Feature Archives

May 1, 2007 was the first anniversary of the Great Boycott of 2006, in which immigrants led walkouts, boycotts, and protests all over the US. Reports are in that thousands marched in Oakland, San Jose and San Francisco. In Los Angeles, police shot projectiles at a rally tens of thousands strong. Protests were also held in Berkeley, Mountain View, Davis, Fresno, Modesto, Sacramento, Salinas, Santa Cruz, and Watsonville. The ILWU reportedly stopped work in 6 west coast ports, and May 1st was also a day of nationwide student walkouts.

On April 14, 2005 thousands of students and workers at UC Santa Cruz shut down the campus in a coordinated statewide strike by low-paid service workers in AFSCME 3299. The strike, organized by AFSCME, clerical workers in the Coalition of University Employees (CUE), T.A.s in the United Auto Workers (UAW), students in the Student and Worker Coalition for Justice (SWCJ) and others, was one of the biggest actions UCSC has seen in recent years and led to a new, better contract for AFSCME workers within two weeks.

April 14 should be remembered as the day the university ground to a halt. It shows the power that students and workers have if they have concrete demands, solid strategies and a long-term vision for a united university run from the bottom up. April 14 was the result of years of organizing by the unions (particularly AFSCME), as well as students and a few profs engaged in labor solidarity. It shouldn't be seen as some spontaneous event, but as the product of the anger, empowerment, and hope that many in the community felt. Read More and View Photos

Immigrant workers at the Woodfin Suites have faced fierce retaliation for standing up for their rights under Measure C - the local living wage law. After mass firings just before Christmas, workers are still fighting for job security and the more than $160,000 in backwages that the hotel owes them. On April 10th, Woodfin workers, faith leaders, Emeryville residents and friends took part in a ceremonial procession from Emeryville’s City Hall, through the Bay Street shopping center, and on to the Woodfin Suites.

On March 16th the Bay Area IWW held two workplace intervention rallies. The first was at Curbside Recycling in Berkeley to show support to the shop steward for alleged harassment (including unpaid suspension) on the part of management. Later there was a rally outside of Shattuck Cinemas, also in Berkeley, where the IWW has won a representation election. Landmark Cinemas, the parent corporation, has been stalling on a contract, trying to get in clauses which could bankrupt the union in mediation or take away the rights of the workers to act on their own.

On April 9th at The Carter Center in Atlanta, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and McDonald's announced a landmark agreement to work together to improve the wages and working conditions of the farmworkers who pick Florida tomatoes. After two years of escalating pressure by the CIW and its allies, McDonald's has agreed to all of the CIW's demands and more.

Cafeteria workers at Cal State University Monterey Bay, employees of Sodexho USA, have joined the local hotel and restaurant workers' union, UNITEHERE! Local 483. The 40-worker unit chose Local 483 through a “card check” process, similar to that outlined in the Employee Free Choice Act approved by the US House of Representatives last month. Maryland-based Sodexho USA has recognized the union and has agreed to contract bargaining at the beginning of May.

Workers at a Fresno Convalescent hospital in Fresno are fighting for a living wage. Today they held an informational picket line.