Labor

An Open letter to San Diego from the Baristas of Better Buzz Hillcrest Who Wish to Unionize

April 19, 2024 by Source

By Katy Jae Waldman

San Diego is a beacon of equality, progress, and acceptance that makes it unlike anywhere else in the world. It is a vibrant and lively place with a diverse and powerful
community. San Diego takes care of its people, and we are proud of it. But unfortunately, the people that keep us clothed, fed, and caffeinated are suffering at the hands of their employers.

Amidst their rapid growth, it has become clear that Better Buzz Coffee is no exception to this. It seems that their pitch decks and investor meetings left out how their wageworkers were to share the spoils of their achievement. Their profits are soaring, but their workers are hurting. We reject that. With the support of The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 135 (UFCW) the baristas, trainers, and shift supervisors of Better Buzz Hillcrest are filing an election petition with the National Labor Relations Board on this day, April 19th, 2024.

We believe that all workers deserve access to benefits, fair wages, and a safe work environment. At Better Buzz Hillcrest, these needs have not been met. We are fighting for the following and more.

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Labor Union Organizers at University of San Diego Want Free and Fair Election

April 10, 2024 by Source

By Ken Stone / Times of San Diego / April 7, 2024

After a rally and brief march Thursday, a group of labor-union advocates at the University of San Diego entered the Hughes Administration Center and made their way to Room 222.

The office of James T. Harris III, USD’s president. They buzzed for entrance. No answer. “The door was locked,” Meghan Donnelly told fellow nontenure-track faculty and supporters after emerging from the campus HQ facing the stately Immaculata Church. She reported that an election plan had been slid under the door, so Harris would see it when he returns.

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It’s César Chávez Day in California — Here’s His Life History

April 1, 2024 by Source

In San Diego, City, county and local offices will be closed today, Monday for César Chávez Day along with courts, public health clinics, family resource centers, libraries and animal shelters. County parks, campgrounds, and neighborhood day-use parks will largely remain open, though county officials said certain facilities will be closed Monday.

There will be mail delivery because César Chávez Day is a federal commemorative holiday, first proclaimed by then-President Barack Obama in 2014, and not a federal holiday.

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UFCW Union Tries for State-Wide Agreement for Drivers With Major Pot Delivery Company

February 26, 2024 by Brent Beltran

Eaze Drivers Act as Negotiations Stall: Petition Demands Fair Treatment

By Brent Beltran / UFCW San Diego / Feb . 22, 2024

The workers at Eaze, a leading state-wide cannabis delivery company, are taking a stand as negotiations with UFCW Locals 5, 135, 324, and 770 for a statewide master agreement slow down. When the agreement is ratified by the members, it is poised to be the largest Collective Bargaining Agreement covering cannabis delivery drivers and staff in the country.

Frustrated by the slow progress of negotiations, members of the Eaze bargaining committee have united to collect signatures on a petition. T

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San Diego City Council Approves Union-Friendly Citywide Project Labor Agreement for Most City Construction Projects

February 13, 2024 by Source

by Jeffrey W. Forrest/ National Law Review / Feb. 12, 2024

On January 30, 2024, the San Diego City Council approved an ordinance implementing Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposal to establish an extensive project labor agreement (“PLA”), which is slated to impose various conditions and restrictions on most City-funded construction projects.

Most notably, the PLA establishes conditions of employment and minimum wage requirements, additional safety protocols, and other regulations imposed on contractors and their subcontractors.

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Flight Attendants on Strike at San Diego Airport — Tuesday, Feb.13

February 13, 2024 by Source

Axios San Diego reports that on Tuesday, Feb. 13, hundreds of flight attendants, pilots and other airline workers will be picketing outside the San Diego Airport as part of a nationwide demonstration over their pay and working conditions amid ongoing contract negotiations.

They’re asking for raises and challenging their pay structure and will be joining picketers from multiple unions representing 100,000 flight attendants for Alaska, United, American, Southwest and other airlines who are expected outside 30 airports nationwide. The industry norm is they don’t get paid until the plane doors close.

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‘United Taxi Workers’ Now Have Their Own Ride-Hailing App

December 20, 2023 by Source

By Thomas Fudge / KPBS / December 15, 2023

There are still taxi drivers in San Diego despite the storm of changes to the industry brought by ride-hailing companies. You can still call a dispatcher to get a ride from drivers with the United Taxi Workers of San Diego (UTWSD). But now those taxis also have an app, just like Uber and Lyft.

“You can go to your Apple App store, your Google Play store and just search for Ride United. You’ll see ‘Ride United (Passengers)’, and just click download like with any other app,” said UC San Diego communication professor Lilly Irani.

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New Law Will Make It Illegal for Employers to Discriminate Against Workers for Off-Duty Pot Use

December 7, 2023 by Source

By Kristina Houck / Patch San Diego / Dec. 5, 2023

After the New Year, employment discrimination for off-duty cannabis use will be illegal in California. Assembly Bill 2188 and Senate Bill 700 amend the California Fair Employment and Housing Act to protect employment rights for people who use marijuana.

Beginning Jan. 1, it will be against the law under AB 2188, with certain exceptions, for California employers with five or more employees to discriminate against current or potential workers for cannabis use off the job and outside of the workplace.

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Starbucks Workers Strike Thursday, Nov.16 in San Diego and Across Country in ‘Red Cup Rebellion’

November 16, 2023 by Source

Starbucks’ annual “Red Cup Day” may be accompanied with long wait times Thursday, Nov. 16 instead of holiday cheer.

Thousands of workers, including some in San Diego, are planning to strike while demanding the coffee giant comes to the bargaining table in regards to staffing and scheduling concerns.

The Workers United union proclaimed the day as the “Red Cup Rebellion,” choosing the date because it’s one of Starbucks’ busiest days of the year. Annually, those who order a holiday drink of this day receive a reusable cup.

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Kaiser Workers Go On Strike in San Diego and Across the Country in Largest Health Care Strike in US Historoy

October 4, 2023 by Staff

Thousands of Kaiser Permanente health care workers went on strike this morning, Wed., Oct. 4 at hospitals and medical offices in San Diego and across the country.

Kaiser has failed to reach a deal with a coalition of unions to renew a contract that expired Sept. 30. Union leaders are fighting for more staffing and higher annual pay raises, arguing their wages have not kept up with the rising cost of living and inflation.

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The Nanny vs. the Nanny State

October 2, 2023 by Source

 Only one thing can save us from predatory AIs: our own data

by John Robb and Jacob Siegel / Tablet / Sept. 25, 2023

As Hollywood recycles comic book remakes with funding from China, the once-great cultural capital appears to be in a state of steep decline. But in one area, at least, the movie industry is offering a bold and inspiring vision for the future. The writers and actors who went on strike to prevent studio owners from using artificial intelligence (AI) to exploit and expropriate their work are on the front lines of a new data war triggered by the explosive growth of AI. This past July, Fran Drescher, former star of the popular sitcom The Nanny, and now president of the SAG-AFTRA union,

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Greenpeace Ship in Town to Shine Light on Human Rights Abuses in Seafood Industry – Especially By Bumble Bee

September 7, 2023 by Source

By Ken Stone / Times of San Diego / Sept. 6, 2023

Ten years after Greenpeace saw one of its ships seized by Russia, the same 166-foot icebreaker is docked at San Diego’s Broadway Pier.

The mission of the Arctic Sunrise is less dangerous this time.

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Protest of UCSD Grad Workers’ Arrests at Downtown San Diego Courthouse

July 12, 2023 by Source

By KPBS/ July 10, 2023 The arrests of three UC San Diego student workers accused of vandalizing campus property drew a large crowd to the San Diego Central Courthouse Monday in protest of potential criminal charges.

The workers, Jessica Ng, William Schneider, and a third person whose name has not been disclosed, were arrested about a month after the discovery of what UC San Diego police has described as vandalism

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After Winning Historic Labor Strike, UC San Diego Grad Students Are Hit With Misconduct Allegations and Arrests

July 11, 2023 by Source

By Peter Lucas / The Intercept / July 11, 2023

On May 5, as Chancellor Pradeep Khosla began his opening remarks at the 44th University of California, San Diego Alumni Awards at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, some 60 academic worker activists took the stage carrying a cardboard sign.

They were there to present him with UC’s “Most Overpaid Worker” award; Khosla had received a $500,000 raise while, the union says, the university was simultaneously refusing to fully implement their recently ratified collective bargaining agreement.

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César E. Chávez (1927-1993)

March 31, 2023 by Source

Originally posted March 31, 2009

César Chávez is one of the greatest labor leaders and human rights activists in the United States history and the world. He fought for a better life for migrant farm workers, and founded the first successful farm workers’ union. César was the president of the United Farm Workers, AFL-CIO.

César Estrada Chávez was able to accomplish his goals through the philosophy of non-violence that he inherited and followed from leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King.

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‘If You Can Read This, Thank a Teacher’ – L.A. School District Teachers’ and Workers’ Strike Is On

March 22, 2023 by Source

By Colleen O’Connor

More than 1,000 campuses were closed Tuesday and Wednesday, affecting about 420,000 students in the nation’s second largest school district, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

Tuesday at 4:30 a.m., more than 60,000 LAUSD workers and teachers began walking picket lines in the rain.

To which I respond, good for them.  It is long overdue.

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Jury Sides With Former News Anchor Sandra Maas on Gender Equity Pay Over KUSI

March 14, 2023 by Source

By CBS8 Staff / March 9, 2023

It took less than two days for the jury to come to a decision in the civil trial of former news anchor Sandra Maas against KUSI.

The jury was split on the claims but did award Sandra Maas more than $1.5 million for the difference in pay attributed to gender, past and future lost wages, and past and future emotional distress.

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How One Man Made Starbucks the Poster Child for Corporate Abuse

February 28, 2023 by Source

By Sonali Kolhatkar / Nation of Change / February 27, 2023

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, in a recent interview with CNN’s Poppy Harlow, proudly showed off his newest invention: a tablespoon of olive oil added to a cup of coffee to bring out rich, complex flavors. The conversation took place in Italy and was meant to showcase Schultz’s commitment to the innovation and quality of Starbucks coffee as he gets ready to step down as CEO of the company for the third time.

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KUSI Tries to Bar Press and Public from Parts of Former Anchor Sandra Maas Equal-Pay Trial

February 3, 2023 by Source

By Ken Stone / Times of San Diego / February 2, 2023

In a rare move, lawyers for KUSI-TV are asking a Superior Court judge to prohibit news media and the public from attending “portions” of former anchor Sandra Maas’ pay-equity trial starting Friday. Last Friday, McKinnon Broadcasting Co., the Kearny Mesa station’s operator, asked Judge Ronald Frazier to close parts of the civil trial

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San Diego County Considers Minimum Wage for Traffic Control Workers

January 26, 2023 by Source

From 10News

The county Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 Wednesday to advance a proposed minimum wage for traffic control workers on privately funded projects on county roads.

Wednesday’s vote, with Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond opposed, was technically the first reading of the ordinance. Supervisors will consider the issue again on Feb. 8 for possible final approval.

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The Right to Strike Is on Trial at the US Supreme Court

January 23, 2023 by Source

By Marjorie Cohn / TruthOut / January 2023

The right to strike is on trial in the Supreme Court. At stake is a 64-year-old precedent that shields workers and unions from state lawsuits while they pursue unfair labor practice claims in the federal National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). If unions have to defend against costly lawsuits, it will likely discourage them from going on strike.

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Teachers Union at High Tech High Reaches Tentative Agreement With School

January 19, 2023 by Source

The Voice of San Diego reports today that “after a year of bargaining, High Tech High’s new teachers union has reached a tentative agreement on a contract with the school’s leadership. The breakthrough comes after the charter network’s board of trustees declared an impasse a few months ago.”

Back in November 2022 there was an impasse with the board. But there has been progress, as VOSD reports:

The two outstanding issues on the table were who would make a final decision if a teacher appealed a firing, and how long of a probationary period new educators would need to complete before becoming established teachers.

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High Tech High’s Union Reaches Impasse With Board of Trustees

November 30, 2022 by Source

At a High Tech High Board of Trustees meeting in mid-November in Point Loma, the union that represents the school’s union and school management reached agreement on most points, including pay and health benefits, but deadlocked on the final points, according to Voice of San Diego.

It was the first board meeting since 89 percent of the union’s members approved a resolution of no confidence in the board as negotiations stalled. The union “no longer has confidence in the High Tech High Board of Trustees’ ability to lead our schools

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University of California Strike Enters 3rd Week — Some Tentative Agreements Reached

November 30, 2022 by Source

By Amy Graff / SFGATE / Nov. 29, 2022

After a grueling 15-day labor walkout by 48,000 academic workers at the University of California, two of the four groups striking announced Tuesday that they reached a tentative agreement that includes wage increases, officials said.

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Thousands of Researchers and Student Workers Out on Strike at All University of Calif Campuses

November 14, 2022 by Source

Edited From KPBS

Thousands of researchers and student employees at the 10 University of California campuses have gone on strike as of 8 a.m. this morning, Monday, Nov. 14, in an effort to secure improved pay and working conditions.

Contract talks affect 48,000 workers, including 17,000 student researchers, at the 10 schools in the UC system, including UC San Diego. They voted to authorize a strike in October. UC officials are in contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers regarding four separate academic bargaining units

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Teachers Unions Are Selfless

August 2, 2022 by Source

By Thomas Ultican / Tultican / July 27, 2022

Dr. Keith Benson wrote the research paper “Teachers Teach and Do the World Good ….” In this scholarly piece published by Scientific Research, Keith, an inspirational young man and community leader, described the world wide neoliberal attack on public education highlighting the often dangerous stand teachers take to save public schools.

In the introduction, Benson writes, “To be sure, teachers have a rich and valuable history of standing up and pushing for the best interests of their societies, and it is my intent to discuss just some of that here.” (Benson 218)

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Tentative Agreement Reached Between Grocery Workers’ Union and Large Markets

April 5, 2022 by Source

From the United Food and Commercial Workers Union:

Tentative Agreement Reached between UFCW and Albertsons/Vons/Pavilions and Ralphs

A tentative agreement was reached by the bargaining committee representing seven UFCW Locals across southern California and Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions, and Ralphs.

Once our members have had an opportunity to review and vote, we will release more information on this historic and transformational deal. Nothing is final until our members decide.

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Union Grocery Workers Overwhelmingly Vote to Authorize Strikes at Ralphs, Albertsons, Pavilions and Vons

March 28, 2022 by Frank Gormlie

Over the weekend, unions representing grocery workers announced that their memberships had voted to authorize their Locals to strike against major grocery employers.

Members and their leadership of United Food and Commercial Workers are fed up with the tactics employed by Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions during the current contract bargaining process and are ready to strike against them if agreements are not made. The major employers’ tactics became so onerous that the seven union locals filed unfair labor practice complaints

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San Diego Labor Is Split Over Redevelopment Proposals for the Sport Arena Project

March 24, 2022 by Frank Gormlie

San Diego labor is divided over which proposed redevelopment for the Sports Arena – Midway area is best. Five developer teams have stepped forward and as we enter the elimination phase, endorsements from groups like unions and labor councils are extremely important.

Yet, only two teams have received laudatory praises from San Diego labor.

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Grocery Workers Voting This Week on Whether to Strike

March 21, 2022 by Source

Thousands of union grocery workers at Ralphs, Albertsons, and Vons, from Central California to San Diego, will be voting the week of March 21 on whether to authorize an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike against their employers.

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135, along with sibling UFCW Locals in the bargaining unit, have filed multiple ULP charges with the National Labor Relations Board against these companies for violating the rights of members. These unfair labor practice charges range from trying to influence members by providing gifts and bonuses while negotiations are ongoing

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