Local 192 Amalgamated Transit Union AFL-CIO-CLC

"Pirian’s car washes are nothing more than sweatshops, right on our street corners," said Angelica Salas of the Community-Labor-Environmental-Action Network. “The boycott will continue until these car washes agree to stop retaliating against workers who are simply trying to improve their working conditions."
To learn more, visit www.usw.org/usw/program/content/4557.php
 
ICE Tactics Spark Concern For Bay Area Immigrant Families
This week, federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials lurked outside of the Stonehurst School in Oakland (where as many as two-thirds of the students may be children of undocumented workers), scaring children and intimidating parents. Legislators, labor leaders and immigrants rights activists have been quick to speak out against the ICE operation, which violates the spirit of the city’s sanctuary resolution.

"Our community is mobilized against this act of intimidation and fear-mongering,” said Sharon Cornu of the Alameda County Central Labor Council. “Working families believe that federal agents should be tracking violent criminals, not scaring little children.”

To learn more, visit http://fronteras.org/?p=348
 
Janitors and Security Guards Strike For Fair Wages and Benefits
Janitors and security guards throughout the state are fighting an uphill battle for fair wages and benefits. Many of the negotiations have stalled, and the workers are making their voices heard through a series of strikes and boycotts.

On Tuesday, security guards at Kaiser medical facilities launched a statewide strike to protest union-busting practices by the employer, Inter-Con Security. The three-day walk-out took place at 17 Kaiser medical centers in northern California, and security guards at nine additional Kaiser facilities in southern California showed their solidarity on Thursday with a one-day walk-out and demonstration.

Janitors in Orange County voted this week to authorize a strike at area office buildings and shopping centers, where most janitors are barely earning a living wage. The Orange County Central Labor Council has extended the strike sanction to include 80 local unions and 140,000 union members who pledge to honor janitor picket lines during the upcoming strike.

Visit http://www.seiu1877.org/ for more information.
 
Speak Out in L.A. to Support Paid Sick Days Legislation
Tomorrow, union members and community allies will be holding a demonstration in support of a bill that would allow all California workers to earn paid sick days. Experts and elected officials, including the bill’s sponsor, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, will be joining workers and community allies to speak out in favor of paid sick days for working Californians.

The paid sick days bill, AB 2716, has seen broad support among public health officials and legislators since its introduction in February of this year. L.A. City Councilmember Richard Alarcón (D- 7th District) has introduced a resolution in the Los Angeles City Council supporting the bill.

Visit www.PaidSickDaysCA.org to learn more.
 
Senate Republicans Attack Meal Breaks And Overtime Pay
California Senate Republicans have announced their ‘plan’ to stimulate the economy by taking away the 8-hour workday and the guaranteed lunch break. California workers have diligently fought to win and maintain these essential workplace rights, but according to Senate Republican Caucus Chair George Runner (R- Antelope Valley),  “No one is more inconvenienced by California’s meal and rest laws than the worker.”

The Republican Caucus is aiming to incorporate these and other non-budget issues into this summer’s budget negotiations, in an effort close the budget gap on the backs of hard working families who did nothing to bring about the budget problem in the first place.
 
Orange County Workers To Speak Out Against Budget Cuts
On Thursday, workers, activists and supporters will be marching and rallying in Santa Ana, to protest the governor’s plan to balance the budget by slashing public programs that provide essential services to working families. In Orange County alone, more than 10,000 children would lose Medi-Cal coverage, 13,500 homebound seniors will lose some or all of their in-home care, and nearly 1,000 fewer children will be enrolled in preschool or child care under the governor’s budget plan.

Show your support for working families by attending the rally and march. The event will begin at 4:00 pm on Thursday, May 15th at Plaza of the Flags at the Civic Center in Santa Ana.
For more information, log on to http://www.unionvoice.org/orangecountyaflcio/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=17431809&r