Projects

United Farm Workers membership has been down for years, so low that UC Merced researchers declared farmworker union membership statistically zero for 2020. Supporters say it’s too early to write the union’s obituary but UFW struggles to push its political agenda and grow its ranks.

As union representation has bottomed out in some of the country’s lowest-paid industries, a group of California lawmakers and labor leaders are pushing to test a version of sectoral bargaining, a labor strategy common in other high-income countries. Progressives are pushing for a state-appointed council for the fast food industry to set wages and work conditions, which have historically been negotiated privately between employers and worker unions.

Frente a una asombrosa brecha económica, California sugiere aumentar la participación sindical entre los trabajadores con salarios bajos, y señala que una membresía sindical reduce la pobreza laboral mejor que un título universitario. Pero lograr que más trabajadores voten por los sindicatos requerirá que las empresas y los sindicatos se comprometan.

Facing a staggering wealth gap, California suggests increasing union participation among low-wage workers, noting that a union membership reduces working poverty better than a college degree. But getting more workers to vote on unions will require businesses and unions to compromise. Recent efforts have stalled but the stakes are higher than ever as a court overturns Prop. 22 and the Teamsters begin to campaign at Amazon warehouses across the state.

Recall supporters are counting on mothers angry over school closures, who helped fuel the petition drive, to also vote to remove Gavin Newsom.

Californians who get by on government benefits and don’t file taxes aren’t getting state stimulus checks. Republican recall candidates are trying to capitalize on their anger.

Gov. Newsom and Democrats are hoping young Californians turn out in similar numbers to the November 2020 presidential election.

The COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns slammed business owners. But how many are angry enough to recall Gov. Newsom?

Kevin Paffrath, a real estate agent with 1.6 million followers on his finance-focused YouTube channel, is the only Democrat polling high as a replacement for Newsom.

The Republican Assemblymember from Rocklin is backed in the Newsom recall by one of the initial organizers of the petition drive.