Dear John,

Last month I shared some guiding questions to help us think about and plan for the year ahead. Another question on my mind is how we construct a shared “we” that is multiracial, feminist, and devoted to the common good. How do we build a shared identity where we consider each other’s needs and our collective future? 

There are places where this naturally happens — at school, in houses of worship, or in our neighborhoods — but one of the key sites is the workplace. Work is where folks come together and interact across lines of race, gender, class, and more, and have the opportunity to overcome differences, create unique relationships, and organize together in ways that build muscle for democracy. The workplace is a microcosm for understanding how our needs are tied together — we can see how someone else’s problem is really our problem, and that our fates are intertwined. 

The kind of democracy we want to see in our society, where people consider beyond their individual interests and fight for the common good, can be practiced by organizing in the workplace. Even when folks do not share the same physical space, that sense of solidarity is still infectious. Take rideshare drivers for Uber or Lyft, who are isolated while working in their vehicles and structurally set up to be in competition with one another, but have organized together in cities across the country to demand better for themselves and each other. Or look at New York, one of the few states with varying regional minimum wages, where folks in New York City, Westchester, and Long Island are currently paid more than people working in the rest of the state. What might have driven a wedge between workers has turned into an opportunity for solidarity, where downstate workers have been fighting alongside upstate workers to raise the minimum wage equally across the state. 

Whether remote, isolated, or side-by-side in the same shop, people naturally form deep connections when they work together. From those relationships comes a sense of care and responsibility to each other. It makes sense then, that the workplace is a space where folks can take up the fight for something bigger than themselves. And it serves as a model for how we can practice that kind of care, concern, and commitment to each other’s needs whether we’re neighbors, coworkers, or even just living in the same country.

The potential for worker organizing to transform our society for the better cannot be overlooked. Not only for the future of working people, but for everyone who lives in this system built on toxic individualism, scarcity, and division. We know that there’s a better way — that interdependence, care, and collaboration will bring us closer to a just future, and that worker organizing is one powerful way to practice and strengthen our commitments to one another.

Low-wage workers with Missouri Workers Center (MWC) have been organizing with community, faith, and labor leaders in the Good Jobs and Affordable Housing for All Coalition to demand a strong Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with the Kansas City Royals for their construction of a $2 billion ballpark and entertainment district. The Royals are seeking taxpayer subsidies for their development through a sales tax ballot measure, but Kansas Citians are demanding that the team first negotiate an agreement that guarantees living wage union jobs and truly affordable housing. Low-wage workers and community members have been rallying, packing Jackson County legislative meetings, and making headlines with their demands. Now that the Royals have agreed to negotiate a Good Jobs CBA with the coalition, MWC and allies are making sure that working people are informed and involved in this campaign that will impact thousands of Kansas Citians.

Last summer, in the scorching California heat, workers at Amazon’s KSBD air hub crouched underneath planes for shade, trying to cool down in between loading and unloading cargo. After workers and the Warehouse Worker Resource Center (WWRC) filed a complaint with Cal/OSHA, the agency cited Amazon for endangering workers by failing to provide access to drinking water, adequate shade, or training around heat safety. Meanwhile, inside the facility, workers reported dangerous conditions related to poor air circulation and strenuous physical workloads. As temperatures continue to rise, frequently reaching above 90°F and even 100°F, workers both inside and outside of facilities need adequate heat protections. WWRC and California workers have been leading the fight for indoor heat standards since 2016, leading up to a final vote around new protections set to take place next month.

Last year, Amazon workers at the STL8 facility in St. Peters, MO filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) around the warehouse’s unsafe work practices and job-related injuries. During its investigation into dangerous working conditions, OSHA has issued five new Amazon citations, including one for its failure to report injuries to the agency — an issue that workers with the STL8 Organizing Committee have been raising for over a year. With support from Missouri Workers Center, STL8 workers continue to build their strength in numbers and keep the spotlight on Amazon’s injury-inducing work practices as well as the lack of quality care many workers face when seeking on-site first aid after getting hurt on the job.

As the e-commerce industry continues to surge, so does New York’s ever-escalating warehouse safety crisis, with injuries growing more frequent and more severe. New research from the Alliance for a Greater New York (ALIGN) and the National Employment Law Project revealed that 1 in every 11 NY warehouse workers experiences injury on the job, with the state’s warehouse worker injury rate 54% higher than the national average. In January, Amazon workers from one of New York's most dangerous warehouses rallied with ALIGN, unions, and advocates at the State Capitol for warehouse worker safety. ALIGN's coalition is advocating for $5 million in the 2024 New York State budget to implement the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act (WWIRA), which would hold employers accountable for warehouse safety by conducting annual evaluations and improving worker training and on-site medical care.

When workers at La Mina de Oro, Inc. came to the Warehouse Worker Resource Center (WWRC) with reports of wage theft, the WWRC assisted with filing individual claims and reported broader wage violations to the California Labor Commissioner’s Office (LCO). As a result, the LCO opened an investigation into the retailer and related businesses, finding that workers were not paid for all hours, not compensated for daily overtime, and denied required rest and meal breaks. Earlier this month, the LCO reached a $1 million settlement against La Mina de Oro and related businesses for wage theft violations, compensating 107 impacted warehouse and retail workers.

While Long Beach’s hotels thrive, the workers who keep the industry running struggle to make ends meet with wages that have failed to keep up with the region’s skyrocketing cost of living. Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE) has been supporting hospitality workers, community members, and allies with organizing to raise the wage in Long Beach. Through the Long Beach for a Just Economy campaign, LAANE and We are California have engaged in a robust canvassing program around Measure RW, which will raise the minimum wage to $23 this year, increasing to $29.50 by the 2028 Olympics. Thanks to the campaign’s advocacy and collective action, the Long Beach City Council placed Measure RW on the upcoming March 2024 ballot. With over 42,000 doors knocked, LAANE and allies are continuing to get the word out ahead of next week’s vote.

New York's minimum wage is set to increase to $17 in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, while the rest of the state will increase to $16 by 2026. Working people, labor advocates, and allies decry this pay disparity, which ignores skyrocketing housing and living costs in regions across the state, and are urging for a raise that meets living wage standards. Alliance for a Greater New York (ALIGN) and the Raise Up NY coalition are fighting to establish a statewide minimum wage of $17 by 2026 and to eliminate loopholes in the law that would deny workers a raise during economic downturns.

Working Partnerships USA (WPUSA) has been supporting fast-food workers in San Jose who are fighting for the Fast Food Fair Work Law, which would allow them to accrue paid time off and receive “Know Your Rights” trainings at work. San Jose’s fast-food industry employs more than 13,500 cooks and cashiers, serving as a major contributor to the city’s economy. Yet many workers and labor advocates highlight issues like low pay, too few sick days, job instability, and unsafe working conditions. Together with WPUSA and union partners, fast-food workers are pushing for the implementation of the Fast Food Fair Work Law, which will go to the San Jose City Council in the coming weeks.

Together with the UCLA Labor Center and the Center for Popular Democracy, we released a new report detailing the fight to save the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). For more than 20 years, California workers have used this tool to fight back against labor violations, but now corporate special interest groups are trying to repeal PAGA and diminish worker power.

Our Senior Staff Attorney for Worker Power, Minsu Longiaru, told The Los Angeles Times that corporations are trying to appear as though they are helping workers, but their actions say otherwise.

We are seeking experienced individuals to join our team! If you know anyone who would be a great fit, please send them our way. The ideal candidates will have a deep commitment to social, racial, gender, economic, and environmental justice.

• Research Director 

• Organizing Coordinator, National App Worker Campaign 

• Development Director

Our affiliates are hiring! Check out open positions across our network.

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