Jan 3, 2018
Timing is a beautiful thing. Here at The Left Hook, when we see things falls into place – particularly about the issues we feel will deeply affect the quality of life for residents in the Bay Area – we lay a quick garland at the altar of Providence, and then get to work. A recent Mercury News article talked about…
Dec 7, 2017
The recent resignation of Richard Cordray, the head of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), gave President Trump another opportunity to weaken oversight of powerful financial institutions. The president wasted little time in appointing an open critic of the CFPB as its acting director. This is yet another blow for consumers who can expect little or no help…
Dec 6, 2017
Before a packed City Hall chambers, Council Members in the City of Santa Clara voted unanimously to pass a package of policies detailing new requirements for supporting affordable housing contributions as a part of future residential and non-residential development projects in the city. Testimony included dozens of construction workers who live and work in Santa Clara making a plea to…
Nov 8, 2017
By a unanimous vote, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to create an new Office of Labor Standards Enforcement, aimed at helping educate workers on their rights and helping tackle wage theft, discrimination and sexual harassment across the County. Dozens of supporters from a wide range of organizations came out to support the creation of the office including…
Oct 26, 2017
Tuesday evening, after more than five hours of public testimony and debate, six members of the San Jose City Council voted to undercut workers’ rights and deny career opportunity to local foster youth, veterans, low-wage workers and other hard-working community members. The 6-5 vote eliminated the possibility of implementing a Community Workforce Agreement policy for public, City-funded construction projects. While…
Sep 21, 2017
Yesterday, more than 200 community members gathered at the Washington United Youth Center in downtown asking when Google and City officials are going to join them at the table to help define the vision for the company’s proposed mega-campus. The report back from small group discussions centered around a two key issues: the need for affordable housing and good jobs…
Sep 19, 2017
Today, the San Jose City Council voted to move forward with a plan to cover City employees under the landmark Opportunity to Work measure. The first-of-its-kind initiative, which passed with overwhelming support from San Jose voters in November of 2016, provides part-time workers the opportunity to work additional hours before their employers can hire more part-time staff. By a vote…
Aug 22, 2017
After a multi-year dispute with Republic Services over its use of a subsidiary and temporary staffing firm to avoid paying the City’s Living Wage, the City of San Jose voted unanimously to accept a settlement agreement providing back wages and agreeing to a $17 wage going forward for sorters and housekeeping staff at Republic’s Newby Island facility employed by Leadpoint,…
Jul 25, 2017
Yesterday, more than 500 food service workers at Facebook won union representation at the tech giant’s campus in Menlo Park, CA. The workers, who are employed by contractor Flagship Facility Services, are calling for increased wages to compete with skyrocketing rents and more affordable health benefits. These workers will join cafeteria workers at Intel, Cisco Systems, Agilent and Nvidia, who…
Jul 25, 2017
Bay 101 workers went on strike in the early hours of Friday morning and maintained a constant picket line in front of the 24-hour casino. While Bay 101 is putting the final touches on its shiny new building, many of its loyal employees are being left behind. The card room, which is owned by members of the prominent Bumb family,…