Feature Archives

On April 5th, over a thousand teachers in the Hayward Unified School District went on strike. Pickets took place throughout the day in front of the 38 school sites in the 20,000-student Hayward district. There was also a noon rally of parents, teachers and other supporters in Birchfield Park.

Threatened workers, the majority of whom are Latino, are striking CMC Rebar of Fresno for unfair labor practices. CMC workers in Fresno voted in their Union more than eight months ago. Despite certification by the NLRB, the Union has not been recognized by CMC Rebar. There was a press conference Tuesday, March 27th at 12:00 p.m. at 2914 Argyle Ave. in Fresno

Cesar Chavez Day was Saturday, March 31st. In Fresno, the Committee Cesar E. Chavez CO-CE-CHA held the 14th Annual Cesar Chavez Celebration. This year, the theme of the march was to stop all anti-immigrant raids. In Sacramento, there was a march at Southside Park and in San Francisco there was a march starting at 24th and Potrero. Many other events were planned around the state, including marches in Los Angeles, Santa Rosa, Bakersfield, Salinas, and Oxnard. Cesar Chavez was born on March 31, 1927. He led successful strikes and boycotts that resulted in the first industry-wide labor contracts in the history of American agriculture.

On Wednesday March 21st, the California Faculty Association announced that members had authorized a strike. Faculty at San Francisco State University, San Jose State University, and five other California State University (CSU) campuses could walk out of classrooms as soon as the beginning of April. In the past four years, the faculty has only received a 3.5 percent pay raise, while CSU execs have gotten in 23 percent pay hikes.

In January 2007, the official (Regent-endorsed) student government of UC Santa Cruz, the Student Union Assembly, unanimously approved a resolution demanding that low-paid workers receive wages in accordance with other nearby institutions. The UC promised thousands of dollars to the lowest paid workers, many of which are members of AFSCME 3299, yet, up to this date, have not released this money. 36 people, including workers and students from Berkeley, Irvine, Davis, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco, were arrested outside the UC Office of the President on February 15th, while hundreds rallied in support both on-site in Oakland, as well as at a rally at UC Santa Cruz.

Monster Cable, a wealthy Bay Area company producing high-end cables and accessories, laid off over 120 immigrant workers in Oct. 2006 and outsourced their jobs overseas. The workers have been demanding a fair severance and community fund, and on Feb. 5, 2007 they launched a boycott calling on consumers to stop buying Monster products until the company resolves their demands. While it would cost only $500,000 to pay fair severances to the workers, "Head Monster" Noel Lee spent $6 million to name "Monster Park" in San Francisco, and the company has annual sales of $1 billion.

The laid-off workers and supporters will hold a boycott action at noon on Wednesday Feb. 14th at Powell and Market Streets.

Carmel, CA. Union workers at the Quail Lodge voted Wednesday, January 17, to ratify a new union labor contract with the hotel. 89 percent of the voting members of UNITEHERE! Local 483 approved the 3-year deal, which calls for up to $3.65 per hour in additional wages and benefits over the life of the contract. The raises are retroactive to August 1, 2006.

A tentative agreement reached late Friday avoided a Quail Lodge management-threatened lockout of the 150 hotel union employees on Monday, January 15. The contract vote ends a confrontational 5-month negotiation process, including an employee strike authorization vote, several public demonstrations at the hotel with over 100 participants, and the union's sixteen legal filings with the federal National Labor Relations Board against the hotel.

“It took us a while, but we ended up with a good total package to help our families. We kept our health plan. We got good raises, some more in our pension fund, and another paid holiday,” said Quail Lodge maintenance worker and Local 483 negotiating committee member, Sergio Vasquez.

The Union contract at Quail Lodge follows similar agreements dating back to September at the Hyatt Regency Monterey, Park Hyatt Carmel Highlands, Monterey Beach Resort, Bay Park Hotel, La Playa Hotel, Asilomar Conference Center, and Pine Inn. While the 3-year term of the Quail Lodge agreement is one year shorter than the other contracts, the wages in the second and third year are higher. The eight union contracts cover more than 1,000 hospitality workers on the Monterey Peninsula. The Hilton Garden Inn, Lodge at Pebble Beach, Carmel Mission Inn, and Monterey Bay Travelodge are the remaining area hotels where new union contracts are yet to be negotiated.