor-case-wont-be-heard-by-supreme-court\">declined to hear their bid\u003c/a> to move the state’s claims into private arbitration.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The companies fought the case at nearly every turn. A state appeals court upheld a 2020 order requiring them to reclassify drivers as employees, though Proposition 22 passed weeks later. In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12008292/uber-and-lyfts-appeal-in-california-labor-case-wont-be-heard-by-supreme-court\">declined to hear their bid\u003c/a> to move the state’s claims into private arbitration.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Uber, the other defendant in the case, is still fighting. “The job is not done when it comes to protecting drivers here in California who have been misclassified, and Uber is a major violator,” Bonta said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Uber, the other defendant in the case, is still fighting. “The job is not done when it comes to protecting drivers here in California who have been misclassified, and Uber is a major violator,” Bonta said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Silicon Valley’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11898302/how-the-gig-economy-changes-work-one-janitors-story\">gigification\u003c/a> of labor is not limited to ride-share driving. A host of other companies in everything from home services to food delivery treat workers as independent contractors instead of employees with all the benefits that classification would entail. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In September, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a $131.5 million enforcement action \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/09/mayor-mamdani-wins-record--131-5-million-from-doordash-for-deliv\">against DoorDash\u003c/a> for violations of New York City’s Delivery Worker Laws regarding minimum-pay rules for workers who are contractors by law.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A state lawsuit alleged the rideshare giant misclassified California drivers as independent contractors for four years. ",
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"title": "Lyft Agrees to $272 Million Wage Theft Lawsuit as Uber Fights On | KQED",
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"headline": "Lyft Agrees to $272 Million Wage Theft Lawsuit as Uber Fights On",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/lyft\">Lyft\u003c/a> has agreed to pay more than $272 million to settle a state lawsuit alleging it committed wage theft by misclassifying California drivers as independent contractors, rather than employees, from 2016 to 2020. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Attorney General Rob Bonta \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-city-attorneys-san-francisco-san-diego-and-los-angeles\">announced\u003c/a> the deal on Thursday alongside city attorneys for San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. He said Lyft, which has argued its drivers were always properly classified, spent years trying to push the case into private arbitration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“All the while Lyft grew into a multibillion-dollar company, and a household name. Its success depended on its drivers, many of whom came from immigrant communities and communities of color, and still, Lyft failed to protect those drivers and failed to pay them fairly,” Bonta said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He called it the largest worker misclassification settlement in California history. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The bottom line is that eligible drivers are going to get paid. That’s money in the pockets of the workers who drove this company’s success,” the attorney general said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1255\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/M6A2496_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102488\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/M6A2496_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/M6A2496_qed-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/M6A2496_qed-1536x964.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Taking care of his mother and family, Uber and Lyft driver Malik Ali calls on Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to help drivers keep a living wage. “You see one driver, but you don’t see the family behind. At least give us our share. I have to work every day because of the strict rules for the driver, which is ripping us off. I can’t afford to miss days to pay my rent. They don’t see the family behind us.” (Sruti Mamidanna/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Most of the money, at least $237 million, is set to go to drivers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This was rent that didn’t get paid, food that wasn’t there for hungry kids. We’ve waited six years for this,” said Alvaro Bolainez, vice president of Rideshare Drivers United, a union representing over 20,000 drivers, in a statement. “It’s a big settlement — but it’s not big enough to cover the real harm that’s happened to drivers over the years.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The settlement still needs a judge’s approval. In a statement, Lyft said the deal “closes a chapter from a very different time, before Prop 22,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/prop-22\">the 2020 ballot measure\u003c/a> that let app-based companies keep treating drivers as contractors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The debate over driver classification has raged in California for more than a decade. As independent contractors, Lyft and Uber drivers don’t get overtime, paid sick leave or unemployment insurance, and the state’s minimum wage doesn’t apply to them. Proposition 22 instead guarantees an earnings floor for time spent on trips, plus some health and accident coverage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California’s lawsuit against Lyft, joined by the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, was first brought in 2020. The case was later merged with the Labor Commissioner’s separate suit and with private suits by drivers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With litigation underway, Lyft joined Uber and other gig companies in putting forward the state ballot measure to exempt ride-share and delivery drivers from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11774025/which-jobs-will-be-impacted-by-ab-5-californias-landmark-employment-measure\">AB 5\u003c/a>, a state law that would have made many of them employees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a win for the companies, voters approved the measure in November 2020, and it took effect the following month. That’s why the new settlement only covers work done through Dec. 15, 2020.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The companies fought the case at nearly every turn. A state appeals court upheld a 2020 order requiring them to reclassify drivers as employees, though Proposition 22 passed weeks later. In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12008292/uber-and-lyfts-appeal-in-california-labor-case-wont-be-heard-by-supreme-court\">declined to hear their bid\u003c/a> to move the state’s claims into private arbitration.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Uber, the other defendant in the case, is still fighting. “The job is not done when it comes to protecting drivers here in California who have been misclassified, and Uber is a major violator,” Bonta said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED reached out to Uber but did not hear back in time for publication.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Silicon Valley’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11898302/how-the-gig-economy-changes-work-one-janitors-story\">gigification\u003c/a> of labor is not limited to ride-share driving. A host of other companies in everything from home services to food delivery treat workers as independent contractors instead of employees with all the benefits that classification would entail. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In September, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a $131.5 million enforcement action \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/09/mayor-mamdani-wins-record--131-5-million-from-doordash-for-deliv\">against DoorDash\u003c/a> for violations of New York City’s Delivery Worker Laws regarding minimum-pay rules for workers who are contractors by law.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "newsom-signs-slate-of-ai-workplace-laws-barring-robo-bosses-and-surveillance",
"title": "Newsom Signs Slate of AI Workplace Laws, Barring ‘Robo Bosses’ and Surveillance",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bevy of laws on Wednesday aimed at protecting California workers from the threats of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/category/technology\">artificial intelligence\u003c/a> in the workplace, guarding against automated job loss and surveillance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The laws prohibit employers from using automated systems to fire or discipline employees — so-called “robo bosses” — as well as from monitoring employees in restrooms. They also restrict the use of AI to read workers’ emotions or collect their neural data.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Democratic governor, who has hinted at a presidential run in 2028, also signed an executive order requiring state agencies to continue to refer to the technology as “artificial intelligence” — instead of “Super Intelligence,” the term President Donald Trump recently ordered federal officials to use.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“AI should expand opportunity — not come at the expense of workers and families,” Newsom said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/30/californias-nation-leading-ai-framework-just-got-stronger-governor-newsom-signs-more-first-in-the-nation-worker-protections-and-more/\">statement\u003c/a>. “As this technology reshapes the workplace, California is putting people at the center.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Labor unions sounded a triumphant note.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250310-TRUMP-SF-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12030646\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250310-TRUMP-SF-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250310-TRUMP-SF-MD-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250310-TRUMP-SF-MD-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250310-TRUMP-SF-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250310-TRUMP-SF-MD-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250310-TRUMP-SF-MD-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie speaks at the opening of the new OpenAI headquarters in Mission Bay in San Francisco on March 10, 2025. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Governor Newsom has shown the country how we can begin to put guardrails on AI at work to ensure human control over this technology, limit surveillance, and put workers first,” said Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, in a statement. “California’s workers and our unions have changed the national narrative on how Americans can fight back and win against AI taking over our jobs and workplaces.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nurses also celebrated the enactment of \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1979\">AB 1979\u003c/a>, a law that bars health care entities from using AI to replace the clinical judgment of licensed professionals.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We stood up and said that A.I. must support, not replace, the clinical judgement of the nurses and other health care professionals who care for our patients,” wrote Sandy Reding, RN and president of California Nurses Association in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nurses-celebrate-historic-victory-as-gov-newsom-signs-landmark-ai-protection-into-law\">press release\u003c/a>. The law also limits AI to an advisory role and extends medical confidentiality protections to health chatbots.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After vetoing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097632/chatbots-data-centers-and-surveillance-5-silicon-valley-bills-land-on-newsoms-desk\">a previous version\u003c/a> of the “robo bosses” legislation last year, Newsom signed a narrower version in \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB947\">SB 947\u003c/a>, which takes effect in July of 2027. Meant to counter the “boss-ware” software surging in popularity, the law requires a human to corroborate firing or disciplinary decisions, and workers must be told when such a system was used.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We need to put a floor and put a marker out there that AI systems really shouldn’t be controlling human society. And this is the one way that it can happen,” said state Sen. Jerry McNerney of Pleasanton, the bill’s author. “Nobody wants to be fired by a machine.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Notably left out of the SB 947 party: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094475/uber-lyft-drivers-prepared-to-form-union\">rideshare drivers\u003c/a>, who are classified as independent contractors under Proposition 22. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Rideshare drivers have been living with AI and algorithmic management long before most workers ever heard those terms,” wrote Nicole Moore, president of Rideshare Drivers United. “An algorithm decides what work we get, what we are paid, how our performance is judged, and too often whether we can work at all.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Looking ahead to the day when autonomous vehicles replace human drivers, Moore said, “Our skills and experience have been turned into data that is now helping power autonomous vehicle technology, without drivers being compensated for the value we helped create or having any meaningful say over how that data is used.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED reached out to Uber, Lyft and the California Chamber of Commerce, but did not hear back by publication time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The laws were signed as the Federal Trade Commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ftc-opens-investigation-of-anthropic-and-openai-a317b617\">investigates\u003c/a> San Francisco-based Anthropic and OpenAI to determine whether they misled consumers about potential harms from their technology, according to the \u003cem>Wall Street Journal\u003c/em>. An FTC spokesperson confirmed the investigation but declined to provide details.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS16535_IMG_0443.JPG-scaled-e1764810192572.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up shot of a black vehicle with a pink Lyft sticker and a black-and-white Uber sticker on the left side of its windshield. The vehicle sits idle, waiting to pick up a customer.\" class=\"wp-image-11944379\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rideshare vehicle with Uber and Lyft stickers displayed on its windshield. (Ericka Cruz Guevarra/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the larger context suggests federal lawmakers and the White House have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102152/experts-urge-federal-lawmakers-to-regulate-ai-will-anyone-heed-their-alarm\">ceded the field\u003c/a> of regulation to Silicon Valley companies: Congress has not passed comprehensive federal AI regulations at a time when industry leaders are warning about the technology’s risks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the start of the president’s second term, DOGE — the short-lived initiative run by Elon Musk — explicitly used algorithmic tools to identify and terminate employees. Probationary workers were fired via identical template letters generated without individual review.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And on Tuesday, Trump announced that top tech leaders signed a voluntary accord to “self-police” AI development. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom criticized Trump’s industry-friendly inaction at an hourlong event with reporters on Wednesday, the governor’s last day to sign or veto bills before he terms out in January.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He also had harsh words specifically for Trump’s self-regulation accord. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That should scare the hell out of everybody,” \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/GovPressOffice/status/2105377762823573954?s=20\">Newsom said\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI in the workplace: Signed Sept. 30\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>SB 947\u003c/strong> (McNerney): employers can’t rely solely on an automated decision system to discipline or fire workers. A human has to corroborate the decision, and workers have to be told. Takes effect July 1, 2027.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>SB 951\u003c/strong> (Reyes): employers must give notice when AI causes a mass layoff, relocation or termination. The Transparency Coalition reports a 60-day notice when 25% or more of a workforce is displaced. It also directs the EDD to study AI’s effect on hiring and the workforce.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>AB 1331\u003c/strong> (Elhawary): bans workplace surveillance tools in workplace bathrooms.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>AB 1883\u003c/strong> (Bryan): restricts AI-powered workplace surveillance, including tools that infer workers’ emotional states or collect neural data.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>AB 1979\u003c/strong> (Bonta): AI can’t replace the clinical judgment of licensed health care professionals and stays advisory. It also extends medical confidentiality to health chatbots.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI in the workplace: Vetoed Sept. 30\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>AB 2656\u003c/strong> (Petrie-Norris): would have required notice to public employees when AI performs work within the scope of their jobs. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>AB 2575\u003c/strong> (Ortega): would have barred health care employers from retaliating against nurses and other workers who override AI recommendations they judge unsafe and would have kept AI developers and health care entities from shifting liability for harm caused by their tools onto those workers.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Signed earlier\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SB 1050: disclosure of AI-generated performers\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SB 928: AI can’t replace CSU faculty\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AB 2148: public school staff must be people\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AB 1609: a good-faith effort to connect customers to a human within 15 minutes\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Democratic governor, who has hinted at a presidential run in 2028, also signed an executive order requiring state agencies to continue to refer to the technology as “artificial intelligence” — instead of “Super Intelligence,” the term President Donald Trump recently ordered federal officials to use.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Democratic governor, who has hinted at a presidential run in 2028, also signed an executive order requiring state agencies to continue to refer to the technology as “artificial intelligence” — instead of “Super Intelligence,” the term President Donald Trump recently ordered federal officials to use.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“AI should expand opportunity — not come at the expense of workers and families,” Newsom said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/30/californias-nation-leading-ai-framework-just-got-stronger-governor-newsom-signs-more-first-in-the-nation-worker-protections-and-more/\">statement\u003c/a>. “As this technology reshapes the workplace, California is putting people at the center.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Labor unions sounded a triumphant note.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Governor Newsom has shown the country how we can begin to put guardrails on AI at work to ensure human control over this technology, limit surveillance, and put workers first,” said Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, in a statement. “California’s workers and our unions have changed the national narrative on how Americans can fight back and win against AI taking over our jobs and workplaces.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nurses also celebrated the enactment of \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1979\">AB 1979\u003c/a>, a law that bars health care entities from using AI to replace the clinical judgment of licensed professionals.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Nurses also celebrated the enactment of \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1979\">AB 1979\u003c/a>, a law that bars health care entities from using AI to replace the clinical judgment of licensed professionals.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We stood up and said that A.I. must support, not replace, the clinical judgement of the nurses and other health care professionals who care for our patients,” wrote Sandy Reding, RN and president of California Nurses Association in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nurses-celebrate-historic-victory-as-gov-newsom-signs-landmark-ai-protection-into-law\">press release\u003c/a>. The law also limits AI to an advisory role and extends medical confidentiality protections to health chatbots.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We stood up and said that A.I. must support, not replace, the clinical judgement of the nurses and other health care professionals who care for our patients,” wrote Sandy Reding, RN and president of California Nurses Association in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nurses-celebrate-historic-victory-as-gov-newsom-signs-landmark-ai-protection-into-law\">press release\u003c/a>. The law also limits AI to an advisory role and extends medical confidentiality protections to health chatbots.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After vetoing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097632/chatbots-data-centers-and-surveillance-5-silicon-valley-bills-land-on-newsoms-desk\">a previous version\u003c/a> of the “robo bosses” legislation last year, Newsom signed a narrower version in \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB947\">SB 947\u003c/a>, which takes effect in July of 2027. Meant to counter the “boss-ware” software surging in popularity, the law requires a human to corroborate firing or disciplinary decisions, and workers must be told when such a system was used.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After vetoing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097632/chatbots-data-centers-and-surveillance-5-silicon-valley-bills-land-on-newsoms-desk\">a previous version\u003c/a> of the “robo bosses” legislation last year, Newsom signed a narrower version in \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB947\">SB 947\u003c/a>, which takes effect in July of 2027. Meant to counter the “boss-ware” software surging in popularity, the law requires a human to corroborate firing or disciplinary decisions, and workers must be told when such a system was used.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We need to put a floor and put a marker out there that AI systems really shouldn’t be controlling human society. And this is the one way that it can happen,” said state Sen. Jerry McNerney of Pleasanton, the bill’s author. “Nobody wants to be fired by a machine.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We need to put a floor and put a marker out there that AI systems really shouldn’t be controlling human society. And this is the one way that it can happen,” said state Sen. Jerry McNerney of Pleasanton, the bill’s author. “Nobody wants to be fired by a machine.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Notably left out of the SB 947 party: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094475/uber-lyft-drivers-prepared-to-form-union\">rideshare drivers\u003c/a>, who are classified as independent contractors under Proposition 22. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Notably left out of the SB 947 party: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094475/uber-lyft-drivers-prepared-to-form-union\">rideshare drivers\u003c/a>, who are classified as independent contractors under Proposition 22. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Rideshare drivers have been living with AI and algorithmic management long before most workers ever heard those terms,” wrote Nicole Moore, president of Rideshare Drivers United. “An algorithm decides what work we get, what we are paid, how our performance is judged, and too often whether we can work at all.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Rideshare drivers have been living with AI and algorithmic management long before most workers ever heard those terms,” wrote Nicole Moore, president of Rideshare Drivers United. “An algorithm decides what work we get, what we are paid, how our performance is judged, and too often whether we can work at all.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Looking ahead to the day when autonomous vehicles replace human drivers, Moore said, “Our skills and experience have been turned into data that is now helping power autonomous vehicle technology, without drivers being compensated for the value we helped create or having any meaningful say over how that data is used.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Looking ahead to the day when autonomous vehicles replace human drivers, Moore said, “Our skills and experience have been turned into data that is now helping power autonomous vehicle technology, without drivers being compensated for the value we helped create or having any meaningful say over how that data is used.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>KQED reached out to Uber, Lyft and the California Chamber of Commerce, but did not hear back by publication time.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>KQED reached out to Uber, Lyft and the California Chamber of Commerce, but did not hear back by publication time.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The laws were signed as the Federal Trade Commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ftc-opens-investigation-of-anthropic-and-openai-a317b617\">investigates\u003c/a> San Francisco-based Anthropic and OpenAI to determine whether they misled consumers about potential harms from their technology, according to the \u003cem>Wall Street Journal\u003c/em>. An FTC spokesperson confirmed the investigation but declined to provide details.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The laws were signed as the Federal Trade Commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ftc-opens-investigation-of-anthropic-and-openai-a317b617\">investigates\u003c/a> San Francisco-based Anthropic and OpenAI to determine whether they misled consumers about potential harms from their technology, according to the \u003cem>Wall Street Journal\u003c/em>. An FTC spokesperson confirmed the investigation but declined to provide details.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS16535_IMG_0443.JPG-scaled-e1764810192572.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up shot of a black vehicle with a pink Lyft sticker and a black-and-white Uber sticker on the left side of its windshield. The vehicle sits idle, waiting to pick up a customer.\" class=\"wp-image-11944379\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rideshare vehicle with Uber and Lyft stickers displayed on its windshield.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Ericka Cruz Guevarra/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS16535_IMG_0443.JPG-scaled-e1764810192572.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up shot of a black vehicle with a pink Lyft sticker and a black-and-white Uber sticker on the left side of its windshield. The vehicle sits idle, waiting to pick up a customer.\" class=\"wp-image-11944379\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rideshare vehicle with Uber and Lyft stickers displayed on its windshield.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Ericka Cruz Guevarra/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the larger context suggests federal lawmakers and the White House have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102152/experts-urge-federal-lawmakers-to-regulate-ai-will-anyone-heed-their-alarm\">ceded the field\u003c/a> of regulation to Silicon Valley companies: Congress has not passed comprehensive federal AI regulations at a time when industry leaders are warning about the technology’s risks. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But the larger context suggests federal lawmakers and the White House have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102152/experts-urge-federal-lawmakers-to-regulate-ai-will-anyone-heed-their-alarm\">ceded the field\u003c/a> of regulation to Silicon Valley companies: Congress has not passed comprehensive federal AI regulations at a time when industry leaders are warning about the technology’s risks. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the start of the president’s second term, DOGE — the short-lived initiative run by Elon Musk — explicitly used algorithmic tools to identify and terminate employees. Probationary workers were fired via identical template letters generated without individual review.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At the start of the president’s second term, DOGE — the short-lived initiative run by Elon Musk — explicitly used algorithmic tools to identify and terminate employees. Probationary workers were fired via identical template letters generated without individual review.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And on Tuesday, Trump announced that top tech leaders signed a voluntary accord to “self-police” AI development. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Newsom criticized Trump’s industry-friendly inaction at an hourlong event with reporters on Wednesday, the governor’s last day to sign or veto bills before he terms out in January.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That should scare the hell out of everybody,” \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/GovPressOffice/status/2105377762823573954?s=20\">Newsom said\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“That should scare the hell out of everybody,” \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/GovPressOffice/status/2105377762823573954?s=20\">Newsom said\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"SB 947 (McNerney): employers can’t rely solely on an automated decision system to discipline or fire workers. A human has to corroborate the decision, and workers have to be told. Takes effect July 1, 2027.",
"SB 951 (Reyes): employers must give notice when AI causes a mass layoff, relocation or termination. The Transparency Coalition reports a 60-day notice when 25% or more of a workforce is displaced. It also directs the EDD to study AI’s effect on hiring and the workforce.",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>SB 947\u003c/strong> (McNerney): employers can’t rely solely on an automated decision system to discipline or fire workers. A human has to corroborate the decision, and workers have to be told. Takes effect July 1, 2027.\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>SB 951\u003c/strong> (Reyes): employers must give notice when AI causes a mass layoff, relocation or termination. The Transparency Coalition reports a 60-day notice when 25% or more of a workforce is displaced. It also directs the EDD to study AI’s effect on hiring and the workforce.\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>AB 1331\u003c/strong> (Elhawary): bans workplace surveillance tools in workplace bathrooms.\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>AB 2575\u003c/strong> (Ortega): would have barred health care employers from retaliating against nurses and other workers who override AI recommendations they judge unsafe and would have kept AI developers and health care entities from shifting liability for harm caused by their tools onto those workers.\u003c/li>\n",
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"excerpt": "The package of new labor-backed California laws limits how employers use AI and strengthens worker protections. ",
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"title": "Newsom Signs Slate of AI Workplace Laws, Barring ‘Robo Bosses’ and Surveillance | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bevy of laws on Wednesday aimed at protecting California workers from the threats of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/category/technology\">artificial intelligence\u003c/a> in the workplace, guarding against automated job loss and surveillance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The laws prohibit employers from using automated systems to fire or discipline employees — so-called “robo bosses” — as well as from monitoring employees in restrooms. They also restrict the use of AI to read workers’ emotions or collect their neural data.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Democratic governor, who has hinted at a presidential run in 2028, also signed an executive order requiring state agencies to continue to refer to the technology as “artificial intelligence” — instead of “Super Intelligence,” the term President Donald Trump recently ordered federal officials to use.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“AI should expand opportunity — not come at the expense of workers and families,” Newsom said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/30/californias-nation-leading-ai-framework-just-got-stronger-governor-newsom-signs-more-first-in-the-nation-worker-protections-and-more/\">statement\u003c/a>. “As this technology reshapes the workplace, California is putting people at the center.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Labor unions sounded a triumphant note.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250310-TRUMP-SF-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12030646\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250310-TRUMP-SF-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250310-TRUMP-SF-MD-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250310-TRUMP-SF-MD-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250310-TRUMP-SF-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250310-TRUMP-SF-MD-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250310-TRUMP-SF-MD-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie speaks at the opening of the new OpenAI headquarters in Mission Bay in San Francisco on March 10, 2025. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Governor Newsom has shown the country how we can begin to put guardrails on AI at work to ensure human control over this technology, limit surveillance, and put workers first,” said Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, in a statement. “California’s workers and our unions have changed the national narrative on how Americans can fight back and win against AI taking over our jobs and workplaces.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nurses also celebrated the enactment of \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1979\">AB 1979\u003c/a>, a law that bars health care entities from using AI to replace the clinical judgment of licensed professionals.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We stood up and said that A.I. must support, not replace, the clinical judgement of the nurses and other health care professionals who care for our patients,” wrote Sandy Reding, RN and president of California Nurses Association in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nurses-celebrate-historic-victory-as-gov-newsom-signs-landmark-ai-protection-into-law\">press release\u003c/a>. The law also limits AI to an advisory role and extends medical confidentiality protections to health chatbots.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After vetoing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097632/chatbots-data-centers-and-surveillance-5-silicon-valley-bills-land-on-newsoms-desk\">a previous version\u003c/a> of the “robo bosses” legislation last year, Newsom signed a narrower version in \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB947\">SB 947\u003c/a>, which takes effect in July of 2027. Meant to counter the “boss-ware” software surging in popularity, the law requires a human to corroborate firing or disciplinary decisions, and workers must be told when such a system was used.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We need to put a floor and put a marker out there that AI systems really shouldn’t be controlling human society. And this is the one way that it can happen,” said state Sen. Jerry McNerney of Pleasanton, the bill’s author. “Nobody wants to be fired by a machine.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Notably left out of the SB 947 party: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094475/uber-lyft-drivers-prepared-to-form-union\">rideshare drivers\u003c/a>, who are classified as independent contractors under Proposition 22. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Rideshare drivers have been living with AI and algorithmic management long before most workers ever heard those terms,” wrote Nicole Moore, president of Rideshare Drivers United. “An algorithm decides what work we get, what we are paid, how our performance is judged, and too often whether we can work at all.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Looking ahead to the day when autonomous vehicles replace human drivers, Moore said, “Our skills and experience have been turned into data that is now helping power autonomous vehicle technology, without drivers being compensated for the value we helped create or having any meaningful say over how that data is used.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED reached out to Uber, Lyft and the California Chamber of Commerce, but did not hear back by publication time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The laws were signed as the Federal Trade Commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ftc-opens-investigation-of-anthropic-and-openai-a317b617\">investigates\u003c/a> San Francisco-based Anthropic and OpenAI to determine whether they misled consumers about potential harms from their technology, according to the \u003cem>Wall Street Journal\u003c/em>. An FTC spokesperson confirmed the investigation but declined to provide details.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/RS16535_IMG_0443.JPG-scaled-e1764810192572.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up shot of a black vehicle with a pink Lyft sticker and a black-and-white Uber sticker on the left side of its windshield. The vehicle sits idle, waiting to pick up a customer.\" class=\"wp-image-11944379\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rideshare vehicle with Uber and Lyft stickers displayed on its windshield. (Ericka Cruz Guevarra/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the larger context suggests federal lawmakers and the White House have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102152/experts-urge-federal-lawmakers-to-regulate-ai-will-anyone-heed-their-alarm\">ceded the field\u003c/a> of regulation to Silicon Valley companies: Congress has not passed comprehensive federal AI regulations at a time when industry leaders are warning about the technology’s risks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the start of the president’s second term, DOGE — the short-lived initiative run by Elon Musk — explicitly used algorithmic tools to identify and terminate employees. Probationary workers were fired via identical template letters generated without individual review.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And on Tuesday, Trump announced that top tech leaders signed a voluntary accord to “self-police” AI development. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Newsom criticized Trump’s industry-friendly inaction at an hourlong event with reporters on Wednesday, the governor’s last day to sign or veto bills before he terms out in January.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He also had harsh words specifically for Trump’s self-regulation accord. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That should scare the hell out of everybody,” \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/GovPressOffice/status/2105377762823573954?s=20\">Newsom said\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI in the workplace: Signed Sept. 30\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>SB 947\u003c/strong> (McNerney): employers can’t rely solely on an automated decision system to discipline or fire workers. A human has to corroborate the decision, and workers have to be told. Takes effect July 1, 2027.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>SB 951\u003c/strong> (Reyes): employers must give notice when AI causes a mass layoff, relocation or termination. The Transparency Coalition reports a 60-day notice when 25% or more of a workforce is displaced. It also directs the EDD to study AI’s effect on hiring and the workforce.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>AB 1331\u003c/strong> (Elhawary): bans workplace surveillance tools in workplace bathrooms.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>AB 1883\u003c/strong> (Bryan): restricts AI-powered workplace surveillance, including tools that infer workers’ emotional states or collect neural data.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>AB 1979\u003c/strong> (Bonta): AI can’t replace the clinical judgment of licensed health care professionals and stays advisory. It also extends medical confidentiality to health chatbots.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI in the workplace: Vetoed Sept. 30\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>AB 2656\u003c/strong> (Petrie-Norris): would have required notice to public employees when AI performs work within the scope of their jobs. \u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>AB 2575\u003c/strong> (Ortega): would have barred health care employers from retaliating against nurses and other workers who override AI recommendations they judge unsafe and would have kept AI developers and health care entities from shifting liability for harm caused by their tools onto those workers.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Signed earlier\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SB 1050: disclosure of AI-generated performers\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SB 928: AI can’t replace CSU faculty\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AB 2148: public school staff must be people\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AB 1609: a good-faith effort to connect customers to a human within 15 minutes\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "santa-clara-county-sues-restaurant-owners-under-new-wage-theft-law",
"title": "Santa Clara County Sues Restaurant Owners Under New Wage-Theft Law",
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"headTitle": "Santa Clara County Sues Restaurant Owners Under New Wage-Theft Law | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>In a novel move aimed at curbing wage theft, attorneys for Santa Clara County are seeking stiff penalties from local restaurant employers who allegedly evaded for more than a decade state regulators’ orders to pay employees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28698686-complaint-liangs-village-filed/\">lawsuit\u003c/a>, which county officials said is one of the first of its kind, wields a recently passed state law that encourages local governments to help tackle a pervasive problem: business owners who owe wages but never pay, leaving thousands of workers statewide without restitution.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It signals to the employer community that there are civil prosecutors out there that will track you down,” said Tony LoPresti, Santa Clara County counsel. His office filed the complaint on Tuesday in Santa Clara County Superior Court, arguing that the defendants profited from unlawful practices that gave them an unfair advantage over law-abiding employers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We want them to comply with the law while they are operating, and we want them to make the workers who they stole from whole,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260914-GilroyICEFolo-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099677\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260914-GilroyICEFolo-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260914-GilroyICEFolo-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260914-GilroyICEFolo-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti speaks during a press conference in San José on Sept. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>California workers lose billions of dollars annually to paycheck violations, an amount that’s estimated to \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/publication/wage-theft-bigger-problem-forms-theft-workers/\">be larger\u003c/a> than other types of robberies. Just one kind of wage theft, failure to pay the minimum wage, costs workers in San José, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego metro areas more than $2.3 billion annually, according to a 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://www.smlr.rutgers.edu/news-events/smlr-news/minimum-wage-theft-rises-sharply-california\">Rutgers University \u003c/a>study. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Labor Commissioner’s Office, tasked with enforcing state labor laws, investigates worker complaints and helps recover owed wages. But winning a case, often after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11906889/california-workers-face-years-long-waits-for-justice-in-wage-theft-cases-state-data-shows\">a yearslong wait\u003c/a> due to agency backlogs and short staffing, is no guarantee of collecting payment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When the Labor Commissioner’s Office and public prosecutors work together, we strengthen accountability and expand access to justice for workers,” California Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower said in a statement. “Enforcing judgments is a critical part of ensuring workers are paid the wages they are owed and their rights are protected.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Many businesses skirt settling wage judgments by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979626/workers-lost-millions-to-californias-worst-known-wage-thief-and-hes-still-in-business\">hiding assets\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958124/santa-clara-county-pushes-food-businesses-to-pay-worker-wages-or-lose-permits\">closing operations\u003c/a> and reopening under a new name — a “shell game” that has become rampant, according to LoPresti. In Santa Clara County, hundreds of employers failed to settle $23.3 million in judgments between 2013 and 2024, according to a county analysis of Labor Commissioner data. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California lawmakers have responded to the problem by stiffening penalties for employers who fail to settle those debts and increasing the authority of the state — as well as public civil prosecutors — to recover unpaid wages.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB261\">SB 261\u003c/a>, a bill that went into effect this year, makes noncompliant businesses liable for up to three times the amount of an outstanding wage judgment plus attorney’s fees, which LoPresti said would help cover the costs of investigating and litigating these cases. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Suddenly a business is running this huge financial risk in not paying its wage theft judgment,” said LoPresti, who pushed for the change as chair of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.calcivilprosecutors.org/about/\">Civil Prosecutors Coalition\u003c/a>, an association of city and county attorneys in California that collaborates on litigation strategies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the Santa Clara County Counsel’s complaint, the owners of a Cupertino-based Taiwanese restaurant could be liable for more than $800,000 after ignoring wage-theft judgments first recorded by the state in 2013. The county said the seven impacted cooks and kitchen employees were required to work 12-hour days with minimal breaks, and irregular pay periods.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2019, the Labor Commissioner’s Office ordered Liang’s Kitchen Cupertino to halt operations until the business addressed an initial $93,000 debt plus ongoing late fines. But the family owners instead shuttered their restaurant and reopened out of the same location under the name Liang’s Village, which became a busy establishment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Santa Clara County has a first-in-the-nation \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958124/santa-clara-county-pushes-food-businesses-to-pay-worker-wages-or-lose-permits\">program\u003c/a> that can suspend a restaurant’s permit to operate until it settles wage violations, but it only works when the business name matches the one in Labor Commissioner records. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Liang family could not be reached for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The employers’ alleged brazen actions illustrate the kind of “shady maneuvers” some unscrupulous employers use to avoid paying workers the money they are owed, said Terri Gerstein, a former labor bureau chief at the New York State Attorney General’s Office.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240324_SANTACLARASUPERIORCOURT_GC-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12037905\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240324_SANTACLARASUPERIORCOURT_GC-2-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240324_SANTACLARASUPERIORCOURT_GC-2-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240324_SANTACLARASUPERIORCOURT_GC-2-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240324_SANTACLARASUPERIORCOURT_GC-2-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240324_SANTACLARASUPERIORCOURT_GC-2-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240324_SANTACLARASUPERIORCOURT_GC-2-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Santa Clara County Superior Court in San José on March 24, 2025. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“This kind of lawsuit is important because it shows the commitment of the county to take action on behalf of workers, sending a strong message to employers that they have to comply with the law, and that if they don’t, the county is going to do something about it,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legal action comes as local governments have stepped up efforts to protect workers’ rights, and state and federal labor enforcement agencies continue to struggle with underfunding and shortstaffing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco became the nation’s first city to establish a municipal labor department to investigate workplace complaints 25 years ago. Now, dozens of cities and counties nationwide — including San Diego, Seattle, Austin and Cleveland — have similar initiatives. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The push to protect workers locally from abuses has grown under the employer-friendly first and current Trump administrations, said Gerstein, who now runs New York University’s Wagner Labor Initiative. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She pointed to New York City officials’ recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/new-york-city/doordash-settlement-nyc-how-pay/6550655/\">announcement\u003c/a> that DoorDash agreed to pay $131 million to settle claims that the company underpaid 260,000 delivery workers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Cities and counties getting involved has made a very big difference for the workers themselves involved in these cases, for employers in these communities,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a novel move aimed at curbing wage theft, attorneys for Santa Clara County are seeking stiff penalties from local restaurant employers who allegedly evaded for more than a decade state regulators’ orders to pay employees.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28698686-complaint-liangs-village-filed/\">lawsuit\u003c/a>, which county officials said is one of the first of its kind, wields a recently passed state law that encourages local governments to help tackle a pervasive problem: business owners who owe wages but never pay, leaving thousands of workers statewide without restitution.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28698686-complaint-liangs-village-filed/\">lawsuit\u003c/a>, which county officials said is one of the first of its kind, wields a recently passed state law that encourages local governments to help tackle a pervasive problem: business owners who owe wages but never pay, leaving thousands of workers statewide without restitution.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It signals to the employer community that there are civil prosecutors out there that will track you down,” said Tony LoPresti, Santa Clara County counsel. His office filed the complaint on Tuesday in Santa Clara County Superior Court, arguing that the defendants profited from unlawful practices that gave them an unfair advantage over law-abiding employers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It signals to the employer community that there are civil prosecutors out there that will track you down,” said Tony LoPresti, Santa Clara County counsel. His office filed the complaint on Tuesday in Santa Clara County Superior Court, arguing that the defendants profited from unlawful practices that gave them an unfair advantage over law-abiding employers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We want them to comply with the law while they are operating, and we want them to make the workers who they stole from whole,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We want them to comply with the law while they are operating, and we want them to make the workers who they stole from whole,” he said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260914-GilroyICEFolo-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099677\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260914-GilroyICEFolo-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260914-GilroyICEFolo-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260914-GilroyICEFolo-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti speaks during a press conference in San José on Sept. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California workers lose billions of dollars annually to paycheck violations, an amount that’s estimated to \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/publication/wage-theft-bigger-problem-forms-theft-workers/\">be larger\u003c/a> than other types of robberies. Just one kind of wage theft, failure to pay the minimum wage, costs workers in San José, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego metro areas more than $2.3 billion annually, according to a 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://www.smlr.rutgers.edu/news-events/smlr-news/minimum-wage-theft-rises-sharply-california\">Rutgers University \u003c/a>study. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California workers lose billions of dollars annually to paycheck violations, an amount that’s estimated to \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/publication/wage-theft-bigger-problem-forms-theft-workers/\">be larger\u003c/a> than other types of robberies. Just one kind of wage theft, failure to pay the minimum wage, costs workers in San José, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego metro areas more than $2.3 billion annually, according to a 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://www.smlr.rutgers.edu/news-events/smlr-news/minimum-wage-theft-rises-sharply-california\">Rutgers University \u003c/a>study. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The California Labor Commissioner’s Office, tasked with enforcing state labor laws, investigates worker complaints and helps recover owed wages. But winning a case, often after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11906889/california-workers-face-years-long-waits-for-justice-in-wage-theft-cases-state-data-shows\">a yearslong wait\u003c/a> due to agency backlogs and short staffing, is no guarantee of collecting payment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The California Labor Commissioner’s Office, tasked with enforcing state labor laws, investigates worker complaints and helps recover owed wages. But winning a case, often after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11906889/california-workers-face-years-long-waits-for-justice-in-wage-theft-cases-state-data-shows\">a yearslong wait\u003c/a> due to agency backlogs and short staffing, is no guarantee of collecting payment. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When the Labor Commissioner’s Office and public prosecutors work together, we strengthen accountability and expand access to justice for workers,” California Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower said in a statement. “Enforcing judgments is a critical part of ensuring workers are paid the wages they are owed and their rights are protected.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“When the Labor Commissioner’s Office and public prosecutors work together, we strengthen accountability and expand access to justice for workers,” California Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower said in a statement. “Enforcing judgments is a critical part of ensuring workers are paid the wages they are owed and their rights are protected.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Many businesses skirt settling wage judgments by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979626/workers-lost-millions-to-californias-worst-known-wage-thief-and-hes-still-in-business\">hiding assets\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958124/santa-clara-county-pushes-food-businesses-to-pay-worker-wages-or-lose-permits\">closing operations\u003c/a> and reopening under a new name — a “shell game” that has become rampant, according to LoPresti. In Santa Clara County, hundreds of employers failed to settle $23.3 million in judgments between 2013 and 2024, according to a county analysis of Labor Commissioner data. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Many businesses skirt settling wage judgments by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979626/workers-lost-millions-to-californias-worst-known-wage-thief-and-hes-still-in-business\">hiding assets\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958124/santa-clara-county-pushes-food-businesses-to-pay-worker-wages-or-lose-permits\">closing operations\u003c/a> and reopening under a new name — a “shell game” that has become rampant, according to LoPresti. In Santa Clara County, hundreds of employers failed to settle $23.3 million in judgments between 2013 and 2024, according to a county analysis of Labor Commissioner data. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California lawmakers have responded to the problem by stiffening penalties for employers who fail to settle those debts and increasing the authority of the state — as well as public civil prosecutors — to recover unpaid wages.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California lawmakers have responded to the problem by stiffening penalties for employers who fail to settle those debts and increasing the authority of the state — as well as public civil prosecutors — to recover unpaid wages.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB261\">SB 261\u003c/a>, a bill that went into effect this year, makes noncompliant businesses liable for up to three times the amount of an outstanding wage judgment plus attorney’s fees, which LoPresti said would help cover the costs of investigating and litigating these cases. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB261\">SB 261\u003c/a>, a bill that went into effect this year, makes noncompliant businesses liable for up to three times the amount of an outstanding wage judgment plus attorney’s fees, which LoPresti said would help cover the costs of investigating and litigating these cases. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Suddenly a business is running this huge financial risk in not paying its wage theft judgment,” said LoPresti, who pushed for the change as chair of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.calcivilprosecutors.org/about/\">Civil Prosecutors Coalition\u003c/a>, an association of city and county attorneys in California that collaborates on litigation strategies. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to the Santa Clara County Counsel’s complaint, the owners of a Cupertino-based Taiwanese restaurant could be liable for more than $800,000 after ignoring wage-theft judgments first recorded by the state in 2013. The county said the seven impacted cooks and kitchen employees were required to work 12-hour days with minimal breaks, and irregular pay periods.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>According to the Santa Clara County Counsel’s complaint, the owners of a Cupertino-based Taiwanese restaurant could be liable for more than $800,000 after ignoring wage-theft judgments first recorded by the state in 2013. The county said the seven impacted cooks and kitchen employees were required to work 12-hour days with minimal breaks, and irregular pay periods.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2019, the Labor Commissioner’s Office ordered Liang’s Kitchen Cupertino to halt operations until the business addressed an initial $93,000 debt plus ongoing late fines. But the family owners instead shuttered their restaurant and reopened out of the same location under the name Liang’s Village, which became a busy establishment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2019, the Labor Commissioner’s Office ordered Liang’s Kitchen Cupertino to halt operations until the business addressed an initial $93,000 debt plus ongoing late fines. But the family owners instead shuttered their restaurant and reopened out of the same location under the name Liang’s Village, which became a busy establishment.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Santa Clara County has a first-in-the-nation \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958124/santa-clara-county-pushes-food-businesses-to-pay-worker-wages-or-lose-permits\">program\u003c/a> that can suspend a restaurant’s permit to operate until it settles wage violations, but it only works when the business name matches the one in Labor Commissioner records. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Santa Clara County has a first-in-the-nation \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958124/santa-clara-county-pushes-food-businesses-to-pay-worker-wages-or-lose-permits\">program\u003c/a> that can suspend a restaurant’s permit to operate until it settles wage violations, but it only works when the business name matches the one in Labor Commissioner records. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Liang family could not be reached for comment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The employers’ alleged brazen actions illustrate the kind of “shady maneuvers” some unscrupulous employers use to avoid paying workers the money they are owed, said Terri Gerstein, a former labor bureau chief at the New York State Attorney General’s Office.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This kind of lawsuit is important because it shows the commitment of the county to take action on behalf of workers, sending a strong message to employers that they have to comply with the law, and that if they don’t, the county is going to do something about it,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This kind of lawsuit is important because it shows the commitment of the county to take action on behalf of workers, sending a strong message to employers that they have to comply with the law, and that if they don’t, the county is going to do something about it,” she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The legal action comes as local governments have stepped up efforts to protect workers’ rights, and state and federal labor enforcement agencies continue to struggle with underfunding and shortstaffing. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The legal action comes as local governments have stepped up efforts to protect workers’ rights, and state and federal labor enforcement agencies continue to struggle with underfunding and shortstaffing. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco became the nation’s first city to establish a municipal labor department to investigate workplace complaints 25 years ago. Now, dozens of cities and counties nationwide — including San Diego, Seattle, Austin and Cleveland — have similar initiatives. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She pointed to New York City officials’ recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/new-york-city/doordash-settlement-nyc-how-pay/6550655/\">announcement\u003c/a> that DoorDash agreed to pay $131 million to settle claims that the company underpaid 260,000 delivery workers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She pointed to New York City officials’ recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/new-york-city/doordash-settlement-nyc-how-pay/6550655/\">announcement\u003c/a> that DoorDash agreed to pay $131 million to settle claims that the company underpaid 260,000 delivery workers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Cities and counties getting involved has made a very big difference for the workers themselves involved in these cases, for employers in these communities,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The lawsuit on Tuesday against a local restaurant employer is one of the first under a state law that went into effect this year, according to county officials. ",
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"title": "Santa Clara County Sues Restaurant Owners Under New Wage-Theft Law | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>In a novel move aimed at curbing wage theft, attorneys for Santa Clara County are seeking stiff penalties from local restaurant employers who allegedly evaded for more than a decade state regulators’ orders to pay employees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28698686-complaint-liangs-village-filed/\">lawsuit\u003c/a>, which county officials said is one of the first of its kind, wields a recently passed state law that encourages local governments to help tackle a pervasive problem: business owners who owe wages but never pay, leaving thousands of workers statewide without restitution.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It signals to the employer community that there are civil prosecutors out there that will track you down,” said Tony LoPresti, Santa Clara County counsel. His office filed the complaint on Tuesday in Santa Clara County Superior Court, arguing that the defendants profited from unlawful practices that gave them an unfair advantage over law-abiding employers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We want them to comply with the law while they are operating, and we want them to make the workers who they stole from whole,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260914-GilroyICEFolo-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099677\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260914-GilroyICEFolo-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260914-GilroyICEFolo-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260914-GilroyICEFolo-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti speaks during a press conference in San José on Sept. 14, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>California workers lose billions of dollars annually to paycheck violations, an amount that’s estimated to \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/publication/wage-theft-bigger-problem-forms-theft-workers/\">be larger\u003c/a> than other types of robberies. Just one kind of wage theft, failure to pay the minimum wage, costs workers in San José, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego metro areas more than $2.3 billion annually, according to a 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://www.smlr.rutgers.edu/news-events/smlr-news/minimum-wage-theft-rises-sharply-california\">Rutgers University \u003c/a>study. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The California Labor Commissioner’s Office, tasked with enforcing state labor laws, investigates worker complaints and helps recover owed wages. But winning a case, often after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11906889/california-workers-face-years-long-waits-for-justice-in-wage-theft-cases-state-data-shows\">a yearslong wait\u003c/a> due to agency backlogs and short staffing, is no guarantee of collecting payment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When the Labor Commissioner’s Office and public prosecutors work together, we strengthen accountability and expand access to justice for workers,” California Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower said in a statement. “Enforcing judgments is a critical part of ensuring workers are paid the wages they are owed and their rights are protected.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Many businesses skirt settling wage judgments by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979626/workers-lost-millions-to-californias-worst-known-wage-thief-and-hes-still-in-business\">hiding assets\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958124/santa-clara-county-pushes-food-businesses-to-pay-worker-wages-or-lose-permits\">closing operations\u003c/a> and reopening under a new name — a “shell game” that has become rampant, according to LoPresti. In Santa Clara County, hundreds of employers failed to settle $23.3 million in judgments between 2013 and 2024, according to a county analysis of Labor Commissioner data. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California lawmakers have responded to the problem by stiffening penalties for employers who fail to settle those debts and increasing the authority of the state — as well as public civil prosecutors — to recover unpaid wages.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB261\">SB 261\u003c/a>, a bill that went into effect this year, makes noncompliant businesses liable for up to three times the amount of an outstanding wage judgment plus attorney’s fees, which LoPresti said would help cover the costs of investigating and litigating these cases. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Suddenly a business is running this huge financial risk in not paying its wage theft judgment,” said LoPresti, who pushed for the change as chair of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.calcivilprosecutors.org/about/\">Civil Prosecutors Coalition\u003c/a>, an association of city and county attorneys in California that collaborates on litigation strategies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the Santa Clara County Counsel’s complaint, the owners of a Cupertino-based Taiwanese restaurant could be liable for more than $800,000 after ignoring wage-theft judgments first recorded by the state in 2013. The county said the seven impacted cooks and kitchen employees were required to work 12-hour days with minimal breaks, and irregular pay periods.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2019, the Labor Commissioner’s Office ordered Liang’s Kitchen Cupertino to halt operations until the business addressed an initial $93,000 debt plus ongoing late fines. But the family owners instead shuttered their restaurant and reopened out of the same location under the name Liang’s Village, which became a busy establishment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Santa Clara County has a first-in-the-nation \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958124/santa-clara-county-pushes-food-businesses-to-pay-worker-wages-or-lose-permits\">program\u003c/a> that can suspend a restaurant’s permit to operate until it settles wage violations, but it only works when the business name matches the one in Labor Commissioner records. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Liang family could not be reached for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The employers’ alleged brazen actions illustrate the kind of “shady maneuvers” some unscrupulous employers use to avoid paying workers the money they are owed, said Terri Gerstein, a former labor bureau chief at the New York State Attorney General’s Office.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240324_SANTACLARASUPERIORCOURT_GC-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12037905\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240324_SANTACLARASUPERIORCOURT_GC-2-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240324_SANTACLARASUPERIORCOURT_GC-2-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240324_SANTACLARASUPERIORCOURT_GC-2-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240324_SANTACLARASUPERIORCOURT_GC-2-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240324_SANTACLARASUPERIORCOURT_GC-2-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240324_SANTACLARASUPERIORCOURT_GC-2-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Santa Clara County Superior Court in San José on March 24, 2025. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“This kind of lawsuit is important because it shows the commitment of the county to take action on behalf of workers, sending a strong message to employers that they have to comply with the law, and that if they don’t, the county is going to do something about it,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legal action comes as local governments have stepped up efforts to protect workers’ rights, and state and federal labor enforcement agencies continue to struggle with underfunding and shortstaffing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco became the nation’s first city to establish a municipal labor department to investigate workplace complaints 25 years ago. Now, dozens of cities and counties nationwide — including San Diego, Seattle, Austin and Cleveland — have similar initiatives. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The push to protect workers locally from abuses has grown under the employer-friendly first and current Trump administrations, said Gerstein, who now runs New York University’s Wagner Labor Initiative. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She pointed to New York City officials’ recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/new-york-city/doordash-settlement-nyc-how-pay/6550655/\">announcement\u003c/a> that DoorDash agreed to pay $131 million to settle claims that the company underpaid 260,000 delivery workers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Cities and counties getting involved has made a very big difference for the workers themselves involved in these cases, for employers in these communities,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "oakland-airport-set-to-make-it-easier-for-workers-to-unionize",
"title": "Oakland Airport to Adopt Mandate Clearing Path for More Workers to Unionize",
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"headTitle": "Oakland Airport to Adopt Mandate Clearing Path for More Workers to Unionize | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/port-of-oakland\">Port of Oakland\u003c/a>, which oversees that city’s airport, has adopted changes that labor experts say will make it easier for hundreds of employees with aviation service providers to unionize and remedy workplace problems. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Board of Port Commissioners gave final approval Thursday to an \u003ca href=\"https://portofoakland.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=8212504&GUID=E27B487A-AB78-4CDF-82E5-480BD9434807\">ordinance\u003c/a> requiring companies that contract with airlines to handle baggage, clean airplane cabins, assist passengers on wheelchairs, provide security and other services to enter into “labor peace” agreements with unions seeking to represent their employees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The move comes after nonunion workers accused some contractors operating at the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport of retaliation, unsafe conditions and failing to properly respond to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089491/oakland-airport-skycap-says-workplace-injury-left-her-homeless\">serious injuries\u003c/a>, including one that left a skycap in a wheelchair and unable to support herself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260611-OAKLANDAIRPORTWORKERS-05-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087349\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260611-OAKLANDAIRPORTWORKERS-05-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260611-OAKLANDAIRPORTWORKERS-05-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260611-OAKLANDAIRPORTWORKERS-05-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Keiana Vernon (center) talks with fellow residents who have become friends outside Fairmont Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in San Leandro on June 11, 2026. Vernon suffered a workplace injury while working for an airport services contractor and is now living at the long-term care facility after developing chronic injuries and mobility limitations. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s important for workers to have a stronger voice, because they are the front line,” said Enrique Lopezlira, who directs the low-wage work program at the UC Berkeley Labor Center. “The more confidence they have in their ability to speak up without fear of losing their job or hours, then the safety and security of the Oakland airport improves. And that’s a benefit for everybody.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Labor peace agreements call on businesses to avoid coercing or retaliating against workers exercising their right to organize and improve jobs collectively. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal law already prohibits employers \u003ca href=\"https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-rights/employer-union-rights-and-obligations\">from interfering\u003c/a> with union drives, but worker advocates say the Trump administration has weakened the agencies tasked with enforcing labor protections, and that additional local measures are needed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the Oakland airport, authorities would phase in the \u003ca href=\"https://portofoakland.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15819213&GUID=8D2066BB-0282-4A9A-AAA4-6A0CD987C209\">new requirement\u003c/a> when contractors hired by airlines solicit a new or extended authorization to operate on airport property. The port estimates the policy could impact 400 workers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Failure to comply with labor peace obligations could lead the port to revoke its permission for a company. That mechanism gives the agency more authority to ensure accountability, according to SEIU-United Service Workers West, which aims to organize about 200 baggage handlers, wheelchair attendants, cabin cleaners, ramp agents and other employees of airline contractors at OAK.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It would give a stronger opportunity for workers to have their rights respected and for the contractors that are there to be acting in good faith,” Sanjay Garla, a vice president at SEIU-USWW, said. “So it’s a big win.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Large airline contractors operating at the Oakland airport, privately held companies such as Prospect Airport Services — which is owned by Unifi Aviation — and Alliance Ground International, did not return a request for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/240412-OAKAirport-004-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12053653\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/240412-OAKAirport-004-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/240412-OAKAirport-004-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/240412-OAKAirport-004-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The entrance to the Oakland International Airport in Oakland on April 12, 2024. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Unifi, North America’s largest provider of aviation services, generates about $2 billion in revenue with a workforce of roughly 45,000 at 240 airports in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Alliance, known as AGI and a smaller provider of airline cargo handling services, has 12,000 employees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Port of Oakland has successfully required airport food, beverage and retail vendors to sign labor peace provisions for a decade. The agency is now moving to expand those requirements to all operators at the airport, including those hired by the airlines and not the port. The goal is to promote safe and smooth operations, as well as high labor standards for workers, said Matt Davis, chief public engagement officer at the Port of Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is going to continue to ensure uninterrupted and efficient operations at the airport while guaranteeing the rights of our essential airport workers,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Most other airport workers are unionized, including those employed directly by airlines, restaurants and other concession businesses. At a meeting on Sept. 10, six of seven commissioners voted to move forward the labor peace policy expansion. At a second required vote on Thursday, the board passed the measure without objection.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think we’re doing something really great here,” board president Andreas Cluver said. “I’m proud to be part of this body, this community moving, in my opinion, social justice forward and workers’ rights forward, at the same time maintaining financially viable and efficient and productive port operations.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1346\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/OaklandAirportGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12065092\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/OaklandAirportGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/OaklandAirportGetty-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/OaklandAirportGetty-1536x1034.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A traveler walks through baggage claim in Terminal 2 at Oakland International Airport on April 12, 2024, in Oakland, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Luke Allen, a full-time wheelchair attendant for Prospect at OAK, said flyers posted near where employees clock in and out of work spread misinformation about unions. Managers have harassed employees interested in organizing over safety and pay concerns, he said. That experience motivated the 23-year old to testify before port commissioners about the need for reform at several meetings. He applauded the port’s new policy, which he said would help protect him and co-workers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It shows that the commissioners actually care about how workers are being treated at Oakland airport,” Allen, who has worked at OAK for more than three years, said. “It’s not going to make any big change immediately, but what it does do is just keep us a little safer.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other major airports, such as San Francisco International Airport and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, have had similar rules in place for years, a step that has helped reduce staff turnover and improve passenger services, Lopez Lira said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the industry incentivizes contractors to cut costs to stay competitive, baggage handlers, ramp agents, airplane mechanics and other ground personnel in already dangerous jobs can be at a higher risk for injuries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Even if they don’t get to actually form a union or get to the collective bargaining piece,” Lopez Lira said, “just having that opportunity to organize without interference improves worker voice.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Board of Port Commissioners gave final approval Thursday to an \u003ca href=\"https://portofoakland.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=8212504&GUID=E27B487A-AB78-4CDF-82E5-480BD9434807\">ordinance\u003c/a> requiring companies that contract with airlines to handle baggage, clean airplane cabins, assist passengers on wheelchairs, provide security and other services to enter into “labor peace” agreements with unions seeking to represent their employees.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The move comes after nonunion workers accused some contractors operating at the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport of retaliation, unsafe conditions and failing to properly respond to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089491/oakland-airport-skycap-says-workplace-injury-left-her-homeless\">serious injuries\u003c/a>, including one that left a skycap in a wheelchair and unable to support herself.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s important for workers to have a stronger voice, because they are the front line,” said Enrique Lopezlira, who directs the low-wage work program at the UC Berkeley Labor Center. “The more confidence they have in their ability to speak up without fear of losing their job or hours, then the safety and security of the Oakland airport improves. And that’s a benefit for everybody.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Labor peace agreements call on businesses to avoid coercing or retaliating against workers exercising their right to organize and improve jobs collectively. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Federal law already prohibits employers \u003ca href=\"https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-rights/employer-union-rights-and-obligations\">from interfering\u003c/a> with union drives, but worker advocates say the Trump administration has weakened the agencies tasked with enforcing labor protections, and that additional local measures are needed.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the Oakland airport, authorities would phase in the \u003ca href=\"https://portofoakland.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15819213&GUID=8D2066BB-0282-4A9A-AAA4-6A0CD987C209\">new requirement\u003c/a> when contractors hired by airlines solicit a new or extended authorization to operate on airport property. The port estimates the policy could impact 400 workers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Failure to comply with labor peace obligations could lead the port to revoke its permission for a company. That mechanism gives the agency more authority to ensure accountability, according to SEIU-United Service Workers West, which aims to organize about 200 baggage handlers, wheelchair attendants, cabin cleaners, ramp agents and other employees of airline contractors at OAK.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Failure to comply with labor peace obligations could lead the port to revoke its permission for a company. That mechanism gives the agency more authority to ensure accountability, according to SEIU-United Service Workers West, which aims to organize about 200 baggage handlers, wheelchair attendants, cabin cleaners, ramp agents and other employees of airline contractors at OAK.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It would give a stronger opportunity for workers to have their rights respected and for the contractors that are there to be acting in good faith,” Sanjay Garla, a vice president at SEIU-USWW, said. “So it’s a big win.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It would give a stronger opportunity for workers to have their rights respected and for the contractors that are there to be acting in good faith,” Sanjay Garla, a vice president at SEIU-USWW, said. “So it’s a big win.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Large airline contractors operating at the Oakland airport, privately held companies such as Prospect Airport Services — which is owned by Unifi Aviation — and Alliance Ground International, did not return a request for comment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Large airline contractors operating at the Oakland airport, privately held companies such as Prospect Airport Services — which is owned by Unifi Aviation — and Alliance Ground International, did not return a request for comment. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/240412-OAKAirport-004-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12053653\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/240412-OAKAirport-004-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/240412-OAKAirport-004-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/240412-OAKAirport-004-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The entrance to the Oakland International Airport in Oakland on April 12, 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Unifi, North America’s largest provider of aviation services, generates about $2 billion in revenue with a workforce of roughly 45,000 at 240 airports in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Alliance, known as AGI and a smaller provider of airline cargo handling services, has 12,000 employees.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Unifi, North America’s largest provider of aviation services, generates about $2 billion in revenue with a workforce of roughly 45,000 at 240 airports in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Alliance, known as AGI and a smaller provider of airline cargo handling services, has 12,000 employees.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Port of Oakland has successfully required airport food, beverage and retail vendors to sign labor peace provisions for a decade. The agency is now moving to expand those requirements to all operators at the airport, including those hired by the airlines and not the port. The goal is to promote safe and smooth operations, as well as high labor standards for workers, said Matt Davis, chief public engagement officer at the Port of Oakland.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Port of Oakland has successfully required airport food, beverage and retail vendors to sign labor peace provisions for a decade. The agency is now moving to expand those requirements to all operators at the airport, including those hired by the airlines and not the port. The goal is to promote safe and smooth operations, as well as high labor standards for workers, said Matt Davis, chief public engagement officer at the Port of Oakland.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This is going to continue to ensure uninterrupted and efficient operations at the airport while guaranteeing the rights of our essential airport workers,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Most other airport workers are unionized, including those employed directly by airlines, restaurants and other concession businesses. At a meeting on Sept. 10, six of seven commissioners voted to move forward the labor peace policy expansion. At a second required vote on Thursday, the board passed the measure without objection.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Most other airport workers are unionized, including those employed directly by airlines, restaurants and other concession businesses. At a meeting on Sept. 10, six of seven commissioners voted to move forward the labor peace policy expansion. At a second required vote on Thursday, the board passed the measure without objection.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think we’re doing something really great here,” board president Andreas Cluver said. “I’m proud to be part of this body, this community moving, in my opinion, social justice forward and workers’ rights forward, at the same time maintaining financially viable and efficient and productive port operations.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I think we’re doing something really great here,” board president Andreas Cluver said. “I’m proud to be part of this body, this community moving, in my opinion, social justice forward and workers’ rights forward, at the same time maintaining financially viable and efficient and productive port operations.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Luke Allen, a full-time wheelchair attendant for Prospect at OAK, said flyers posted near where employees clock in and out of work spread misinformation about unions. Managers have harassed employees interested in organizing over safety and pay concerns, he said. That experience motivated the 23-year old to testify before port commissioners about the need for reform at several meetings. He applauded the port’s new policy, which he said would help protect him and co-workers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Luke Allen, a full-time wheelchair attendant for Prospect at OAK, said flyers posted near where employees clock in and out of work spread misinformation about unions. Managers have harassed employees interested in organizing over safety and pay concerns, he said. That experience motivated the 23-year old to testify before port commissioners about the need for reform at several meetings. He applauded the port’s new policy, which he said would help protect him and co-workers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It shows that the commissioners actually care about how workers are being treated at Oakland airport,” Allen, who has worked at OAK for more than three years, said. “It’s not going to make any big change immediately, but what it does do is just keep us a little safer.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It shows that the commissioners actually care about how workers are being treated at Oakland airport,” Allen, who has worked at OAK for more than three years, said. “It’s not going to make any big change immediately, but what it does do is just keep us a little safer.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Other major airports, such as San Francisco International Airport and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, have had similar rules in place for years, a step that has helped reduce staff turnover and improve passenger services, Lopez Lira said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As the industry incentivizes contractors to cut costs to stay competitive, baggage handlers, ramp agents, airplane mechanics and other ground personnel in already dangerous jobs can be at a higher risk for injuries.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Even if they don’t get to actually form a union or get to the collective bargaining piece,” Lopez Lira said, “just having that opportunity to organize without interference improves worker voice.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/port-of-oakland\">Port of Oakland\u003c/a>, which oversees that city’s airport, has adopted changes that labor experts say will make it easier for hundreds of employees with aviation service providers to unionize and remedy workplace problems. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Board of Port Commissioners gave final approval Thursday to an \u003ca href=\"https://portofoakland.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=8212504&GUID=E27B487A-AB78-4CDF-82E5-480BD9434807\">ordinance\u003c/a> requiring companies that contract with airlines to handle baggage, clean airplane cabins, assist passengers on wheelchairs, provide security and other services to enter into “labor peace” agreements with unions seeking to represent their employees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The move comes after nonunion workers accused some contractors operating at the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport of retaliation, unsafe conditions and failing to properly respond to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089491/oakland-airport-skycap-says-workplace-injury-left-her-homeless\">serious injuries\u003c/a>, including one that left a skycap in a wheelchair and unable to support herself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260611-OAKLANDAIRPORTWORKERS-05-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087349\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260611-OAKLANDAIRPORTWORKERS-05-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260611-OAKLANDAIRPORTWORKERS-05-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260611-OAKLANDAIRPORTWORKERS-05-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Keiana Vernon (center) talks with fellow residents who have become friends outside Fairmont Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in San Leandro on June 11, 2026. Vernon suffered a workplace injury while working for an airport services contractor and is now living at the long-term care facility after developing chronic injuries and mobility limitations. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s important for workers to have a stronger voice, because they are the front line,” said Enrique Lopezlira, who directs the low-wage work program at the UC Berkeley Labor Center. “The more confidence they have in their ability to speak up without fear of losing their job or hours, then the safety and security of the Oakland airport improves. And that’s a benefit for everybody.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Labor peace agreements call on businesses to avoid coercing or retaliating against workers exercising their right to organize and improve jobs collectively. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal law already prohibits employers \u003ca href=\"https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-rights/employer-union-rights-and-obligations\">from interfering\u003c/a> with union drives, but worker advocates say the Trump administration has weakened the agencies tasked with enforcing labor protections, and that additional local measures are needed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the Oakland airport, authorities would phase in the \u003ca href=\"https://portofoakland.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15819213&GUID=8D2066BB-0282-4A9A-AAA4-6A0CD987C209\">new requirement\u003c/a> when contractors hired by airlines solicit a new or extended authorization to operate on airport property. The port estimates the policy could impact 400 workers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Failure to comply with labor peace obligations could lead the port to revoke its permission for a company. That mechanism gives the agency more authority to ensure accountability, according to SEIU-United Service Workers West, which aims to organize about 200 baggage handlers, wheelchair attendants, cabin cleaners, ramp agents and other employees of airline contractors at OAK.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It would give a stronger opportunity for workers to have their rights respected and for the contractors that are there to be acting in good faith,” Sanjay Garla, a vice president at SEIU-USWW, said. “So it’s a big win.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Large airline contractors operating at the Oakland airport, privately held companies such as Prospect Airport Services — which is owned by Unifi Aviation — and Alliance Ground International, did not return a request for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/240412-OAKAirport-004-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12053653\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/240412-OAKAirport-004-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/240412-OAKAirport-004-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/240412-OAKAirport-004-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The entrance to the Oakland International Airport in Oakland on April 12, 2024. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Unifi, North America’s largest provider of aviation services, generates about $2 billion in revenue with a workforce of roughly 45,000 at 240 airports in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Alliance, known as AGI and a smaller provider of airline cargo handling services, has 12,000 employees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Port of Oakland has successfully required airport food, beverage and retail vendors to sign labor peace provisions for a decade. The agency is now moving to expand those requirements to all operators at the airport, including those hired by the airlines and not the port. The goal is to promote safe and smooth operations, as well as high labor standards for workers, said Matt Davis, chief public engagement officer at the Port of Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is going to continue to ensure uninterrupted and efficient operations at the airport while guaranteeing the rights of our essential airport workers,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Most other airport workers are unionized, including those employed directly by airlines, restaurants and other concession businesses. At a meeting on Sept. 10, six of seven commissioners voted to move forward the labor peace policy expansion. At a second required vote on Thursday, the board passed the measure without objection.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think we’re doing something really great here,” board president Andreas Cluver said. “I’m proud to be part of this body, this community moving, in my opinion, social justice forward and workers’ rights forward, at the same time maintaining financially viable and efficient and productive port operations.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1346\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/OaklandAirportGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12065092\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/OaklandAirportGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/OaklandAirportGetty-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/OaklandAirportGetty-1536x1034.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A traveler walks through baggage claim in Terminal 2 at Oakland International Airport on April 12, 2024, in Oakland, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Luke Allen, a full-time wheelchair attendant for Prospect at OAK, said flyers posted near where employees clock in and out of work spread misinformation about unions. Managers have harassed employees interested in organizing over safety and pay concerns, he said. That experience motivated the 23-year old to testify before port commissioners about the need for reform at several meetings. He applauded the port’s new policy, which he said would help protect him and co-workers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It shows that the commissioners actually care about how workers are being treated at Oakland airport,” Allen, who has worked at OAK for more than three years, said. “It’s not going to make any big change immediately, but what it does do is just keep us a little safer.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other major airports, such as San Francisco International Airport and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, have had similar rules in place for years, a step that has helped reduce staff turnover and improve passenger services, Lopez Lira said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the industry incentivizes contractors to cut costs to stay competitive, baggage handlers, ramp agents, airplane mechanics and other ground personnel in already dangerous jobs can be at a higher risk for injuries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Even if they don’t get to actually form a union or get to the collective bargaining piece,” Lopez Lira said, “just having that opportunity to organize without interference improves worker voice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "lawsuit-pressuring-california-to-decide-wage-theft-claims-faster-moves-forward",
"title": "Lawsuit Pressuring California to Decide Wage-Theft Claims Faster Moves Forward",
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"headTitle": "Lawsuit Pressuring California to Decide Wage-Theft Claims Faster Moves Forward | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>A legal challenge seeking to pressure \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> to correct long delays in deciding wage-theft claims can move forward, according to a state judge in Alameda County.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By law, the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement must resolve worker complaints of underpayment within 135 days, or less than five months. But the agency, also known as the Labor Commissioner’s Office, often takes years to determine whether employers owe any money. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The failure hurts low-income people seeking restitution for wages owed and undermines state efforts to hold employers accountable, said Alexx Campbell, an attorney with Legal Aid at Work in San Francisco, who has seen clients mired in a backlog impacting thousands of Californians. Many workers give up, he added. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We just need the state government as a whole, and that includes the Labor Commissioner’s Office, to come up with solutions to figure out how to provide workers with access to a functional process where they can recover their wages,” Campbell said. “Because right now, that’s not happening.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1273\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563.jpg\" alt=\"A group of people holding signs in Spanish, protesting in front of a Burger King restaurant.\" class=\"wp-image-11903335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-1536x1018.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers demand a Burger King franchisee pay wages owed to them, on Oct. 25, 2019. The company operating the franchise, Golden Gate Restaurant Group, was cited by the state Labor Commissioner’s Office for multiple violations, including failing to pay workers minimum wage and other violations. (Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Researchers estimate that workers statewide lose $2 billion to $4 billion per year in pay due to employer violations of minimum wage, overtime, meal breaks and other required protections. Those most impacted are often in lower-income jobs in construction, garment manufacturing, agriculture, restaurants and other industries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Labor Commissioner’s wage-claim process was designed as a faster, no-cost, accessible alternative to the court system. But persistent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955920/california-wage-theft-investigators-staffing-crisis\">understaffing\u003c/a> at the agency contributed to a growing backlog of cases. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2023, the agency took a median processing time of 854 days, or more than two years — six times longer than the maximum allowed by law — according to a 2024 state auditor’s report requested by lawmakers. Thousands of complaints had been pending for five years or more. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson with the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees the Labor Commissioner’s Office, declined to comment on the lawsuit but said the agency has since cut its intake backlog from 30,000 cases to about 6,000, and lowered overall vacancy rates from 33% to 20%. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The DIR does not comment on pending litigation,” the spokesperson wrote. The Labor Commissioner’s Office recovered $78 million in owed wages last year, about a third more than in 2024, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In February, a worker with an unresolved claim, represented by Moss Bollinger LLP, sued the agency over its processing delays. A second worker, represented by Legal Aid at Work, later joined the case. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State attorneys for the division and Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower, who is also named as a defendant, argued the case should be dismissed, saying it is too complicated for a judge to weigh in and that the court would be intruding on the executive branch’s role. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Alameda County Superior Court Judge Rebekah Evenson disagreed, determining \u003ca href=\"https://legalaidatwork.org/workers-advocates-sue-the-labor-commissioners-office-over-years-long-delays/\">on Sept. 10\u003c/a> that the case can continue. A hearing is expected in the coming months. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is a good decision from the judge at this early stage in the case that allows the workers to continue to fight for changes,” Campbell said. “It’s not a question of a court telling the labor commissioner how to allocate their budget or how to staff their agency. It’s really just a question of a court requiring the labor commissioner to follow these very clear deadlines in the law.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the Californians waiting years for restitution is Ali Jahansir, who estimates an Orange County employer owes him more than $6,000 in overtime pay for frequent 12-hour shifts as a security guard. Jahansir said he was fired after his employer learned he had filed a wage claim with the labor commissioner in 2023. He has yet to receive a hearing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I never thought it would take this long, and, especially at my age, that’s difficult,” said Jahansir, now 76 and a Legal Aid at Work client. “I believe I did the right thing by speaking up to my employer and filing a claim, but having to wait so long makes me worry that I will never see the wages that the company kept from me.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563.jpg\" alt=\"A group of people holding signs in Spanish, protesting in front of a Burger King restaurant.\" class=\"wp-image-11903335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-1536x1018.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers demand a Burger King franchisee pay wages owed to them, on Oct. 25, 2019. The company operating the franchise, Golden Gate Restaurant Group, was cited by the state Labor Commissioner’s Office for multiple violations, including failing to pay workers minimum wage and other violations.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Labor Commissioner’s wage-claim process was designed as a faster, no-cost, accessible alternative to the court system. But persistent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955920/california-wage-theft-investigators-staffing-crisis\">understaffing\u003c/a> at the agency contributed to a growing backlog of cases. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2023, the agency took a median processing time of 854 days, or more than two years — six times longer than the maximum allowed by law — according to a 2024 state auditor’s report requested by lawmakers. Thousands of complaints had been pending for five years or more. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A spokesperson with the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees the Labor Commissioner’s Office, declined to comment on the lawsuit but said the agency has since cut its intake backlog from 30,000 cases to about 6,000, and lowered overall vacancy rates from 33% to 20%. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The DIR does not comment on pending litigation,” the spokesperson wrote. The Labor Commissioner’s Office recovered $78 million in owed wages last year, about a third more than in 2024, he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In February, a worker with an unresolved claim, represented by Moss Bollinger LLP, sued the agency over its processing delays. A second worker, represented by Legal Aid at Work, later joined the case. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In February, a worker with an unresolved claim, represented by Moss Bollinger LLP, sued the agency over its processing delays. A second worker, represented by Legal Aid at Work, later joined the case. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>State attorneys for the division and Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower, who is also named as a defendant, argued the case should be dismissed, saying it is too complicated for a judge to weigh in and that the court would be intruding on the executive branch’s role. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>State attorneys for the division and Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower, who is also named as a defendant, argued the case should be dismissed, saying it is too complicated for a judge to weigh in and that the court would be intruding on the executive branch’s role. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Alameda County Superior Court Judge Rebekah Evenson disagreed, determining \u003ca href=\"https://legalaidatwork.org/workers-advocates-sue-the-labor-commissioners-office-over-years-long-delays/\">on Sept. 10\u003c/a> that the case can continue. A hearing is expected in the coming months. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But Alameda County Superior Court Judge Rebekah Evenson disagreed, determining \u003ca href=\"https://legalaidatwork.org/workers-advocates-sue-the-labor-commissioners-office-over-years-long-delays/\">on Sept. 10\u003c/a> that the case can continue. A hearing is expected in the coming months. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This is a good decision from the judge at this early stage in the case that allows the workers to continue to fight for changes,” Campbell said. “It’s not a question of a court telling the labor commissioner how to allocate their budget or how to staff their agency. It’s really just a question of a court requiring the labor commissioner to follow these very clear deadlines in the law.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This is a good decision from the judge at this early stage in the case that allows the workers to continue to fight for changes,” Campbell said. “It’s not a question of a court telling the labor commissioner how to allocate their budget or how to staff their agency. It’s really just a question of a court requiring the labor commissioner to follow these very clear deadlines in the law.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of the Californians waiting years for restitution is Ali Jahansir, who estimates an Orange County employer owes him more than $6,000 in overtime pay for frequent 12-hour shifts as a security guard. Jahansir said he was fired after his employer learned he had filed a wage claim with the labor commissioner in 2023. He has yet to receive a hearing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One of the Californians waiting years for restitution is Ali Jahansir, who estimates an Orange County employer owes him more than $6,000 in overtime pay for frequent 12-hour shifts as a security guard. Jahansir said he was fired after his employer learned he had filed a wage claim with the labor commissioner in 2023. He has yet to receive a hearing.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I never thought it would take this long, and, especially at my age, that’s difficult,” said Jahansir, now 76 and a Legal Aid at Work client. “I believe I did the right thing by speaking up to my employer and filing a claim, but having to wait so long makes me worry that I will never see the wages that the company kept from me.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I never thought it would take this long, and, especially at my age, that’s difficult,” said Jahansir, now 76 and a Legal Aid at Work client. “I believe I did the right thing by speaking up to my employer and filing a claim, but having to wait so long makes me worry that I will never see the wages that the company kept from me.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "The Labor Commissioner’s Office often takes years to decide workers’ claims of unpaid wages, though the agency said it has made improvements to reduce its backlog.",
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"title": "Lawsuit Pressuring California to Decide Wage-Theft Claims Faster Moves Forward | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>A legal challenge seeking to pressure \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> to correct long delays in deciding wage-theft claims can move forward, according to a state judge in Alameda County.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By law, the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement must resolve worker complaints of underpayment within 135 days, or less than five months. But the agency, also known as the Labor Commissioner’s Office, often takes years to determine whether employers owe any money. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The failure hurts low-income people seeking restitution for wages owed and undermines state efforts to hold employers accountable, said Alexx Campbell, an attorney with Legal Aid at Work in San Francisco, who has seen clients mired in a backlog impacting thousands of Californians. Many workers give up, he added. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We just need the state government as a whole, and that includes the Labor Commissioner’s Office, to come up with solutions to figure out how to provide workers with access to a functional process where they can recover their wages,” Campbell said. “Because right now, that’s not happening.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1273\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563.jpg\" alt=\"A group of people holding signs in Spanish, protesting in front of a Burger King restaurant.\" class=\"wp-image-11903335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/IMG_7563-1536x1018.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers demand a Burger King franchisee pay wages owed to them, on Oct. 25, 2019. The company operating the franchise, Golden Gate Restaurant Group, was cited by the state Labor Commissioner’s Office for multiple violations, including failing to pay workers minimum wage and other violations. (Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Researchers estimate that workers statewide lose $2 billion to $4 billion per year in pay due to employer violations of minimum wage, overtime, meal breaks and other required protections. Those most impacted are often in lower-income jobs in construction, garment manufacturing, agriculture, restaurants and other industries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Labor Commissioner’s wage-claim process was designed as a faster, no-cost, accessible alternative to the court system. But persistent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955920/california-wage-theft-investigators-staffing-crisis\">understaffing\u003c/a> at the agency contributed to a growing backlog of cases. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2023, the agency took a median processing time of 854 days, or more than two years — six times longer than the maximum allowed by law — according to a 2024 state auditor’s report requested by lawmakers. Thousands of complaints had been pending for five years or more. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson with the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees the Labor Commissioner’s Office, declined to comment on the lawsuit but said the agency has since cut its intake backlog from 30,000 cases to about 6,000, and lowered overall vacancy rates from 33% to 20%. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The DIR does not comment on pending litigation,” the spokesperson wrote. The Labor Commissioner’s Office recovered $78 million in owed wages last year, about a third more than in 2024, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In February, a worker with an unresolved claim, represented by Moss Bollinger LLP, sued the agency over its processing delays. A second worker, represented by Legal Aid at Work, later joined the case. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State attorneys for the division and Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower, who is also named as a defendant, argued the case should be dismissed, saying it is too complicated for a judge to weigh in and that the court would be intruding on the executive branch’s role. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Alameda County Superior Court Judge Rebekah Evenson disagreed, determining \u003ca href=\"https://legalaidatwork.org/workers-advocates-sue-the-labor-commissioners-office-over-years-long-delays/\">on Sept. 10\u003c/a> that the case can continue. A hearing is expected in the coming months. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is a good decision from the judge at this early stage in the case that allows the workers to continue to fight for changes,” Campbell said. “It’s not a question of a court telling the labor commissioner how to allocate their budget or how to staff their agency. It’s really just a question of a court requiring the labor commissioner to follow these very clear deadlines in the law.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the Californians waiting years for restitution is Ali Jahansir, who estimates an Orange County employer owes him more than $6,000 in overtime pay for frequent 12-hour shifts as a security guard. Jahansir said he was fired after his employer learned he had filed a wage claim with the labor commissioner in 2023. He has yet to receive a hearing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I never thought it would take this long, and, especially at my age, that’s difficult,” said Jahansir, now 76 and a Legal Aid at Work client. “I believe I did the right thing by speaking up to my employer and filing a claim, but having to wait so long makes me worry that I will never see the wages that the company kept from me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "bay-area-security-workers-guarding-big-tech-offices-strike",
"title": "Bay Area Security Workers Guarding Big Tech Offices Strike",
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"headTitle": "Bay Area Security Workers Guarding Big Tech Offices Strike | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Thousands of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099765/14000-security-guards-for-major-tech-companies-plan-to-strike\">security guards\u003c/a> across \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> walked off the job Friday, demanding a pathway to a $30 minimum wage and improved benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West, a union that represents 14,000 security guards, announced the strike on Tuesday after months of negotiations with 15 private-security contractors and employers, including Allied Universal and Securitas, which staff some of the Bay Area’s largest businesses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Workers, union leaders and their supporters rallied outside of the Salesforce headquarters in downtown San Francisco on Friday morning, where they called attention to inequality in the Bay Area and the guards’ critical role in protecting the city’s economic engines. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Here in San Francisco, we have extremely profitable companies, big tech companies, that are doing well,” Sanjay Garla, SEIU-USWW vice president, said. “There’s a whole host of service workers that help contribute to that success.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100575\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officers and supporters rally outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026, during a strike over wages, benefits and working conditions. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100571\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100571\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman speaks at a rally with striking security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100573\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100573\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officer Jakia Lane speaks at a rally with striking security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though not legal first responders, security workers often act as the first line of defense by being the first people on the scene in emergency situations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Right now, our minimum rate in San Francisco in our contract is less than $2 over minimum wage,” Garla said. “That’s just unthinkable for me when you have to get licensed to do this job and stand in front of a building and put your life and limb at risk.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Guards report receiving \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080245/northern-california-security-officers-campaign-for-better-wages-training\">limited training\u003c/a> and low wages — making an annual mean wage of just \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes339032.ht\">$21.61\u003c/a> in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Keven Adams, who has worked as a security guard for 36 years, said that in that time he’s “seen it all.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100569\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100569\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SEIU-USWW union officer and security guard Keven Adams speaks at a rally with security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100572\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100572\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Supervisor Alan Wong speaks at a rally with striking security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100568\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100568\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officers and supporters rally outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100570\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100570\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officer Maxray Garibay speaks at a rally with striking workers and supporters, in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve been assaulted at work. I’ve been robbed at work. I’ve been held at gunpoint at work. I’ve saved people’s lives. I’ve found a dead body,” Adams said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Garla said that the union “saw real change at the bargaining table” after giving 72-hour notice of their strike, and they are “hopeful” that today’s action will get the employers to the table. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have made substantial progress in negotiations as part of our commitment to finding common ground,” Allied Universal wrote in a statement. Securitas did not respond to KQED’s request for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union and the companies will return to the bargaining table on Wednesday, Adams said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West, a union that represents 14,000 security guards, announced the strike on Tuesday after months of negotiations with 15 private-security contractors and employers, including Allied Universal and Securitas, which staff some of the Bay Area’s largest businesses. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Here in San Francisco, we have extremely profitable companies, big tech companies, that are doing well,” Sanjay Garla, SEIU-USWW vice president, said. “There’s a whole host of service workers that help contribute to that success.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Right now, our minimum rate in San Francisco in our contract is less than $2 over minimum wage,” Garla said. “That’s just unthinkable for me when you have to get licensed to do this job and stand in front of a building and put your life and limb at risk.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’ve been assaulted at work. I’ve been robbed at work. I’ve been held at gunpoint at work. I’ve saved people’s lives. I’ve found a dead body,” Adams said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Garla said that the union “saw real change at the bargaining table” after giving 72-hour notice of their strike, and they are “hopeful” that today’s action will get the employers to the table. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We have made substantial progress in negotiations as part of our commitment to finding common ground,” Allied Universal wrote in a statement. Securitas did not respond to KQED’s request for comment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Thousands of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12099765/14000-security-guards-for-major-tech-companies-plan-to-strike\">security guards\u003c/a> across \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> walked off the job Friday, demanding a pathway to a $30 minimum wage and improved benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West, a union that represents 14,000 security guards, announced the strike on Tuesday after months of negotiations with 15 private-security contractors and employers, including Allied Universal and Securitas, which staff some of the Bay Area’s largest businesses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Workers, union leaders and their supporters rallied outside of the Salesforce headquarters in downtown San Francisco on Friday morning, where they called attention to inequality in the Bay Area and the guards’ critical role in protecting the city’s economic engines. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Here in San Francisco, we have extremely profitable companies, big tech companies, that are doing well,” Sanjay Garla, SEIU-USWW vice president, said. “There’s a whole host of service workers that help contribute to that success.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100575\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-27-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officers and supporters rally outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026, during a strike over wages, benefits and working conditions. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100571\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100571\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-11-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman speaks at a rally with striking security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100573\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100573\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-20-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officer Jakia Lane speaks at a rally with striking security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though not legal first responders, security workers often act as the first line of defense by being the first people on the scene in emergency situations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Right now, our minimum rate in San Francisco in our contract is less than $2 over minimum wage,” Garla said. “That’s just unthinkable for me when you have to get licensed to do this job and stand in front of a building and put your life and limb at risk.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Guards report receiving \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080245/northern-california-security-officers-campaign-for-better-wages-training\">limited training\u003c/a> and low wages — making an annual mean wage of just \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes339032.ht\">$21.61\u003c/a> in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Keven Adams, who has worked as a security guard for 36 years, said that in that time he’s “seen it all.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100569\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100569\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SEIU-USWW union officer and security guard Keven Adams speaks at a rally with security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100572\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100572\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-18-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Supervisor Alan Wong speaks at a rally with striking security officers and supporters outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100568\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100568\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officers and supporters rally outside 555 California St., in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12100570\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100570\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260918-SECURITYSTRIKE-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Security officer Maxray Garibay speaks at a rally with striking workers and supporters, in San Francisco, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve been assaulted at work. I’ve been robbed at work. I’ve been held at gunpoint at work. I’ve saved people’s lives. I’ve found a dead body,” Adams said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Garla said that the union “saw real change at the bargaining table” after giving 72-hour notice of their strike, and they are “hopeful” that today’s action will get the employers to the table. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have made substantial progress in negotiations as part of our commitment to finding common ground,” Allied Universal wrote in a statement. Securitas did not respond to KQED’s request for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union and the companies will return to the bargaining table on Wednesday, Adams said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "california-regulators-unveil-plan-to-ban-new-quartz-countertops-amid-rising-worker-deaths",
"title": "California Regulators Unveil Plan to Ban New Quartz Countertops Amid Rising Worker Deaths",
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"headTitle": "California Regulators Unveil Plan to Ban New Quartz Countertops Amid Rising Worker Deaths | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> workplace regulators pushing to ban the use of a popular countertop material linked to a deadly lung disease released a proposed roadmap, the nation’s first, on Wednesday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/silica-2026/\">discussion draft\u003c/a> would give fabrication shops nearly six months from the date a final rule goes into effect to phase out their use of artificial stone with more than 1% crystalline silica, common in kitchen and bathroom countertops and other construction surfaces.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The factory-made slabs, also known as quartz or engineered stone, release ultratoxic silica particles that have sickened more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/OHB/Pages/essdashboard.aspx\">650 stoneworkers\u003c/a> who inhaled them while cutting or polishing the material, according to the California Department of Public Health.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dozens of Latino men, often immigrants who didn’t know about the dangers of handling engineered stone until they got sick, have undergone lung transplants or died from silicosis since 2019. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA officials estimate that without a prohibition about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084910/california-steps-closer-to-ban-on-engineered-stone-after-silicosis-surge\">1,000 more silicosis cases\u003c/a> will develop over the next two years in California, the only state actively tracking the disease in the multibillion-dollar industry.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A man's hand is seen resting on a table.\" class=\"wp-image-11969878\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jorge Moreno places his hand on a table that he cut at his home in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2023. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I hope that we will look back at Cal/OSHA’s emergency standard as the beginning of the end of this terrible quartz countertop silicosis epidemic,” said David Michaels, a former head of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration who teaches at the George Washington University School of Public Health\u003cem>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Consumers prefer quartz to lower-silica natural stones because it’s cheaper, stain-resistant and designed in attractive palettes. But its skyrocketing popularity has coincided with a deadly silicosis trail among stoneworkers in countries like Israel, Spain, the United Kingdom and Australia, which became the first to prohibit the material’s import, supply and fabrication in 2024. Australia’s ban triggered cost increases and supply-chain delays in the construction industry, according to some reports, but warnings that residential and commercial development would collapse have not proven to be true. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some large manufacturers developed alternatives made with amorphous silica, which is considered safer for stonecutters. Public health experts like Michaels believe that California’s proposed ban would encourage more big-box stores, designers and consumers to opt for safer alternatives for the workers who shape and install countertops.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Banning fabrication and installation of artificial stone products in California is the first step in stopping this deadly work nationally,” Michaels said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The public has until Sept. 30 to comment on Cal/OSHA’s draft regulation before the agency can submit it to an occupational safety board for final approval, a process that could take months. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the draft emergency regulation, fabrication shops would be required to notify workers in English and Spanish that engineered stone with crystalline silica is dangerous and prohibited. Cal/OSHA inspectors could halt operations at businesses that work on this material after a two-month grace period. Employers would have 180 days to use up inventory they already purchased or contracted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some employers worry they’ll need more time to adjust, as artificial stone makes up a majority of their business. A countertop sold today may be installed four to eight months from now, said Laurie Weber, who heads the International Surface Fabricators Association.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If the prohibition reaches repair work, warranty work, remnants and material already in distribution, then 180 days isn’t a wind-down period, it’s a cliff,” wrote Weber in an e-mail. “Slabs already ordered and in transit aren’t in anyone’s shop yet, and no one has said who absorbs that cost.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Industry representatives have pointed out that banning artificial stone could raise prices for building and remodeling, and add expenses for fabrication shop owners who have already \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079653/california-fabricators-face-artificial-stone-ban-as-silicosis-cases-mount\">spent heavily\u003c/a> to protect their workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084039\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eleazar Resendiz Cortes’ wife shows scans of his chest that revealed particles around his lungs linked to his silicosis diagnosis, in their home in Bakersfield, California, on May 14, 2026. (Julie Leopo for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nate Kolenski, president of Black Tops Countertop Surfaces in Sacramento, told Cal/OSHA staffers at a July public meeting that his company has two years’ worth of inventory already stockpiled, valued at $1 million or less. He said the state should consider a buy-back program, akin to those related to guns, to minimize financial losses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If the state wants to ban this product, they should be buying back our inventory because we’ll have no use for it. It will be worthless, and thousands of fabricators will have the same situation with inventory and capital that’s sitting out there that they won’t get,” said Kolenski, who opposes a prohibition. “Plus we’ll have to buy the new product.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state’s plan comes as major manufacturers of high-silica quartz have pushed for a bill in Congress that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069714/as-california-silicosis-cases-rise-engineered-stone-industry-seeks-immunity-in-dc\">would dismiss hundreds\u003c/a> of lawsuits against them by sick stoneworkers seeking damages. Most of the handful of cases that have reached trial resulted in multimillion-dollar verdicts for workers or their families.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The largest U.S. manufacturer, Cambria, fought efforts by worker advocates and doctors to get California to take steps toward a prohibition, maintaining that their products can be handled safely if the proper precautions are followed. But growing evidence shows that the dust generated when cutting or polishing artificial stone is so toxic that it can sicken people at sophisticated fabrication shops following Cal/OSHA’s current rules, which prohibit dry cutting of the material and require advanced respiratory protection. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A representative for Cambria did not immediately return a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The factory-made slabs, also known as quartz or engineered stone, release ultratoxic silica particles that have sickened more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/OHB/Pages/essdashboard.aspx\">650 stoneworkers\u003c/a> who inhaled them while cutting or polishing the material, according to the California Department of Public Health.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A man's hand is seen resting on a table.\" class=\"wp-image-11969878\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jorge Moreno places his hand on a table that he cut at his home in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2023.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I hope that we will look back at Cal/OSHA’s emergency standard as the beginning of the end of this terrible quartz countertop silicosis epidemic,” said David Michaels, a former head of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration who teaches at the George Washington University School of Public Health\u003cem>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I hope that we will look back at Cal/OSHA’s emergency standard as the beginning of the end of this terrible quartz countertop silicosis epidemic,” said David Michaels, a former head of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration who teaches at the George Washington University School of Public Health\u003cem>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Consumers prefer quartz to lower-silica natural stones because it’s cheaper, stain-resistant and designed in attractive palettes. But its skyrocketing popularity has coincided with a deadly silicosis trail among stoneworkers in countries like Israel, Spain, the United Kingdom and Australia, which became the first to prohibit the material’s import, supply and fabrication in 2024. Australia’s ban triggered cost increases and supply-chain delays in the construction industry, according to some reports, but warnings that residential and commercial development would collapse have not proven to be true. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Consumers prefer quartz to lower-silica natural stones because it’s cheaper, stain-resistant and designed in attractive palettes. But its skyrocketing popularity has coincided with a deadly silicosis trail among stoneworkers in countries like Israel, Spain, the United Kingdom and Australia, which became the first to prohibit the material’s import, supply and fabrication in 2024. Australia’s ban triggered cost increases and supply-chain delays in the construction industry, according to some reports, but warnings that residential and commercial development would collapse have not proven to be true. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some large manufacturers developed alternatives made with amorphous silica, which is considered safer for stonecutters. Public health experts like Michaels believe that California’s proposed ban would encourage more big-box stores, designers and consumers to opt for safer alternatives for the workers who shape and install countertops.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some large manufacturers developed alternatives made with amorphous silica, which is considered safer for stonecutters. Public health experts like Michaels believe that California’s proposed ban would encourage more big-box stores, designers and consumers to opt for safer alternatives for the workers who shape and install countertops.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Banning fabrication and installation of artificial stone products in California is the first step in stopping this deadly work nationally,” Michaels said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Banning fabrication and installation of artificial stone products in California is the first step in stopping this deadly work nationally,” Michaels said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The public has until Sept. 30 to comment on Cal/OSHA’s draft regulation before the agency can submit it to an occupational safety board for final approval, a process that could take months. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The public has until Sept. 30 to comment on Cal/OSHA’s draft regulation before the agency can submit it to an occupational safety board for final approval, a process that could take months. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Under the draft emergency regulation, fabrication shops would be required to notify workers in English and Spanish that engineered stone with crystalline silica is dangerous and prohibited. Cal/OSHA inspectors could halt operations at businesses that work on this material after a two-month grace period. Employers would have 180 days to use up inventory they already purchased or contracted.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Under the draft emergency regulation, fabrication shops would be required to notify workers in English and Spanish that engineered stone with crystalline silica is dangerous and prohibited. Cal/OSHA inspectors could halt operations at businesses that work on this material after a two-month grace period. Employers would have 180 days to use up inventory they already purchased or contracted.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some employers worry they’ll need more time to adjust, as artificial stone makes up a majority of their business. A countertop sold today may be installed four to eight months from now, said Laurie Weber, who heads the International Surface Fabricators Association.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some employers worry they’ll need more time to adjust, as artificial stone makes up a majority of their business. A countertop sold today may be installed four to eight months from now, said Laurie Weber, who heads the International Surface Fabricators Association.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If the prohibition reaches repair work, warranty work, remnants and material already in distribution, then 180 days isn’t a wind-down period, it’s a cliff,” wrote Weber in an e-mail. “Slabs already ordered and in transit aren’t in anyone’s shop yet, and no one has said who absorbs that cost.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If the prohibition reaches repair work, warranty work, remnants and material already in distribution, then 180 days isn’t a wind-down period, it’s a cliff,” wrote Weber in an e-mail. “Slabs already ordered and in transit aren’t in anyone’s shop yet, and no one has said who absorbs that cost.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Industry representatives have pointed out that banning artificial stone could raise prices for building and remodeling, and add expenses for fabrication shop owners who have already \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079653/california-fabricators-face-artificial-stone-ban-as-silicosis-cases-mount\">spent heavily\u003c/a> to protect their workers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Industry representatives have pointed out that banning artificial stone could raise prices for building and remodeling, and add expenses for fabrication shop owners who have already \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079653/california-fabricators-face-artificial-stone-ban-as-silicosis-cases-mount\">spent heavily\u003c/a> to protect their workers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084039\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eleazar Resendiz Cortes’ wife shows scans of his chest that revealed particles around his lungs linked to his silicosis diagnosis, in their home in Bakersfield, California, on May 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Julie Leopo for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084039\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eleazar Resendiz Cortes’ wife shows scans of his chest that revealed particles around his lungs linked to his silicosis diagnosis, in their home in Bakersfield, California, on May 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Julie Leopo for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nate Kolenski, president of Black Tops Countertop Surfaces in Sacramento, told Cal/OSHA staffers at a July public meeting that his company has two years’ worth of inventory already stockpiled, valued at $1 million or less. He said the state should consider a buy-back program, akin to those related to guns, to minimize financial losses.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Nate Kolenski, president of Black Tops Countertop Surfaces in Sacramento, told Cal/OSHA staffers at a July public meeting that his company has two years’ worth of inventory already stockpiled, valued at $1 million or less. He said the state should consider a buy-back program, akin to those related to guns, to minimize financial losses.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If the state wants to ban this product, they should be buying back our inventory because we’ll have no use for it. It will be worthless, and thousands of fabricators will have the same situation with inventory and capital that’s sitting out there that they won’t get,” said Kolenski, who opposes a prohibition. “Plus we’ll have to buy the new product.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If the state wants to ban this product, they should be buying back our inventory because we’ll have no use for it. It will be worthless, and thousands of fabricators will have the same situation with inventory and capital that’s sitting out there that they won’t get,” said Kolenski, who opposes a prohibition. “Plus we’ll have to buy the new product.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The state’s plan comes as major manufacturers of high-silica quartz have pushed for a bill in Congress that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069714/as-california-silicosis-cases-rise-engineered-stone-industry-seeks-immunity-in-dc\">would dismiss hundreds\u003c/a> of lawsuits against them by sick stoneworkers seeking damages. Most of the handful of cases that have reached trial resulted in multimillion-dollar verdicts for workers or their families.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The state’s plan comes as major manufacturers of high-silica quartz have pushed for a bill in Congress that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069714/as-california-silicosis-cases-rise-engineered-stone-industry-seeks-immunity-in-dc\">would dismiss hundreds\u003c/a> of lawsuits against them by sick stoneworkers seeking damages. Most of the handful of cases that have reached trial resulted in multimillion-dollar verdicts for workers or their families.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The largest U.S. manufacturer, Cambria, fought efforts by worker advocates and doctors to get California to take steps toward a prohibition, maintaining that their products can be handled safely if the proper precautions are followed. But growing evidence shows that the dust generated when cutting or polishing artificial stone is so toxic that it can sicken people at sophisticated fabrication shops following Cal/OSHA’s current rules, which prohibit dry cutting of the material and require advanced respiratory protection. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The largest U.S. manufacturer, Cambria, fought efforts by worker advocates and doctors to get California to take steps toward a prohibition, maintaining that their products can be handled safely if the proper precautions are followed. But growing evidence shows that the dust generated when cutting or polishing artificial stone is so toxic that it can sicken people at sophisticated fabrication shops following Cal/OSHA’s current rules, which prohibit dry cutting of the material and require advanced respiratory protection. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A representative for Cambria did not immediately return a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The Cal/OSHA draft would give fabrication shops nearly six months to phase out inventory of the popular countertop material, which is linked to a deadly lung disease among stonecutters. ",
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"title": "California Regulators Unveil Plan to Ban New Quartz Countertops Amid Rising Worker Deaths | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> workplace regulators pushing to ban the use of a popular countertop material linked to a deadly lung disease released a proposed roadmap, the nation’s first, on Wednesday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/silica-2026/\">discussion draft\u003c/a> would give fabrication shops nearly six months from the date a final rule goes into effect to phase out their use of artificial stone with more than 1% crystalline silica, common in kitchen and bathroom countertops and other construction surfaces.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The factory-made slabs, also known as quartz or engineered stone, release ultratoxic silica particles that have sickened more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/OHB/Pages/essdashboard.aspx\">650 stoneworkers\u003c/a> who inhaled them while cutting or polishing the material, according to the California Department of Public Health.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dozens of Latino men, often immigrants who didn’t know about the dangers of handling engineered stone until they got sick, have undergone lung transplants or died from silicosis since 2019. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA officials estimate that without a prohibition about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084910/california-steps-closer-to-ban-on-engineered-stone-after-silicosis-surge\">1,000 more silicosis cases\u003c/a> will develop over the next two years in California, the only state actively tracking the disease in the multibillion-dollar industry.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A man's hand is seen resting on a table.\" class=\"wp-image-11969878\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231017-StonecutterSilicosis-002-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jorge Moreno places his hand on a table that he cut at his home in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2023. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I hope that we will look back at Cal/OSHA’s emergency standard as the beginning of the end of this terrible quartz countertop silicosis epidemic,” said David Michaels, a former head of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration who teaches at the George Washington University School of Public Health\u003cem>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Consumers prefer quartz to lower-silica natural stones because it’s cheaper, stain-resistant and designed in attractive palettes. But its skyrocketing popularity has coincided with a deadly silicosis trail among stoneworkers in countries like Israel, Spain, the United Kingdom and Australia, which became the first to prohibit the material’s import, supply and fabrication in 2024. Australia’s ban triggered cost increases and supply-chain delays in the construction industry, according to some reports, but warnings that residential and commercial development would collapse have not proven to be true. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some large manufacturers developed alternatives made with amorphous silica, which is considered safer for stonecutters. Public health experts like Michaels believe that California’s proposed ban would encourage more big-box stores, designers and consumers to opt for safer alternatives for the workers who shape and install countertops.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Banning fabrication and installation of artificial stone products in California is the first step in stopping this deadly work nationally,” Michaels said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The public has until Sept. 30 to comment on Cal/OSHA’s draft regulation before the agency can submit it to an occupational safety board for final approval, a process that could take months. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the draft emergency regulation, fabrication shops would be required to notify workers in English and Spanish that engineered stone with crystalline silica is dangerous and prohibited. Cal/OSHA inspectors could halt operations at businesses that work on this material after a two-month grace period. Employers would have 180 days to use up inventory they already purchased or contracted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some employers worry they’ll need more time to adjust, as artificial stone makes up a majority of their business. A countertop sold today may be installed four to eight months from now, said Laurie Weber, who heads the International Surface Fabricators Association.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If the prohibition reaches repair work, warranty work, remnants and material already in distribution, then 180 days isn’t a wind-down period, it’s a cliff,” wrote Weber in an e-mail. “Slabs already ordered and in transit aren’t in anyone’s shop yet, and no one has said who absorbs that cost.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Industry representatives have pointed out that banning artificial stone could raise prices for building and remodeling, and add expenses for fabrication shop owners who have already \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079653/california-fabricators-face-artificial-stone-ban-as-silicosis-cases-mount\">spent heavily\u003c/a> to protect their workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084039\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/ELEAZAR-RESENDIZ-CORTES-KQED-LEOPO-2026-1289-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eleazar Resendiz Cortes’ wife shows scans of his chest that revealed particles around his lungs linked to his silicosis diagnosis, in their home in Bakersfield, California, on May 14, 2026. (Julie Leopo for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nate Kolenski, president of Black Tops Countertop Surfaces in Sacramento, told Cal/OSHA staffers at a July public meeting that his company has two years’ worth of inventory already stockpiled, valued at $1 million or less. He said the state should consider a buy-back program, akin to those related to guns, to minimize financial losses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If the state wants to ban this product, they should be buying back our inventory because we’ll have no use for it. It will be worthless, and thousands of fabricators will have the same situation with inventory and capital that’s sitting out there that they won’t get,” said Kolenski, who opposes a prohibition. “Plus we’ll have to buy the new product.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The state’s plan comes as major manufacturers of high-silica quartz have pushed for a bill in Congress that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069714/as-california-silicosis-cases-rise-engineered-stone-industry-seeks-immunity-in-dc\">would dismiss hundreds\u003c/a> of lawsuits against them by sick stoneworkers seeking damages. Most of the handful of cases that have reached trial resulted in multimillion-dollar verdicts for workers or their families.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The largest U.S. manufacturer, Cambria, fought efforts by worker advocates and doctors to get California to take steps toward a prohibition, maintaining that their products can be handled safely if the proper precautions are followed. But growing evidence shows that the dust generated when cutting or polishing artificial stone is so toxic that it can sicken people at sophisticated fabrication shops following Cal/OSHA’s current rules, which prohibit dry cutting of the material and require advanced respiratory protection. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A representative for Cambria did not immediately return a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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"soldout": {
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"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
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