Posts tagged California
Opinion: Teachers Unions Get Desperate
February 17, 2026 // Antichoice plaintiffs “usually file lawsuits right before families sign up for the program just to be particularly cruel. They know they’ll lose nearly every case, but delaying or enjoining the programs in any way is the last-ditch effort to slow maximum uptake for families,” says Tommy Schultz, CEO of the American Federation for Children. Many suits are striking out. Idaho’s high court just ruled 5-0 in favor of the state choice program. Top courts in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and West Virginia have upheld choice programs. The U.S. Supreme Court has continued to issue beneficial rulings. Yet the legal threat is real, and unions, often accompanied by local school districts, continue to throw millions at litigation and disruption, forcing states to spend huge amounts to defend against them. Then the unions and the districts claim schools are underfunded.
CALIFORNIA Teamsters to strike CSU over contract, pay disputes. What are impacts on Fresno State? Read more at: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/california/article314699198.html#storylink=cpy
February 16, 2026 // At dispute is an interpretation in the collectively bargained contract between the union and the CSU. The parties agreed that the salary increases were contingent on the state delivering funding through a five-year compact with the CSU, which included annual 5% increases. The state budget included a 3% reduction, about $144 million. It also included a one-time, $144 million, zero-interest loan that is to be paid back by July 1, 2026. The loan, according to the CSU, was offered to help bridge a temporary deferral of ongoing base funding until 2026–27. The union believes the CSU is fully funded, with the loan. The CSU believes that because the loan must be repaid, it cannot be used to support ongoing salary increases. It authorized the use of the loan for one-time payments to employees, subject to the collective bargaining process.
OREGON: A Union Asks Lawmakers to Repeal a Ballot Measure the Same Union Passed at Great Expense
February 16, 2026 // UFCW wasn’t finished. In 2024, the union spent another nearly $2.9 million to put on the ballot and pass Measure 119, which achieved what Holvey denied UFCW one year earlier—a law making it easier to unionize cannabis workers. As Selvaggio acknowledged Feb. 10, that victory proved short-lived. He told lawmakers that subsequent conflicting federal court decisions in California and Oregon convinced UFCW that a challenge to Measure 119, now law, could go to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has generally been unfriendly to organized labor under Trump appointees. Selvaggio said the issue “could be weaponized against working people,” and so he asked the House Rules Committee on Feb. 10 to support repealing Measure 119 via House Bill 4162.
The SFUSD teachers strike has now followed Maria Su home
February 16, 2026 // District representatives did not respond to a request for comment. The protest was led by community groups serving youth, such as PODER and Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth. Yellow sun with wide rays extends from the right against a clear blue sky background. Subscribe to The Daily Because “I saw a TikTok” doesn’t always cut it. Dozens of stories, delivered every day. Sign up now Since teachers walked off their jobs Monday, the district and union have reached agreements on some key demands — such as safeguards for the use of artificial intelligence and sanctuary protections for immigrant students — but they remain in conflict over wage increases, dependent healthcare, and special education staffing. Winnie Porter, a retired Spanish teacher and librarian who worked in the school district for nearly 40 years, said protesting at Su’s home is justified. “She’s bringing it to our homes,” Porter said. “No healthcare for our kids, our families.
Pharmacy and Lab Workers Join the Labor Strike Against Kaiser Permanente
February 10, 2026 // Over 3,000 pharmacy and lab workers have begun to strike during their own contract negotiations with the health care organization
San Francisco Teachers Walk Out for the First Time Since 1979
February 10, 2026 // David Goldberg, the California Teachers Association president, said that teachers have watched their colleagues win sizable pay increases by going on strike. Teachers in Richmond, Calif., across the bay from San Francisco, negotiated an 8 percent raise over two years after a nearly weeklong strike in December. “Folks, frankly, are learning from each other,” Mr. Goldberg said in an interview. “It’s something we’ve never done, and it’s a very exciting model for how to really build power in a huge state like ours.”
California union pushes work-from-home bill as Newsom calls state employees back to the office
February 10, 2026 // The legislative proposal by the California union known as PECG would require state agencies to offer telework options “to the fullest extent possible” and mandate they disclose how much money they save by allowing remote work.
Kaiser readies for pharmacy, lab worker strike as nurse walkout continues
February 4, 2026 // Kaiser Permanente urged members on Tuesday to get laboratory tests done this week after unions representing pharmacy and lab workers filed to begin striking in Southern California on Monday and an ongoing strike by thousands of nurses and other health workers continued into a second week.
SF unions, biz groups cross Rubicon with duelling ballot measures
February 2, 2026 // Unions supporting the effort include Service Employees International Union locals 2015 and 1021, which combined have contributed at least $350,000 to the cause.
Veolia Environmental Services Employee Slams Teamsters With Federal Charges for Illegal Termination Threats
February 2, 2026 // An employee of medical waste management firm Veolia Environmental Services has just hit Teamsters Local 63 union officials with federal charges, maintaining that union officials threatened to have her fired for refusing to join the union. The employee, Alexus Villanueva, also charges Teamsters bosses with unlawfully forcing her to pay full union dues, including dues for union political activities, via paycheck deduction.