Feature Archives

On April 19, injured workers in Southern California joined together in front of the Downey Kaiser medical center to speak out about workers killed and injured at the site which was formerly a military industrial nuclear facility. On April 28th in San Francisco, Workers Day Memorial events included a press conference at the Pfizer Research Facility and a speak-out at the ILWU Local 34 Hall.

Thursday, April 23rd is opening night for the 11 day Reel Work Film Festival, taking place in the counties of Santa Cruz, Monterey and Santa Clara. Reel Work presents cultural events, bringing together award-winning documentary film producers, workers, activists, students, and the public with the goal of increasing community awareness of the central role of work in our lives, to discuss economic and global justice issues, and to bring alive the history and culture of the labor movement in the US and abroad.

Hotel and other workers and students are rallying to the case of fired Grand Hyatt Houseskeeper Esther Dominguez. Esther was fired after working 33 years at the hotel. Labor organizers claim that hotels have been firing and harassing long time workers and union members in preparation for a possible strike when Unite-Here's 7,000 hotel workers contract expires on August 1st.

Teachers For Class War spent a second Monday in a row discussing massive cuts to education. California Federation of Teachers (CFT) Field Representative Pat Lerman of the Pájaro Valley Federation of Teachers took some time out to speak with l@s Maestr@s. Two of the hosting Maestr@s got pink slips on Friday, March 13th.

On March 5th, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) board of trustees approved a budget that closes a 14 million dollar deficit. The cuts eliminate the Class Size Reduction program in kindergarten and 3rd grade (eliminating 50 teacher positions from the elementary schools), slash funding for nurses, custodians, aides, and counselors.

On Tuesday, February 24, hundreds of hotel workers and community members marched through downtown San Francisco to call on visitors to boycott two major hotels: the HEI Le Meridien and the Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf. Workers at these hotels are seeking respect, job security and better livelihoods for themselves and their families. HEI and Hyatt workers have called on management to respect their choice whether or not to form a union through the majority sign-up process – the same process used by numerous other hotels in San Francisco and across the US.

On February 20th, the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers (PVFT) Negotiating Team met with the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD). Later that day, teachers and students rallied at the plaza in Watsonville in support of a fair and honest contract and to educate parents and the community about potential cuts to classroom services.