unions

A fast food employee stands and talks to customers behind the restaurant counter with the menu displayed behind them. In the foreground is the over-the-shoulder view of two customers as they talk to the employee.

Economy

California’s minimum wage is increasing in 2026 as Los Angeles debates $30 an hour

California's minimum wage is adjusted every year for inflation. Some cities have a higher wage floor and unions are advocating increases for specific industries.

By

Cayla Mihalovich

• December 19, 2025

Patients at the Central Coast’s Atascadero State Hospital walk the halls in 2006. Due to COVID, patients have at times been confined to their units, but still mingle in bathrooms, the dining hall and common day rooms. Of the state’s psychiatric hospitals, Atascadero houses the largest number of mentally ill inmates from state prisons. Photo by Peggy Peattie, ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo

Health

Prison health workers are among the best-paid public employees. Why are so many jobs vacant?

California spent hundreds of millions on prison and hospital healthcare staff, auditors found, but vacancy rates rose since 2019, exceeding 30% at three facilities despite bonuses and pay raises, with inadequate oversight and planning.

By

Kristen Hwang

• December 15, 2025

People hold black, yellow and white picket signs that say "Amazon: Obey the law" while they march in front of a building.

Commentary

California’s new labor law could have unintended and unwanted consequences

A new law allows a state board to intercede in labor disputes involving private employers. But is the law legal, since it usurps a federal role?

By

Dan Walters

• December 3, 2025

United Farm Workers march in Delano in a caravan heading to the state Capitol on Aug. 3, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Economy

California court tosses Wonderful Company lawsuit over farmworker unionization law

The Wonderful Company sued to overturn a farmworker unionization law, but a California appeals court found the lawsuit was premature. The company contends the law is unconstitutional.

By

Jeanne Kuang

• November 26, 2025

A construction worker in an orange safety jacket and hard hat bends forward while digging with a shovel at a work site. The foreground is filled with dirt piles, and behind the worker are tools, pipes, and other equipment scattered around the site. Another worker and orange safety netting are visible in the blurred background.

Commentary

California businesses, lawmakers turn up the heat in a battle over high workplace temperatures

Lawmakers again passed a bill giving workers compensation to employees harmed by heat on the job. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year

By

Dan Walters

• October 2, 2025

Two campaign signs for CalPERS board candidates are posted along a sidewalk; one in the foreground reads “Sam Hasan Akkad for CalPERS Board,” while another in the background promotes “Jose Luis Pacheco for CalPERS Board Seat B.”

Politics

California unions are pouring more money than ever into CalPERS elections. Here’s why

California unions are at odds and spending heavily in an election at CalPERS, the pension fund that provides retirement benefits to 2 million people.

By

Adam Ashton

and

Jeremia Kimelman

• September 19, 2025

Commentary

Two years later, Californians still don’t know full impact of the $20 fast food wage

Fast food prices barely went up but jobs held steady after the wage increase, researchers in a union-friendly economic center wrote. But an industry-backed study said 19,000 jobs were lost.

By

Dan Walters

• September 12, 2025

A side-view of people holding signs and chanting while at a rally.

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

A bulldozer on the corner of 7th Street and Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica on May 24, 2023. Photo by Zaydee Sanchez for CalMatters

Housing

Breakthrough on California housing could put taller buildings in single-family neighborhoods

A powerful California construction union is no longer fighting a bill that would ease barriers to the construction of tall apartment buildings near train and bus stations.

By

Ben Christopher

• September 5, 2025

A young man in a gray jacket scans a bag of leafy greens at a self-checkout station in a brightly lit grocery store. Other shoppers use nearby kiosks, and bold black signs above mark the checkout lanes with letters. The background is colorful and slightly blurred, emphasizing the retail environment.

Politics

California grocery prices could rise if this self-checkout bill passes, grocers argue

Labor unions are trying once again to regulate self-checkout lanes at California stores. This year’s bill waters down a version that died last session, but businesses still warn it will increase costs and lead to consumer frustration.

By

Maya C. Miller

• August 13, 2025

Unions