SEIU-United Healthcare Union Overwhelmingly Vote to Strike

Oakland, CA – Almost 60,000 healthcare workers who are part of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) announced on Thursday that they have voted to authorize a strike to protest what they consider unfair labor practices by a margin of 98% if no agreement is reached by September 30. This comes on the heels of a 99%…MORE

Calif. Legislative Workers May Be Able to Unionize

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Legislative workers at the California Capitol are close to forming their first labor union after state lawmakers approved a bill Wednesday that allows them to organize. The Democrats in charge of California’s Legislature have historically been friendly with labor unions. This year alone, lawmakers are poised to increase the minimum wage…MORE

CSU Hikes Tuition 6% Annually for 5 Years

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Trustees at California State University, the nation’s largest public university system, voted Wednesday to raise student tuition by 6% each year for five consecutive years to try to narrow a $1.5 billion deficit, a decision that some students called disheartening. The university’s governing board voted 9-0 to approve the increases that…MORE

New Ag Truck Driving Report

A new report from the UC Berkeley Labor Center finds that among other things during the pandemic, there was not a shortage of people interested in truck driving back in 2021. Instead the industry faced challenges with retaining drivers, with high turnover for long distance haulers. Among other finds centered around disruptions from the covid-19…MORE

CHP Busts Driver on I-5 with 150LBS of Coke, Fentanyl

FRESNO, Calif. – California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers seized more than 150 pounds of cocaine and fentanyl-laced pills during a traffic stop on Interstate 5 in Fresno County last Friday. The discovery of the drugs, with an estimated street value of approximately $7.3 million, resulted in the arrest of 27-year-old Carlos Jordan Lopez of Washington…MORE

McCarthy Juggles A Government Shutdown And A Biden Impeachment Inquiry As The House Returns For Fall

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is a man who stays in motion — enthusiastically greeting tourists at the Capitol, dashing overseas last week to the G7 summit of industrial world leaders, and raising funds back home to elect fellow Republicans to the House majority. But beneath the whirlwind of activity is a stubborn…MORE

Google’s Dominance Of Internet Search Faces Major Challenge In Legal Showdown With U.S. Regulators

The U.S. government is taking aim at what has been an indomitable empire: Google’s ubiquitous search engine that has become the internet’s main gateway. The legal attack will swing into full force Tuesday in a Washington D.C. federal courtroom that will serve as the battleground for the biggest U.S. antitrust trial since regulators went after…MORE

U.S. and India Resolve Outstanding Trade Issue

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai says the U.S. and India resolved their last outstanding dispute at the World Trade Organization. As a part of the agreement, India also agreed to reduce tariffs on U.S. products like frozen turkey, frozen duck, and fresh and frozen blueberries and cranberries. Tai says the tariff cuts will expand economic…MORE

From Spaceships To ‘Batman’ Props, A Hollywood Model Maker’s Creations And Collection Up For Auction

DALLAS (AP) — From an early model of the iconic alien mothership from “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” to a complete Stormtrooper costume from “Star Wars,” bidding opens Friday on thousands of pieces Hollywood model maker Greg Jein collected over his lifetime, including many he created during his nearly half-century career. The collection amassed…MORE

As More Children Die From Fentanyl, Some Prosecutors Are Charging Their Parents With Murder

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — Madison Bernard climbed into bed before dawn with her toddler, Charlotte, who was asleep next to a nightstand strewn with straws, burned tinfoil and a white powder. Hours later, the mother woke and found her daughter struggling to breathe, according to investigators who described the scene in court documents. After…MORE