Posts tagged Bay Area
Uber drivers won a 12-year fight to unionize. Robots have already taken the wheel
August 19, 2026 // It’s a real victory for their cause, but in the years since drivers began organizing, the ride-hail industry has entered a new era. Robotaxis, once a bug-faced curiosity(opens in new tab), are shaping up to be an existential threat to human rideshare drivers. Experts disagree on the pace and scale of the labor transition, and policymakers are crafting regulations that may bear down on the autonomous vehicle industry. However, there are some warning signs in early-adopter cities. In San Francisco, Uber saw utilization and hourly earnings decline in 2025, it says.
Sugar strike that prompted ports shutdown ends, longshore union returns to negotiations
August 4, 2026 // Tensions escalated on July 22, when a protest outside the refinery turned confrontational and nine protesters were arrested. By late July, federal mediators had entered the picture, and both sides met for marathon bargaining sessions. On July 27, C&H and ILWU Local 6 issued a joint statement announcing a return to work and a 6-day extension of negotiations. C&H agreed to withdraw its impasse declaration, which had cleared the way for more aggressive use of replacement labor.
County workers vote to authorize strike amid contract negotiations
July 28, 2026 // The vote to authorize a strike comes one year after several strikes in multiple Bay Area municipalities in July 2025. On July 8, 2025, workers started a strike amid contract negotiations between the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Republic Services, the second-largest waste management company in the country. In west Contra Costa County, Republic Services ran limited trash collection routes before eventually returning to regular scheduled service.
Workers at Berkeley’s Graduate by Hilton hotel push to unionize
July 22, 2026 // “UC Berkeley makes up a huge amount of its business, whether directly or indirectly,” she said. “The trends here really are very different than the rest of the industry.” Trevor Jackson, co-chair of the UC Berkeley Faculty Association, said he was invited to join the protest. He said he knows the university does a lot of business with the hotel and he wanted to support its workers. “I’m a professor of history and I will tell you history is on your side,” Jackson told picketers. “We got your back.” Maricela Castro told the group through a Spanish translator she has worked at the hotel for 30 years. She said she’s a room attendant who makes $23 an hour and feels like she does the work of two people.
Report: 5 unintended effects kicked in after California raised minimum wage
July 10, 2026 // So the $20 wage may technically work. Some workers really do earn that much per hour now. But the bigger goal, helping fast food workers build a stable life, is slipping away in a different direction. The jobs are shrinking. The hours are shrinking. And the restaurants of the future may not need a person at the counter to hand you your food at all.
California: First ILWU strike against sugar giant in decades
June 29, 2026 // A walkout by workers with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union over pay and benefits marked the first strike in decades against a major California sugar producer. The ILWU strike at C&H Sugar in Crockett led by Warehouse Local 6 reportedly is over healthcare, retiree benefits, sick leave, overtime rules, and union protections as part of a new three-year contract.
Workers at Planned Parenthood’s largest affiliate are unionizing, citing Trump cuts
May 13, 2026 // Sotoa said union representation would secure workers' voices in decisions over staffing and resources under threat by the cuts. Planned Parenthood workers at affiliates in Oregon, Maine, Minnesota, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and other parts of California, have already formed unions in response to the Trump administration and the changes they have prompted in their clinics' staffing, pay and workplace conditions.
Unions, workers push back against looming job cuts in San Francisco
April 21, 2026 // Union members insisted the layoffs and other cuts aren't necessary. They said Lurie could dip into the city's reserves instead. They also encouraged voters to pass Proposition D this November. If passed, it would raise taxes on the city's highest corporate executive earners, meaning more revenue and less need for cuts. While 127 layoff notices have already been issued by the Lurie administration, there could be more on the way. Lurie's budget team directed departments to send the proposals for 500 layoffs.
Kaiser workers authorize strike as contracts are set to expire
October 2, 2025 // "The Alliance unions’ claims about Kaiser Permanente quality and staffing do not reflect the facts. Kaiser Permanente consistently meets or exceeds state-mandated nurse-to-patient ratios. In 2024, we hired over 6,300 employees—including 4,700 in care delivery and more than 1,600 in Alliance-represented roles. Our employees like their work and stay with us: Alliance employees have a turnover rate of just 8%, compared to the industry average of 20%, and typically stay with Kaiser Permanente for an average of 23 years at retirement.
Workers at 4 Popular Bay Area Rock Climbing Gyms Win Unionization Vote
September 11, 2025 // Workers at some of the Bay Area’s most popular rock climbing gyms have voted to unionize, joining colleagues at five gyms in Southern California that are in contract negotiations with their employer, Touchstone Climbing. Employees of Mission Cliffs and Dogpatch Boulders in San Francisco, as well as The Studio in San Jose and Diablo Rock Gym in Concord, won their unionization votes on Monday night.