Cohen: When Washington fails workers, California must lead

Laura Reyes began experiencing terrible pain on her shift at a local Burger King. She quickly went to management, saying she was very ill and needed to leave work. Management did not allow her to leave.

Laura went back to work, fearing for her job, and the pain got worse and she started bleeding heavily. She told her manager she thought she might die, but was still not allowed to leave. Only after more than three hours was Laura allowed to leave work. At the hospital, Laura learned she was miscarrying, and later found out she had an ectopic pregnancy, which can be life-threatening.

Laura missed five weeks of work to recover from surgery and regain her strength. Her employer paid her two sick days, but did not inform her about her rights to income under the state disability program, which covers pregnancy loss, and could have helped her.  That’s when Laura knew she and her coworkers needed to come together and take action.

For years, Laura and her coworkers have organized to demand fair treatment, safety and respect on the job. They’ve endured retaliation and intimidation for speaking up. Recently, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors advanced a plan to give fast-food workers access to know your rights training — basic, life-changing information that could protect the nearly 26,000 cooks and cashiers in Santa Clara County from abuse and wage theft. This is what today’s labor movement looks like: courageous workers organizing together to create lasting impact at the local level.

Labor Day isn’t just an excuse to squeeze in one last barbecue before summer ends. It’s a moment to honor the victories working people have won through struggle: the five-day workweek, overtime laws, workplace safety regulations. These protections weren’t gifted by employers or politicians. They were fought for by organized workers who risked everything for the next generation.

But as Laura’s horrific ordeal illustrates, the struggle is far from over.

In California, workers are already leading the fight. Roughly 45,000 UFCW grocery workers stood on the brink of a strike in Southern California, forcing corporations back to the bargaining table. Teamsters’ workers at Republic Services walked off the job when their demands for fair pay and working conditions were not met, halting waste collection in communities across the state and sending a message that workers must not be ignored.

Despite progress, today’s workers face an aggressive new generation of union-busting billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk who treat labor law violations as the cost of doing business. Meanwhile, the federal agency meant to protect workers, the National Labor Relations Board, is under attack. It’s increasingly unresponsive, starved of resources and vulnerable to vacancies or court rulings that could render it powerless. Some lawsuits even aim to dismantle the NLRB entirely.

That’s why California must act to pass Assembly Bill 288 authored by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor. It’s a bipartisan effort to give California a backup plan, empowering the state to hear labor petitions and hold employers accountable when the federal government is unable or unwilling to defend workers’ rights. AB 288 does not replace federal law, it only takes effect when Washington is asleep at the wheel. With Democratic and Republican co-authors, this bill affirms a simple principle that workers deserve a voice.

This Labor Day, let’s do more than look back. Let’s look around and listen to the voices of those who serve our communities. Workers aren’t asking for special treatment or exorbitant pay raises. They are demanding fairness, dignity and pathways to a better future for their families. None of us should settle for any less.

Jean Cohen is executive officer of the South Bay Labor Council.