A California legislative panel pushed back against big
business supporters yesterday when it approved two pro-labor bills, a victory
for the Teamsters and other unions advocating for the measures.
The Assembly Labor and Employment Committee passed one bill
that would give workers additional tools to seek pay they are owed, and another
that would protect them from retaliation when they attempt to organize or speak
out against unfair treatment. In addition to union support, the bills also have
the strong backing of public interest groups representing low-wage and
immigrant workers who are seen as the main beneficiaries of the legislation.
Rome Aloise, president of Joint Council 7, hailed the
victory:
“The Teamsters are in strong support of comprehensive immigration reform. But this bill is crucial because it provides protections for immigrants workers that are not part of the federal proposal. Taken together, these bills will help workers come out of the shadows and gain dignity and respect.”
AB 1164, sponsored by Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal
(D-Long Beach), would allow workers to place liens on corporate and private
property if a company head engages in wage theft. This happens when companies abruptly
shut down their offices and don’t pay workers money they are owed. Company owners
with a lien on their property would have a hard time selling it. This measure
would be a big incentive for bosses to settle their debts with workers instead
of running out on their bills and opening up somewhere else under a different
name.
Caitlin Vega of the California Labor Federation said the
state needs to give its most vulnerable employees more certainty when it comes
to receiving their paychecks.
“Our concern is that workers believe in the underground economy, that this is how it works. When they come forward … to talk about wage theft and go through the entire process, at the end of the day the wage lien is an important tool.”
Committee Chairman Roger Hernández (D-West Covina) issued
his support for the bill, saying it grants justice to workers who often are
exploited. While the California Chamber of Commerce and other pro-business
hacks complained the penalties are too severe, it is the legislature’s job to
make sure there is protection for all.
“Undoubtedly, you are working … to right a wrong. There is tremendous severity for those who are wronged. What about the ability to pay rent, to feed your children?” Hernández questioned, adding, “The fact that you are bringing something strong is necessary. … We need to reward the good actors and stamp out the bad actors.”
The committee also gave its approval to AB 263, offered
by Chairman Hernández, that would bar employers from intimidating employees who
attempt to unionize or report unfair wages or unsafe working conditions. In
many cases, bosses target immigrant workers by asking them for additional
paperwork or threatening to call federal immigration authorities.
Several workplaces, including the Marquez Brothers cheese
facility in Hanford where Teamsters are currently negotiating their first
contract, have engaged in such activity. During a March hearing in front of the
same committee, the company hired attorneys to trail workers who came to Sacramento, and later fired one who testified in front of the panel.
Labor and workers’ rights representatives, including
Shane Gusman of the California Teamsters Public Affairs Council, told lawmakers
that the bill would be a substantial step in the right direction. Vega stated:
“When workers try to assert their rights … what they are met with are not only threats, but immigration related threats. … What we are trying to go after with this bill is the widespread retaliation against workers. We want to go after the use of immigration threats.”
Dennis Garcia of the California Domestic Workers
Association added:
“All workers, no matter what their immigration status, should not be afraid.”
These bills will continue to move through the Assembly.
Our brothers and sisters in California should continue to tell their elected
representatives to support these important measures.
