Feature Archives

May 15th marked the 80th day of a bitter lockout that has put 61 food service and maintenance workers out of work in Pleasanton. The workers – members of Unite Here Local 2850 – were locked out by Castlewood Country Club in February as it and the union were negotiating a new contract. Workers and their union had been trying to preserve affordable family health coverage and they have accused Castlewood of union busting and starvation tactics.

On Wednesday, May 12th, Seize BP held a protest in front of the BP offices on New Montgomery Street in San Francisco, to demand that the U.S. government seize BP and all of its assets. BP is involved in a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that is still leaking 5 to 25 thousand barrels of oil daily into surrounding waters. Other corporations involved include Transocean and Halliburton. On Friday, May 14th, Act Against Oil demonstrated in Berkeley at the site of a new BP building under construction next to the UCB campus.

On Monday, May 3rd, the Chican@/Latin@ community at Cal, which includes RAZA, Mecha, Xinaxtli, and others began a hunger strike in front of California Hall in response to the new Arizona SB1070 Law and to the charges imposed on student protesters this school year. The six demands issued include that President Yudof and other UC Chancellors publicly denounce Arizona’s SB1070 and that charges be dropped against student activists. Strikers issued a call to action against racism and oppression for Friday, May 7th. On May 10th before dawn, police moved in to clear strikers from the lawn they were occupying. Demonstrators then massed at the Chancellor's house. The strike continued through May 12th.

The Berkeley Hills home of Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of the progressive Tikkun magazine, was vandalized on May 3. Posters attached to the rabbi's door and on his property attacked him personally. They also berated liberals and progressives as being supporters of terrorism and "Islamo-fascism".

Saturday, May 1st is May Day, or International Workers Day. The Bay Area observed the holiday with celebrations, marches, rallies, and street parties. Events on Saturday included rallies, marches, and demonstrations for immigrant and workers rights in San Francisco, Watsonville, the East Bay, Fresno, Modesto, and San Jose. Celebrations and street parties were held in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Oakland.

After having worked for over two years without a contract, Oakland teachers watched the Oakland Unified School Board unilaterally impose a labor contract last week. The new contract largely ignores the recommendations of a recent fact-finding panel, allows for no pay raises for teachers, increases class sizes, lays off teachers, and threatens adult education programs. A one-day city-wide strike was called for April 29th. Oakland teachers, students, and community members picketed at neighborhood public schools in the morning then rallied at Frank Ogawa Plaza.

In an unprecedented victory for community and environmental groups, the California State Court of Appeals has upheld the majority of findings in a lower court decision that the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the expansion of Chevron's refinery in Richmond violated state environmental law. Community members have been campaigning to fight the proposed switch to refining dirtier, heavier oil for several years, and last year, a lower court issued an injunction stopping further work on the refinery expansion.