Labor

The Legislative Analyst’s Office says the state’s $16-an-hour minimum can’t dispel poverty or inequality, though it’s among the highest in the U.S.

In recent decades, the logistics industry has flourished in Southern California, but there's a backlash over the industry's low wages and the pollution it creates.

Republicans want to scrap the law, accusing Gov. Gavin Newsom of corruption in dealings with a Panera Bread franchisee who is a major campaign donor. McDonald’s franchisees are funding a committee that is attacking Democrats who supported the law and are seeking local office in the primary.

Now that undergraduate student workers in the California State University system have voted to join the staff union, their next step is to negotiate a contract. Students say they’ll be asking for sick time, fair pay and increased hours.

In March, the state is finally set to approve rules to protect workers from excessive heat indoors. Officials busted a 2019 deadline — a delay that demonstrates California’s byzantine rulemaking process.

Members of the California Faculty Association approve a two-year agreement that the union and administration hammered out after a strike last month that lasted one day.

Coalitions on opposite sides put out competing studies on the little-known Private Attorneys General Act, PAGA for short. A measure on the November ballot, at least for now, would repeal the law, which allows employees to file class-action lawsuits over some labor law violations.

State officials want to prepare more Californians for good jobs — those that pay a stable, living wage and offer other benefits, such as a pathway for promotions. The state has spent roughly $370 million on these workforce programs, but the results are mixed.

A first-in-the-nation council will set work rules in the state’s fast food industry, but can labor and business agree? A similar group in the past became another battleground between workers and employers.

The Private Attorneys General Act is a unique California law making it easier for employees to sue their bosses. For two decades, it's been the subject of political and legal infighting but a pending ballot measure would decide its fate.