Young Workers United Hot in the City Update

Hot in the City Young Workers United Update!

***Working Families Deserve Paid Sick Days**

The Coalition for Paid Sick Days, including Young Workers United, has just unveiled a new campaign for paid sick days! The new November ballot initiative will give workers the right to take paid time off when they or their families are sick! The ballot initiative has already garnered press from national press as well as local TV, radio and news.

The Coalition for Paid Sick Days is Young Workers United, Chinese Progressive Association, Committee for Interns and Residents, Center for Young Women’s Development, Parents Voices, SEIU 790 and Young Community Developers. YWU has been organizing young and immigrant workers to fight for paid sick days and get out the vote! San Francisco will be the first place in the country to win paid sick days.

At a public hearing on July 26th at City Hall, over 50 workers and allies spoke about the need for paid sick days. Rajiv Bhatia testified about the benefits to public health of workers having paid sick days. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research presented their report on the benefits of paid sick days to employers and workers to the Budget and Finance Committee. The National Partnership for Women and Families flew out from D.C. to present their findings about the national need for paid sick days.

NEXT: Everyone is invited to the super fun CAMPAIGN KICK OFF PARTY!!! Join us at El Rio on Friday, August 25th for live DJs and solidarity for this important campaign! The cover is $5 donation for fabulous DJs Zita and Ian, performance by Wrekshop. El Rio is at 3158 Mission St (@ Cesar Chavez).

Please bring your wallet to donate to this groundbreaking campaign to win paid sick day s for 116,000 low-wage workers. If you can’t make this event, you can still donate to the cause. Help us get the word out to San Franciscans about the right to be sick. Send a check payable to the CAMPAIGN FOR PAID SICK DAYS with your employer and occupation to PO Box 42914, SF, CA 94102.

***Restaurant Workers Organizing***

This June, YWU began forming a California Restaurant Organizing Network with Chinese Progressive Association, Koreatown Immigrant Workers Advocate and UNITE HERE Local 2’s Restaurant Division. During an all day conference, YWU hosted a rich and vibrant discussion about restaurant organizing across the state with these outstanding organizations.

That night, the 4 groups presented their work at a public event at Modern Times Bookstore. Over 60 people attended the event. The presentations were thought provoking and the question and answer period was lively. Thanks to the audience and presenters!

***More Worker Victories!!!***

YWU’s Worker Justice Committee has been hard at work doing outreach and organizing for justice for workers. Through this outreach, YWU’s WJC found some strong leaders who have been experiencing wage violations. Trader Vics (again!) continues to mess around with denying breaks and shaving off wages. At the fancy Bladerunners salon in the Haight, where we’ve already won a case, the owners continue to not pay people on Mondays. YWU has filed a case and done a worker and community delegation- stay tuned for more actions!

YWU’s Spanish speaking worker justice committee- El Comite de Justicia para Trabajadores (CJT)- has also unearthed a number of wage violations all over the City and is meeting about these issues as well as writing a training about immigrant workers in the economy. Just this week, the CJT won $3000 from Rosita’s Bakery due to unpaid wages and breaks denied.

***We’re Here! We’re Queer! We’re Fabulous!***

The Harvey Milk Club, the Queer Democratic club that has paved the way for queer rights, honored Young Workers United with their Community Organization of the Year Award. A dozen YWUers went up together to accept the award at the fun and hilarious dinner. We couldn’t beat the dancing penises, but we did our best. Thanks Harvey Milk Club!

***No Senor!***

Many of you have been following the Sonia Cano, Carlos Barrancos and their newborn son’s case. Owners of Si Senor called the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) on the family because Sonia demanded the legal minimum wage.

We have won back pay and improvements for the young family. We also held a well attended press conference. Later, we did a successful action where over 20 YWUers and allies marched in a circle, chanted and disrupted the busy lunch hour of Si Senor. We got TV coverage from Univision, Telemundo, Channel 4, Channel 7 and a front page story in the Chronicle for the press conference and protest. Media coverage of this worker solidarity action is important in the struggle for immigrant and workers rights.

For more information, T-shirts or contributions, please contact YWU at 415-621-4155 or workingyouth [at] hotmail.com