Author Archives : Ruth Silver Taube

The Trump administration has rapidly rolled back federal workplace regulations and protections and closed OSHA offices. It closed 11 OSHA offices in states with the highest workplace fatality rates and eliminated 34 offices of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), which protects coal miners from hazards like black lung disease. The Department of Labor (DOL) has dismantled or eliminated 63 workplace regulations. It is rolling…

There are a number of critical bills this legislative term that protect union and worker rights in these challenging times. Assembly Bill 1340 (Wicks), Transportation Network Company Drivers, would allow rideshare drivers to unionize. SEIU said that more than 600,000 ride-hail drivers statewide would benefit if the legislation is adopted and signed into law. The bill has been referred to the Appropriations Committee. A…

Since his inauguration, Trump has followed Project 2025’s union busting playbook. According to a Center for American Progress analysis of federal employment data, the Trump administration ended collective bargaining rights for more than 1 million American workers via an Executive Order issued on March 27, 2025 and a prior decision to end collective bargaining for 45,000 workers at the Transportation Security…

At a time when working people across San Jose are struggling to meet the high cost of living, Scott Herhold’s attack on basic worker protections for construction laborers – on taxpayer-funded projects, no less! — is disappointing. Wage theft is rampant in construction, where certain unscrupulous employers routinely violate wage and hour laws. Government data shows that, since 2003, over…