Posts tagged California
Letters: About Unionizing
October 26, 2026 // It is easy to get people excited by telling them you are going to get them a raise, but it is a bit more difficult to say where the money is going to come from. Most of the time, it comes from cutting other departments or ancillary staff. When cutting staff isn’t an option, the extras are cut instead. Housing, mortgage assistance, scholarships, daycare, the gym, etc.: Some of it will most certainly be cut to cover the increase in pay for nurses. The article lists the amount executives made as a means to cause Us vs Them mentality. I am uncertain what the author thinks executives make at most companies. I find it highly unlikely you could find a business with as many employees as Cottage where the executives aren’t making that amount or more. I am not saying I would say no to a raise, but to insinuate executives at union hospitals make less so they can pay their nurses more is simply not factually accurate.
CFA Chapters Organize Actions Coinciding with Launch of Strike Authorization Vote
October 26, 2026 // CFA members across the state are holding “Cost of Living is a Nightmare“ rallies next week to build our power and kick off the start of the Strike Authorization Vote (SAV), which runs from October 26 to November 19.
Gig workers in California must be treated as employees by WorkWhile in $7.2 million agreement
October 26, 2026 // The agreement ends a lawsuit filed in June 2024 by San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu. His office said WorkWhile treated workers as independent contractors instead of employees, leaving them without the wage and hour protections employees receive.
Some CommonSpirit Memorial Hospital Nurses Oppose Unionization
October 26, 2026 // "We have concerns about use of union dues, potential restrictions on scheduling flexibility, and the division that could develop between coworkers and hospital leadership. We want people to do their research and see that CNA donates millions of dollars to political organizations that don’t have any direct connection to our community. "We value the ability to work together, support one another, and resolve concerns through direct communication. We appreciate our local leadership team and prefer to keep a direct line of communication without a forced third-party mediation. "Opposing the union does not mean opposing better working conditions. It means believing there is another way forward.
Opinion: California’s construction unions are running ads against their own jobs
October 23, 2026 // Construction unions formed an unholy alliance with their longtime enemy, environmentalists, to defeat a ballot measure and, apparently, winning requires burning down their own village. Their coalition recently launched an ad demonizing “dangerous” gas pipelines, industrial warehouses and data centers.
Crisis team: Los Angeles schools face risk of insolvency
October 22, 2026 // Izumi, senior director of the Center for Education at the Pacific Research Institute, characterized the board’s decision on the raise as "governance malpractice." "This fiscal train wreck - you could see it coming from a mile off," Izumi told The Center Square. "One of the big reasons why L.A. is in such bad shape right now is because they agreed to a massive union contract with the teachers that they simply couldn't afford. The board did not look at its funding sources and its potential spending cuts that it would have to do in order to afford the teacher union contract that it was about to sign." Prior to those collective bargaining agreements, the Los Angeles County Office of Education had warned district leaders of escalating county supervision actions if deficit spending continued unchecked.
Op-ed: Other states should copy NC’s model labor policy
October 21, 2026 // In both the public and private sectors, North Carolina protects employees’ right to choose. It gives private employees a right to opt out of union dues. And it protects public employees from having a union contract foisted on them. In effect, it respects choice by preventing coercion. But elsewhere, public policy is moving in a different direction — a direction that sacrifices choice in favor of more union membership. The prime example is a recent proposal by academics at Harvard University, which would create a statewide system of “sectoral bargaining.” Sectoral bargaining is the opposite of choice: It funnels every employee in an industry into a single union, whether an employee voted for the union or not. The proposal’s premise is that unions are automatically good for workers, so workers should automatically be put into unions. Choice is beside the point.
Freelance Busting: “They All Had A Different Answer”
October 20, 2026 // Senator after senator described statewide confusion about the rule among business owners, attorneys, accountants and constituents. Senators said people are constantly asking them about the legality of continuing to hire every conceivable kind of working person, from financial advisers to babysitters. One senator described what’s happening in some industries as “panic mode.” Another said he convened accountants in his district to ask about the independent-contractor rule, and “they all had a different answer.” Yet another asked, “Who’s the guru of the determining if you pass or fail the ABC Test?” and wondered aloud if there was going to be a Division of ABC Test Clarification within the state’s Labor Department.
Commentary: New Jersey Takes Aim at Freedom of Its Independent Contractors
October 16, 2026 // In 2019, the legislature voted in AB5, and it was quickly signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Enforcement went into effect in 2020, and as Karen Anderson, founder of Freelancers Against AB5, explained on her Substack, four years later, independent professionals are still experiencing the fallout.
Could SEIU Local 1000 get a last-minute deal? Mediations start ahead of strike
October 16, 2026 // SEIU Local 1000 is asking for a 20% raise across three years. Roy told The Bee this isn’t an end-all-be-all number and the union is open to discussions. It also wants improved health benefits and stipends for those required to work in person.