Ab 5

Economy

California Uber and Lyft drivers closer to being able to unionize after crucial vote

A bill allowing Lyft and Uber drivers to unionize was sent to the governor's desk this week after it was tied to an insurance bill that benefits both companies.

By Levi Sumagaysay • September 10, 2025

Politics

California nail salon owners say AB5 changes target Vietnamese workers

California’s landmark labor law aims to make nail salon workers, predominantly Vietnamese women, full employees rather than contractors in an industry known for labor violations.

By Jeanne Kuang • July 8, 2025

Economy

California gig worker law withstands challenge from Uber at federal appeals court

A 2020 California law compels businesses to offer employment benefits to more workers rather than treating them like independent contractors. Uber lost an effort to overturn the law.

By Levi Sumagaysay • June 10, 2024

Commentary

California’s two-decade battle over PAGA labor law still rages

A two-decade-long battle over California's labor laws, spurred by the Private Attorney General Act, is entering a new phase with a state Supreme Court case and a pending 2024 ballot measure promising to change how they're enforced.

By Dan Walters • May 17, 2023

WhatMatters

Truckers demand action from Newsom amid port blockade

As Gov. Gavin Newsom takes action on a slew of gun control bills, truckers are accusing him of failing to respond to a controversial state labor law they’ve been protesting for weeks, halting almost all operations at the Port of Oakland’s shipping terminals and snarling an already severely backlogged supply chain. First up: the gun […]

By Emily Hoeven • July 22, 2022

WhatMatters

Could California labor law derail the supply chain?

California’s long-simmering war over a controversial state labor law is threatening to boil over at the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland — sparking fears of disastrous ripple effects across a global supply chain already at its breaking point amid pandemic backlogs, ongoing labor disputes and inflation at a 40-year high. The escalating […]

By Emily Hoeven • July 15, 2022

CalMatters en Español

Pocos trabajadores de escasos recursos pueden votar sobre los sindicatos. ¿Puede California cambiar eso?

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.

By Grace Gedye and Jesse Bedayn • October 27, 2021

California Divide

Few working poor get to vote on unions. Can California change that?

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.

By Grace Gedye and Jesse Bedayn • October 27, 2021

Commentary

California’s gig worker fight is back in the courts

California's epic battle over the status of gig workers has entered a new phase with a judge overturning Proposition 22, a 2020 ballot measure sponsored by Uber and other transportation and delivery companies.

By Dan Walters • August 25, 2021

Reader Reactions

Want to help independent contractors? Mandate standard worker benefits

The spectacle of unions and legislatures drawing up rules for independent contractors fills me with anger and dismay.

By Guest Commentary • March 31, 2021