By Shane Gusman
Hello from your State Capital! The Legislative session is in full swing, with roughly 1,500 pieces of legislation moving through the process.
As a Union, we have a very diverse jurisdiction so we have to keep an eye on most of these bills and take active positions on hundreds. We also have our own legislative program where we “sponsor” specific bills to help our members and help to grow the union.
Keep readingThe 2019-20 legislative session came to an unceremonious end on August 31. Between the difficulties of holding legislative meetings with COVID-19 restrictions and political infighting, the end of the session devolved into bickering between the parties and between the leaders of the Senate and Assembly. The end result was a failure to act on some pretty important issues. Affordable housing bills and legislation on police reform all died because the politicos couldn’t be civil with each other.
Keep readingCalifornia is slowly reopening and we cross our fingers that we don’t have a new surge in COVID-19 cases. We all know that our economy needs a jumpstart. We just need to make sure that, as we reopen, we do it safely for workers. This has been a major focus for CTPAC and we continue to work with the Governor’s office, CalOSHA, and the Department of Public Health to educate and push for standards to protect our members.
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Hello from the bunker in Sacramento. The first thing that is readily apparent in our collective response to COVID-19 is that there are so many heroes on the front lines providing vital services to communities all around the state, and many of these heroes are Teamsters. Governor Newsom even acknowledged this in one of his recent televised briefings, thanking our union and members for doing what needs to be done in this crisis.
Speaking of Governor Newsom,
Keep readingThis year’s legislative session came to one of its weirder ends in recent memory. Perhaps it was the full moon or the fact that it was Friday the 13th. Whatever the reason, it was crazy.
The halls were packed with protesters, mostly from the so-called “anti-vax” movement. These folks were there to protest the Legislature’s passage and ultimately the Governor’s signature on two bills to toughen our state’s vaccination laws. I’ve seen many protests over the years—human rights groups,
Keep readingWe’ve made it halfway through this year’s Legislative session and we continue to move our agenda here in California despite significant pushback from the Trump Administration.
First, Trump and his Labor Department have moved to take away meal and rest breaks from truck drivers. Then, they tried to take away funding for High Speed Rail. They recently declared “gig” workers, such as Uber drivers, independent contractors and are now going after meal and rest breaks away for bus drivers.
Keep readingThe Legislature and our Governor have settled into the 2019 legislative session poised to tackle some big issues. A good economy and the tight fiscal policies of the Brown administration have provided the state with a record surplus, resulting in lots of pressure to spend it on a variety of worthy policies. Expanded healthcare, child care, universal preschool, free community college, among many other things, are all on the agenda to put on the Governor’s desk.
Keep readingBy all measures, 2018 was an incredibly successful year for the California Teamsters. We were able to accomplish our biggest legislative priorities, and in a midterm election year, we saw Democratic super-majorities increase in both the Assembly and Senate. Teamster-backed candidates also largely prevailed in their state and congressional races. With super-majorities in both houses of the Legislature, we are well-positioned for 2019.
Below are some of our most important accomplishments this year.
Keep readingThe Legislature is back in full swing in Sacramento, and we expect an eventful session with both the Senate and Assembly poised to take on some very weighty issues.
Sexual harassment is the issue of the day; the scandals that first came to light in Hollywood are coming to roost in California politics. A handful of legislators have already been forced to resign or take leave, and there certainly will be more to come.
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