Unions

The California Legislature finished its 2023 session late Thursday night, but not before lots of lobbying by advocacy groups, some controversy and quite a bit of last-minute deal-making. The most significant agreements are also big wins for Big Labor — and defeats for Big Business — as CalMatters state Capitol reporters Alexei Koseff and Sameea […]

The final, frenetic week of the Legislature is as much about bills that don’t get through — or get watered down significantly — as those that do pass and reach Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, or the big, last-minute deals: A reminder that CalMatters is tracking bills that are being sent to Newsom. Tuesday, that list […]

Legislators sent to Gov. Newsom a bill giving their staff the right to unionize. But a final change allows new lawmakers to dismiss their predecessor’s staffers.

A deal announced today by labor groups and the fast food industry would give workers a $20 minimum wage and pull a measure off the 2024 ballot. The Legislature has until Thursday to approve it.

It’s the final week of the 2023 legislative session, so anyone connected to the state Capitol — lawmakers, staffers, lobbyists and, yes, reporters — will be super-busy.  Key dates: Thursday (or early Friday) — the Legislature is set to end its session with about 740 active bills to get through. And today — the final […]

California prisons are badly understaffed when it comes to doctors and psychiatrists. A new contract attempts to boost retention with substantial bonuses.

From CalMatters state Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal: After many twists and turns  — intra-party drama, xenophobic comments against its author and division among some South Asian communities — the first-in-the-nation bill to ban caste discrimination in California’s housing and employment laws completed its journey through the Legislature Tuesday with a 31-5 vote in the Senate.  […]

California cities are struggling to hire police in a tight labor market after the COVID pandemic. Some are raising by double digits and offering eye-catching bonuses.

Did you mask up during public gatherings over the holiday weekend? Or is the COVID-19 resurgence really not that bad? It can be confusing, explains CalMatters’ health reporter Kristen Hwang. Though testing data has become less reliable because access has decreased, we know that COVID-19 hospitalization rates have been steadily ticking upwards, and wastewater surveillance […]

Despite warnings from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office and concerns from some labor-friendly Democrats, the Senate budget committee on Wednesday approved two bills to fund new contracts for three-fourths of the state’s rank-and-file workers.   The misgivings? Extra goodies in the tentative deal for prison guards, the lack of time to review the contracts negotiated by […]