Category: Labor

On July 2, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Locals 135, 324, 770, 1167, 1428, and 1442, together representing more than 45,000 grocery workers across Southern California, finalized a tentative agreement with Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions. The agreement includes significant improvements for grocery workers, including higher wages, increased pension contributions, expanded health and welfare benefits, staffing commitments, and other key wins.

“This agreement is a testament to the strength, unity, and determination of our members,” said UFCW Local 135 President Todd Walters. “Our members stood strong, took a strike vote over unfair labor practices, and showed the companies that we were ready to fight. They responded with a deal that addresses many of our core issues. This contract reflects the power of our members and what we can achieve when we stand together.”

Immigration raids violate Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights of thousands of people

From ACLU

On July 1, Southern California residents, workers, and advocacy groups across various industries sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in federal court for abducting and disappearing community members using unlawful stop and arrest practices and confining individuals at a federal building in illegal conditions while denying them access to attorneys.

The suit brought by five individual workers as well as three membership organizations and a legal services provider—The Los Angeles Worker Center Network, United Farm Workers (UFW), the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), and Immigrant Defenders Law Center— alleges that DHS has unconstitutionally arrested and detained people in order to meet arbitrary arrest quotas set by the Trump administration.

“Since June 6th, marauding, masked goons have descended upon Los Angeles, terrorizing our brown communities and tearing up the Constitution in the process,” said Mohammad Tajsar, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, representing the plaintiffs. “No matter their status or the color of their skin, everyone is guaranteed Constitutional rights to protect them from illegal stops. We will hold DHS accountable.”

by Levi Sumagaysay and Lauren Hepler / Cal-Matters / June 19, 2025

Brandon Mejia usually spends his weekends conducting a symphony of vendors serving pupusas, huaraches and an array of tacos at his two weekly 909Tacolandia pop-up events.

Half food festival, half swap meet, the events draw 100-plus vendors a week in Pomona and San Bernardino. They offer a way to “legalize” street food — vendors get a reliable location, cities collect taxes and enforce health codes — while patrons enjoy delicacies from all over Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Spanglish music plays, people dance and kids flock to facepainting and pony rides.

But in the past week, that’s all come to a screeching halt. As the Trump administration ramps up immigration raids in California, some restaurants, worried about their workers or finding that customers are staying home more, are closing temporarily. Many street vendors are going into hiding, and some food festivals and farmers markets have been canceled.

Mejia called off all Tacolandia events last week. His mind raced about whether agents would come for his vendors as videos surfaced on social media of taqueros, farm workers and fruit vendors vanishing in immigration raids around LA and neighboring Ventura County.

By Elizabeth Ireland / Times of San Diego / June 11, 2025

More than 90% of voting United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135 members at Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions stores across San Diego County have authorized a strike if necessary, according to the union.

The vote, held June 8–11, comes amid ongoing contract negotiations between the union and grocery store parent companies Kroger and Albertsons.

The union, which represents more than 13,000 workers throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties, accuses the companies of unfair labor practices, including “surveillance, intimidation and retaliation,” during the months-long bargaining process.

By JW August / June 3, 2025

San Diego Congressional and local elected officials stood together Monday to denounce last weekend’s armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on a South Park neighborhood restaurant.

Four U.S. representatives and two mayors vowed to challenge the Trump Administration’s militaristic tactics in storming the popular Buona Forchetta eatery on Friday and intimidating the South Park community. An estimated 20 to 25 ICE agents handcuffed the entire staff while looking for 19 employees named in a warrant signed by local magistrate Judge Karen Crawford. Four employees with no identification were taken into custody.

“Over the past week, the immigration enforcement tactics we’ve seen in San Diego have crossed a new line,” said Rep. Sara Jacobs. “This isn’t about going after criminals. They’re going after people who are trying to do the right thing and people who are contributing to our economy.”

Jacobs was joined at the press conference outside the James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep Federal Courthouse by Reps. Juan Vargas, Mike Levin, and Scott Peters and by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre.

Upwards of a thousand San Diegans rallied and marched on Thursday, May 1, for International Workers Day, shining light on a number of local unions involved in fights with management and on the contributions by immigrants to the nation. They rallied in Hillcrest, Balboa Park, at Chicano Park and at the Waterfront Park at the bay.

Nearly a 1,000 demonstrators marched in the morning through the streets from UC San Diego Hillcrest Medical Center to Balboa Park. Later in the day at Waterfront Park, dozens protested and then at night, hundreds rallied at Chicano Park.

Demonstrations occurred across the country — and the world in honor of workers.

The U-T reported:

At the hospital in Hillcrest, hundreds of UC San Diego Health system employees — including tech support specialists, pharmacists and patient ambassadors — gathered around 10 a.m. near the hospital’s entrance to demand better pay and work conditions during a one-day strike.

By Todd Walters

May Day is a global day of action to recognize and uplift working people. Here in San Diego, it’s a moment to reflect on our progress and renew our fight for fairness, respect, and dignity on the job. At UFCW Local 135, our members are standing strong and united— whether they work in grocery stores, healthcare, cannabis, or anywhere else.

They’re ready for the fight. And they’re rising together.

Our grocery members—more than 7,000 strong—are currently in contract negotiations with Vons/Pavilions, Albertsons, Ralphs and Stater Bros. These workers kept our communities fed through the pandemic and beyond. Now, they’re demanding a contract that reflects their hard work and the rising cost of living. Alongside our sister locals across the region, we are part of a powerful 65,000-member strong Southern California grocery bargaining unit. Together, we are demanding real raises, improved staffing, and better benefits. We’re not backing down—Grocery Workers Are Rising.

Unfortunately, we’re also facing major roadblocks at the bargaining table with one of the grocery companies: Stater Bros.

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.

Two US District Court judges have now ruled that thousands of fired federal employees must be reinstated within the next week. First, a district judge in San Francisco issued a blistering blast and now a Maryland district judge has ruled basically the same. Here is a report from NPR on the California ruling:

By Chris Arnold and Emily Feng / npr / March 13, 2025

Thousands of federal employees fired by the Trump administration must be offered job reinstatement within the next week, a U.S. district judge in San Francisco has ruled, because he said they were terminated unlawfully.

“It is a sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that is a lie,” Judge William Alsup, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, said before issuing his ruling from the bench.

The Thursday decision marks a significant stand against President Trump’s sweeping efforts to remake the federal government. The White House has appealed the decision.

The local ACLU in San Diego has joined a lawsuit against the Border Patrol along with other state affiliates by the United Farm Workers and residents of Bakersfield for border agents’ unlawful raids in the Latino areas of Kern County.

Formerly called the ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties, it joined the lawsuit with their Southern California and Northern California affiliates, a lawsuit whose story played out in the media. In short, in January 2025, Border Patrol agents based at the United States-Mexico border traveled more than 300 miles north to Bakersfield to launch “Operation Return to Sender”.

This was a weeklong sweep through predominantly Latino areas of Kern County and the surrounding region to indiscriminately stop, detain and arrest people of color who appeared to be farmworkers or day laborers, regardless of their actual immigration status.

Southern California Grocery Workers Are Rising for Fair Wages and Better Working Conditions

By Todd Walters, President, UFCW Local 135

For too long, the hardworking union grocery workers of Southern California have been overworked, understaffed, and underpaid. These essential workers, who showed up day in and day out during the pandemic to keep our communities fed, now find themselves struggling to make ends meet. With inflation driving up the cost of living at an alarming rate, it’s time for major grocery corporations—Kroger/Ralphs, Albertsons/Vons, Stater Bros., and Gelson’s—to step up and provide the fair wages and benefits that these workers have earned.

Southern California UFCW Locals are gearing up for what will likely be the toughest round of negotiations in decades. Bargaining with Kroger/Ralphs and Albertsons/Vons kicks off on February 13, with Stater Bros. negotiations beginning on March 6.